| �ibhleann patted her stomach, balancing carefully in the middle of the swaying bus. Her nose wrinkled as she flexed her stomach and let out an enormous belch. Mark�s eyes widened, and Scottie doubled over in laughter. Sean shook his head, covering his face with his hands. As the belch subsided, �ibhleann smiled and sat back down. �Not bad,� Stapp said. �I�d give it a six.� �A six?!� �ibhleann�s mouth dropped open. �That was so much better than a six. I even outbelched Mark.� That comment made Scottie laugh even harder, holding his stomach as he fell off the couch with a thud. Mark chuckled at him, and Sean snickered. �I�d give it a four,� Mark said. �ibhleann�s head turned to him, her eyes wide and her mouth open. �What the hell?� Mark laughed. �I�d like to see you do any better.� Mark�s eyebrow rose, and he stood, opening the refrigerator. He pulled out a beer and pried the top off, downing the entire thing in less than a minute. �ibhleann smiled, laughing slightly. Mark then sat down, scratching his stomach and looked at Scottie. �I�ll take a pass for a while. Your turn, Phillips.� Scottie shook his head, unable to speak, since he was still laughing at �ibhleann�s belch. He waved his hand, trying to signal his inability. �C�mon, Scottie,� Stapp said. �You gotta at least try to outdo her.� Scottie straightened himself up and reached into the fridge, pulling out a Coke. He shook it. Sean looked up at him. �What the hell are you doing? It�s gonna go flat if it doesn�t explode first.� �Anyone got a can opener?� Scottie asked, still shaking the can of Coke. �ibhleann nodded, pulling a Swiss army knife from her pocket and handing it to him. �Oh Lord,� Sean moaned. They watched as Scottie punctured the bottom of the can, putting his lips over the hole before popping the top. He shotgunned the Coke, finishing in seconds. He tossed the can into a trash can and waited. A few seconds later, his belch erupted, and received applause. �Damn,� �ibhleann breathed. �That even beat me.� Scottie smiled proudly, wiping the drips of Coke from before he shotgunned from his chin. Mark held up a finger and stood, pushing Scottie onto the couch. �Here we go.� �ibhleann smiled in anticipation as Mark laid a flat hand on his stomach. His face twisted as his belch escaped his lips, nearly rattling the windows. �ibhleann cackled hysterically. Mark smiled and sat next to her, nudging her with his shoulder. �Can you outdo that one, my little belch queen?� She smiled and got two bottles of beer from the fridge. �Nope,� Stapp said, taking one from her. �One drink limit.� �Oh, c�mon,� she protested, pouting. My God, she�s cute, Mark thought to himself, smiling slightly. �Not even for me? I mean, I am a girl, after all.� Stapp shook his head. �One drink. That�s all.� �Fine.� She put the two bottles back and produced a can. She winked at Scottie and shook it, grabbing the can opener from the table. �You know how to shotgun?� Mark asked, his eyebrow raised. She smiled at him and punctured the bottom of the can, showing him that she could. He was obviously impressed. She tossed the can into the trash can and waited, gently patting her stomach. The guys waited, anticipating. She shook her head. �Not yet.� She sat. Mark and Sean groaned. �You have to give quality burps time,� she said. �I haven�t seen Stapp do his thing yet.� Stapp stood and opened a can of Coke, taking small sips. He stood slowly, pushing on his abdomen. He belched, but not very loudly. They booed. �Just wait a second,� he insisted. �I�m warming up.� He reached for another Coke, but �ibhleann intercepted him with a sly smile. �One drink limit.� He sighed and sat, producing an earth-shattering belch. �Dude, I think I might have another one in me,� Mark said, scratching his chin. �ibhleann stood suddenly, ripping one. Mark joined her, but she outlasted his belch. Scottie laughed. �I think she takes it, man.� Mark pouted, and she smiled triumphantly. The bus rolled to a stop, making her lose her balance and fall into Mark�s lap. Sean laughed, and she felt Mark�s hand find a place on the small of her back to rest. �Are we here?� Sean asked. Stapp shook his head. �No. I think we�re at a gas station or something.� �ibhleann looked over Mark�s shoulder out the window, nodding. *** �I didn�t know you smoked.� �ibhleann jumped and turned, her shocked expression morphing into a smile. She nodded slightly as Mark sat on the curb next to her. They were in the parking lot of the hotel. �Yeah. Stress.� He nodded. �You�re stressed right now?� She shook her head. �No. But that�s why I started.� His lips formed an �oh,� and he smiled. �So, uh,� he cleared his throat. �How exactly do you say your name? I�ve only heard Sean call you �Ayvee.�� She smiled, watching the stream of smoke she had just exhaled dissipate into the cool night air. �Ayvlen.� He nodded. �It�s Irish.� �How do you spell it?� �E with an accent - i-b-h-l-e-a-n-n.� he nodded. �Interesting.� �Yeah. I got picked on a lot in school because the teachers could never get it right.� He smiled. �Even in college. Everyone I work with just calls me �E�. That way they don�t have to worry about messing it up.� He laughed slightly. �It�s a weird name, but no one else I know has it.� �I think it�s a gorgeous name.� She smiled, thankful that the lights in the lot were dim, and hiding her blushing. �Gorgeous name for a gorgeous girl.� She turned to him. �You really think so?� He nodded and returned her smile. Her cheeks reddened even more. His fingers tangled in her curls, marveling in the silkiness of the strands. Her eyes closed as his other hand made contact with her face, gently tracing her features. Goose bumps rose on her skin as she felt his hot breath on her cheeks. He lifted her chin with a finger, and she opened her eyes, finding his face only inches from hers. Her eyes shifted from his eyes to his lips and back, her lips slightly parted, anticipating the contact. �Ayvee?� Mark pulled away suddenly, just as Sean came around the corner. �There you are. You wanna go get something to eat?� She refrained from looking at Mark, knowing Sean would be upset at the mutual attraction she and Mark shared. �Yeah. Where?� He shrugged. �I don�t know. We�ll figure something out. There�s a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about.� Mark cleared his throat and stood. �Hey, Mark.� He turned. �Up for a game of pool when we get back?� Mark�s lips turned upward. �You�re on. I�ll kick your ass even better than I did last time.� Sean rolled his eyes. �Yeah, yeah. We�ll see about that.� He smiled and turned to head to the car. Mark winked at �ibhleann and turned to head inside the hotel. She sighed and followed Sean. |