“Good morning,” Niall appears in the doorway, holding two mugs. He slowly drops down on the edge of the bed, passingme one of the mugs. “It’s instant I’m afraid. As you know, I’m more of a tea drinker. I keep the instant on hand just in case.”
“Niall. What time is it?”
“A bit after eight. I heard you start to rustle around a bit so I went ahead and made these.”
“Eight in the morning?! Shit. I missed Aidan’s sister and getting the keys to the apartment.” I grab my phone and the home screen says…I have no missed notifications. What the hell?
“Yeah, so I’m guessing you don’t remember a whole lot of yesterday post-lunch.” I shake my head, confirming. “Okay, so you got here and the lack of sleep hit you hard. I put you to bed in my bedroom and you immediately conked out.”
“For what, eighteen hours? That’s insane. I wasn’t that sleep deprived.”
Niall places his hand on my knee. “From the flight? A bit. But I know you haven’t been sleeping well since the accident. I think it all caught up to you.” He reaches into the pocket of his short and produces a set of keys. He drops them into my open hand.
“Wait. These are for the apartment? How did you get them?”
“Well,” Niall says, taking a sip of his tea. “I came in to check on you right around when you were expecting the text from Aidan’s sister. I may, or may not, have put your phone up to your face and unlocked it. And then I may have gone and met her to get the keys for you.”
I laugh. “I don’t know whether to feel like a delinquent or happy that things worked out.”
“Oh, for sure you’re a delinquent. But, Erin’s actually someone who frequents my shop so it was a funny coincidence. I explained it all to her, which obviously how would I know the details if not for knowing you.”
I put the coffee down on the nightstand. “Do you know everyone in this city or what? The tour guide? My landlord?”
“I’d hardly call Erin a landlord. You likely won’t hear from her again now that she’s passed off the keys. Now, can I interest you in some breakfast?”
Soon enough Niall finishes plating the food, sliding mine down to me. It’s filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and what I suspect is soda bread.
“Do you do this most mornings? Or am I receiving special treatment?”
Niall takes the chair opposite me at the table. “I like to cook, but don’t have the opportunity to share it often. I spared you the black pudding though. I don’t want to be responsible for ruining your first real breakfast in Dublin.”
“Wait, is that the one made with blood?” Niall taps his nose, and I cringe. “Gross.”
When I do take my first bite of food, a few chunks of potato, it’s amazing. And so are the eggs, and obviously the meats. But the soda bread might be the best I’ve ever had.
“Did you make the bread too?”
Niall nods. “I sell it at the shop, sometimes people line up for it.”
“You should do the barmbrack too. The suggestions you gave for that recipe made it delicious. I have to imagine you making it would be that much better.”
“I actually do make it from time to time, swapping out the soda bread. And don’t sell yourself short Danny. I’ve eaten things that traveled for like a week in the mail and were downright delicious after all that time.”
I feel heat in my cheeks so I turn away and check my phone, not really sure for what. But I do need to figure out today because I essentially lost a day to get settled in.
“I’m assuming you need to be at the shop today?”
“I do. Actually need to start heading out soon to get ready for opening. Feel free to stay here as long as you like. Just make sure to lock up before you leave.”
I stand up, amazed at how quickly I finished breakfast. “I should probably go unpack and see what I need at the apartment. Get out of your hair for a bit since I kinda derailed you for a day.”
“Honestly, it wasn’t a problem. I need to take a quick shower before we head out though. Gotta grab your bags from the car.”
I grab Niall’s and my plates. “I can wash these up,” I say, bringing the dishes to the sink. Niall disappears into the bedroom while I grab a sponge and start cleaning the dishes.
Out of the corner of my eye I see him walk towards the bathroom, and I’m caught completely off guard. I’m not sure what I thought Niall’s body looked like, but being here is nothing like what I remember on my or Michael’s laptop screen. Maybe it was the camera angle.
Niall is tall, which is not new news over the past day, but seeing him without a shirt really accentuates it. His body is reminiscent of one of those Olympic swimmers we ogle at every four years. Just with a bit more chest hair.
