Chapter 6: Farewells & Fatigue
The sun was just peeking over the horizon by the time they pulled into the outskirts of Dublin. The motorway had been quiet, with only the rumble of trucks and early morning delivery vans sharing the road. Sarah stirred awake, rubbing her eyes as golden light illuminated her blonde hair.
“Thanks for the lift, lads,” she whispered, her voice sleepy but sweet.
“No worries,” Salty said, pulling up outside her place. She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before slipping out with a shy smile. Susan followed, her brunette hair messy but her eyes sparkling with gratitude.
“You’re legends,” she said, giving Finji a playful slap on the arm before hopping out to join Sarah. They stood waving as Salty’s silver Honda rolled away down the quiet street.
The car fell silent after that. Finji was half-asleep in the passenger seat, arms folded and head nodding forward. Salty’s eyes felt gritty, and every blink felt like a battle.
He finally dropped Finji off in Balbriggan just after 6am. “Good craic, boss,” Finji mumbled as he climbed out, giving Salty a fist bump before trudging off towards his flat.
Salty drove the last stretch alone. The roads were empty, bathed in the soft glow of dawn. By the time he parked up at his place, his bones felt heavy with exhaustion. He staggered inside, kicked off his boots, and collapsed face-first onto his bed without even pulling off his jeans.
When he woke up later that afternoon, his phone was full of messages from Finji about their next trip, pictures from Sarah and Susan, and a single thought buzzing in his tired mind:
Was it worth it?
He smiled to himself, remembering the beats, the laughter, the women, and even the GPS chaos.
Hell yes.
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