Poppy's Fall

Chapter 10

A boat; a fishing boat to be exact, was what Ryan had in mind.  After finishing up some paper work and quickly dashing over to a nearby pub for some take-away, Ryan had guided Poppy to a fishing boat. 

But now, seeing the beautiful sunset over the horizon as they floated along calm waters, Poppy couldn’t find it in her to get angry or be disappointed.  The fish and chips he had picked up were the icing on the cake and she realized this was exactly the type of evening she would want to spend with someone.  With him, her mind quietly added but Poppy pushed it aside. 

“Where’s your head at?” Ryan finally asked her when he had spent the last five minutes speaking to her then realizing she was in a completely different world.

“Oh, sorry,” Poppy cursed herself for zoning out. “I was just admiring the sunset.  I thought it rained constantly here.”

Ryan let out a quick burst of laughter.  “While it’s true we get our fair share of the wet stuff, we do get nice weather as well.”

“Well now I feel stupid.” Poppy could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up her neck. 

“Please don’t,” Ryan reached over and took her hand.  “You’re anything but.”

His eyes bore into hers.  A lovely shade of green, really, that had little specks of gold in them.  It would be so easy to get lost in those eyes, she thought.  He was all too easy to talk to; to be with; to like.  If things weren’t so complicated with Kyle she could really see herself falling for Ryan.  But Kyle was her soulmate, wasn’t he?  Then again Kyle wasn’t here, at this very moment, holding her hand.  Right now she could imagine doing exactly what Ellie had done and fall in love with an Irishman. 

Poppy shook her head to get rid of those thoughts, shocked that her mind would go there.  She couldn’t fall in love with Ryan.  For one, he wasn’t her type.  Second it was clear he loved Ireland and she had serious doubts that he would move to New York; and third, she would definitely not move to Ireland. 

While she could appreciate the beauty and calmness of the countryside, she favored a bustling city life.  At the moment, Galway was the closest city to her and while she was sure it was a lovely place (she hadn’t visited yet) it wasn’t exactly New York City what with over 8 million inhabitants compared to Galway’s population of almost 80, 000.  It didn’t have her favorite coffee shop, although right now she wasn’t sure she wanted to go back to the Corner Café as it held a lot of memories for her.  She loved her apartment and was sure she wouldn’t be able to find a place like that.   Then again she could probably find a nice cottage somewhere close by.  What was she doing?  She shook her head yet again and cast an eye to see if Ryan had noticed.  He would no doubt wonder what was wrong with her with all the head shaking.  She was making a case for a move to Ireland and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

Suddenly the fish and chips were weighing heavily in Poppy’s stomach and she felt slightly nauseated.  She wasn’t sure if it was because of what she had been thinking or the fact that she couldn’t see land anymore.

“Poppy?” Ryan was leaning close a look of concern on his handsome face.  “Are you feeling alright?”

Poppy opened her mouth to say no but immediately slammed her lips shut as a wave of nausea hit her with full force.  She tried to nod her head and pretend everything was ok but instead rushed to the side of the boat and promptly emptied her stomach into the ocean.  Pure embarrassment flooded through her when she finally felt well enough to lift her head up.  She looked over to Ryan sure she looked like a complete mess, and couldn’t see him. 

“Ryan?” Her voice sounded raw and downright sickly. 

“Right here, darling” Ryan had been bent over rummaging through a burlap sack.  He straightened out and rushed over to her with a bottle in hand.  “Drink this,”

She cautiously took the bottle from him and took a sip.

“Ginger ale,” Poppy recognized the amber liquid as soon as it hit her tongue.  She had never tasted anything so good and the effects were almost immediate.  She wasn’t feeling one hundred percent but she was definitely better.

 “You’ll start feeling better soon,” Ryan had guided her to a seat and was rubbing circles on her back.  “I should have asked if you were seasick.”

Poppy lifted her head, a bad move considering it now felt like there were a thousand tiny dwarves mining away in her head.  But she looked at Ryan anyway knowing he was blaming himself for another seemingly failed date. “I’ve never really been on a boat so I wouldn’t have known anyway.”

She attempted a smile but it came off as weak and now she regretted not using the waterproof mascara when she had meticulously applied her makeup.  She knew she probably looked like some sort of evil carnival clown.  She was dumbfounded to see that Ryan was still looking at her like she was the most beautiful creature in the world.  She wished she hadn’t thrown up because she really wanted to kiss him. 

“I really wish I could kiss you right now.” Poppy clamped a hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that.” She mumbled.

Ryan took her hand away and grinned. “I’m glad you said it because I really wish I could kiss you as well.”  Instead he sighed and dropped her hand “I’ll take us back to port so you can get home and rest.  I’ll bet you have a nasty headache right about now.”

Poppy nodded but mourned the moment they had just shared.  Why was it that they couldn’t seem to get their act together?  As much as she was trying to deny feeling anything for Ryan, it was obvious there was something there.  She watched him as he brought the boat in; land wasn’t as far as she had initially thought.  He had a serious look about him and she knew he was beating himself up over her getting sick.  Funny, how she could already gauge his moods and know his thoughts.

                                                                                                ***

Ryan was careful with her when he helped her back onto the pier.  Instead of holding her hand he shoved his own into the pockets of his coat.  He showed her the way to a bathroom so she could freshen up.  In the meantime he sought out a couple of his workers he knew lived close to Doolin and always drove in together.  After making arrangements for one of them to drive his truck, Ryan turned to see Poppy coming toward him. 

“I’ll drive you back.” He said quietly and before she could protest “I’ve made arrangements for someone to drive my truck down so I’ll be able to get back, don’t worry.”

It didn’t matter what he did, it was as though someone was trying to tell him she wasn’t for him even though he had been so certain.  This was the second time a date had gone awry with her and he was sure he didn’t want the third time to be the charm. 

She was as pale as fresh fallen snow but at least she didn’t look like a hangover gone wrong anymore.  Her steps were slow and deliberate, and all he wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and carry her to her car but he didn’t think that would go over well.  He was sure she didn’t want him touching her ever again.

                                                                                                ***

God this was torture.  They were in her car halfway back to Doolin and Ryan would barely look at her anymore.  Poppy didn’t know what to say to make him feel better she didn’t know if there was anything she could say to be honest.  She could see the internal struggle he was going through and finally decided enough was enough.  She stretched out her hand toward him and rested it on his knee.  Hopefully he wouldn’t try to shake it off because that would be humiliating.  Instead, Ryan placed his hand over hers.  Ok, this was a good sign.

After they had gotten back on the pier and Ryan had shown her to a bathroom she had thrown up again.  Looking into her purse she had forgotten she always carried some sort of mint or gum in there for which she was now grateful for.  Poppy had taken one look in the mirror and wondered how Ryan hadn’t run from her screaming.  She had been right about the mascara running and making her look like a clown but a splash of water on her face, a bit of gargling and a stick of gum made her feel like a new woman.

“Don’t say it.” Ryan told her before she could even open her mouth.  He gave her a sideways glance. “I know you’re going to say it’s not my fault.”

“Well, it’s not,” Poppy removed her hand and turned in her seat so she could face him.  “I didn’t know I get seasick so how could you?  I still had a great time up until that point.”

Now it was Ryan’s turn to shake his head.  “You’re a sweetheart but…”

“No buts,” Poppy interjected.  She wasn’t going to let him talk himself down. “I wouldn’t say these things if they weren’t true and if you think I would then you obviously don’t me well enough yet.”

Ryan set his lips in a grim line but Poppy went on. “I don’t regret coming to see you or going with you on your boat.  If I did I wouldn’t be trying to make you feel better.  I’d just be sitting here quiet and waiting for this ride to be over.”

At that they were at the B & B much sooner than Poppy would have liked.  She was happy to be back so she could take a hot shower and get in her bed as soon as possible.  But that meant her time with Ryan was over and she didn’t like that.  She was half tempted to invite him up but had a feeling he would honorably decline.  Instead she made up her mind as soon as they got out.  She closed her door and hurried over to his side of the car.  Being Ryan he would probably shake her hand before making his way to his truck that had been parked there before they arrived. 

Poppy reveled at the look of surprise Ryan had when he turned around and she was much closer than he had anticipated.  She slowly closed the gap between them and without giving it any more thought she went for it. 

“I don’t regret anything.” She would keep it quick and light and leave him wanting more.  Her lips touched his once, lightly as she had planned but when she went to break away and leave him standing there Ryan grabbed her shoulders.  He looked like he didn’t believe what she had just done.

“You’re not leaving it at that.” Ryan gruffly told her before crashing his lips to hers.

                                                                                                ***

“Well now, look at that.” Mrs. Callaghan smiled as she peeked through the lace curtains of a front window.  “Look at that indeed.”