Six years had passed since then. During those six years, we had a few hardships, one of them being the loss of my Gran Aisling. Everyone was really close to her, so it took a big toll on all of us. The worst part was just how sudden it all was. No warnings, nothing. We just woke up one day to find she had passed peacefully. Not having her at events throughout the year really sucked. She was usually the one making sure we were all happy. As much as I would’ve loved to bring her back, I couldn’t. So time went on as it does, and eventually we all had to move on. We knew she was up there watching over us and wouldn’t want us to stop our lives for her.
My studies were almost done just as I was turning 21. Soon I would be able to look into internships or maybe even be lucky enough to strike a job. There weren’t too many places in Ireland that did that sort of stuff, but I really didn’t want to move too far away, so I kept my eyes peeled. Occasionally, there would be a job opening in a similar field, which I always applied for. Sadly, being a woman made it harder to get that job. Nobody wanted to hire some 4’11 little girl. Yes, I was still 4’11. I would’ve loved to at least reach 5’0, but it never happened. Honestly, it looked like puberty and growth spurts just skipped over me entirely. Despite being an adult, I could easily pass for a 13-year-old child. That was one of the other reasons nobody took me seriously while I was applying for jobs.
Rian was a lot luckier when it came to growing up and looking the part. He actually looked older than I was, which he got a kick out of every time someone thought I was his younger sister. In the past few years, he went from being shorter than me to a fair height of 5’4. Not exactly tall, but it was a lot better than being 4 fecking 11. Compared to how he used to be, he had really come out of his shell. He was no longer the one to hide behind me when we were out at fairs, but instead, the one making goofy little slogans that would grab people’s attention so they would buy out stuff. He had gotten a lot more protective of me, which did sometimes bother me because he would take it too far occasionally, but I knew it was coming from a good place. Especially when gross men decided to make a move on me while walking down the streets of the town. You bet Rian was there to knock them out. All those years helping in the field gave him a pretty strong figure, so most of these creeps didn’t stand a chance.
“Bails! Rise and shine!” Rian called from downstairs. “I made hash browns!”
“Coming…” I grumbled groggily. Staying up until 2am last night was definitely not one of my better decisions, but it is what it is. Part of me debated just sleeping in, but hash browns were too good to miss. Rian always made the best ones too. There would be no way I was missing them.
Quickly, I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs. My eyes lit up when I saw the plate of perfectly cooked, golden brown hash browns on my plate.
“They look good!” I excitedly sat down at the table and dug in. “Thanks for breakfast!”
“No problem.” He smiled. “Oh, Mam said she wants us to go into town today to grab a few things. Are you coming? If you’ve got work to do, I can go alone.”
“No, no, I’m coming! Besides, I need fresh air. I got a headache from staying up too late last night.”
“Aw, Bails. You know better than to do that. You’re like a little baby and need a lot of sleep.”
“Oh shush. I know I look the part, but that doesn’t mean I have the same needs.”
“Are you sure?” He chuckled.
“I’m sure.”
Later that afternoon, we headed into town. We only had to pick up a few things, so it was going to be a pretty quick trip. Not that I minded it being longer. Spending time with my brother always made my day. Normally he was busy helping in the fields, so I never got to spend a lot of time with him during the day. While we walked around town, we talked about how life was doing in general. Talking really made the time speed up, and before we knew it, we were on our way home.
“I think that’s everything we need,” Rian said. “Anything else you need?”
I shook my head. “No, not that I know of.”
“Alright- oh! Is that a job posting on that pole over there?”
“Hm?” There were many poles, and since he wasn’t pointing, I didn’t know which one he was talking about.
“That one.” He pointed at one to the right of me. Curiously, I looked.
“Oh! Yeah, it is!” I said happily, going over to it and scanning it over. “It’s an internship right in my field of study! They’re doing research on different mental illnesses- Oh… It’s for a place in America. That’s too far away. Like an ocean too far.”
“Bah, give it a try anyway.” Rian smiled, reaching over me and pulling the paper off the pole. “You can’t stay at home forever.”
“Yes, I can,” I frowned. “I want to help out the family.”
“I’m not saying you can’t do that, but at the same time, you shouldn’t be holding yourself back for us. It’s not fair.”
“I’m not. It’s my own choice to not move. Besides, my English isn’t great and America is mostly English speaking.”
“You’re smart, I’m sure you could learn the language.”
“Not that fast,” I said. “He wants someone in three months.”
“You could do it! I believe in you!”
“I’ll THINK about it.” I laughed a bit. Was I really? Probably not. But I had to keep my little brother happy, and that did it. I took the paper from him and stuffed it in my pocket. “Alright, let’s head home.”
We made it only a few feet before I spotted a face I hadn’t seen in years. Hazel. Damn, did she look different. Instead of the smug grin she used to wear 24/7, she had a much kinder look to her. Good thing because had she kept making that face, she would’ve had some serious wrinkles by now. Her style of posh clothing remained the same, but she wasn’t rubbing it in everyone’s face. She was also still quite thin but had grown to be a woman with some pretty nice curves. Honestly, she was stunning.
“Huh,” Rian said, pointing at her. “Is that Hazel?”
“Yea, it is,” I said, a bit shocked. For some dumb reason, I could feel my face heat up a bit and my cheeks burn red. “She’s really changed, hasn’t she?”
“Aye.” He nodded, giving me a look. “Are you okay? Your face is bright red.”
“Oh- Is it??” Quickly, I looked away. “Sorry, sorry, must be the sun.”
“Right.” He smirked. “We should go see how she is! C’mon!”
Before I could say anything, he dragged me over to her. I swear, it’s like he knew how to make me a flustered mess sometimes. Every time he caught me blushing around Ciara, he teased the hell out of me.
When we approached Hazel, she looked surprised to see us. “Bailey! Rian! Hey! How are you two doing? Long time no see!”
“Uh, h-hey!” I waved. “Been ok. You, uh, look good.”
“Oh, thank you.” Hazel smiled. “The farm doing okay?”
I nodded.
“Good, good. Um… Look, I just want to clear something up. I know I was a really big bitch to you for a while, and I just want to say I’m sorry. I’m not sure what got into me. You didn’t deserve any of the torment I put you through.”
“It’s alright,” I said, waving my hand around a bit. “Don’t worry too much about it.”
“I’m happy to hear you don’t hold it against me.” She smiled. Argh, her smile! Why was she so pretty?! My face burned even more. Why couldn’t I stop blushing like an idiot?! What was wrong with me?!
“Uh, Bailey? Are you okay?” Hazel asked. “Your face is all red.”
“N-nope! All good!!” I grabbed Rian’s hand and started running before I could make a fool of myself. “Got to go! See you around!”
Once we got away, Rian absolutely lost it. He laughed until he couldn’t laugh anymore. The man looked ready to break a rib with how hard he was laughing. Glad to see he was having a good time while I was suffering.
When we got home, I went right to my room to try and sort my thoughts out. I never understood why I was like this. Why was it always pretty girls that I did that? My face would burn red hot with blush and I would lose all abilities to speak. It was like that with Ciara at times, and now Hazel. A huge part of me wanted to ask if she would want to get together another time and talk, but that was stupid! That girl almost took away our farm! Yea, she may have changed, but still… I really wasn’t sure what to think of everything. My thoughts were messing with me too much.
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