| That Night |
| By �isl�ng |
| Ireland was an easy decision for Aisling as she had grown up there and because she had talked about it so much with Jie, it wasn't too difficult to Jie to decide to make the move as well. The two now lived in Dublin, but because of where their new jobs were situated, they ended up in their own flats, about 10 minutes from each other. They wished they could have shared a place, but then sometimes both Aisling and Jie were glad of the privacy, especially when it involved guys!! It was 6:00pm on a Friday evening in Dublin and Aisling was standing in front of her bathroom mirror getting ready for a night out on the razz with her best mate Jie and a few others as well. Aisling and Jie were sort of celebrating the end to a tough week at work and had decided to paint the town red with their mates. "I'm so glad it's finally Friday" Aisling smiled to herself; "This is gonna be one hell of a night out. I can just feel it". Right at 7:00pm, the doorbell rang and Aisling went racing down the stairs, knowing it was Jie, there to pick her up. "Wow Ash, you look brilliant. Aren't you glad you bought those pants?" Jie said. "I know, don't they look fab" Aisling replied with much confidence. "I can't believe I can actually wear clothes like this now". Aisling had been overweight for years, but finally decided to really commit to losing the weight this time and she succeeded. Jie had been her biggest supporter throughout the weight-loss so when it came time to buy the new wardrobe, Aisling insisted that Jie be a part of it! The Look: Aisling - Baby blue top, sitting just above her navel area, black hipsters, thick-heeled black boots, and to add to the style, her dark auburn hair in pigtails, high on her head. Jie - Red baby tee, sitting just at the waist of her short, black skirt (Jie was not as confident in herself as Aisling was), black tights, thick-heeled shoes, her black hair flowing down around her shoulders, with a silver clip holding her bangs back from her face. "You're gonna drive all the lads mad tonight Ash. I don't think you'll leave the club with any less than 50 phone numbers" Jie laughed, giving Aisling a soft punch to the arm. "And you too mate, with that barely-there skirt you've got on. Hoping to meet the guy of your dreams tonight are ya??" Aisling smirked. "Hey why not tonight, right?" Jie replied "Right, let's go then slow poke". Aisling turned off the bathroom light, grabbed her wallet and off they went to dance the night away. They hadn't been in Dublin too long, so they didn't really know all the best spots to hit. On this particular night, something led them to a place called "Lillies Bordello". It was quite a popular place and always busy on the weekends, but the girls were early enough to get in without having to queue up and managed to get a great table in the corner by the dance floor - the perfect spot for those two!! A few hours into the night, Aisling and Jie had both had a few drinks and were feeling quite energetic and giddy. They sat and laughed about all the years in Canada, how they'd met, been apart t for 6 years and now were living in Ireland together. And every time a good dance song came on, Aisling would jump up and say "C'mon Jie, we have to dance to this one". However, there was one song in particular that came to change the whole night for the girls. Jie had just come out of the loo and was heading back to the table where Aisling sat drinking her vodka & cranberry juice. As Jie approached the table, the song "Stomp" by Steps came on and Aisling practically knocked Jie over trying to get onto the dance floor. She grabbed Jie's hand and dragged her out on the dance floor with her. "I can't say this is my favourite song" Aisling yelled to Jie over the music, "but it's a good dance tune". Jie shook her head in agreement. Aisling had seen Steps perform this dance numerous times on the 2000 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party event on television and had memorized the dance moves. Since she was not a huge fan of Steps, she did the moves in a way that it looked as though she was making fun of the group. Jie was laughing so hard, she couldn't dance anymore. She was having way too much fun already watching her friend capture the eyes of everyone, especially all the lads on the dance floor. As Jie watched Aisling dance, a voice said to her "She doesn't actually like this song does she?". Jie turned to see a dark-haired guy standing next to her, completely mesmerized by her friend. "Nah, she just likes to dance to anything with a beat. She's actually mocking them the way she's dancing right now" Jie replied to the stranger. "She's got great moves though" he said. "Yup, she's the one person I know who could dance all night long and never get tired. It's one thing she loves to do" Jie answered. Suddenly the song ended and a slow song began playing. Aisling, out of breath, came up to Jie and put her arm around her shoulder. "Phew, I'm knackered now" she giggled "but that was great!!". "You certainly had everyone watching you" the dark-haired stranger said. "Doesn't bother me, I just love to dance" Aisling said, still slightly out of breath. "So your friend was telling me" he replied. "Ash, this is..... I'm sorry. I don't think you told me your name" Jie said. "Oh, Shane. I'm Shane" he answered. "Hi, I'm Jie and this is Aisling". "It's nice to meet you both" Shane said with a smile. "Would you two like to join me and my mates for a drink. We're just over in the corner there". Jie looked at Aisling with a look of "Can we Ash, can we??" and Aisling getting the message right away said "That'd be great Shane, thanks". The girls grabbed their drinks from the table they'd been sitting at and followed Shane to his table. "Hey lads" Shane said to his mates, 2 very good-looking lads that definitely had the girls feeling thankful they'd taken Shane up on his invitation. "Well, well Shane, I see you've been busy" the blonde one joked. Aisling laughed nervously. "Hi, I'm Kian" he said as he extended his hand to greet the girls. Aisling was immediately taken in by his beautiful blue eyes and his sense of humour. That was definitely her weakness, a guy who could make her laugh. "I'm Aisling" she said shaking Kian's hand. "And this is Jie" Shane said, putting his arm around her. The other lad, Mark seemed to be in a world of his own, but did manage to introduce himself as well. The five of them sat around and talked for a bit, getting to know each other. The lads were very interested in why Aisling and Jie had decided to move to Ireland and were very intrigued by the girls' accents as well. Kian admitted that he was always a sucker for a girl with an accent, especially an American (Canadian) accent. "YES" Aisling cheered to herself. She knew her accent would come in handy some day!! By midnight, Mark had excused himself as he had an early rise the next day and he left for the evening. That left Jie, Shane, Kian and Aisling to close down the club, which they had every intention of doing. "So what do you ladies want to do when this place closes?" Kian asked. "You mean you want to go somewhere else after this?" Jie asked as if she thought Kian was crazy. "C'mon Jie, after the week we've had, we deserve a true night out. We may as well make it an all-nighter!!" Aisling laughed. "I dunno, Ash. I'm sorta knackered now" Jie said softly. "Listen Jie, if you don't wanna continue the party, I'd be more than happy to take you home" Shane said with a smile on his face. Aisling had noticed that Shane seemed quite taken with Jie, barely looking away from her the entire night. "Kian and Aisling can continue the party alone". Kian smirked, looked in Aisling's direction and winked as if to say "I'm up for it if you are". Aisling winked back at Kian to say "You bet I am". As the bar closed, Aisling agreed to ring Jie the next day so they could fill each other in on the "after-club" goings-on. "Bye Shane" Aisling said, giving him a hug. "Take care of her, eh!!". "I won't let her out of my sight" he assured Aisling. And Jie was just fine with that! She was quite smitten with this lad, Shane. With that, the two couples went their separate ways. "So Kian, what are ya up for now?" Aisling asked. "I was thinking we could go down to the beach and take a walk, maybe look at the stars. It's one of my favourite things to do, especially on a beautiful night like this" Kian suggested. "Wow" Aisling thought to herself, "not only can this guy make me laugh every second, but he's a hopeless romantic too". Since the beach was not far from where they had parted ways with Jie and Shane, the two decided to walk. Aisling really knew nothing about Kian other than where he grew up, what he did for a living and the usual things like that. For all she knew he could be a psychopath who wants to get her alone on the beach and kill her, but she didn't seem to care. She had never felt more comfortable with anyone in her life. There was just something about Kian that made her feel so safe. The two walked along the beach, mostly in silence, breathing in the night air and taking in the beautiful sight of the clear, starry sky. Well, Aisling was taking in the sight of the stars. Kian was taking in another beautiful sight there on the beach - the girl walking next to him. Aisling looked at him, bit her lower lip and said "What? Do I have something on my face?" as she noticed he was staring at her. "No" Kian replied "Your face is perfect. I've never seen anyone look as beautiful as you in the moonlight". Aisling could feel her face turning red, not because she was embarrassed, but more because she'd hoped Kian was thinking about her like that. "Aisling, will you dance with me?" Kian asked. Aisling looked at him with a puzzled look. There was no music. How do you dance with no music. Before Aisling had a chance to answer, Kian took Aisling in his arms and began to dance with her. At first Aisling felt a bit weird dancing with no music, but she just let her body move with Kians. Kian held her close to him. Aisling's cheek gently brushed against his. Kian wanted to kiss her so badly, but he didn't want to startle her, so he pulled her away slightly so that their eyes met. It was happening again - the connection they'd felt at the club when they both winked at each other, knowing what it meant - now they stood staring into each others eyes, both wanting to kiss the other. But who was going to go first? Slowly their lips grew closer and closer, until they touched slightly. Kian then placed his lips on Aislings and she felt her knees go weak. Good thing Kian was still holding her in his arms. It seemed like an eternity that their lips remained together, enjoying the taste, the feeling of each other. Both, with their eyes closed, were swept away in the moment, not wanting it to end. The kiss did end though, but there were several more kisses just like that one throughout the night. Kian and Aisling stayed on the beach that night, laying in each others arms and holding on to this love they seemed to have found. It was hard to grasp that you could love someone after just meeting him or her, but both believed in love at first sight and they had found it in each other. 2 years later: "I can't believe you're getting married today. Ah, I'm so happy for you" Aisling said as she hugged her best mate. Jie looked stunning in her white, strapless dress, her hair tied up in white roses. Aisling had never seen her look so beautiful. "And just think that it all started with you and your mucking about to that Steps song" Jie laughed. "I know! Even though it was me that caught his eye, it was you that captured his heart" Aisling smiled. The music began and Aisling peered through the curtain one last time to see Shane standing up there in all his glory, waiting for his bride-to-be to make her grand entrance. Of course, Aisling was really looking for Kian who was Shane's best man. Kian caught her eye and winked at her, just as the curtains opened and she began her walk down the aisle. Aisling and Kian did not unlock eyes throughout the entire ceremony. Both were remembering their special day, just 3 months before when they became Mr. & Mrs. Egan. As Jie & Shane were announced as Mr. & Mrs. Filan and began their first walk as husband and wife, Kian took Aisling's arm and followed behind the newlyweds. . "You look so beautiful today, my love. You are just so beautiful" Kian whispered to her and giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. "I bet I'll be more beautiful to you in a few minutes than I am right now" Aisling teased. Kian looked at her quite confused. "Kian, we're going to have a baby", Aisling smiled, placing her hand on her stomach. Kian's eyes opened wide with excitement and as they approached the outside of the church, he took Aisling in his arms and swung her around, kissing her over and over. There was no one in the world that he wanted having his children than Aisling. He had known that ever since the night on the beach, where they danced in silence under the stars. And at the moment she told him she was carrying his child, Kian had never seen Aisling look so beautiful. Just knowing that the girl he loved and adored was going to be the mother to his children made Kian feel as content as he ever had in his life. He knew that there was a reason why it took him so long to find the right one for him and it was because he hadn't met Aisling yet. |