COMPLETED // i don't want to hurt anymore - enoch o'connor x reader

Chapter 40 - The Priest Hole

(Y/N)'s P.O.V

That night, at 12:45, Emma, Enoch, Horace, Bronwyn, Millard, Jacob and I gathered in Enoch and Horace's room, surrounded by all kinds of delicious food, like sausage rolls, breadsticks, pork pies, cherries, tinned peaches, toffee apples, blueberry muffins, treacle tart, a few bottles of elderflower cordial and, right in the middle, pride of place, stood Emma's fantastic birthday cake. It did cost quite a bit, admittedly, but looking at it then, and picturing myself eating a reasonable slice of it later, put the guilt of using a small chunk of Miss Peregrine's money on a single consumable almost completely out of my mind. I turned to look at Enoch, who was staring at the treacle tart with his mouth ever so slightly open. I nudged him, laughing. "You may as well break up with me now... It looks as if you're going to have an avid love affair with that dessert."
He managed to tear his eyes away from the sugar to roll them at me, before taking my hand and squeezing it. "This is going to be great," he whispered, and I nodded.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight this time, Mr O'Connor, though. We can't have you murdered by a hollow on my watch."
"Oh, I'm fine with that. Hold my hand for this whole outing, and I'll be perfectly happy." He winked at me.

Emma tapped a cordial bottle to get our attention. She then cleared her throat, and said in a hoarse whisper: "Right, Horace, if you can pack all this in the bag..." Horace, as instructed, started to place everything (apart from the cake) gently inside a cloth bag that I'm pretty sure is usually used for laundry, as Emma continued to speak quietly. "We need to be out of the house in - " she checked her wristwatch," - three minutes. Then we have to be back for 4:45. Remember what happened last time..."
I swallowed heavily.
"... We don't want it happening tonight. So everybody has to stick together. And that means you two, too." She pointed an accusing finger at Enoch and I, and looked at our interlinked fingers. "Especially you two."
Enoch gave her the classic innocent, puppy dog eyes. "When would we ever do anything?"
"When would you ever not do anything? Anyway, let's quit this bickering... Come on, everybody."

We crept quietly down to the front door, careful to miss any creaky floorboards. We filed out of the door one by one, and ran, like mice, across the ornate garden, to the overgrown path that led to the town, without going through the loop entrance.
Once in the forest, I was hit with cold and terrifying flashbacks of the last time I was in here at night... Desperately searching for Enoch, and slowly losing hope. I shivered and leaned into Enoch, savouring his strong hand that gripped mine.

It took us barely 5 minutes to jog to the town, (although some of us took a bit longer... *cough* Horace *cough* me and therefore Enoch *cough*), and within another 5, we had entered the only pub in the whole of Cairnholm: 'The Priest Hole'. It was old-fashioned, stuffy and full of drunks, sure, but it was warm, and that was a vast improvement on the wind and rain outside.

Emma nudged Enoch. "You're up."
"What, me again?" He said irritably.
"Yes, you look the oldest out of all of us."
"That's true." He smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes.
"And, anyway," I said, letting go of his hand, "They won't remember you, of course. Just pull the same trick and we'll be absolutely fine."
He set his jaw and strode up to the bar. "3 bottles of the strongest stuff you've got, please."
The barman raised an eyebrow sceptically. "I don't make it my business to serve minors, so get out, before I make you."
Enoch plastered the same indignant look on his face as he had done last time, and leaned intimidatingly across the wooden worktop.
"I'm 19 years of age, and so I'm very much permitted to buy alcohol, thank you very much."
"Well, sonny boy, that may make it legal for you to drink, but obviously not these lot, too. Why, look at that one there, she must only be 14!" He gestured at me.
Friendly reminder that I entered this loop at the age of 16.
I sauntered up to Enoch, and glared at the barman convincingly. "I am 18 years of age today, I'll have you know. And I'm the youngest here."
The barman pondered for a moment, before sighing and reaching up to the top shelf for 3 dark brown bottle of... Something. "Here. But don't say I didn't warn you..."
Enoch grabbed the bottles and passed  over the money, before leading​ us over to the booth. This time, the two of us sat in the corner of one side, joined by Emma, and the other four sat facing us. We unpacked the bag of food, spreading it across the wooden table, almost filling it completely, while Enoch uncorked the bottles, pouring out a reasonable amount into each glass. He handed us one each, and cleared his throat.
"To Emma, and her joining the loop." We clinked our glasses together.
And, him being him, my boyfriend had to say: "And to us, in the hope that, after this night, we are not too stoned in a way that means we are unable to move tomorrow."