Yes! Mr Murphy

Part 30

Cillian and Nina walked into Cillian's apartment and plopped down on the sofa, exhausted from a long day. Nina absentmindedly scrolled through Instagram, her eyes widening at the sight of countless pictures you were tagged in from the theatre.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Cillian leaned over his daughter's shoulder to get a glimpse of what had caught her attention. His eyes widened as he saw the stunning images of you, showcasing your incredible talent on stage.

Cillian, never one for social media, thought for a moment before transforming into a wine connoisseur. He poured himself a glass and decided that perhaps, just this once, he could dip his toes into the digital world.

Cillian, not being so savvy in the world of social media, found himself intrigued by this unconventional way of peeping into people's lives and, with his newfound curiosity, he glanced at Nina, offering her a crooked grin.

"You know what? I think it's about time I joined the world of Instagram too. I mean, how hard can it be?" Cillian said, only half-serious.

Nina let out a hearty laugh, grabbing her phone. "Dad, I hate to break it to you, but I think they might have put an 'age restriction' on Instagram. You're probably breaking some kind of internet law just by thinking of signing up."

Determined not to be thwarted by his daughter's teasing, Cillian pushed forward. "I am young at heart, you know that. Besides, I want to see what all the fuss is about with this social media thing," Cillian laughed.

"All right, Dad. Let's see if the world is ready for Cillian Murphy on Instagram then," she giggled before warning him. "But don't you dare follow me! Your request will be denied!" she told him, causing Cillian to furrow his eyebrows.

"Follow? What do you mean by that?" he asked obliviously just before Nina left the living room to retrieve her laptop from her bedroom while Cillian poured himself another glass of wine. Nothing like some liquid courage to tackle the world of social media.

As Nina set up his profile, Cillian couldn't help but start feeling a little giddy, thinking that he was doing something naughty while, deep down inside, reflecting on his feelings. He missed you. He missed your laughter, your touch, and the way you made his heart race.

A familiar ache settled in his chest as he thought about the reasons you two broke up. The age difference seemed significant at the time, but now, he couldn't deny his lingering love for you.

"All done. Just waiting for your verification because you are a celebrity after all," Nina teased but Cillian had no idea what she was on about and reached for his mobile phone, which is where Nina had downloaded an app and signed him in.

"I have taken a photo of you from the Internet. Needless to say, there were plenty of them," she joked before, eventually, explaining to her father how Instagram actually worked.

Then, after Nina finished setting up Cillian's profile and retreated to her room, Cillian held his phone, contemplating whether he should follow your Instagram account. His finger hovered over the "Follow" button, hesitating.

"To hell with it," Cillian then muttered to himself, clicking the button and grinning like a teenager who had just pulled off a secret prank.

***

Meanwhile, at a lively bar, you were enjoying a night out with your friends following your grand performance, laughing and sipping on colourful cocktails.

That's when it happened. A notification popped up on your phone—Cillian Murphy is now following you on Instagram.

You nearly choked on your drink. Was this some sort of prank, you wondered and, just as you became somewhat flustered by what you believed to be a joke, one of your new acquaintances at the academy tapped you on the shoulder as she too was reading your feed.