Look East | A Hozier Fanfiction |

9

The wind whipped through Andrew's hair as he pedaled along the road toward the trail head to meet Molly. He was late and he was hoping the bike would make up the difference in time. He took a curve a little too sharply and narrowly avoided running over an elderly woman in a wheelchair.

"Sorry!" he shouted over his shoulder as he sped past.

When he saw the trail head in the distance he slowed down. Molly was leaning against a low stone wall, her bike parked next to her in the grass. He gave her a wave when he got closer and smiled when she waved back at him. He came to a stop in front of her, dragging his Converse through the gravel on the path to slow down.

"Hey," he greeted her, leaning over to give her a kiss. "Been waiting long?"

"Only ten minutes," she teased. "What happened?"

"I had to adjust the seat on my bike," he sighed sheepishly. "The last time I rode it I think I was six inches shorter."

Molly burst into laughter. "Tall people problems, huh?"

"You have no idea," he replied, running his fingers through his hair. "I had to find a wrench and then the chain came off. It was a fucking mess," he chuckled. "Ready to go?"

She nodded, swinging her leg over her bike. "Lead on, Magellan," she teased.

He smiled and kicked off the ground, pedaling slowly along the walking path. Molly's hair was up in a loose bun on her head and she had on a white flowy off-the-shoulder shirt and a pair of skinny jeans that were quite distracting for him. Sunglasses hid her eyes, but her smile radiated happiness toward him.

"Go left!" he called after her, steering his own bike onto a dirt path closer to the cliff's edge.

"You're not trying to kill me are you?" she called over her shoulder nervously as she pedaled.

"It's fine. It widens out in a second," he assured her as the path started to inclune sharply.

Sure enough, the path widened and they were able to ride side by side. The incline plateaued and the ride eased up considerably. The Irish Sea exploded underneath them, crashing against the rocky beach below. The path felt as familiar to Andrew as picking up a guitar; he could ride it with his eyes closed (and he almost did after a night drinking).

"Have you been out to Greystones yet?" he asked.

"Not yet. Is it nice?" Molly asked.

"I guess so. I like it. Its smaller than Bray, but it has its own unique qualities," he smiled.

"You're not a city dweller are you?" she chuckled. "You like the country."

"Ehm, more city-adjacent," he replied. "I like being close enough to go in for things like concerts or festivals that we don't get out here in the country, but far enough that I can make as much noise as I want without neighbors complaining."

"Now that you have time off, are you going to buy your own place?" she asked.

"I'm looking at it. Its just about finding the right one, you know?" Andrew answered.

They rode in silence for several minutes as the ocean breeze whipped around them high up on the cliffs. Molly came to a stop at an observation point and sat on a worn wooden bench facing the sea. He sat next to her, shuffling his hair from his face.

"So Chester is hosting a party at his place this weekend and he invited you," Molly said. "I told him I'd ask, but I wasn't sure if you'd be available. If you don't want to go, I get it."

"That actually sounds like a great idea," he smiled at her. "I'm kind of getting a bit of cabin fever being cooped up here. I need a hit of city life."