Falling Free

-Seven-

Niamh was dead to the world when there was a loud knock on the bedroom door. Groaning at her restful slumber being disturbed, she opened her eyes and yawned as she swung her legs out of bed and sat up.

"Alfie?" she called out when there was another knock.

"Well unless Cyril's learned how to make a fist and bang on a door then yeah it's me," came the reply, which immediately made Niamh grin.

"Is everything alright?" Niamh enquired, yanking on her dressing gown from the back of the door and pulling to open, not even giving a thought about the state of herself having just woken up.

"Yeah your aunt's on the phone," Alfie explained, taking in her bedraggled appearance and realising that he had never seen a sight more beautiful in all of his life.

He was past denying it now, especially after the evening they had spent eating dinner and talking into the early hours of the morning. Niamh was like a breath of fresh air; she was funny and she was intelligent and it didn't hurt that she was lovely to look at. Alfie knew that the way his chest would feel sort of odd when she smiled, or when she had snorted her drink out of her nose last night when he had cracked a joke, was just because his fascination with her hadn't yet worn off. Or at least that's what he told himself anyway because he was loath to admit that in the space of only a day or so he was finding himself looking for excuses to talk to Niamh or look at her simply because he wanted to and because he liked her.

"What time is it?" Niamh frowned.

"A little after seven," he answered. "She called about an hour ago but I said you was sleepin' and then she called just now and she said there was no way you would ever sleep in this late and that I'd better get you on the phone or she'd be down here to sort me out."

"God I'm sorry," Niamh groaned, slapping a hand over her face somewhat dramatically. "I mean, yeah, I never usually sleep past five back home but that's only because one of my nephews or nieces sneaks in to wake me up or Ada smashing around in the bedroom next door wakes me up. I have no idea why Pol is being so ridiculous but she's going to get a bloody piece of my mind."

"While I can't deny that Shelby temper of yours isn't amusin' to me, I do actually think that maybe you should cut your aunt some slack. The woman clearly just wants to make sure you're alright, don't she?" Alfie said as he followed a stomping Niamh down the stairs into the living room where the telephone receiver was lying on the desk waiting for her.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Niamh spat down the phone, completely ignoring Alfie who stood leaning in the doorway with his arms folded against his chest and watching with a smirk on his face.

"Oh hello, nice to speak to you too, Niamh," Polly answered dryly. "I was just checking you're alright."

"And you couldn't have done that at a more reasonable hour? I was asleep and it was fucking glorious actually not being poked in the nose by Karl or shaken awake by Ada looking for a dress to borrow even though she has plenty of her own."

"Oh I didn't realise your family was such an inconvenience to you before now. I'll just let you get back to your glorious bed in your glorious child free home, eh?"

"Oh piss off," Niamh tutted, rolling her eyes even though Polly couldn't see. "I never said any of you were an inconvenience. Fucking annoying, yes, but inconvenient, no. And I don't appreciate you making threats to Alfie when he hasn't done anything wrong."

"He's a big boy, he can handle it," Polly sneered. "And it's already begun I see."

"What's begun?"

"You choosing him over us? One night in Camden and he's wooed you already, has he?"