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“MATTIE!”
Mattie poked her head out the bathroom door. “What is it, G?” she asked.
“Anto says to be out in the hall within five minutes, or we’re leaving without you,” Georgina said as she grabbed her bag from the nightstand.
“I’ll only be a minute longer,” Mattie promised before disappearing back into the bathroom.
Georgina headed back out into the hallway where all the lads and Anto were standing around. “She says she’ll only be a minute more,” Georgina reported.
Mark grinned. “Just like Mattie,” he commented. “She’s never been on time for anything in her entire life.”
Just then, Mattie came barreling into the hallway, nearly knocking into Kian.
“Am I late?” she gasped, patting her hair.
“Just in time,” Anto remarked. “Alright, we’ve about an hour and a half to get to the airport. You girls will be leaving with the crew. My staff, the lads, and myself will be along shortly after, once we’re through with all the fans and such.” Mattie and Georgina nodded.
“But first, before we leave, we’ve got some business to take care of,” Anto continued. The boys all groaned. “That’s right, it’s time for the cap.” The protests became even louder and Anto’s jovial expression was replaced by a stern one. “Now lads, I know it was a treat here to have your own rooms to yourselves, but in America, that simply won’t be the case. We’ve no room in the budget for such extravagances. Now, Mark, if you would hand me your cap.”
Georgina and Mattie looked at each other in confusion as Mark grumpily took off the blue baseball cap he was wearing and handed it over to Anto, who produced five folded bits of paper from his pocket. He put the bits in the hat and swirled them around with one hand.
“Now,” he said, reaching into the hat. “First one to pick is…” Anto unfolded the slip of paper and looked at it. “Kian.” Kian stepped forward nervously and swirled his hand around inside the cap. After a few seconds, he drew out a name. Holding his breath, Kian unfolded the paper. He read it, and let out a sigh of relief.
“I’ve got Nicky,” Kian said grinning. He and Nicky gave each other a hi-five.
“Alright then, that’s settled,” Anto said. He put his hand in the cap again and drew out another slip of paper. “Next one to pick is Mark.”
Mark stepped forward and took a paper of his own out of the cap. Shane and Bryan both held their breaths, each wondering who it would be. Mark opened the slip and shrugged. “I’ve got Bryan,” he said nonchalantly.
“NOOOOO!!!” Bryan howled in dismay as Shane began to whoop and hop around the hallway. “That is so not fair!” Bryan exclaimed. “How come Shane gets his own room? I had to share with Feehily last time!”
Anto shook his head, grinning. “You know the rules lad,” he said sympathetically.
“Come on, Anto, can’t I share with you? You know how he is to room with! You’ve seen him in the mornings! How about you give Mark your room, pleeeease?” Bryan begged. “This is totally unfair! You know, I always thought this cap deal was a totally tyrannical way of picking rooms. I never even got a chance to find a stick!”
“A stick? What stick?” Anto replied, confused.
“Never mind,” grumbled Bryan.
“Now don’t act so upset about it,” Anto admonished him. “You’ll hurt Mark’s feelings.”
“Yeah, now I feel like crap,” Mark chimed in, sniffling. He wiped away a fake tear with his sleeve. “Why does nobody want me?” he sobbed into his hands. “WHY?”
Mattie laughed and put her arm around Mark. “Aw love, it’s okay,” she soothed through her laughter. “Someday, somewhere, someone will want to sleep with you.”
“But I want Bryan!” Mark said, still pretending to sob. Suddenly he stopped. “Wait a second, that just sounded really wrong.” He shuddered as everyone else laughed, except for Bryan, who shook a finger at Anto.
“If I show up with a black eye because Mark got into one of his delightful morning moods, it’s gonna be on your head.”
“I’ll try to handle the pressure,” Anto said. “Now ladies, your luggage has already been taken down to one of the cars,” he said as he checked his clipboard. “When you’re ready, go on and head downstairs. Meredith will be down there and she’ll tell you which car to go in. And now lads, you’re coming with me. We’ve still got a few things to take care of before we leave here. If everything goes as planned, we should be in New York around nine o’ clock in the evening, their time.” Anto glanced at the sheet that was clipped to the board, then looked up at Mattie and Georgina. “Have you girls been briefed on the schedule for the next three weeks?” They shook their heads. “Oh, well we should get that done now then. You’ll need to know what’s happening along with everyone else, after all. We wouldn’t want you getting lost.” He handed each of them a copy of the schedule. “We’ll be spending two days in New York, then we’ll be leaving for Florida. It’s going to be two days in Orlando, then one day in Miami. From there, we’re on to Boston for a day, and that will be our itinerary for the eastern part of the States. After this week, we’ll be on a one week tour of the Southern and Midwestern states, probably not spending more than a day in each city, and the final week will be spent solely in California. There’s a lot of promoting to be done there, so that’s going to be a rather intense week. In fact, these entire three weeks are going to be pretty hectic. However, I will be sure to clear some time for you lads every day so you can just relax and enjoy yourselves.” Anto looked up from his schedule to see seven faces looking at him blankly. “Have you got all that? Girls?” Mattie and Georgina nodded wordlessly. “Alright, that’s it then! You have a safe ride to the airport ladies, and we’ll see you in a few minutes.”
There were hugs all around as Georgina and Mattie departed from the group and made their way to the lift. They took it down all the way to the lobby where Meredith was waiting.
“Hello girls!” she said brightly. “All ready to go?” Mattie and Georgina both nodded. “Then follow me.” Obediently, the two girls trailed behind her, past the groups of fans waiting in the lobby and past the additional mob of fans waiting outside. Meredith showed them their car, and they were off to the airport.
Two hours later, the entire crew and staff were settled on the airplane, once again jetting off to another country. On the plane, everyone was preparing themselves for the long flight ahead, and for the work that would need to be done in the following three weeks.
Mark settled back in his seat between Mattie and Bryan. Bryan, who was sitting in the aisle seat, was dead asleep and snoring lightly. Mattie sat by the window, engrossed in a leather-bound text. Every once in a while, Mark would notice her lips moving to the words contained within the covers of the book. Mattie was so intent on her reading that she didn’t notice Mark as he studied her profile, which was silhouetted against the light of the window. He couldn’t help but admire the way her hair fell softly around her face as she bent over her volume, no doubt reading the works of great poets and writers of the past. Mark smiled. Seeing her reading brought back floods of memories. He couldn’t count the times he would come upon her in her room, or up on Benbulben, or by the lake at Hazelwoods, to find her completely lost in a novel or a collection of poems.
Mattie had always been one of the smartest people he knew. Mark recalled how proud he had been when she’s told him she’d been accepted to Oxford and Cambridge, but he had been even prouder when she had elected to stay in Ireland and go to Trinity. That was the Mattie he knew and loved. Ireland would always be the home that she held dear, and leaving it for so long would break her heart. Different as though they were, their attachment to home was one of the things that they did share. Though Mattie’s soul was adventurous and she was always open to exploring new and different things, her heart belonged in Ireland, and in Sligo. Mark understood that feeling completely. It wasn’t for nothing that Louis called him Homesick Spice.
Mark continued to gaze at Mattie, lost in reminisces, until Mattie got the uneasy feeling she was being watched. She looked up to see Mark gazing at her with a nostalgic expression on his face. She smiled back at him.
“Did you want something, Mark?” she asked curiously. Mark looked surprised when she spoke to him, then shook his head as if to clear it.
“No, nothing,” he responded. Then he grinned mischievously. “You just look so cute when you’re studious.” He leaned over to look at her book. “What are you reading?”
Mattie looked back down at the volume in her hands and shrugged. “Oh, it’s just a collection of poems and sonnets and such,” she replied.
“Will you read me one?”
Mattie looked at her book again. “Which one?”
“Any one. The one you were just reading right now.”
“Alright then.” Mattie cleared her throat lightly and began to read.
Finishing the sonnet, Mattie glanced over at Mark to see his eyes closed. She smiled fondly. “Sorry there, Mark, didn’t mean to put you to sleep.”
At that, Mark immediately opened his eyes. “Huh? Oh, no, I wasn’t asleep. I just – that was beautiful, Mattie.” He neglected to add that what he thought made it beautiful was the sound of her voice as she read the words to him.
Mattie gasped in mock astonishment. “You mean Shakespeare actually made an impression on you? I think that hell has officially frozen over. Hold on, wait a minute.” Mattie peered out the window. “Oh my god! Did you see that pig just fly by?” She turned back to Mark with a shocked expression.
Mark laughed. “Hey, I read sometimes!” he said defensively.
“Oh really?” Mattie asked skeptically. “Alright then, name the last legitimate work you’ve read.”
Mark pretended to think deeply. “Well, I picked up that comic book the last time we were in Australia…”
Mattie gave him a look. “That doesn’t count.”
“Why not? That was good reading!”
Mattie cocked her head. “Do you hear that? I think that was the sound of your brain cells dying slowly.”
Mark grinned. “Well, being a popstar is demanding work. No time for frivolous things such as reading.”
“You just thank your lucky stars Mr. Bradley isn’t here to hear that. I think he’d have a heart attack. Yes, he would definitely have a heart attack and when he recovered, he’d beat you senseless with a copy of our old literature textbook.”
“You know,” Mark began thoughtfully. “Now that I think about it, that was a pretty good class.”
“What are you talking about? You were asleep half the time.”
“Well, I learned some things.”
“Right.”
“I did!”
“Well then, if you’re suddenly such an expert on British literature, why don’t you tell me what that sonnet that I read to you was about?” Mattie smiled at him. “It shouldn’t be too hard. After all, it was one of the works we covered in Mr. Bradley’s class.”
Mark looked lost. “Erm…I know it’s about love.”
Mattie laughed again. “Mark dear, all sonnets are about love.”
“Oh.” Mark furrowed his brow in thought, then looked up with a sheepish expression on his face. “Erm…would you mind reading it again?”
“Ah ha! So you don’t know what it’s about!” accused Mattie.
Mark laughed. “Okay okay, I give up. What’s it about?”
Mattie thought for a moment on how to explain it. “It’s…it’s about the steadfastness of real love, true love. About how it never changes, and never wavers, even when it is faced with circumstances which – which threaten to destroy it. And how it endures through time, and even in your darkest hours you can see its light that burns steadily, leading you to the place where you belong. The place where love is.” Mattie’s voice trailed off as she contemplated Shakespeare’s words on love. Mark found himself again staring at Mattie’s profile, unable to take his eyes off her. He felt a tingle run through his body as each word left her lips. Mark suddenly realized how lovely she looked, with the dreamy, wistful expression displaying itself in her eyes and upon her face. With the light from the window illuminating her head, she looked radiant. Just then, he noticed the sun glinting off a delicate piece of metal around Mattie’s neck. Mark put his hand out and touched the silver cross that lay in the hollow of her throat.
“What’s this?” Mark asked curiously. “I’ve never seen you wear this before.”
Mattie looked down. The necklace that her father had given her just a few nights ago hadn’t left her neck since she had put it on.
“Dad gave it to me before I left last week,” she said, fingering the chain. “It was my mother’s, and my great-grandmother’s before that. Dad says it was blessed by the bishop of Ireland more than a hundred years ago, and that it’s supposed to be a symbol love, sacrifice, and faith. It’s meant to guide me.” Mark touched the small rose set in the center of the cross. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Mattie said.
Mark looked up at her. “It’s you.”
Mattie smiled at Mark. Then, she leaned over impulsively and kissed him on the cheek.
“What was that for?” Mark asked, feeling the blush creep up to his face.
“For being wonderful,” Mattie said sincerely. She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I just wanted to tell you that I love you and that I’m glad you wanted me to be here with you.”
Mark smiled, still feeling the tingle on his cheek from where Mattie’s lips had touched it. He wanted to say something to her, but to his surprise, he couldn’t find any words to form a reply. “I – I…”
Mattie looked at Mark concernedly. He looked a bit confused. “Mark, are you alright?”
Mark’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. Why don’t I know what to say? he asked himself silently. “I’m glad you’re here too,” Mark said finally.
Mattie smiled at him, then turned back to her book. She pretended to be occupied with her reading, but in reality, Shakespeare was the furthest thing on her mind. Was I imagining it? she thought nervously. Mattie could have sworn that there was a look in Mark’s eyes that she hadn’t seen before. Stop it, she told herself. It wasn’t anything, he wasn’t looking at you any different. You’ve just spent too much time away from him and now you’re starting to see things that aren’t there. DON’T let yourself fall into this again. Mattie bit her lip and stole a look at Mark, who was occupied at the moment, staring into space. She put a hand over her heart as if to slow down the fast pace of its beating. Mattie shook her head and buried herself again inside her book.
Next to her, Mark was absorbed in a similar matter. A range of emotions was going through his mind, and they all had to do with the girl sitting next to them. He wondered why it was that he had suddenly got so tongue-tied a minute ago when Mattie should be one of the few people he didn’t have trouble talking comfortably with. He wondered about the look in her eyes as she had reached over and squeexed his hand. And most of all, he wondered why he should still feel touch of her lips on his cheek, and why a tingle ran through his body when he thought about it. Mark shook his head to clear it. I’ve been away from her for too long he concluded. I’m starting to imagine things.” He let out a deep breath and leaned back in his seat, fighting the urge to look over at Mattie. Mark looked around for other distractions, but finding none, he instead closed his eyes and settled back into his seat, hoping somehow that a few hours of sleep would help him clear his mind.
“EEE! I can’t believe I’m actually in New YORK!” Mattie squealed excitedly. The plane had landed ten minutes ago at JFK International airport and the passengers were now making their way out the walkway of the airplane into the terminal.
“Mattie, can you act any more like a tourist?” Bryan said laughing. “You’re embarrassing us!”
“I can’t help it! I’m excited!” Mattie exclaimed. “I’ve always dreamed of coming to New York. It just looks like such fun in the movies. The glamor, the excitement, the – ” Mattie stopped abruptly and gasped when her she stepped out into the the airport. Bryan, Nicky, Georgina, Shane, Mark, and Kian, who had been behind her, knocked into each other at the sudden halt.
“It’s so…beautiful,” Mattie breathed, clasping her hands together over her heart.
The groups behind her exchanged funny looks.
“Mattie. It’s an airport terminal,” Kian said.
“I know! Isn’t it great?”
Shane laughed. “Peanut, you need to get out more often.”
Georgina looked around the airport. ‘Well, this certainly is a change from landing at Ben Gurion in Israel,” she remarked. “There’s not a screaming fan in sight.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Mattie replied as she spotted a group of four teenage girls in a huddle. “Those girls over there have been shooting us looks since we got off the plane. And here they come!”
The groups of girls had made their way over to where they all were gathered and were standing about rather uncertainly and nervously. Finally, one of them spoke up.
“Um, excuse me, but are you guys Westlife?”
Mattie turned to hide her smile. Back home, where the boys were heralded on billboards and on the television every other day, a comment like that would have been considered odd, to say the least.
Kian smiled at the girls. “We sure are.” Immediately the girls started squealing and speaking all at once.
“Oh my god, I knew it! Oh, we love you so much, I love Swear It Again, I think it’s the most romantic song EVER! Omigod, Bryan, you are like, soooooo hot. Omigod, Nicky, I think you are sooo hot too! Do you have a girlfriend? Do you know, I’m one sixteenth Irish?” This time, Mattie couldn’t keep her laughter in and she and Georgina hurried away to a phone booth where they released their merriment uninhibited. Luckily, the girls were so involved in their effusive praise of the boys that they didn’t notice.
They stayed in the booth until the girls had gone, then came out, smoothing their hair and patting their clothes.
“Well, that was interesting, to say the least,” Georgina remarked.
Anto came up to the group, the ever present clipboard in his hand. “Alright girls,” he addressed Mattie and Georgina. “We haven’t ordered an extra car for you like we did in Israel so you’ll be riding with the lads this time.”
“Okay,” they agreed readily. Anto led the way out of the airport, where a large van was parked. Again, Mattie stopped in her tracks.
“Oh my god! This is the biggest car I have ever seen!” she exclaimed in astonishment.
“I know,” Nicky remarked as they all began to climb in. “Cars in America are absolutely enormous. We were shocked too, the first time we came here. Everything comes bigger in the States. Wait until we get out on the road.”
“How come?” she asked curiously as she settled into a seat by the window.
“The roads are HUGE!” Bryan chimed in. “I mean, there are like, six full size lanes on every street! It’s really cool.” The driver of the van started up and they began to move onto the open road.
“Wowww…” Mattie said as she looked out the window. “This is soooo weird.”
“What’s weird?” Mark asked curiously.
“Driving on the right side of the road,” she responded.
“Oh yeah, the Americans have messed everything up,” Anto commented from the front passenger seat.
Mattie laughed. “Well, they got some things right. I cannot wait to get out and see the sites. I have always, always wanted to come here.”
“Me too,” Georgina agreed. “What should we do first?”
“Well, you girls can do whatever you want. These five lads here, however, are going to stay in and get a good night’s sleep. They’ve got interviews and photoshoot tomorrow morning and the last thing we need is five hangovered Irish popstars giving incoherent interviews and looking like bloody hell in the photos to boot.”
Mattie and Georgina laughed at the boys’ grudging expressions. “Well, Georgina and Iwill be thinking of you while we’re out on the New York club scene partying all night long,” Mattie promised.
“Actually, Georgina will, but I don’t know about you, Mattie,” Bryan said sorrowfully, shaking his head.
“How come?” Mattie asked, confused.
“You’ve got to be twenty-one to do anything fun here in the States,” Kian explained. “In America the legal drinking age is twenty one, so they won’t let you into any of the clubs that serve alcohol unless you got some ID that’ll prove you’re the right age.”
“Aw, that’s crap!” Mattie exclaimed.
“Tell me about it,” Shane replied wearily. “Last time we were here, we had to have Nicky sneak drinks up to the room. But it just wasn’t the same.”
Anto cleared his throat from the front seat. “For the record, I would just like to say that I am not hearing anything at all, so I can’t be blamed for anything.”
“Whatever Anto, you’re the one who bought the shot glasses!” Bryan joked.
“I did not, you wretched little liar!” Anto replied indignantly. “One more comment like that, McFadden, and I’ll make sure you’re locked away in hotel arrest for the rest of the tour.”
“So you can’t get into any clubs at all unless you’re twenty one?” Mattie asked.
Nicky thought for a moment. “Well, there are eighteen and over clubs, but they’re never as fun.”
“And the bouncers in the States are completely unreasonable,” Shane chimed in. “There’s just no talking to them.”
“Maybe it’s because you haven’t been going about it the right way,” Mattie said, grinning mischievously. “I’m sure it’s nothing a little fast talk, a short skirt, and a pair of high heels couldn’t fix.”
“Madeline Rose!” Mark exclaimed in shock.
“What?” she replied innocently.
Mark wagged a finger at her. “Don’t let me catch you talking like that again, or I’ll have you on the next plane back to Ireland where you can relearn some of your morals. What happened to your father’s sweet little Irish rose?”
“She was forced into going on tour in the States with a group of morally decandent Irish popstars, and inevitably got sucked up in their corrupted lifestyles,” Bryan remarked.
Mattie nodded. “Sounds about right to me.”
Mark shook his head. “Your dad’s going to kill me.”
“Yeah, probably,” Mattie agreed.
“Okay, here’s the hotel, everybody out!” Anto called as he opened his door. Obediently, everyone hopped out of the van and, with Anto leading the way, went inside the hotel.
“It’s kind of nice to not have to deal with two hundred fans every time we check into a hotel,” Kian remarked as Anto went to the front desk to get their room keys.
“Enjoy it while you can, Ki,” Anto said, coming back. “You’ll only have three weeks of it.” He handed everyone their room card-keys. “Now, I want everyone to go straight up to their rooms, wash up, and get a good night’s sleep. And I don’t want any shenanigans this time,” he finished, looking pointedly at Mark. “Do you hear me?”
“Yes, Anto,” the boys chorused.
He nodded. “Now, on your way, I’ve got to talk to the crew and such. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As the group trudged away towards the lifts, Mattie couldn’t keep her mouth shut. “What did Anto mean by shenanigans? And why was he looking at you, Mark?”
The other guys laughed as Mark blushed. “Anto was talking about the time Mark almost got kicked out of a hotel,” Bryan explained.
Georgina gasped. “Why did you almost get kicked out of a hotel?”
“Well, I guess Mark was feeling kinda bored one night, so he thought it would be fun to go and play hotel room tag.”
“Hotel room tag?” Mattie asked, smiling.
“Yeah, he went around each floor, knocked on the doors, and then ran like hell before the people in the room opened it. The front desk kept getting calls that someone was knocking on their doors and disappearing, and by then, the managers knew what was happening, so they ambushed him when he tried it again.”
Nicky laughed. “Yeah, I’ll never forget the look on Anto’s face when they hauled Mark to his room flanked by two hotel security guards and the hotel manager.”
By now, Mattie and Georgina were both shrieking with laughter. “Mark! I can’t believe you actually did that!” Mattie exclaimed.
“Hey, you used to do that too!” Mark shot back defensively, his face now a healthy shade of red.
“Yeah, but I was ten,” she replied. “I can’t believe you actually had the nerve. When we were little, I could never get you to do it with me!”
Mark shrugged, grinning. “I thought I might give it a try.”
“Wait a minute,” Shane said. “Mark got that idea from you?” Mattie nodded guiltily. Shane shook his head, smiling. “I should have known. Every time Mark gets in trouble, you always have something to do with it. Even if you’re halfway across the world.”
“Yeah, we’re destructive together,” Mark said proudly, putting his arm around Mattie.
“Well, if you’re going to be destructive, stay away from Anto. If you make someone yell at him again like that hotel manager did, he’ll have your arses on a platter. Mark knows,” Kian said.
Mattie laughed. “Thanks for the tip.”
The elevator door upened at their floor and they all filed out.
“Well, goodnight lads, we’ll see you in the morning,” Georgina and Mattie called as they headed to their room.
A half an hour later, Mattie and Georgina were getting ready for bed when a knock sounded at the door. The two girls looked at each other in surprise.
“Who could that be?” Mattie wondered out loud as she went to the door. She opened it to see Bryan standing there with a pathetic expression on his face. Mattie gave him an amused smile. “Did you want something, Bryan?”
Without a word, Bryan walked over to Mattie’s bed and fell on it, facedown. Georgina gave Mattie an amused look, before going over to the bed. She leaned over him. “Bryan?” Georgina gave his shoulder a poke. He grunted in response.
Mattie laughed. “Are you okay, Bry?”
He flopped over on his back. “I have a huuuge favor to ask of you, Mattie.”
“What is it?”
“You know we have to wake up pretty early tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“So you know I’m going to need all the sleep I can get.”
“I would imagine so.”
“And you would do anything to help me get that sleep, right Mattie?”
“Em…I would try I suppose.”
“Uh huh. Well, you know how I’m rooming with Mark?”
“Bryan, what are you getting at?”
Bryan sat back up and gave her a pitiful look. “Would you mind trading rooms with me for tonight?” he asked plaintively.
“What?”
“No, wait, just hear me out!” Bryan said quickly. “I really need to get some sleep tonight Mattie, I’ve hardly had any for the past forty eight hours! Just this one time, pleeease? I know I’m not giong to be able to get a good night’s sleep if he comes in blasting the tv on all night long.” Bryan pushed out his lower lip sorrowfully. “C’mon Mattie, do it for me?”
Mattie sighed and looked over at Georgina, who looked like she was trying very hard to hide a smile.
“You do sleep like a rock Mattie. I doubt Mark’s sleeping habits would bother you too much.” Georgina said reasonably.
Mattie looked again at Bryan, who was now trying make his chin quiver convincingly. She laughed at him. “Well, since Georgina doesn’t seem to mind, then…okay.” Bryan hopped up on his knees on the bed. “But just this one time,” she said, holding a finger up at him.
“Oh, thank you sooo much Mattie,” Bryan said enthusiastically, as he gave her a hug. Mattie shook her head.
“I’m just going to get a couple of my things, and then I’ll go over to your room,” Mattie said as she gathered various objects and toiletries around her and Georgina’s hotel room. Bryan handed her his room key and opened the door for Mattie.
“Is Mark in your room right now?” she asked.
Bryan shook his head. “Well, he was ready for bed when I left, but I think he went to talk to Anto about something. He’ll be back soon.” Bryan tried to close the door behind her but she blocked it with her hand.
“If you go through my stuff while I’m gone, I swear, I will give you a beating you won’t soon forget.”
“Okay, okay! I won’t! Jeez, what have you got in there anyway, dirty girlie magazines?”
“You’re disgusting, Bryan.”
“And you love me for it,” he replied as he finally closed the door behind her. Once she was gone, he let out a woop and jumped on Mattie’s bed again. “I am too good!” he shouted triumphantly.
Georgina laughed. “I certainly am impressed Bryan,” she said approvingly. “I never would have thought of that in a million years. The lads are going to be so proud of you!”
Bryan nodded mischievously. “Well, now that I have successfully got them into sleeping together alone in a hotel room, I’m going to be expecting some interesting stories tomorrow morning.”
Mark unlocked the door to his and Bryan’s room and went in, tossing his jacket on a nearby chair. He looked over at Bryan’s bed. To his surprise, the person lying in the bed was a lot smaller than he remembered Bryan to be. Walking over, he smiled when he realized it was Mattie. She was sleeping on her back, the covers down to her waist. Gently, so as not to wake her, Mark climbed into the bed beside her and settled in. For a few minutes, he just stared at her, watching Mattie sleep with a fond expression on his face. She looked so peaceful, and serene. It was restful just to look at her. Mark reached out and smoothed her hair away from her face. His hand moved down to Mattie’s cheek and he stroked it softly with a finger. Her skin was so soft, like a bird’s wing, and Mark began to feel intoxicated with its touch.
As Mark sat beside her, the recollection of the plane ride earlier that day came flooding back. He had thought that a few hours of sleep could rid the confusing feelings that were crowding his head out of his mind, but as he watched her sleep, they all came back, even stronger this time. He couldn’t explain what he was feeling, he only knew that what he felt for this girl that was beside him, was different than what he had ever felt for her before. Mark couldn’t remember when this had started. Perhaps it had been at the club, back in Dublin, when she had been with Peter. He knew he shouldn’t have felt that way, but when he saw them together, it tore him up inside. He had never been a jealous person, but for some reason, it seemed different now. He had never been so relieved than when Shane had told him that Mattie didn’t want Peter. He wasn’t sure why he was then, and he still wasn’t sure why he was now. All he knew was that when he was with her, there wasn’t anywhere else he wanted to be. She was everything in the world to him, he wasn’t complete without her. It had always been that way.
But now…Mark shook his head. He couldn’t get that morning out of his mind. The way she had touched his hand, the way she had looked into his eyes…the way she had kissed him. It was only a kiss on the cheek, a kiss she had given him a thousand times before. But there was a look in her eyes he hadn’t ever noticed in the past. A look that he wanted her to give him again. Mark stared down at Mattie’s face, wanting those eyes to be open so that he look at her, so he could see those familiar eyes he knew so well. His gaze traveled from her eyes down to her lips. His hand, which had been resting on her cheek, slid down until his fingers were lightly grazing her lips. As Mark's eyes fixed upon her face, he wondered for the first time in his life what it would be like to kiss her. To really kiss, her the way a boy and a girl were supposed to kiss. Almost inadvertently, his head began to lean down slowly. He bent lower and lower, until his lips were wre centimeters away from Mattie's. Mark hesitated for a moment, then, ever so lightly, he closed the distance between them as he gently touched his lips to hers. Mark pulled back slightly. Although the contact was light, he was surprised at the effect that it had had on him. The moment their lips had touched, it had felt like a current had run through his body. Mark stared at Mattie face for another minute, before leaning in again. He bent his head and gently brushed his lips against hers.
Suddenly, Mattie stirred beneath him. Mark jerked back up, his heart pounding in his chest as Mattie's eyes fluttered open. Once she had focused, she smiled when she recognized it was Mark.
"Hi," she greeted him as she rubbed her eyes. Mattie started to yawn when she noticed Mark's expression. "Is something wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
For a moment, Mark was completely speechless. Did she know what had just happened? Did she suspect anything? "I - I..." he stuttered.
Mattie sat up and looked around the room. "Oh, you must be confused," she said understandingly. "Bryan asked me to stay in your room for tonight since he really needs some sleep and won't get any if you blast the telly on all night. I hope you don't mind?"
Mark shook his head wordlessly. Mattie gave him a funny look. "Mark, are you alright?"
"Yeah," he said, finally finding his voice. "I'm - I'm fine."
"Okay," Mattie said uncertainly. She shook her head. "Well, time to get to sleep, it's pretty late you know." Mattie reached over to the nightstand for the remote control and clicked on the tv. "There now, you should sleep like a little baby. You've got three pretty full weeks ahead of you and you've got to have all the sleep you can get." She flopped over on her side to go to sleep again.
Mark was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Mattie?"
"Yeah?" she mumbled.
"I'm sorry."
At that, Mattie sat back up and turned to face Mark. "Sorry? For what?"
He shrugged. "I know these next couple of weeks are going to be pretty hectic, and there won't be much time for us to spend together..."
"Oh Mark," Mattie said understandingly. "Is that what you're worried about?" She reached up and touched his cheek gently. "Don't feel bad about that, it's not your fault."
"But I was so insistent on you coming," Mark said. He reached up and put his hand over Mattie's. "And now it looks like we'll hardly be able to see each other at all. I'll bet you're wishing you stayed in Sligo."
"No, don't think that," Mattie said gently. "I'm glad I'm came, really, Mark. Don't worry about me. I've got Georgina, I'm sure we can wreak some havoc together on our own. You don't have to feel guilty. It's enough just to be here with you. And if you need me, I'm here. That's why I came isn't it?" She smiled a little. "I came because you needed me."
Mark turned his face to kiss the inside of her palm, which was still against his cheek. "I do need you."
Mattie caught her breath as Mark's eyes looked up and locked onto her face. He reached up and touched her hair lightly, letting his fingers slip through its softness. Slowly, he began to lean forward. Mattie's heart began to thump inside her chest, and her breathing picked up. Mark's face was getting closer and closer...Mattie closed her eyes and waited.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. Mattie's eyes flew open and she quickly took her hand away from Mark's cheek.
"Bedtime check!" called Anto's cheery voice from outside the door.
Mark let out a breath and looked towards the door. "We're all fine in here, Anto," he said impatiently.
"Well, then make sure lights are out in five minutes," Anto replied. "Good night, lads."
"Night, Anto," Mark responded. He turned back to Mattie. She was looking at him with a look of half fear, half...half something else he couldn't figure out. Mark reached out a hand to her. "Mattie-" he began.
Mattie pulled back. "I think Anto's right, it's time for bed," she said abruptly. "Good night Mark, I'll see you in the morning." With that she flopped over on her side again, leaving her back to him.
Mark looked at her for a confused moment before getting up off her bed and going over to his own. Once he had settled in under his covers, he looked over at Mattie's bed where she was seemed to be sleeping unconcernedly. Mark sighed and rubbed his eyes. Whatever had just happened, and whatever feelings that had started to come up lately, he had better sort them out, or this was going to be a looong trip.
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