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"What the fuck is wrong with—"
Paddy comes out of his car blazing, anger exacerbated by the pain in his shoulder and the rush of adrenaline. He cuts his oncoming tirade short when he sees the other driver exit his car, wide-eyed and horrified.
"Oh, god, are you all right?" the man asks, rushing to Paddy's side without sparing a glance at either vehicle. "I'm so sorry, I can't believe I hit you." He reaches out abortively, stopping short of touching Paddy.
"I'm, um." Paddy flounders; there's no mistaking Eoin McGonigal, who Paddy spent hours ogling at university. He's older, obviously, and somehow more handsome, lanky body wrapped in smart trousers and a dress shirt, with the top two buttons open and sleeves rolled up far enough to expose the lean but strong forearms that starred in many of Paddy's fantasies. "I'm fine," he says when his brain comes back online.
Eoin's expression changes from worry to disbelief. "You're fine? I don't think your arm is meant to look like that!"
"What?" Paddy asks, looking down. He's not nearly so well-dressed as Eoin, wearing joggers, trainers and a vest that clearly reveals his dislocated shoulder. "Oh, that. You mean this doesn't happen to you all the time?" he asks, bracing himself against the side of his car and using the force of his body to push his shoulder back into socket.
"Fuck me!" Eoin says, looking a bit green.
Those are words Paddy never thought he'd hear Eoin say, and they're certainly not said in the way he'd ever imagined. Ah, well.
"It's truly no big deal," Paddy explains, holding the arm close to his body and bracing it there with his other hand. "It's Ehlers-Danlos."
"Is... is that your name?" Eoin asks.
"Oh. No. Paddy Mayne. I'd shake your hand, but— " He nods toward his shoulder, although he can barely feel the pain now through the excitement/terror of seeing Eoin again.
"Of course! I'm so sorry, again. I don't know if you saw it, but a dog ran across the road, so I swerved to avoid it and my car skidded. I should have known better than to do that when the roads are this slick. I'm rambling, sorry. Eoin McGonigal."
Paddy nods. "I know. We were in the same Law & Ethics course a few years ago."
"Oh!" Eoin says, warm brown eyes brightening. "Blair!"
"Aye, that's what the professor called me. I mostly go by Paddy, though," he says, taken aback that Eoin remembers him. Eoin was surrounded by friends in the course they shared — and everywhere else on university grounds. They had a few exhilarating debates in the lecture hall that term, but only ever exchanged hellos and some quick pleasantries outside of class.
"Paddy, then. Are you OK other than the shoulder?"
"I think so. Are you?"
Eoin nods. "The dog made it across unscathed, or else I'd be an emotional disaster right now."
"Priorities," Paddy says with a smile. "Speaking of, shall we check the damage?"
They each take stock of their own vehicle and the other's. Luckily, the damage appears to be mostly limited to their bumpers.
"Not too bad," Eoin says. "I have good insurance, so coverage shouldn't be a problem. Unless you're feeling litigious?"
"Not particularly," Paddy replies. "But shouldn't you have known better than to admit fault, as someone who was at the top of our class?"
"Near the top," Eoin corrects him. "Not quite at the top."
"Aye, I know," Paddy says with a smirk.
Eoin laughs. "Did you know my goal that entire term was to best you on just one exam? I never did get there."
"Me?" Paddy asks, raising his eyebrows. "I didn't think you even remembered me."
Eoin looks down, scuffing one of his shiny Oxfords across the pavement before glancing back up through his eyelashes. "I might have been pretending not to recognize you, until you said you remembered me."
"Is that so," Paddy says. "I wouldn't have guessed that."
"Really?" Eoin asks with a soft, lovely smile. "You were the prize law student and rugby player. I'm more surprised you recognized me."
"You shouldn't be," Paddy says, emboldened by Eoin's signals. "You were one of the only other out lads at uni. And the handsomest."
Eoin flushes, cheeks going that sweet, blotchy red Paddy always found so endearing. "Well, I was too shy to ask you then, but maybe we could exchange numbers now? For insurance purposes, if nothing else."
"I wouldn't mind that," Paddy says, rattling off his number after Eoin pulls his phone out of his pocket and opens a new text. He watches Eoin tap in his number with long, elegant fingers (which also figured heavily into Paddy's fantasies) and keeps watching for a good minute longer while Eoin types out what looks to be an awfully long message.
"There," Eoin says at last, and Paddy's phone vibrates. "I just sent you a text."
Paddy reaches for his own phone and opens up his latest message, from an unsaved number.
"Hey it's Eoin, the guy who hit you with his car. Sorry if this is inappropriate but would you wanna get dinner or coffee or lunch or a drink or something where l open doors for you & buy you consumable goods sometime? I promise not to run over you ever again 🥺 I just don't know many guys who can pop their own shoulder back in & make a joke while doing it. Ur very cute."
Paddy looks back up, squinting at Eoin's hopeful smile as if in thought. "Hmmm, I suppose so," Paddy says teasingly. Then, more seriously: "You don't know how disappointed I would have been if you only wanted to exchange insurance details."
Eoin laughs, the sound just as enchanting as it was at uni. "I think I have some idea," he says.
Paddy starts to shrug, then winces as the pain in his shoulder surges back to the forefront. "If you really want to open doors for me, could you start with your car? I probably shouldn't drive until I can get home and get my arm in a sling."
"Oh, of course! I can't believe I've stood here flirting with you while you were hurting," Eoin says. "Do you want me to drive your car instead? I can catch the bus back this direction to pick mine up after we get you home."
"Sure, all right," Paddy agrees, pleased at Eoin's thoughtfulness and admission of flirting. He gives Eoin his keys, and sure enough Eoin opens the passenger door for him, helps him fasten his seat belt, then closes the door behind him.
"I'm surprised you trust me to drive you after all this," Eoin says once he's in the driver's side, adjusting the seat and mirrors to account for his height.
"As long as we don't come across any rogue dogs, I think I can trust you," Paddy says.
Eoin wraps those long fingers around the steering wheel and grins over at Paddy. "I won't let you down," he says.
Paddy doesn't doubt him for a moment.