27 Chapter 26: The Exchange

Alice Hughes' POV

He drove off from the restaurant before we were on the highway to get to the outskirt of Dublin. We made a stop at the local pharmacy as he picked up the medicine that his mother needed. I waited in the car before he got in and we drove for a few minutes to reach his house.

'i hope you don't mind, my mother will ask you questions that you will uncomfortable to answer. so, if you feel that way, just tell her I don't know,' he said as he was holding my door as I got out of the car.

'right noted. Thank you for your warning,' I said as I was walking side by side with him. His house was…quaint, to say the least. There was a garden to the side with beautiful flowers that were blooming in the moonlight. I never knew there are species of flowers that did that.

'Mother, I'm home and I brought guest,' Connor shouted as he opened the door and he ushered me in. He walked to the coat hanger and asked for my coat.

'Thanks,' I said as I handed it over to him. He took it before he put it on the hanger. He shrugged his coat as well and hung it as well.

'mother, where are you?' He asked again.

'in here,' a voice replied to his question before there were coughing happened after that.

'mother,' he said as he ran toward the room. I followed him but I kept my distance as he was with his mother. I don't want to be an intruder in his house. He was nice enough to bring me here.

'who is your friend there, dear?' An old voice asked Connor as she was looking at me. I was standing at the door as I thought Connor would like some help from me. Connor turned to look at me as I was standing awkwardly in front of the door.

'ah, yes. Mother, this is Alice. She is my friend from Business 101,' he said as I waved at her.

'nice to meet you, ma'am,' I said as I bowed at her. She was looking at me up and down as I just realized that I was wearing my costume.

'What a peculiar taste you have in your dressing,' she said as she was smiling at me. I laughed before she ushered me to get inside the room.

'come in, child, come sit beside me,' she said as she told Connor to put a chair near her bed.

'Are you sure? I don't want you to overwork yourself,' I said as I was trying not to make her exhausted herself. She waved her hands at me.

'it's nothing. I just want to know you. besides, I never thought that I would finally meet one of my son's friends from the university that he went to. He was secretive,' she said as I took a seat beside her.

'may I?' She asked me as she was holding my hands.

'be my guest,' I said as she was reading my palms. I don't believe in that so I just hear what she had to say about my palms then and my destiny.

'well, we have pure Irish blood here,' she said as she was looking at me. I smiled as I was blushing at her compliments.

'so, tell me. Which side was Irish? Your father or mother?' She asked me as she was looking deep into my eyes.

'err…mother, I guess. She always told me that my maternal grandmother was the first generation that stood her ground from the invasion of the Brits,' I said as I was smiling proudly. My mother would always tell the story about her mother and her sacrifices for the land that we were born into.

'i see, so you're a warrior?' She asked me but I just shook my head.

'well, that was my grandma. Not me. I'm just a normal girl,' I said as I was laughing at my answer. Connor's mum was smiling at me before she patted my hands in hers.

'of course my dear. well, I think I would like to sleep now,' she said as Connor gave her the medicine that she asked for. I went out of the room when I saw Connor was kissing his mother's cheeks as she said good night to him.

'Good night, mom,' he whispered to her. I smiled before I went to sit in the living room. I don't want to be any more intruding in his house. So I went to wait for him there when he got out of his mother's room.

'so, you spend a lot of time here?' I asked him as he walked toward me. He laughed at my question.

'well, I was born here, so I practically lived here my whole life but after I went to university, I would come back here during the weekends fortnight,' he said as he went to show me to the front door. He took my coat and put it on my shoulder before taking his coat as well.

'well, sorry you have to play along with my mother,' he said as he was looking at me. I smiled at him and my memory with his mother.

'no, it's nothing. I like your mother. She fulled of life, I supposed, unlike my mother,' I said as I was looking at the ground before I exhaled my breath. The chill air was making my breath visible in the night.

'Right, we need to get to the car as quickly as possible. We don't want you to be sick for tomorrow. Besides it was your birthday tonight,' he said as he went to unlock his car and opened the door for me.

'Thank you,' I said as I went inside the car. He then closed the door as he went jogging to his side and opened the door before he closed it as quickly as he went to start the ignition before he reversed the car and get out of the lawn of his mother's house as quickly as we were on the highway again.

'Thank you,' he said all of a sudden after the silence was too strong to ignore each other's presence. I turned to look at him. I arched my eyebrow.

'for what?' I asked him as I was chuckling at his statement. He looked briefly at me before he focused on the road again.

'for making my night a wonderful night,' he said as he took my hand. I can feel my temperature was rising before I bowed my head from his piercing stare.

'well, I just do what I can. It's nothing special,' I said as I was letting Connor hold my hand when he was putting in on his well-built thigh. I can sense that he was well-built like a Greek god when he was turning left and there was nothing in sight.

'where are we?' I asked him as I took my hand back from his hand.

'well, I suppose you want to see the stars for tonight? Or would you rather go home?' He said as he looked at me. I smiled. No one has ever done this before for me.

'sure, why not?' I said before he opened the roof and we were laying back on our seats.

'look at that,' he said. I looked at the sky. It was shining with stars all around me. I smiled.

'yeah, it's beautiful,' I said as I was smiling and took the chill breeze from the wind. I don't know where we were but I guess it was nice.

'oh, look!' I said as I unconsciously touched his hand as I showed at the Orion constellation. I looked at him as I looked at our hands.

'Sorry,' I said as I took away my hand.

'don't be,' he said as he was looking at the star that I showed him.

'that's Orion. My father said it would always show you the way even you were lost in the forest, sea or anywhere. If you could see the sky, you can always find back home,' I said as I was staring at the sky. I looked at Connor and noticed that he had been staring at me when I was talking about Orion.

'and what's that one over there?' Connor asked me as he showed another constellation. I smiled as it was my favorite constellation from all the others.

'well, that one was the Big Dipper. Its big bowl will always show north. I always wanted to visit north,' I said as I was smiling at the sky.

'why?' Connor asked me. I looked at him. I shrugged.

'i don't know. Maybe just to explore the world and what it has to offer to me, I guess,' I said as I was looking at the sky. Connor sighed as he went to look at the clock. It was past midnight.

'i think I should bring you home now,' he said as he went to pull his seat up. He did for me as well.

'thank you,' I said before the roof was closed again. He started the ignition and drove off from that place.

'i don't want to answer to your best friend where I have brought you,' he said as we were laughing at that thought.

After a few minutes' drives, we reached in front of my apartment that I shared with Nora. He got off from his side and went to open the door for me. He offered his hand and I took it as I got out of the car.

'so, I guess this is it,' he said as he was walking me to the front door. I turned to look at him. I smiled at him.

'yeah, I suppose. Unless you have anything in your mind?' I said as I looked at him. Connor smiled like he was a model that should be walking down the runway, not be standing in front of me. I gulped as he showed me his bright, neat teeth.

'well, there is one thing that I have been dying to do,' he said as he was looking at me before he closed the distance between us.

'yes?' I whispered as he was coming closer and closer to me. I licked my lips as our hot breath mingled together.

'can I kiss you?' He asked me. I drew my breath and before I can answer him, he kissed me.

It was the best feeling ever as I can sense electricity was coming, rushing over my body as I closed my eyes and I snaked my hands around his neck, drew him closer. His kiss was tender at first but now he was desperate to feel my mouth.

'open for me,' he said before I obliged. I let his tongue inside me and it was an explosive feeling ever. I smiled as I can feel he was roaming my body.

'Alice,' he whispered after he kissed me. He went for my neck and jaws after that.

'Connor,' i whispered, matching his sensual voice.

'can I see you tomorrow?' He asked me. I was in a daze to give a straight answer but I nodded at him anyway.

'good, I see in the library, 7 PM sharp,' he said before he drew me in for another kiss before he left me wanting more of him.