| �Damn it, Eibhleann, what the hell is your problem lately? All these damn mood swings? It�s ridiculous.� Mark yelled, his eyes dark and angry. She didn�t turn, keeping her eyes focused on the ground two stories below the hotel room. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she hadn�t said a thing since his interrogation had begun. �Ayvee, the end of the tour is only a month and a half away. Please, let�s work this out.� �There�s nothing to work out, Mark,� she snapped, whirling around to face him. He drew back, unprepared for her coldness. She hadn�t been herself lately, and nearly everyone had noticed. Even Sean was sick of her, and she was his favorite cousin. With a cold glare, she walked past him, her eyes piercing him. The door slammed behind her, and he sunk onto the bed, his hands in his lap. He looked around the room, her clothes lying here and there. He heaved a sigh and shook his head. �Fuck.� His head snapped up as he heard a knock on the door. He stood slowly, the essence of dejection permeating the room. The door creaked as he pulled it open to reveal a scowling Sean. �Sean, hey.� �Hey,� the man said, his voice devoid of expression. Mark swallowed, not knowing what to expect. He nodded and stepped back, allowing Sean to walk into the room. �Tell me something,� Sean said, rubbing his forehead. Mark nodded, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. �What the hell is Eibhleann�s problem?� Mark shrugged, letting out a breath he didn�t realize he had been holding. �Dude, I have no idea, man.� Sean nodded slowly. �So what�s it gonna take to get this sorted out?� �Hell, I don�t know,� Mark breathed, sitting next to Sean. �All I know is that she doesn�t believe that I�m in love with her and there�s no convincing her.� �Are you?� Sean demanded, his eyes meeting Mark�s. Mark�s mouth opened slightly, surprised. �Of course I am. I wouldn�t have said it if I wasn�t.� Sean nodded. �So why can�t we convince her?� �Fuck if I know.� Sean laughed slightly. �What�s funny?� �I just had an idea.� Mark�s eyebrow rose slightly. �I know for a fact she�s gonna come to me in a few hours, all upset and wanting to talk about it. You and I both know you can�t lie for shit when you�re drunk, so I�ll just suggest that she get you a little hammered and weasel you out of the truth.� Mark snickered. �You know it�ll work.� �Yeah,� he said, nodding as he laughed. �It just might.� *** �You�re sure you�re up for this, Eibhleann?� Her eyebrow rose. �Of course I am. Why wouldn�t I be?� Mark chose his words carefully, not wanting to upset her and send her into another rage. He had to be extremely careful tonight and get her to work things out, praying silently that Sean�s plan would work. �You�ve just been really stressed lately. I mean, you know�� She shrugged and threw a bright smile his way before sitting at the bar. He responded with a twisted, awkward smile as he settled onto the barstool next to her. His eyebrow rose slightly as he heard her order a club soda, but then figured she was just trying to stay as near to sober as she could in order to be coherent enough to question him later on. He shrugged it off as he ordered a shot of tequila. *** �Slow down, babe,� Mark slurred, leaning against the wall. His eyelids drooped, and he had a goofy grin spread across his face. Eibhleann laughed and stopped, turning around to face him. �C�mon,� she said with a chuckle as she took his arm and led him down the hallway to his room. �Are you gonna be okay?� she asked, her eyebrow raised. He nodded slowly, staggering next to her. He tried his hardest to act even more inebriated than he really was. Truthfully, he was a lot more drunk than he thought he was. He leaned against the doorframe as she slid the keycard into the door and swung it open, taking his hand as she pulled him into the room with her. He fell onto the bed with a heavy, contented sigh. She shook her head, looking down at him. �Ask you something?� he managed. She could barely understand him, but she nodded, reaching down to untie his shoes for him. He watched her and took a breath. �Why are you so pretty?� She smiled, laughing slightly. �Luck.� He nodded, letting his eyes close. �No, Mark.� He pried his heavy eyelids apart to look at her. �Stay awake for me, okay? Don�t want you dying on me from alcohol poisoning or anything.� He laughed, the alcohol making everything seem twice as funny. �I�m fine,� he promised, still giggling. She shook her head and pulled his socks off before removing her own shoes and crawling onto the bed next to him. �Now let me ask you something.� He nodded, letting his head fall to the side so he could look at her. She took a breath, but stopped as he reached up and ran his fingers down her cheek, his thumb running back and forth across her lips. His hand slid around to the back of her neck and pulled her face towards his. Their lips met, and she suppressed a moan as he gently bit her bottom lip. She pressed closer to him, their mouths mashed together in a deep, passionate kiss. He broke the kiss, his breath coming in short, sporadic gasps. �God, I love you,� he whispered as he drowned in her emerald eyes. He watched them water, and a tear slid down her cheek. �Why do you get upset every time I say that?� he asked, his voice cracking with disappointment. �I thought you�d be happy.� �Because I don�t believe you.� �Why?� He was crushed. Even if he was completely wasted, he was still aware of their problems and how he truly felt about her. �I don�t know. I guess I just don�t understand why anyone could love me.� His heart sank. No matter how hard he tried, he knew he couldn�t convince her. �Ayvee, we can�t control who we fall in love with. It just happens, and you need to accept that. People fall in love because it�s meant to be. And I fell in love with you because we�re meant to be.� She smiled. He was still plastered, and she knew he was too drunk to lie at this point. The smile still brightened her face as she leaned down to plant a short kiss on the end of his nose. �I love you too,� she whispered. He smiled. �Really?� She nodded. His smile was replaced with a serious, intense stare as he leaned up to capture her lips again, his fingers working on the buttons of her shirt. Soon, their discarded clothing lay in a pile at the end of the bed, the silent night shattered by their grunts and moans. *** Eibhleann�s eyes slammed open and she sat up quickly, pressing her hand against her mouth as she rushed into the bathroom, barely making it. She kicked the door to, hoping to muffle the sounds of her heaves and avoid awakening Mark. �You okay?� she heard him call, his voice still slurred. She responded weakly before another wave of nausea hit her. There was no getting around it. She�d have to tell him now. His form appeared in the doorway, and he quickly sat next to her, pushing her hair back away from her face. �I�m fine,� she said feebly. He shook his head, watching her stand and go to the sink, hearing her brush her teeth and wash her face. �Really, Mark, I do this every now and then.� �Why?� She stopped, hoping he was too drunk to remember his question. No such luck. He struggled to his feet and leaned against the counter next to her as she dried her face on the white towel. She sighed. �I guess you�d have to find out sometime,� she sighed. His eyebrow rose, and he wavered, his balance still interrupted by the alcohol. �Mark, I�m pregnant.� |