"Maeve are you almost ready?" My best friend Lacey called out to me from downstairs. "We're going to miss our flight!" I ignored her calls and quickly continued packing. "Maeve!" She yelled to me.
"Alright, I'm coming!" I yelled back. I finished packing and carried my suitcase downstairs.
"Finally," Lacey said. "Come on, our cab's here, we have to get to the airport."
"Do you girls really have to go?" My mother whined.
"Mom," I said. "It's just a week, we'll be back! We just want to celebrate our graduation before we have to go to college in the fall."
"I know you girls want to celebrate," my mom said. "But do you have to go all the way to Ireland?"
"You should be proud mother," I said. "I'm discovering my roots." My mother laughed lightly.
"Fine," she said. "But if you see your father over there and he mentions me, tell him I don't want to see him."
"Yeah, you've told me that about five times already," I said. "I'm not even going to the city he lives in anyway." My mom sighed and gave me a hug.
"I love you, Maeve," she said.
"I love you too, mom," I said.
"And I love you both," Lacey added. "But we really need to go." I nodded and grabbed my suitcase. We said one final goodbye to my mother before heading out the door.
Our flight was really long, but it gave Lacey and I a chance to take a nice nap and watch a few movies together. By the time we landed, it was the next day. We slept most of the day, so by nightfall we were wide awake. The time difference was really messing with our sleep schedules. We decided to go out that night since we were already awake. We found a pub down the street from our hotel in Dublin and ordered a few drinks.
"I love everyone's accents here," I said to Lacey.
"I love that we can drink here even though we're only eighteen," Lacey said, taking a sip of her drink. I laughed softly. We stayed at the bar for hours. I was a little buzzed and Lacey was completely wasted. Luckily, she was still lucid enough to walk back to the hotel, giggling the whole way of course. I was laughing at one of Lacey's stupid jokes, paying very little attention to where we were going, when I bumped into somebody. I looked up to see a blonde man with the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen.
"I-I'm sorry," I stuttered.
"It's not a problem, love," he said. He had an accent, but it certainly wasn't Irish. "Are you alright?"
"She's fine!" Lacey said, slurring her words. "But I certainly wouldn't object to a hug from you, sexy man." Lacey ran her hand down his chest and I quickly pulled it away.
"I'm sorry," I said. "She had a little too much."
"Maybe I should help you get to wherever you're going," he said.
"Oh that's ok," I said. "I'm sure you have other things to do and I don't even know your name."
"Ben," he said. "And you are?" I smiled softly.
"Maeve," I said. "This is Lacey." Ben started walking with us back to the hotel.
"So I take it you two are not from around here?" Ben said.
"No," I said. "We're American. You don't really sound like you're from around here either. Your accent is more... British." Ben gave me a surprised look.
"Wow," Ben said. "Most Americans I've met can't tell the difference."
"My dad's Irish," I said. "So I can tell." Ben chuckled softly. When we got to the hotel, Ben started coming in with us. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm on holiday," Ben said. "I'm staying here."
"So are we," I said.
"Interesting," Ben said. "Listen, Maeve, this might sound a little insane because I know we just met, but would you like to do something with me tomorrow night? Maybe dinner?"
"Oh, I don't know," I said. "I'm not sure I want to leave Lacey alone."
"I'll be fine!" Lacey said. "I'm so drunk I'll probably still feel shitty at that time anyway." Ben and I laughed. "Ok," I said. "Tomorrow it is."
I went out to dinner with Ben the next day. We ate, we talked, we laughed. Honestly, it was one of the best nights of my life. When I went back to the hotel, Lacey was lying in bed eating a whole pint of ice cream.
"How was your date?" Lacey asked me.
"Great," I said. "Really great. Amazing actually. I can't explain. I just... I can't stop thinking about him already."
"Oh God," Lacey whined. "You're falling in love with him already, aren't you?" I sighed and shrugged. "No Maeve," Lacey scolded. "You always do this! You fall for people way too fast, you need to slow down!"
"But this time is different!" I said. Lacey sighed. "He doesn't live anywhere near us," I said. "So just let me enough this week with him. I bet he has a friend for you."
"Fine," Lacey said. "But only if he can find a friend for me. You're not leaving me alone all week!" I nodded in agreement.
Luckily, Ben did have a friend for Lacey. We spent all week together. Lacey and Ben's friend did not seem to click, but Ben and I fell hard for each other. By the end of the week, I was sure I had fallen in love with him. I did not want to leave him, but I had to go home. The night before we were leaving, I couldn't stop cry. I didn't want to lose Ben, but I couldn't stay here. On the day we were leaving, I met Ben before our flight. I had to tell him how I felt or I would regret it. I went to his hotel room and knocked on the door.
"Ben I need to talk to you," I said as soon as he opened it.
"I need to talk to you too," he said. "I have something for you." Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box. He opened it and revealed a beautiful ring. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm not proposing or anything, I know we barely know each other. Besides this isn't even a diamond, it's opal."
"Then what is this for?" I asked him. Ben sighed.
"I know we can't really be together," he said. "But this week with you was honestly the best week of my life. I don't want to forget you. And I don't want you to forget about me. So, consider this ring a reminder of me and your trip here." I smiled and kissed him passionately. When I pulled away I kept my nose and forehead pressed against his.
"I think I'm in love with you, Ben," I said softly.
"It's possible I could feel the same way, Maeve," Ben said. "But it doesn't matter. After this trip, we'll probably never meet again." I choked back a tear and he hugged me. "I'll never forget you, Ben whispered. He kissed my cheek and pulled away. I went home not long after that, but I kept the ring. I refused to forget about him.
"Ben, I think I'm in love with you," I said
