part two.
The pubcrawl moved on to a pub called Messrs Maguire�s, close to O�Connell bridge. The blonde and the brunette walked and removed their winter coats almost immediately. They headed for the bar on the second floor of the crowded pub. The blonde quickly found an excuse to move closer to Chris at the bar, ordered her whiskey and coke and continued to bat her eyelids at him. Actor or no actor, he was fun. Her initial impression of him had changed, and she found him quite good looking after all. He was good enough to flirt with for the evening anyway, and after this night she would go back to her university and he and his friend would fly back to Los Angeles in a few days. The chances of them meeting ever again were almost non-existent.
Walking up and down the stairs at Messrs Maguire�s made the blonde feel almost powerful. The attention of people she had never met before, the frozen strawberry marguerita she had had for dinner along with the veggie burrito, the buzz of being young and able to do what she wanted, it was all going to her head. She felt beautiful, strong and on top of the world.
She walked down the stairs, dressed in a black skinny fit band t-shirt, dark blue jeans and black Chelsea boots. Her blonde hair was held back from her face by a small braid, and as she turned her head she could feel it moving on her shoulders and down her back.
For once the attention of others didn�t make her uncomfortable. She didn�t feel the need to run to the nearest mirror to see what was wrong or if there was something strange about her face.
The pub was nice, but crowded, and there was no place to sit. The brunette was feeling warm and they moved outside to wait for wait for the rest of the group to come outside so they could move on to the next place. The chilly night air cleared her head, and slowly she began to feel cold. Yet she didn�t put her red sweater back on, she simply pulled the winter coat tighter around her and stuffed the sweater in one of her pockets.
While waiting outside the pub people were talking and making new friends. The group included Americans, English, Dutch, Germans and Canadians. Two of the Americans discovered that they had graduated from the same high school on the east coast.
-OK, everybody here? Let�s move on.
Darren was back and he was ushering the �merry� crowd towards the evening�s next stop. The group was crossing a road, and he was struggling to get everyone across before the light changed.
-Hurry up! The green man is your friend, but he is only your friend for so long.
He smiled and made conversation, but she could tell that he was focused on getting everyone to the next place. On the surface he was having a great time, but his mind was focused on his work. This did bring a new meaning to business mingling, she thought to herself.
Halfway down an ally near the river he stopped and turned around, facing the crowd.
-OK guys, this place is called O�Neil�s. It�s next to a railway station and�
A train passing overhead, illustrating his point about the pub�s connection with the railway drowned out his next words.
He smiled and gestured towards the train, and when it had passed he continued, �so what I recommend here is �Snakebites�. The group headed inside, and the blonde was taken by the interior of the place.
It was all gothic and black, with live candles and gargoyles overlooking three rooms. It was crowded, but not too crowded. The outside bar was kept warm by heaters, and the brunette sat down at a table with an America girl and started talking. The blonde left her coat with her friend and followed the two American actors/waiters inside to get a closer look at the bar.
She ran into Darren in the main room.
-Are you not drinking?
-No, there�s no money left. She smiled at him, gesturing towards her pockets.
-There is a cash point just around the corner; we passed it on the way here.
-Oh no, you don�t understand. There has to be money for groceries the rest of the month. She smiled, moving her body to the music. She didn�t care about any more alcohol, she was having a great time, and her heart was set on enjoying every minute of the evening.
Darren took out his wallet and handed her a 10-euro bill. She took it and looked at him.
-Are you sure?
He gestured at her to take it.
-OK. She smiled and headed for the bar, where she ordered a drink for the brunette and a cola for herself. Drinks in hand, she headed for the outside bar.
-Look! She smiled at the brunette, handing her the drink.
-Darren gave me 10 euros so we got our fee for the pubcrawl back. She continued to move to the music and nudged her friend.
-Stick with me kid; I�ll take you far!
A note, part three
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