Paper Hearts

THEN: Chapter 10

"How will the lonely nights be? I cannot imagine it" Alexandra, Empress of Russia.

Ollie:

"OZ!"

My hand was knocked out of Eden's grasp - and my body almost pushed on to the train track - as Kieran flew at me and gripped me in a delighted hug. He'd always been completely unashamed of our friendship, and didn't seem to care about the fact that everybody else on the platform was staring at us warily, wondering just exactly how far our friendship went. 

"Leprechaun" I grinned and hugged him back, "It's good to see you"

"Of course it is! Hey, what happened? I thought you were going to come across to Clonmel for a week?"

"Sorry, mate. Change of plan" Kieran let go of me, slightly reluctantly, and I gestured to Eden, who looked undeniably embarrassed by Kieran's enthusiasm, "This is Eden"

"Ah" Kieran's eyes twinkled, "Ah. I see. Ah well, I'd have chosen her as well, in your place" he beamed at Eden, "Nice to meet you, Ma'am. Ollie told me he'd got himself a girl, but I never would've dreamed she'd be so lovely"

Eden reddened and tittered nervously, "Um...Thank you. It's nice to meet you too - Ollie's told me about how the two of you are like brothers"

Kieran eyed me up and down, "Me and that bastard, brothers? No, I don't think so"

I grinned and shoved him; he pushed me back. Eden was laughing properly now - she looked a lot more relaxed. I think she'd realised that when I'm with Kieran, the pair of us act like small children - which makes it a lot harder to feel awkward around us.

"I'm glad you came along. I can't remember the last time Ollie told me he'd had a sh-" he hesitated, eyes sparkling mischievously, "The two of you have -?”

"It's none of your business" I retorted sharply, and he smirked. Eden was blushing again.

"That means you did" he replied smugly, "Good, good. It's what every hardworking soldier needs"

"Now you just sound like a perv"

"Me?!" Kieran feigned innocence, and this made Eden relax and laugh again. I was pleased that she seemed to like him - just like Emma meant the world to her, Kieran meant the world to me; not that either of us would ever admit that, mind you.

"Boys!"

Ralph, the leader of our division, came marching over to us with a huge grin on his face. Ralph referred to all of us as boys, namely because he was in his mid-forties and considered anyone under thirty to be completely naive of the world. Behind him were his wife, Jane, and two daughters, Molly and Beatrice. 

"Ralph" Kieran and I grinned at him in unison; Eden shared a shy smile with Jane and the two girls.

"You girls get prettier every time I see you!" Kieran cried as Molly and Bea hid shyly behind their mother, "You'll break some hearts in a few years, I'm sure of it"

They both beamed at him, then Molly pointed to Eden.

"Not as pretty as her, though" she lisped - she'd lost another tooth since we'd gone on leave. 

Eden shook her head, smiling, "Oh, I'm sure that's not true! You're going to be much, much prettier than me"

The two girls then emerged from behind Jane, and the way they looked at Eden made me smile to myself. They were looking at her like she was the oracle and a goddess all rolled into one. I'd never seen them look at anyone that admiringly, and we'd all come to know them pretty well over the years - mainly because Ralph talked about them constantly when we were away.