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“Poems are useful.”
"Maybe in France, old friend, butnot in Scotland," Lachlan replied before standing up andreaching out a hand to Ronin. "Let's get yeto the pub and show yewhat ye've been missing all these years."
Heknew Lachlan would never let him have a few hours alone, so he got up and changed as soon as he could before heading out with his friend. He had never been into excessive drinking or dancing, but he knew his friend wanted to celebrate, and he was content to oblige. When they arrived at the pub, he felt he was in for an adventurous night.Oh, how lovely to be back home.
* * *
“Edna, ye cannae possibly think that we will let ye stay home on yer birthday. That is preposterous," Jana said, the horror she felt emanated clearly through her tone. Edna rolled her eyes at her friend, knowing these were just tactics to convince her.
“Jana, we go tae the pub almost every week. Is it truly necessary for us tae go today as well? I would rather just sit home and enjoy my birthday with ye all,” Edna replied softly, roaming her eyes around the room to look at her friends. Three pairs of stony eyes met her gaze, and she knew that no one was going to listen to her for even one second.
She had a small group of friends and mostly preferred staying within a select few people. Jana, Laura, and Kathy were her closest ones in the world, and she had no desire to disappoint them. She knew they just wanted her to have fun and enjoy her birthday, and she did not blame them. She would have wanted the same for any of them as well.
“We are still going tae the pub,” Laura said firmly and walked towards Edna; extending a hand. She took hold of her friend’s outstretched fingers and stood up from the bed. She approached the looking glass on one side of her bedchamber and examined her reflection in the mirror. She ran her fingers through her long, black hair, which flowed like silk behind her back and down to her waist. Her features were frail, and her face was innocent. She smiled.
“Ye look beautiful like ye always do, Edna. Stop fussing,” Kathy said as she walked towards the door, smiling. Edna rolled her eyes and followed the girls out of the bedchamber. The house was almost empty, but that was the case most of the time — her mother must be sleeping or gazingout the window, lost in her own world. Having grown accustomed to such a situation, she merely exited the keep with her friendsand made their way to the pub, determined to have a good time.
Edna was lost in her own thoughts as she walked ahead of everyone else. She had turned twenty today and couldn't believe how quickly time was passing. She thought her world had ended for herten years ago, but she soon discovered that time stops for no one. It just keeps flowing and unfolding without any regard to anything or anyone.
“Edna, walk slowly,” Jana called out from behind her, and she stopped,allowing her friends to catch up. Just as they reached her, the girls linked hands with one another and walked ahead together. A few minutes later, they arrived at the pub who was full of people like always.
She only ever went to the pub with her friends. She enjoyed dancing and drinking, but not excessively or on a weekly basis. She found true happiness in solitude, especially on a day like her birthday. The dimly lit building was alive with the sounds of music, moving feet, and the endless chatter and laughter of the patrons who had already been there for a while. She could feel a headache coming on, but she owed it to her friends to try to enjoy herself.
"Drinks?" Jana yelled above the din, and all three of them raised their hands. They made their way to the bar.Kathy drew theattention of the young man working, and he approached them with a charming smile on his face.
"Tonight is our friend's birthday. We wish somethingstrong," Laura said, a flirtatious grin on her lips.
"Who is the birthday girl?" he asked, staring at everyone. Jana directed her finger at Edna, who noticed his gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds longer. He smiled at her, and she raised an eyebrow, signaling that she was not interested. He quickly poured four shots of whisky and four mugs of ale for the girls and set them in front of them.
“Enjoy,” he said before moving on to the next customer.
“Okay, girls. One, two, three, dram!” Jana shouted, and they all grabbed their glasses and downed them in one go. Edna felt the scalding liquid slide down her throat, scorching everything in its path. She could already feel herself losing her inhibitions, and she knew she couldn't drink any longer. She had no desire to be so drunk that she forgot her own birthday.
"Let's go dance," Laura said as she took her hand in hers and led her to the large space in the room where people were dancing to the sounds of bagpipes, accordions, and fiddles. Edna trailed behind her but quickly lost interest. The other dancers were shoving her around, and the heat inside the pub was making the whole thing unpleasant. She knew she needed some fresh air,
“I am going outside for a bit of fresh air,” she whispered in Jana’s ear. Jana nodded, and Edna made her way through the crowd and out into the evening. She sighed in relief as she felt the cold wind on her body; standingnear the pub's back wall and gazing up at the starry night sky. It was stunning.
Her birthday was always a sad occasion for her, and she couldn't be happy about it no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't help but think about her father. She remembered how he was always there for her during on that day, making her feel like the most important little girl in the world. She imagined how different things would have been if he hadn’t been taken from her.
Edna took a deep breath in, trying to keep the tears at bay. She knew she couldn't cry, but she desperately wanted to. Her father was somewhere among the stars, and he was still alive in her heart. He wasn't far away, but inside her. She smiled despite her sadness, knowing that he loved her no matter where he was. A chill ran through her body, causing her to shiver slightly. She had no idea why until she looked around. Someone was staring at her very closely.
CHAPTERTWO
Ronin had never truly cared forloud music andnoise. The pub was dimly lit and full of dancing lads and lasses. He considered leaving for a few seconds but decided against it because he knew Lachlan wanted him to have a good time.
"Let's get yea drink," hesaid, leading the way to the bar; asking the young bartender to fetchthem two shots. The two boys downed all the liquor in one go, leaving Ronin smile at the achievement. He hadn't drank in a long time, and the familiar burn of the strong spirit felt good. He truly felt like he was back in the highlands at last. He had definitely missed home.
"Come on, let's dance," Lachlan said as he approached the dance floor. Ronin considered the overcrowded area for a few seconds before deciding against it. He was too tired from the journey to fight drunk, dancing bodies.
"I'm staying right here. Ye should go dance," he said, his friendrolling his eyes but not insisting. Lachlan's gaze was drawn to a young lady standing a short distance away. Heapproached her with a smile on his face and extended his hand. She quickly accepted it, and the two took to the dance floor together. Ronin smiled as he looked at his best friend who had apparently turned into a serial flirt.
He remained seated at the bar for a few more minutes, but soon enough, the heat began to bother him. He needed fresh air as the place was becoming louder and more humid by the second. He tried to catch Lachlan's eye to tell him he was about to step out, but his friend was too preoccupied with the curvesof the lass he was dancing with. Ronin shook his head and walked outside, relieved to be able to breathe again. He stood near the door and noticed that there were several other people milling around outside.
Just then, his gaze was drawn to a young woman standing on the other side of the pub; staring at the nightsky. Itwas filled with stars and was truly breathtaking. He returned his eyesto the girl, whose face was partially obscured by the darkness of the night, but even with only a small portion of her face visible, hecould see that she was lovely. Her long, black hair reached her waist, and her features had a subtle fragility that made her appear innocent.
He was aware that he was staring at her, and that it was making her uncomfortable, but he couldn't stop himself. She was enticing, and Ronin felt an undeniable pull toward her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew he wanted to know her, to be closer to her. She turned around and looked at him at that precise moment. Her eyes were firm and direct, and her lips were set in a stern line.
Ronin kept looking at her, watching the firm line of her mouth soften as she registered his face. Her full, pink lips formed a surprised expression before she quickly turned away and looked straight ahead. That single glance of hers, caused Ronin’s heart rate to accelerate.
