Eachtra

Yule Be Sorry

The ratty comforter is twisted around me when I wake up and one leg hangs out of the covers. For a long moment, all I feel is the headache pounding in my skull and blissful unawareness of where I am and what happened.

Then it rushes back and I want to throw myself into the dwindling fire in the hearth.

Liam kissed me and like a kindergartener, I panicked and locked myself in the bathroom. Not that this response was totally unwarranted--he has only known me for a few days. Still, I should at least have the maturity to deal with an unexpected kiss. A great kiss. Legendary even. I shudder away the memory of his hand on my neck and in my hair. I need to get my tree samples and go back to campus--this tomfoolery has gone on for long enough.

Before I rise from the mire of scratchy bed sheets, I spare a glance at Liam. It's just as I suspected--he's even cute when he's asleep. His hair hangs a little over his closed eyes and his mouth is slightly ajar.

Oh gosh. I've got it bad.

One thing I know for sure--I need to go back to school. I'm acting totally out of character because I'm so out of my element. Maybe things will go back to normal when I get back to my school.

I pull aside the sheets and tip toe out of bed. With the fire down to the embers, the cabin is icy cold and my toes actually start to freeze as I rush into the bathroom, aka my home during the post-kiss meltdown, and complete my morning pee. The bathroom seems a lot less dreary with crystalline light soaring through the windows, and I try to remember why I freaked out. A hot Irish guy kissed me. So what? It doesn't mean anything, and after my reaction, I doubt he'll try any funny business again. Now I just need to get home and get far, far away from him.

When I emerge from the bathroom, I stumble towards the miniature kitchen. There's no way I'm leaving this cabin and embarking into the tundra without coffee first. There's an old coffee pot on the tiny counter so I rummage through the cabinets in search of some edible type of coffee grounds. I discover a tin of Folger's and start to hum the catchy jingle from the commercial as I prepare my coffee. If it wakes Liam up, too bad. He needs to wake up soon if he wants me to drive him back. Otherwise I'm leaving him in this cabin to find his own way back.

Despite my meltdown from last night, I'm surprisingly cheerful this morning. I'd blame it on the impending holiday, but I've never felt Christmas cheer in my life. As the coffee pot sputters to life and I continue to hum, Liam starts to stir with a groan. A long arm stretches above his head and sleep eyes open.

"Keidy?" he murmurs, his accent even stronger in the morning. "What...what are yah doing?"

"Morning, sleepyhead," I answer. "Want some coffee? We need to get on the road. Time waits for no one."

Liam props himself onto his elbows and squints at me. "What the...where do yah think you're going?"

I frown, impatient with both Liam and the coffee pot. "I am going back to school. We both went a little crazy last night, so I'm calling it quits."

"What?" he exclaims, sitting up and pushing off his blanket. "You're leaving, just like that?"

"Yep." The coffee pot fills and I pour myself a mug, breathing deep the scent of hot Colombian roast. Yes, I'm definitely feeling better. I take a sip and then curse. Hot. Too hot.

"Why?" Liam asks. He rises to his feet and lumbers towards the remaining firewood stacked next to the hearth. "I told yah I didn't mean to scare yah off, Keidy. I just...I like yah."

A shiver of panic rises up my spine but I drown it in a long burning sip of coffee. "Well, thanks for that, but it doesn't change anything. I want to go back to school and return to our lives.This was fun and all, but..." I make a slicing motion across my throat, just to make sure he gets the picture.