Berrybog Boys (BxB)

Chapter III: The Tap

Luckily for Nils, the Tap stood on the outskirts of the village, about half an hour of walking from the Berrybog Cottage. It was an older building with a wooden facade, looking exactly how Nils imagined a local Irish pub to look, which he found all kinds of delightful. He could hear the sound of voices and music even before he saw the place, but was still unprepared for the assault on his senses when he opened the door.

The pub was loud and bright, absolutely full of people. Every table and bar seat was occupied and Nils felt like saying that everyone was there wouldn't be an exaggeration. The air was warm and heavy, bringing with it the smell of food and beer, a stark contrast to the crisp evening outside.

As Nils entered the room, he couldn't shake the now familiar feeling of other people staring at him. One time, he asked Sinead about it and she said that the locals were just interested in the new neighbour, but it did little to put him at ease.

"Nils!"

The familiar voice belonged to Bernadette, who was waving at him from one of the tables in the further corner of the pub, where she sat with Sinead and three pints of beer. Glad to be saved from this awkward predicament, he hurried straight to them.

"Hey. This is certainly... popular." He said with a hesitation.

"Well, it's not like there's plenty of places to drink around here," said Bernadette, "and I might have told a few people they will get a chance to meet you."

Nils nodded, although he could not understand the fascination Edenderry had with rumors and anything new happening in the neighbourhood. Would it happen to him, if he spent his entire life with the same few people?

Still, the novelty of it had to go away at some point. Right?

***

It was a few beers later and Nils was surprised by how much he was enjoying himself. During the evening he was introduced to quite a few people, including the bartender, all of which were nothing but welcoming. Even now, standing next to the bar counter and waiting for his glass, he felt unusually content.

However, it was not meant to last for long. It might have been his antipathy towards this voice, but he heard the quiet "Oh, wow," coming from behind him clear as the day, despite the noise of the pub. He slowly turned around, already certain of who he was going to see. And there he was, the stranger from before, looking straight at him.

"What? The hell was that about?" Nils asked.

The stranger looked almost surprised that he was heard, but he quickly put a grin back on his handsome face and said, "Nothing. I'm just surprised that you really do own a shower."

"No, I just waited for the layer of dirt to get so thick that it fell off by itself." Nils snarled back and rolled his eyes. "Asshole."

"It's Ciaran, actually."

"I did not ask and I do not care." The only reason Nils would care was to put a name on the guy, who he decided was his new nemesis. Which he could now do. Great.

"Oh? I'm hurt." Ciaran exclaimed, dramatically clutching his chest.

"Not as hurt as I would like you to be." Nils murmured, loud enough to be heard, but quiet enough to pretend that he didn't mean to. The other man just laughed, before grabbing his pint and leaving.

***

"What I'm saying," Bernadette shouted over the noise of the crowd, slurring slightly. "Is that you clean up good."

Sinead rolled her eyes internally. The girl wasn't even a lightweight, but they all already put enough pints in themselves and her confidence grew proportionally to the alcohol content of her blood.