Closed: Valentine's Day; Eddie

[oohlalaorla]

Valentine's Day was unbearably awful when you were alone. Orla didn't want to be so silly about it; she was absolutely not one of those ridiculous women who needed a man in order to measure her self-worth. She was strong, confident, and a redhead. There were a lot of things going for her. Being single was fun, and she didn't have time for anything

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[eddiejoshua]

After visiting Maeve and Lily, Eddie didn't feel like returning home. Normally, Valentine's Day didn't bother him. It was just another holiday after a long string of holidays. This year, he felt a bit more alone than previously. Perhaps it was his age or that it seemed everyone else had someone to be with.

He should've known better to go to a bar, but there he was sitting at the bar, on his second beer.

It wasn't until a woman squeezed into the space between him and the other faceless man sitting next to him that he bothered to turn his head to look around. He always remembered a red head, but he waited patiently to see if she'd notice him.

[oohlalaorla]

The alcohol was cold, at least, which Orla was thankful for. She smiled her thanks and slid enough to include a tip across the bar before turning.

It wasn't until she was starting to step away that she realized exactly who she'd wedged herself beside a moment ago.

"Eddie?" Not that she needed to ask, she already knew it was him. She'd maybe had a little bit of a thing for him since she'd first made friends with Kiki and been exposed more often to her older brother and his best friend. "Why am I so surprised to see you out tonight?"

[eddiejoshua]

"Orla," Eddie nodded in greeting, turning ever so slightly as to face her.

When Roger's baby sister first introduced Eddie to her roommate, Eddie vaguely remembered her from Hogwarts. Generally speaking, it was mostly due to her hair. Eddie never forgot a redhead. She'd seemed pleasant enough on most of their encounters and it helped that she was completely gorgeous. The only reason he'd never hit on her was out of respect for Kiki and, in turn, Roger. But there she was, out in public and alone in a bar. Fair game.

Eddie's eyebrow twitched, "I'm surprised that you're surprised," he shot back then took a drink from his half-empty beer. "I don't normally do Valentine's Day," he explained, cocking his head to the side and looking regretful.

[oohlalaorla]

Sipping carefully at her glass, she raised her eyebrows over the rim. "I'm surprised because I'd been led to believe you'd vanished to be busy and important." So Orla paid attention when Kiki had Lily over and Lily rambled on about her Uncle Eddie - and seriously? How was that even fair?

"Is this anti-Valentine's Day thing a statement against the whole commercialized institution or are you less annoying than that?"

[eddiejoshua]

"Ah," Eddie nodded, "So, you've heard the complaints." It was hard to be so busy and in such high demand. Eddie licked at his lips slowly, "It's true, I am very important and very busy." To add emphasis, Eddie held up his beer, "Fortunately, I work with a bunch of married types who darted out early tonight so I was able to escape."

Eddie wasn't necessarily against Valentine's Day. He'd just come from cooking Maeve and Lily dinner and showering them with enough chocolate and stuffed animals to last at least half of Lily's young life. "No," he turned his head to look over the crowded floor of the bar, "I just know how crazy bars can get on these holidays and generally stay away from them and drink at home."

[oohlalaorla]

"Lily never misses an opportunity to tell everyone about you. And her complaints have been many and varied." Oh, the married types. Orla definitely worked with enough of those. Her entire friend group had also essentially just become that. It was very cute and precious when it wasn't also very annoying and obnoxious.

"The bars are the lowest of the low and the desperate tonight, I'll give you that," Orla admitted, turning to look out at the crowd. Her nose wrinkled when she caught sight of far more clinging couples than she had any business seeing at one time. She turned her head back toward him, red hair falling over her shoulder and she held up her glass. "But drinking at home alone seems sadder."

[eddiejoshua]

Eddie laughed, imaging Lily's complaints about him. The most recent had been that he turned down her offer to stay the night. One of the most difficult things Eddie had ever done was to say no to that little girl.

Orla's nose scrunch made Eddie smile ever so slightly. He knew just how she felt and that was comforting in a small way. "Who said anything about being alone?" Of course, most of the time he was at home and drinking he was alone, but sometimes he wasn't.

[oohlalaorla]

"Ah," Orla hummed. She nodded as she watched him, head tilted for a moment.

"So you're picking up randoms in places that aren't bars." That wasn't even remotely what she thought he was saying, but Orla had this way of saying anything the popped into her head but making it sound legitimate that had always gotten her by.

It was purely a confidence move, but it hadn't let her down yet.

"I doubt your level of skill there, Carmichael." He didn't actually need much skill to her her interested. She'd rambled about him and his stupid eyes and his dumb hair and his ridiculous arms enough over the years that all he had to do was snap his fingers problem.

But there was no theater in that.