Sunday, November 21, 2010

The Dream Trip - Chapter 5

As they pulled up to the hotel, the girls looked at each other thinking that Ryan had pulled a quick on on them. The hotel was like something out of a storybook. It was luxurious and huge. At this point it was getting so late in the day and they really had no other choice so they checked in and got Darcy set up with a spa appointment before dinner. After leaving Darcy in the spa, the other girls explored the grounds around the hotel. The gardens were immaculate and the fragrance from all the flowers was intoxicating.

As they arrived back to pick up Darcy from the spa, they were very surprised to see Ryan bending down in front of Darcy wrapping her ankle. Darcy was sitting in a spa chair wrapped in a plush robe, smiling with a slight blush on her cheeks.

When Ryan saw Darcy turn her head toward the girls, he did so also, “Hi girls. Since I knew you were coming here, I stopped at Boots, the pharmacy, and picked up a wrap for Darcy's ankle. It's doing much better.”

Mona thought this all was very suspicious and questioned, “What are you doing here, Ryan?”

“Sorry,” he always seems be be apologizing, “I'm working not to far from here and the company puts us up at this hotel. I knew they had a spa, so that's why I recommended it. My friend and I will be in the hotel pub later this evening and it would be great to visit with you all. We really didn't get to visit much today.” He turned to Darcy and smiled. “I would think if you iced your ankle and kept it elevated for a few hours, you might be feeling a lot better.”

Ryan finished wrapping Darcy's ankle and helped support her to the room the girls were all sharing. He said good-bye and mentioned the pub again as he winked at Darcy. With Darcy not being able to walk much the girls decided to splurge this one night and get room service hoping that they would be able to spend some time in the pub later. Ryan was without question a very handsome man, and he seemed to have this bit of a rogue about him. All Briana and Caitlin heard was the chatter between Darcy and Mona about having met Paul and Ryan. They were obviously taken by the two men.

Dinner was delicious in this hotel and the service was unbelievable. It seemed strange to them that an employer would put their employees up in such a nice place, but considering they were in a different country, they shrugged their shoulders and headed down to the pub helping Darcy as she hobbled her way along. Ryan was right, he ankle was better, and the ice and sitting with her leg elevated made a huge difference. They would be able to get on the road the next morning and head for Derry for some sightseeing.
The girls arrived at the pub and found a nice snug to sit in. The barman noticed them and nodded, but it wasn't for a couple of minutes that they realized they were supposed to order their drinks at the bar. No waitresses here. It was a long beautifully crafted wood bar. As long as they had to get up to get their drinks, they decided to relocate to the bar. Even though it was legal for Briana to drink here, she preferred not to and ordered a Coke. The other girls all ordered a half pint of Guinness. Their backs were to the entrance and they never realized anyone else entering as they were engaged in a lively conversation with the barman.

Mona almost jumped off her stool as she felt an arm around her shoulder.
“Well fancy meetin' you here, darlin'!” the Irish voice behind her said.

Once again Mona was speechless as she turned just enough to see it was Paul with his arm around her shoulder. As she relaxed her tenseness from a minute earlier, Paul had to grab her and keep her from falling off her stool. They all let out a laugh.

Ryan was obviously with Paul and climbed onto the stool next to Darcy.
“Now what would you be doing sitting up here?” he asked. “You should be in a snug with your leg up.”

“Why don't we all move over to that area so we can sit and visit comfortably?” Paul directed everyone to an area with cushioned chairs and sofas.

Now that everyone was settled with Paul sitting next to Mona holding her hand, and Ryan next to Darcy tending to her and her ankle, they looked like friends who had known each other for a long time. Finally the girls had a chance to ask the questions they had kept to themselves. Did the two men know each other? What were they doing here together? Did Paul know anything about this? Who was Ryan really?

Ryan and Paul answered all the questions. Yes, they knew each other as they both sang in the same group. The two of them were up in Ballymena recording some songs for a future CD. They would be singing a couple duets and the recording studio was not too far from the hotel. Paul only realized that Ryan had bumped into the same girls he met in Dublin when Ryan was telling Paul at dinner about this girl with a sprained ankle that he met when he was at the Giant's Causeway earlier in the day. They were thrilled to be able to surprise the girls in the pub.

The rest of the evening was spent with Ryan and Paul getting to know Mona and Darcy. Caitlin and Briana left early as they felt out of place.
“Now why can't I meet some handsome Irishman?” Caitlin asked Briana as they walked the grounds of the hotel.
“It's because you are a sports dork, like me,” Briana teased back. “I wish I had my soccer ball with me. I really need to work off some excess energy. This sitting in the car and eating are just killing me. I think I'll be going for a run tomorrow morning. Are you up for that?”

“Sure, a couple of miles before we have to ride to Derry would be great. Let's head in now and get to sleep so we can get up early and run. I don't expect that Darcy and Mona will be in too early,” Caitlin agreed as they headed back in to the hotel.

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