| �ibhleann tapped her foot nervously on the floorboard of Sean�s car, staring out the window. She could feel Mark�s eyes on her, raising goose bumps on her skin. She cleared her throat as they pulled into the parking lot of the store and hopped out, pulling the seat forward to let Mark out of the back. He smiled up at her, gazing deep into her emerald eyes. She felt a chill run up her spine and smiled back, turning away to hide her reddened cheeks. She led the way up the freezer aisle, perusing the freezers for her favorite brand of ice cream. Sean and Mark followed, chatting happily. �So what are we here for, anyway?� Mark asked. �ibhleann smiled and held up a carton of peaches and cream ice cream in front of his face. He smiled. �Gotcha.� He turned to head toward the door, and �ibhleann wiggled her eyebrows evilly at Sean. He shook his head and stifled a laugh as he watched �ibhleann creep toward Mark. She could barely control her laughter when he yelped loudly as the carton of ice cream made contact with the back of his neck. He whirled around, an incredulous look on his face. �ibhleann cackled. �Sorry,� she said between giggles. �I couldn�t resist.� He shook his head as his eyebrow rose, his eyes twinkling deviously. �What are you gonna do to me?� she asked, quickly backing away. �Oh, nothing,� he lilted, twiddling his thumbs. She backed up even more, beginning to laugh again. Without warning, he sprinted toward her. She let out a squeal and ran, but not fast enough. Mark caught up with her and swung her over his shoulder with ease, carrying her back to the car. She giggled uncontrollably as he set her down onto her feet again gently. He smiled and opened the door for her. �I couldn�t resist.� She shook her head, still laughing and got into the car. *** �ibhleann sat on the edge of her bed, mesmerized by the movie, becoming a character herself, experiencing the drama of the plot. Suddenly, she found herself flying through the air and landing on the floor with a thud. Sean cackled as she stood slowly, cringing. �What the hell was that?� Mark looked up at her, the laughs reddening his face. �Sorry,� he managed between giggles, gasping for breath. �I jumped.� She laughed and sat back down on the bed, scooting back so her back was against the wall, her left shoulder barely touching Mark�s. They finished the movie and she stood, leaving the right side of his body suddenly cold. She stifled a yawn and put the movie back in its case, dropping it onto the dresser with a slight sigh. Sean stood and stretched, growling a yawn. Mark laughed at them, and then found himself yawning. �Well,� Sean said, rubbing his eyes, �I�m off to bed. We�ve got an early morning.� Mark nodded and stood slowly, stretching. �Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.� �ibhleann nodded, yawning again. �I�ll see you both in the morning.� �ibhleann smiled. �Sleep good everyone,� she said, opening her door so they could leave. Sean walked out first, poking her in the stomach as he sauntered past her. Mark stopped in front of her, and, seeing that Sean had already gotten to his room and closed the door, reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. �Thanks for coming by,� she said, nervousness growing in the pit of her stomach. �Not a problem,� he said. �My pleasure.� She smiled. �Look, if you want to, you and Sean can come on our bus with us tomorrow.� She looked up at him, unable to speak. �I mean, it�s a long drive and all, and ya�ll are fun to chill with, so...� he trailed off, and she smiled. �Sounds like fun. What time are we leaving, by the way?� �Six.� Her mouth dropped open. �Lord.� She glanced at her watch. �It�s already two.� Mark nodded and stifled a yawn. �I�ll talk to Sean tomorrow before we leave, and see if he wants to come with us.� She nodded. �And if he doesn�t?� �His loss. The invitation is still open to you, even if he wants to be a party-pooper.� She smiled. �Okay. I�ll try to talk him into it.� Mark smiled, and �ibhleann found herself mesmerized by him. A moment of silence passed before �ibhleann cleared her throat and broke her gaze from his eyes. He smiled unintentionally. �I guess I�ll see you tomorrow then,� he said softly. She nodded with a smile, and then he was gone. She sighed and collapsed onto her bed, smiling to herself. She laughed at herself and shook her head before changing into her pajamas and crawling into bed. *** �ibhleann jerked into consciousness as the phone rang, rolling over quickly to answer it. �`Lo?� �Ayvee. Get up.� �Wha?� �It�s five. Time to get up. We�re leaving in an hour. Get your stuff together, take a shower, get all primped up. We�re going on the guys� bus, so look cute. And don�t go back to sleep.� She groaned and rolled over, sighing. Sean laughed. �Do me a favor.� �What?� �Get up right now.� �Huh?� �Stand up.� She groaned as she stood, rubbing her eyes. �Are you up?� �Yeah, I�m up. You can get ready now.� Sean laughed. �Okay. I�ll see you in about forty-five minutes.� �Okay.� She hung up and yawned, stretching. She sighed and looked in the mirror. �Yikes. Better take a shower after all,� she said to herself, going to the bathroom. She pulled her comb through her hair and quickly scrunched it, not bothering with makeup. After dressing, she quickly stuffed her belongings into her bags and did a quick check to make sure she had everything. When she was sure she did, she grabbed her room key and exited the room, dropping her bags in the hall to make sure the door was locked. �Morning, sunshine,� Sean said from behind her. She turned and rolled her eyes. �I hate morning people,� she moaned, rubbing her eyes. �Yeah, me too.� She looked over her shoulder and saw Mark standing in the hall, in jeans and a crumpled wife beater, his bag dropped carelessly at his feet. She smiled at him as he yawned and stretched. He adjusted his baseball cap and smiled back, stooping to throw his bag over his shoulder. Sean grabbed one of �ibhleann�s bags, since he had already taken his down to the bus, and grabbed her hand, leading her down the hall. Once all the bags were stored under the bus, they boarded. She plopped onto a couch and closed her eyes. �Goin� to bed already?� Scottie asked, his eyes twinkling. She shook her head. �Nah. Just a nap.� He nodded and laughed. �Long night.� �Why?� She opened her eyes and pointed at Mark. Scottie�s eyebrow rose, and Sean laughed. �He kept me up all night making me watch an action flick.� Mark rolled his eyes and plopped down next to her. �Whatever. You picked the movie out and begged me and Sean to stay and watch it with you.� She smiled, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. �So?� Scottie and Mark laughed. Sean handed her a Coke, and she popped it open with one hand, barely keeping it from spilling as the bus lurched into motion. |