I'll Never Break Your Heart

~~ Chapter 1 ~~

"Put on some tunes!" insisted Angelina as she reached towards the radio from the back seat of the car. The girls were on their way to the ski lodge for a "Girl’s Weekend Out”, as Monique would like to call it.
"Sit down Angie! What are you trying to do? Get me a police ticket two days before my birthday?" shrieked Monique while driving the car. The five girls were extremely excited about the trip. Well, except one. Isabelle who was sitting in the passenger seat of the car just glared out of the window and said nothing during the conversations. She had been depressed for the last five weeks, since she saw her now ex-boyfriend with another girl.
"I can't believe you guys dragged me into this. I would be better off at home, miserable and crying into my pillow. The only reason why I came was for you Monique. You guys are the queens of guilt trips. Your weekend is gonna be ruined because of me," complained Isabelle, as she turned in her seat to face her friends who were sitting in the back.
"Oh don't say that Belle. We just want you to get over that scumbag! He was a total jerk for what he did to you. Why if I could get my hands on him..." said Yasmine, as she fisted her hands and punched the back of Monique's seat.
"Hey! Do you guys mind? I'd like to get to the lodge alive, and I'd like to make it to my birthday party,” uttered Monique, followed by a laugh.
"Could someone PLEASE turn on the radio like Angie requested? I am boring the skin off of me here!" whined Cassandra from behind. "Put it on some good radio station. Not some station that plays the same song four times in one hour."
With that, Isabelle sighed and turned the radio on. She kept tuning the stations because they all played the same old songs. Finally she came to a station that was playing a song they had NEVER heard before.
"Hey, Belle. Leave that song for a bit. It's pretty good," Monique said while swaying her head to the sound and keeping her eyes on the road

* I'm never gonna say goodbye, cuz I never wanna see you cry, I swore to you my love would remain, and I swear it all over again and I, I’m never gonna treat you bad, cuz I never wanna see you sad, I swore to share your joy and your pain, and I swear it all over again*

Half way into that song, Isabelle’s eyes filled up with tears. She wasn't going to cry, and make a fool of herself. However, when she saw a tear fall from Monique's eye when the song was over, (she was probably thinking about Richard, her boyfriend,) Isabelle just burst into tears.
"Shut that thing off!" demanded Monique as she saw her best friend bawl her eyes out.
"No, No. It's okay. You guys can listen to it. You know how emotional I can get," Isabelle confessed as she wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to calm herself
"Hey guys... Listen! The DJ's gonna say the name of the song and who it's by," said Cassandra eagerly as she leaned forward to hear it.
"And that my fellow listeners, was Swear It Again by the Irish Boys and UK's top sensation... Westlife!" announced the DJ in an enthusiastic tone.
"What Life? What was the name of the group? No Life or something? That’s so weird... You can be soooo popular in one part of the world.... yet not exist in the other," sighed Yasmine.
"Shh Shh! Listen, there's more!" directed Isabelle as she turned up the volume to hear what the DJ had to say after she had calmed down.
"Now all you lucky listeners who are hitting the slopes this weekend... Watch out for these five guys, because as it stands, they are on a rare vacation skiing the mountains! YES! That's right! Irish Guys skiing! Isn't that an odd picture? So keep your cameras ready, because who knows, there might be a pop sensation at your lodge!" exclaimed the DJ over the radio.
"Yeah right! Like that’s ever gonna happen! Can you actually imagine the luck you would need for that? Anyway, even IF they were at the lodge, I wouldn't really go ballistic! I mean they are just normal people in an abnormal business. That's all. They are human and all," boasted Angelina with a wide grin on her face.
With the last comment from Angelina, they arrived to the resort where they would be spending their skiing weekend, without knowing what was ahead of them!


~~ Chapter 2 ~~

"Everybody out! Whistler B.C. here we are! Snowvalley Resort...our home for the weekend!" exclaimed Monique with gleaming eyes as she got out of the car. As they got out, they headed towards the trunk to get their belongings they had packed for the weekend ahead of them! With their baggage in their hands, they headed towards the resort. Isabelle was the last one to get out of the car because she needed time to he alone, and her friends respected that. Once at the trunk, she was having difficulties getting all of her possessions together. Her handbag was obviously too heavy for her to carry, her skis were too big, and she had a million things to hold. She thought she was prepared to carry everything to the lodge in one trip, when she dropped it all on the slippery snow covered ground.
"This is gonna be one looooong weekend!" she said to herself "How am I going to get through the weekend if I can't even get through taking my luggage to my room?" Just then, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She jumped in a startle and caught the eye of her shocker. He wasn't at all hideous looking. He did actually have the bluest eyes Isabelle had ever seen. They were sapphire blue to be exact. However, they reminded her of her ex-boyfriend. The man was a couple inches taller than she was and be had a look of worry and apology on his innocent face. Flushing the reminders and sorrowful emotions of her previous relationship aside, she managed to force a smile and say something, "My God! You scared the living daylights out of me!" explained Isabelle while catching her breath, and adding a little laughter so the mysterious man wouldn't be offended.
"I am awfully sorry about that, miss. Um... I kinda noticed you dropped all of your things and you looked like you could use a hand. It was all in good intention.... I swear," he explained in an embarrassed tone.
"Erm... that's all right. No need to apologize. It's just my paranoia kicking in!" quietly replied a blushing Isabelle. " I would greatly appreciate your help, Thank you," As soon as Isabelle ended her sentence the young gentleman picked up her handbag and skis and headed for the lodge. Isabelle locked up the car and followed behind, “You can just leave them here. I'll get my friends to help me move them to my room," Isabelle softly spoke while looking around the lobby for her friends.
"It's all right. I can get them to your room for you. I really don't mind," he persuasively replied. "Just show me the way," he ended with a little laughter.
"Um... that's just the problem. I haven't the slightest clue to where my room is. I have to ask my friend. She made the reservations," Isabelle timidly responded, "Oh... I see ... Well... umm I ... er... better go then. My mates are probably looking for me anyway," he replied hesitantly. "But um ... are you sure this is where you want me to put them? I mean I can wait with you until-"
"Oh...no…that's all right. I'll be fine...I mean they're probably just around the corner, -But thank you for your kindness. I mean... who knows if I'd still be outside or not right now... But truly, thank you," she reassured him. Even after hearing Isabelle's reassurance, the fellow was still having doubts of leaving her all alone in the lobby. However, he didn't want to unnerve her, so with a simple handshake, he went off to meet with his friends.

"There you guys are! Where were you, and what took you so long? Do you know how long-” Isabelle was cut-off by Cassandra.
"Relax! We were looking for our rooms. and we were putting our stuff away- Damn woman!"
"Oh.... Sorry... I don't know what's got into me, I mean it's not even that time of the month but I know I'm not gonna have the weekend you guys brought me here for. Now will you guys help me get my things to my room?"
"Um... you mean OUR room," declared Monique. "Us two are sharing rooms, and Yasmine, Cassey, and Angie are sharing one ... hope that's okay?"
"Sure... I don't mind... as long as I have four walls, a roof. and a floor surrounding me... I'm a happy camper!" expressed Isabelle in an eager manner.
"That's the spirit! But, who are you and what have you done to the old, depressed, Belle?” remarked Angelina, getting a few chuckles from everyone. After a good laugh, the girls picked up Isabelle's equipment, and headed to her room.

~~ Chapter 3 ~~

When Isabelle was organizing her articles, it just hit her. She, out of the blue, had realized that she didn't even give the helpful lad her name, or had got his for that matter, She also realized that he had an odd accent compared to her Canadian accent He's was more of a.... European accent. YES! It was an Irish accent! Even though realizing his accent was Irish, Isabelle didn't really believe that be was part of a pop group.
"It's no big deal. It's just a coincidence," she kept saying trying to convince herself.
"What's no big deal? What's just a coincidence?" Monique asked as she walked into the room wrapped in a towel. She had just come out of the shower and seemed concerned to find her friend talking to herself.
“Um....uh ... well Isabelle didn't know how to tell Monique. "Um ... well ... when I was outside, this guy helped me bring my bags and skis inside. And...uh…he had ... an accent."
"Oooh! A guy eh? Was he cute? Huh? Was he? So he had an accent? What's the big deal about that?" teased Monique.
"No! It was nothing like that! And yeah he was kinda cute. He did have the bluest eyes ... But that's not the point I He reminded me too much of-,"
"No! Don't say it! He's gone! Tell me more about this 'mysterious man' with the accent."
"Well um... I was saying it's just a coincidence and that it was no big deal because....he ... um...had an... Irish Accent!"
"WHAT? Can you repeat that again? I could have sworn you said Irish Accent!"
"I did," mumbled Isabelle. At this point, Isabelle was completely embarrassed, and she thought that Monique would think she was nuts!
"Well then! Look at the luck we have! The ski lifts are closed right now, right?" Monique was actually very professional about this, which meant she had a plan. Isabelle looked at her watch.
“Yeah, they're closed. Why? What are you thinking?" Isabelle had a worried look on her face. She didn't like the expression Monique had.
"Well, if the lifts are closed and we can't go skiing, then no one else can- which means, they hang out in the lounge! Get ready ’cause that’s where we’re going! I'll tell the other three to get ready too!"
"Monique! Look at you! You're the one that needs to get ready! You're in a towel for crying out loud. Besides, you can go to the lounge, but I'm not going... I...uh... - don't have anything to wear.”
"You have a point, Belle! I need to get dressed. As for you having nothing to wear ... your maroon turtleneck sweater and black jeans will be fine. You're not going to a wedding that you need to dress up for! Well, not yet anyway! So hurry up and tell the others for me, please!" Monique quickly got up, hugged her best friend, and went to get dressed. Monique always did have a way with Isabelle. Right after Monique ran back into the bathroom, Isabelle left her room and walked down the corridor to tell her friends. She could have easily phoned them with the phone in her room, but she felt she could use a little walk.

"Oh My God! You've got to be kidding me!" squealed Angelina in a high-pitched voice.
"Oh what was that you were saying in the car, Angie? Something like you wouldn't go ballistics!" pointed out Yasmine with an evil grin on her face.
“Yeah, well, I lied!" she snapped back with laughter.
“You guys, what if it was just him though. I mean what if there is no band?" uttered Isabelle quietly.
"Then we're gonna feel like total idiots, and it'll be on your head, Belle!" Cassandra said jokingly. Isabelle quickly hurried back to her room, which was a few doors down. She quickly put on her maroon turtleneck sweater, which had a great affect on her brown eyes, and she put on her black jeans like Monique had mentioned. She quickly brushed her brown shoulder length hair and neatly tied it back in a ponytail, which swayed back and forth when she walked; she did all of this while she sprayed on some of her favourite perfume. Just when she finished, Monique was all dressed and ready to go. Monique had on her favourite Gap sweatshirt and her khaki pants as her straight auburn hair was hanging loose. The other girls basically had on the same things, Yasmine had on her green sweatshirt and her cargo paints. Some of her black hair was clipped back with a little fork clip. Cassandra had on a beigey-brown sweater with her blue jeans, and she let her blonde hair hang loose- Angelina had on a blue B.U.M. sweatshirt and her khaki pants. Her blonde hair was also tied back in a ponytail. They were quite calm as they headed down to the lounge.

~~ Chapter 4 ~~

When they got to the lounge, it was filled with a considerable amount of people. Most of them had a mug of cappuccino, or hot chocolate. There were sofas surrounding a large coffee table with books on it, in Front of the crackling fire glowing in the fireplace. The atmosphere was very calm and relaxing. There were people mingling around and making quiet chitchat. Isabelle was feeling quite uncomfortable with all the couples that were in the room, so she found a seat on the sofa, near the fire, and she picked up a book. Monique saw the heartache in Isabelle's eyes and she sat down on the couch next to her. Cassandra was considerably interested in the atmosphere that was created, so she decided to walk around and look at the old photographs, which hung on the walls. Yasmine and Angelina couldn't wait to hit the slopes the following day, so they chose to go to all the windows and check out which mountain they'd want to go to first.
"Come on Belle. Don't do this to yourself. We're here for a fun time, You can't let all of these people get to you. Get out there and enjoy yourself," remarked Monique sensitively.
"But it hurts. And I don't think I'm ready to move on yet... I know what you're thinking... It happened five weeks ago ... move on with your life... but the thing is ... I can't... I don't know if the next person in my life will be the same or not. I just don't want to get hurt again. I don't know if I’m willing to trust again. It's going to take a lot for a person to convince me into giving my trust to them. Do you understand what I'm getting at?" Isabelle replied openly and honestly, tears almost coming out of her eyes.
"Of course I understand, we're best friends aren't we? But you're missing out on a lot of things by being miserable. I mean, who knows... the one person that you may be able to trust might be in this very room, You just have to get out there and find him You're not gonna be able to meet him if you keep to yourself on this couch. Have sonic fun while you can," remarked Monique frankly.
"I know we're best friends, and I know you're right. It's just that I don't wanna get my hopes up too high. I mean, if I stay low key and aware of whom I trust... then if something goes wrong... I won't be disappointed again," explained Isabelle as she recognized how silly she was acting.
“Of course I'm right! I wouldn't be trying to convince you into getting involved if I weren't. I know what I'm talking about! So will you pleeeease have some fun? For my sake?" pleaded Monique.
"Okay, okay! Jeez! You and the others are damn good guilt trip players! How do you do it? The next person I see, I will introduce myself to them and will have a short chat with them... are you satisfied?"
"The guilt trip thing is a gift... as for satisfied... Not completely, but it's good enough for now," laughed Monique as she got this awkward look from Isabelle.

Following that, the girls sat and talked about how their day of skiing was going to be a blast until Yasmine and Angelina came back from their little tour, Now all of them were exchanging excited comments about hitting the slopes the next day. Just then C-Cassandra came darting over with an electrifying expression on her face- She was waving her hands back and forth repeatedly saying Oh My God! Oh My God! She looked as though she was hyperventilating.
"What? What is it? Are you okay?" questioned Yasmine as she tried to calm Cassandra down. “Is everything all right?"
"Oh my god! You will never believe what I just saw!" squealed Cassandra out of breath. "I was looking at the pictures around the walls when I looked outside the window. Standing there were FIVE hot guys! And they looked like they were coming inside."
"What? You're going berserk because - Wait a minute! You don't think they were… " Yasmine's voice trailed off as she stood there in ponders.
"EXACTLY!" shrieked Cassandra looking around at her friends who were staring at her like she was mad.
“Okay guys! We gotta be cool about this... We don't wanna make fools of ourselves. This is what we're gonna do... Stay here and look casual... and when they come in, just smile or whatever but don't go up to them asking for autographs or anything. That's too unprofessional!" declared Angelina as she tried to remain simple.
"Oh shut up Angie! We all know you're gonna be the first one outta your seat and drooling over them! I could totally call you a hypocrite... " commented Cassandra as she teased Angelina making her blush, and the others burst out laughing, Angelina didn't have a comeback for that because she knew it was true. They sat there anxiously fixing themselves up and waiting for the guys to make their entrance.

~~ Chapter 5 ~~

The girls did the whole check routine. They did the Is-my-hair-okay? check, the Is-my-makeup-smudged? check, and they fixed their clothes. The four girls waited with butterflies in their stomachs, but Isabelle just sat there calmly with the book in her hands.
"Aren't you the least bit excited?" questioned Monique cordially understanding the situation her friend was in.
"A bit ... but remember what I said?... I'm not going to get my hopes up high. I mean what if they aren't in a big pop band? You guys are gonna feel and look like fools..." laughed Isabelle while explaining why she didn't show much excitement. All of her friends just shook their heads and burst out laughing...even though they didn't know what was so funny. It was probably a girl thing; being clueless yet still laughing. While they were all laughing amongst themselves, they didn't realize that the room wasn't as populated as it was when they first entered. They also didn't even notice the guys come its Well, until Monique looked up to see what time it was, She quickly nudged Cassandra who was sitting on the other side of her on the couch).
"Were those the guys?" she whispered while rolling her eyes in their direction. Cassandra turned casually in the direction that Monique had pointed.
"Oh my god! Yes! That's them... I told you they were hot!" Cassandra quickly whispered back. Yasmine and Angelina joined the whispering conversation, and they all shrieked quietly, making sure the guys didn't notice their enrapturing reactions. Isabelle still had the book in her hands and was staring into it. She seemed the most down to earth, but inside she was bursting with curiosity. She was too nervous to look up, so she focused onto the page- Monique glanced up to audit if the fellows noticed the girls' juvenile behaviour, or noticed the girls at all. To her surprise, when she glanced up, she caught the eye of one of the guys that was looking right at them. She quickly gave him a benevolent smile, and was returned with one from the fellow, before she put her head back down. She could feel herself blushing, but tried not to pay much attention to it.
"Belle, you gotta see them... they were checking us out! But I gotta say they're not too bad themselves! I wouldn't care if they were in a band or not!" said Monique persuasively. "Look, they're heading over this way!"
"I get the tall one! He looks dorky, but seems like my type!" announced Angelina and she made certain none of her friends went after him.
"Dibs on bangs!" proclaimed Yasmine laughing at the way she sounded.
"Ooh! The brown haired dude's mine! Not the blue eyed one... but hazel boy!" burst out Cassandra in laughter joining her friends.
"You girls sound like you're shopping or something! Ooh I want that sweater ... oh those shoes are to die for...Damn! ... They are human beings you know!" remarked Monique with laughter. "I'm not choosing because I have a man waiting for me at home! Remember? So, Belle... which one's yours?" she asked wings her friend as the guys came closer. "Remember what you promised me?...By god! Did you even look up yet?" But Isabelle didn't have time to answer. She was saved by a voice saying, "Well hello ladies! Do you mind if we sit with you?" This was the guy who Monique caught eyes with.
"No, not at all- we could use some company," responded Monique welcoming them. Just as the guys were going to take their seats, one of them blurted out, " Well hello miss! Long time no see huh?" Isabelle immediately recognized that voice and looked up without hesitating. The expression on Monique’s face was confusion with astonishment.
"How on earth did you do that? We've been trying to get her to look up for ages... and all you did was say 'hello'. Belle... there are some things I just don't understand about you," teased Monique as she faced her crimson friend and the gentleman that got her to look up.
"So it's Belle. I realized afterwards that I hadn't gotten your name," said the 'mystery man' that Isabelle had met earlier that day.
"Um... hello there. It's actually Isabelle... Isabelle La Rose. My friends just call me Belle for short. I realized I hadn't gotten your name either," replied Isabelle reticently looking at the stranger and then at her friends.
"Well it's nice to meet you again Isabelle. I am Mark…Mark Feehily... and these are my mates I had to leave you to go meet!" he said jokingly. "The one gawking at you gals was Nicky even though he shouldn't be doing that considering he has a lady waiting for him back home. And these fellows are Bryan, Shane, and Kian."
"Hello there. These arc my friends I was waiting for, Monique, Angelina, Cassandra, and Yasmine," introduced Isabelle as everyone shook hands and got acquainted. "We're here for Monique's Birthday...and she herself has a boyfriend she left behind at home too!" Monique seemed a little surprised when Isabelle mentioned her boyfriend, but she was also surprised to see her friend speaking to a stranger. Boy, did Isabelle keep her promise or what! Anyway, her friends seemed to be hitting it off quite well with the boys they had claimed a bit earlier, and Monique and Nicky talked about their sweethearts and how much they missed them already. The cluster of people soon broke down into pairs which were Angelina and Bryan, Yasmine and Kian, Cassandra and Shane, and Monique and Nicky (as just friends) and went off in their own direction, leaving Isabelle and Mark alone in front of the fireplace.

~~ Chapter 6 ~~

Sitting there with Mark put Isabelle in an awkward position, but it wasn't any easier for Mark, considering the fact that he was beet root red- There was a moment of silence when the two of them just stared at the flames in the fireplace. This time it was Mark's turn to find the courage and say something.
"It's a lovely resort, isn't it?" he commented nervously, thinking he could have said something much more constructive than that,
"Huh? ... Oh! Yeah! It's beautiful. It's my first time here," confessed Isabelle as she turned to face Mark, and a little confused by what had just happened. She was going scarlet now and couldn't figure out why. All he did was ask a simple question.
"Oh really? It's my first time here too. I'd have thought you'd be here more often," he reacted in astonishment to Isabelle's reply.
"No, not at all. I'm not the world's greatest skier, I only came along for Monique's birthday, You know Monique- she's the one who made the reservations," explained Isabelle making sure he knew who she was talking about.
"Yes, of course ... she's the one that went off with Nicky, right?" he questioned to make sure they were talking about the same person.
"Yes, that would be her... they were so busy comforting each other about their partners, I hope that they haven't forgotten why they were doing it in the first place!" quick-wittedly replied Isabelle chuckling at her comment and welcoming some from Mark.
"So I take it you found your room afterwards'?" questioned Mark curiously.
"Oh yes. My room number is 205 ... and Yasmine, Angie, and Cassey's room is 210, We are all settled hi!" exclaimed Isabelle, impressed to recognize that Mark was still concerned.
"Well that's good to know! It's so weird though... my room is '1' 05 ! " he answered back in a 'what-a-coincidence' tone. Isabelle was still a little tense about the situation but tried to hide it by making little comments here and there, and by trying to start a conversation. She kept in mind what she had promised Monique, and she ALWAYS kept her word!

Isabelle and Mark had talked on for hours, just about anything and everything. Once the discussion started, they had loads to say. They discovered they had A LOT in common, even though they were coming from two totally different worlds. Isabelle had asked Mark why they had chosen Canada for their vacation, and he had replied by saying that they weren't well known in Canada. They didn't even exist, and they could just be themselves for a weekend instead of having paparazzi and screaming girls shadowing over them. He said it kept their heads straight. While listening to Mark's explanation, she had remembered what Yasmine had said in the car when the song had finished. They were the exact words coming out of Mark's mouth. Mark also added that he might have been able to meet someone that could appreciate and love him for him, and not because he was in a highly successful pop group This comment almost brought tears to Isabelle's eyes, but it also made her blush. Mark saw the effect his reflections had on Isabelle and he quickly changed the subject. However, Mark seemed considerably fond of Isabelle, but he wasn't too sure about how she felt. They had sat there together ever since their friends had left them alone, The only time they parted was when Mark insisted on getting some cappuccino for the both of them.

"I can't wait to hit the slopes tomorrow," remarked Mark excitedly as he looked out the window.
"So I take it you're a pro skier?" asked Isabelle curiously. With that comment, Mark seemed to let out an 'I-don't-think-so' type of laugh.
"No way! In my dreams! And maybe not even then! That’s why I said I can't wait to hit the slopes!" he answered back still laughing. Isabelle, who was confused at first why Mark was laughing, was also laughing and smiling now, while taking a sip of her cappuccino. All of a sudden, Mark stopped laughing and examined Isabelle's face. This obviously made her a bit uneasy and curious.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked in a quiet tone very timidly, searching Mark's face for an answer.
"Uh...no…I was just...It's just that...You have a beautiful smile, has anyone ever told you that?...Oh and it goes well with your white cappuccino cream moustache!" he replied back calmly, trying not to embarrass Isabelle or himself. Even though he spoke with a tender voice, Isabelle could still feel herself going red. She quickly turned away from his gaze and looked at the floor, as she tried to wipe off the cream. Mark slowly raised his warm, caressing hands and cupped Isabelle's face in them turning her to face him. He then gently took his thumb and moved it ever so slowly across Isabelle's upper lip, removing the white cream. He then gazed into her brown glowing eyes, and started to lean forward. Isabelle was trembling and thoughts of chaos were, running through her head. She didn't know what to do. All she knew was that she wasn't ready for what was about to happen; however, she was paralyzed and couldn’t think straight. All she had to do- all she could do was sit there and gaze back at Mark while she turned the deepest shade of red. He slowly leaned forward; eyes closed and delicate hands on her face. Isabelle closed her eyes and hoped that she was just dreaming. Then in her hopes of it all being a dream; she felt the touch of his soft, warm lips against hers. It was a slow and sweet, delicate kiss that Mark had been long waiting for to give to Isabelle. Probably from the moment he laid eyes on her. Isabelle hesitantly opened her eyes as she felt Mark's touch pull away. She found herself drowning in his deep blue eyes. She quickly snapped back to reality and decided what to do next.
"Um…I'd better go," she faintly whispered, as she got up from the sofa where they had sat all night.
"Uh.... yeah ...I should be going too. My lads are probably wondering where I am" he whispered back, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah, same with the girls. Thank you for the lovely chat ...I appreciate it ... Goodnight," she whispered once again. And this time she didn't give Mark a chance to reply. She said her last words and left without looking back.
"Goodnight," Mark whispered to himself, as he watched Isabelle disappear.

~~ Chapter 7 ~~

"Rise and shine Cinderella!" exclaimed Monique as she headed to the blinds by Isabelle's bed- and unveiled the reflective sun that was shining outside. She knew what time Isabelle had returned to their room and it wag pretty late, especially for Isabelle. She was surprised that her friend had stayed out late, mind you with a guy.
"Is it morning already?" asked Isabelle squinting, yawning and stretching at the same time. Isabelle was the sleepy type, and she could sleep all day if she had to.
"Yes, your highness. That's what you get for staying out so late…anyway, I'm not going to nag you like a mother ... I just want details sista'!" Monique reacts impatiently and avidly, At first, Isabelle was clueless to what Monique was talking about. However, she then came to realize that it wasn't a dream and that Mark had really kissed her the previous night. She groaned and quickly pulled up the blanket covering her head.
"Nothing happened last night," she murmured from the blanket, knowing that Monique was never going to believe her. To her surprise Monique seemed satisfied with that answer (even though she really wasn't.) She didn't ask any more questions, and got up and left for the bathroom. Isabelle could tell she was a little upset, but she also knew that Monique didn’t want to push her.

While Isabelle still laid in bed, reminiscing what had happened between her and Mark, Monique was occupying the bathroom, getting ready for the whole day of skiing. Just as Isabelle was deciding whether to get up or sleep in, there was a knock at the door. Fortunately, this made her decision easier, and she got out of bed, She quickly ran to the door in her pajamas hoping and thinking that it was her friends on the other side of the door.
"Hi guys, come- Oh hello. May I help you?" exclaimed Isabelle as she flew the door open expecting to see her three friends standing there, but only to find a young man in the resort uniform holding a clipboard in his hands.
"Um, good mornin' miss. Sorry to wake you up, but I have this bouquet of flowers to be delivered to room 205. And from what the sign on this door says, these belong to the special lady spending her weekend here," explained the gentleman pointing to the number on the door, and picking up a bouquet of roses that he had behind his back.
"Oh they're beautiful. I'll be sure to give these to her. Thank you very much," a wide-eyed Isabelle remarked as she took the clipboard from the man and signed it. She also took the exquisite roses, which were already in a sparkling vase, and placed them on the night table near Monique's bed. She then thanked the man for his service and closed the door behind her. Just as she turned around from the door, Monique came out of the bathroom, and noticed the roses on her night table.
"Are those for me?" she asked Isabelle with curiosity.
"Yep," she nodded and said no more with gleaming eyes.
"I can't believe Richard would go out of his way just because he couldn't be with me on my birthday, even though it isn't until tomorrow. But I love him," she declared with a sigh without even touching the flowers. She then headed to the flowers and picked up the card that was attached to the stem of a rose and read it. Isabelle was lying down on her stomach with her elbows on the bed, her hands on the side of her cheeks, and her legs waving back and forth in the air. She was eager to know what romantic poem or comment Richard had wrote for Monique.
"So? What's it say'? Is he wondering how his little Juliet is doing on her birthday?" teased Isabelle with gleams in her eyes.
"Not quite," Monique mumbled a little disappointed, "Belle, did you by any chance happen to read the card?"
"Of course not! Why would I do that?" Isabelle looked offended as she sat up straight and her gleaming eyes turned to shock that her friend would even say that.
"Um ... maybe because ... these are for you," replied Monique even more disappointed knowing that Richard hadn't sent them.
"What?! What are you talking about? Lemme see that!" exclaimed Isabelle as she got up and snapped the card out of Monique's hands. Isabelle then looked over the words that were written in the card. They read:
To, Belle LaRose, La Belle Rose!
Last night was a dream come true,
And I'm delighted that I spent it with you!
I'm looking forward to 'hitting' the slopes with you today
From- xox Mark Feehily xox

"Oh my god! What am I gonna do? Monique you gotta help me! I'm begging you!" Isabelle babbled avidly as she covered her month with one hand and waved the cad around with the other, She was overwhelmed with all the attention Mark was giving her, and she was getting panicky by the minute.
"Okay, okay. Calm down Belle! Take a few deep breaths! Breathe in ...exhale out ... an you do that for me?"
"Of course I can calm down ... and I'm not pregnant you know! What's all this breathe in exhale out nonsense? God! I'm freaking out here and you're too busy doing some lemmas breathing! Help me will you?!'?!" snapped back Isabelle. She could get very touchy when she was distressed- but Monique and Isabelle went back a long time, and Monique knew not to take Isabelle's comments to heart.
"Okay, I'm sorry, but I can only help you if you tell me what happened last night. Are you willing to do that?" questioned Monique comfortingly. After listening to what Monique said, Isabelle collected herself together, and explained 'the kiss' to Monique. Monique, who was now gobsmacked, had one hand over her mouth and the other on Isabelle's shoulder. Monique couldn't quite grasp the idea why Isabelle was so upset with what had happened to her the preceding night. It was admiring to know that someone other than her friends and family valued Isabelle, yet Isabelle herself couldn't see it or find it in herself to trust her faith.

"Okay. Well, this is what I think, but then again I'm no Dr. Love. But anyway, I think that you should go and talk to Mark. Tell him how you really feel, and hear what he has to say. I still don't see why you’re upset, but it's a good thing you backed away when he kissed you," advised Monique from what she thought was best to do.
"Um, actually ... I didn't stop him. I couldn't. I-"
"You what?! Well, if you didn't want him to kiss you, then why didn't you make an excuse before he smooched you? Is it that you couldn’t or you didn't want to?" Monique was getting a tad bit frustrated with her friend's juvenile behaviour.
"I dunno! I dunno what I can do or what I want anymore!" spoke Isabelle covering her face with her hands, trying to hold back the tears. "I'm just gonna stay in here today. I don't feel like skiing much anymore. I need some time to be alone and just think"
"What are you going to tell Mark'? He was hoping to spend the day with you." queried Monique, taking the note from Isabelle and reading it once more.
“I don't want to hurt him, because I know the feeling, but I can't face him right now. 0h Monique, why does life have to be so complicated'?" groaned Isabelle as she thought about what she was going to do. "Maybe ... yeah that's it! Maybe Monique, you can tell him I'm sick or something. I have something contagious; what exactly I don't know, but tell him I can't see anyone because I'm really sick. That should keep him away from me for a while so I can get my head straight!"
"Hehehe! Noooo way missy! Ain't happenin’! This poor guy is trying his hardest to get to know you, and you know what? I'm not going to stop him. It's for your own good!" refused Monique with a 'have-some-common-sense' tone. Suddenly, there was a light knock at the door, and some giggling coming from the other side. Immediately, Monique knew it was the girls. She quickly opened the door and let them in, while Isabelle still sat on her bed in her pajamas. Right when the girls saw Isabelle, the giggling was terminated.
"Why aren't you ready Belle? Don't you wanna go siding?" questioned Yasmine curiously and astonished that her friend wasn't dressed yet. Monique instantly filled in the rest of the girls on the 20 minutes. The girls just stood there in awe when Monique reached the part about the kiss.
"You go girl!" cheered Angelina as she encouraged Isabelle and got a laugh from everyone except ... yep, you guessed it, Isabelle.
"No! Don’t ‘You go girl’ me! I'm not going anywhere. I just wanna stay here and think. I hope you guys can respect that. I would also like it if, one of you would tell Mark that I'm sick and I can't see him today, considering that Monique won't do it!"
"Well, Monique's right!" rebottled Cassandra.
"Thank you! See! I know what I'm doing!" Monique was pleased to hear that at least one of her friends was on her side.
"Fine! Whatever! I hate to do this but... Can you guys leave now? I want to be alone! Do whatever you want when you see him! I just want to go home!" whined Isabelle like a complete two-year-old!
"Okay guys, I think we should go now...let's just leave her alone. Give her, her space," agreed Yasmine as she motioned everyone to the door, hoping Isabelle would make the right decision. And without saying another word, all of the girls left for the lobby to get their skis.

~~ Chapter 8 ~~

Just as the girls were walking through the lobby, they spotted Mark who was walking in their direction, smiling from ear to ear,
"Good Morning ladies..." greeted Mark as he finally reached the girls. He seemed to be so cheerful, and all of the girls had a pretty good idea why.
"Hello Mark, how are you?" replied Monique, secretly hoping that he wouldn't ask about Isabelle.
"I'm grand! Can't wait to go outside. You ladies look like you're up for a good day of skiing?! Um ... where’s Isabelle?" he questioned looking concerned that Isabelle wasn't with the girls. Just then Monique turned away from Mark, leaving one of her friends, to answer the question.
"Oh, uh ... Isabelle ... she ... um ... she..." Yasmine started to answer the question but found herself fumbling over the right words. What was she to do'? Tell him that Isabelle was sick, or that she just didn't want to see him'?
"She's sick and won't be able to go skiing!" blurted out Angelina without thinking. This comment shocked all of her friends, and they all gave Angelina looks that could kill. Angelina then quickly shut up, and looked away from Mark.
"You can't be serious? Is she all right? She was fine until last ... night," he asked curiously and with a worried tone. However, his voiced seemed to be a whisper when he came to the words 'last night'. He actually had a little smile when he said those words; his eyes also sparkled, and the girls didn't have to wonder what he was thinking about when he said them. Just as Mark was hoping to receive an answer from one of the girls, Shane and Bryan came up from behind and interrupted the conversation,
"Well hello everybody! Lovely morning isn't it?" addressed Shane as he stood on one side of Mark.
“Hey ya Angelina! How are you?" exclaimed Bryan as he saw her and stood on the other side of Mark. Angelina immediately turned her head to face Bryan when she heard his voice and gleamed with joy to see him. Actually, she was just happy that he had diverted the attention onto him.
"Well hello to you too Bryan! It's good to see you noticed us as well!" reacted Mark teasingly. However, he didn't really care about the presence of Bryan at all. He just wanted to find out more about Isabelle's illness.
"Yeah, so back to Isabelle ... Is she all right?" he asked with the obvious concerned shakiness in his voice.
“Umm...yes...I mean no ...I mean...Isabelle is-" started Cassandra, but was once again interrupted by another greeting. This time it was Nicky.
"Hello! Hello! Hello Everyone! So what’s the craic? Why’s everyone standin' around when there’s slopes to be skied on?"
"Craic? What the hells that? Must be some Irish slang!" questioned Angelina confused and then answered her own question.
"Hello Nick-ita. You're looking lovely as ever," teased Bryan in a feminine voice. "Why not the new hair-do today? Run out of elastic bands, for your hair? I'm sure one of these gorgeous ladies could lend you one of theirs!"
"Ha ha ha! Very funny Bryan- oops I'm sorry Bryana!" shot back Nicky as he threw a play punch at Bryan. "As I was saying ... Why's everyone standing around?"
"I dunno know about you people, but I'd like to find out what exactly is the matter with Isabelle," answered Mark, who was now getting frustrated with the interruptions, and his tone said it all. Just then he looked towards Cassandra again to let her finish what she was saying-
"Oh! Yeah! Um... Isabelle ... she...er… she's sick just like Angelina said," Cassandra gave up her morals and what she had said earlier about Monique being right, and lied to Mark. She didn't want to tell him the truth that Isabelle didn't want to see him, but she didn't want to tell him that she was sick either. It was all because of his eyes. His sapphire blue, puppy dog eyes. She couldn't let him down. "Yeah, Isabelle I think has something contagious. I think it's the flu or something even worse. I'm not too sure," finished off Cassandra receiving looks of surprise from all of her friends.
"Oh, I see. The flu? Well Maybe I should go and see if she's all right. I mean stick around and-"
"NO! You can't! I mean ... we wouldn’t want you catching the flu as well. Yeah... I mean, you have to sing and you can't let all of your fans down, right?" refused Yasmine as she tried to make an excuse for Mark to not see Isabelle.
"Well. first of all... I’m on vacation, which means no singing for the weekend, unless I want to. Secondly, this is Canada, and we have no fans here ... well except maybe for you guys if you’ve even heard any of our songs. And thirdly, I can't let Isabelle stay alone in her room all day when she's in the condition you tell me she's in. I wouldn’t even enjoy my day of skiing,"
"You mean enjoy your day of falling on your face every 5 seconds," cut in Bryan to lighten up the atmosphere, which had turned all serious. He accomplished his goal. He gained a couple of giggles from the girls.
"Shut up Bry! This is no joke! A poor girl is sick in her room and all you seem to care about is making fun of me," shot back Mark. He and Isabelle had something else in common that they could add to their ‘Things In Common’ list. They both were very touchy when it came to serious matters. While observing all of this, Cassandra couldn't help but think of how much Mark seemed to care for Isabelle. He was such a gentleman. He was insisting on giving up his day of skiing just so he could take care of her. God! Isabelle could be such a baby!
“Okay, you know what? I don’t feel like skiing anymore. I’m just gonna head back to my room, and hang out with Kian or something,” he said with frustration for not getting a proper response from anyone.
“Um, I just saw Kian heading over this way, Mark” Nicky informed.
“Well, I’ll just go read or something. Goodbye everyone. Have fun skiing,” he said as he walked off in the direction to his room.

~~ Chapter 9 ~~

Meanwhile, back in her room, Isabelle had climbed back into bed with the thoughts of what she had done. She also thought about how she might have hurt Mark and how the truth could hurt, but how lying could hurt even more. She was confused and didn’t know exactly what to do when and if she saw Mark. She was beginning to realize her childish behaviour and how stupid she was acting. As the thoughts circled her head, she could no longer hold back the tears, so she let them all out, by crying into her pillow. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep from crying her eyes out, she heard a soft knock at the door.
“It’s open, come in,” she said her back facing the door.
“Hey, how you feeling?” Mark whispered as he entered the room carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and a one-stemmed rose in a vase. He then headed to Isabelle’s bed and sat down next to her placing the tray on the bed as well. He obviously didn’t listen to the girls in lobby. As he was heading back to his room, he, at the spur of the moment, turned around and headed to check up on Isabelle.
“Mark! W-w-what are you doing here?” she said as she saw who her visitor was.
“Well, I’m not really hungry for some chicken noodle soup. As a matter of fact, I hate it!” he laughed.
“That’s nice of you, but I’m really sick, and I might give you the bug. You’d better leave immediately,” She sat up straight and wiped away her tears hoping that Mark wouldn’t notice that she had been crying. The only reason she wanted him to leave was so that he couldn’t see that she was crying.
“I’m not going anywhere, you can’t get rid of me that easily. Plus, I’d rather get sick too, than have the thought of you being all alone in your room with your illness. Besides, you seem to be feeling better already,” he remarked as he placed his hand on her forehead. Right after Mark said this, Isabelle started to think about how she had treated him and how he was treating her in the complete opposite way. It was like she had finally turned on her brain. The time she spent by herself sure did her some good.
“Ooh Mark, that’s so sweet. You would do all of this for me even after the way I’ve treated you?” she said as tears started to stream down her face once again. This time she didn’t wipe them away; she didn’t care if Mark saw her crying. She just wanted to let it all out.
“Belle? Are you crying? Hey, c’mon now love. I can’t stand to see a beautiful girl such as yourself wasting her time on tears,” he replied as he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tears away.
“But Mark, I have a confession to make.”
“Um, Belle…what are you talking about?- Actually, I think I should leave. You don’t need all of this when you’re ill. Here, I’ll just leave your soup for you on this table and you can eat it whenever you feel like it, all right?” he said as he headed for the door.
“No Mark! Wait! I have to tell you this,” she pleaded. Mark thought for a minute what he was to do, and then hesitantly came and sat down next to her again.
“Why do you think you have treated me so badly? You sound like you’re responsible for giving someone a heart attack,” he whispered as he took her hands in his.
“Well, it’s not a heart attack, but I’m sure I’ve done some damage to the heart…your heart.”
“Belle, what are you trying to say?” Mark asked while trying to hide the truth, which Isabelle already knew.
“Mark, you’ll probably hate me forever, but I have to clear up my conscience.”
“Belle, what-”
“Mark, I want to tell you that…I’m not really sick,” she silenced him by placing her finger on his lips.
“Isabelle, I-”
“No Mark, let me finish. I know you’re probably thinking that I’m a stuck up snob who doesn’t care about anyone’s feelings other than my own. But it’s nothing like that. I actually had your feelings in mind. I didn’t want to lead you on but I didn’t know what to tell you. I definitely did not want to hurt you because I, myself, know the feeling. Mark I-” but her babbling was cut off by Mark’s lips pressing against hers. It was so blunt how Mark just leaned forward and silenced her. The kiss caught Isabelle by surprise and felt like it lasted for eternity even though it probably only lasted for a few seconds. Just as Mark felt that Isabelle was caught up in the moment, he slowly pulled away. “Wow!” she slowly said as she found herself drowning in Mark’s blue eyes. Other than that, she was speechless
“Is that it? Is that the big confession you had to make?”
“Umm…yeah. Are you mad at me?” she whispered searching his face for an answer.
“Isabelle LaRose, couldn’t you tell by that kiss? I was trying to tell you that earlier, but you wouldn’t let me. I wanted to tell you that no matter what you had to tell me, I knew deep in my heart that it could never be something that could make me hate you. I couldn’t hate you, nor could I hate anyone. I had to put a stop to your nonsense babbling, and the only way I could do that was with a kiss,” he said as he cupped her face in his hands once again. After hearing these words from Mark, the tears started once again. However, this time, they weren’t tears of confusion or guilt, they were tears of happiness.
“Oh, please don’t start again.” He said as he gently kissed her tears away.
“Can’t you just use your fingers to wipe them away, Mark?” she laughed as she was amused by Mark’s action.
“Erm, well, I can but if I do that, then I won’t have an excuse to kiss you, sweetheart,” he said as he pressed his lips against hers again. Isabelle was starting to like the sweet feeling and didn’t attempt to push him away. Once again he pulled away slowly and embraced her in a warm hug. He then softly started to sing to her in that mesmerizing voice that he has while caressing her hair.

Girl, I know you're hurting
Right now you feel like
You could never love again
Now all I ask is for a chance
To prove that I love you

From the first day that
I saw your smiling face
Honey, I knew that we would be together forever
Ooh and I asked you out, you said no
But I found out
Darling, that you'd been hurt
You felt that you'd never love again
I deserve a try, honey, just once
Give me a chance and I'll prove this all wrong
You walked in you were so quick to judge
But honey, he's nothing like me

I'll never break your heart
I'll never make you cry
I'd rather die, than live without you
I'll give you all of me
Honey that's no lie
I'll never break your heart
I'll never make you cry
I'd rather die, than live without you
I'll give you all of me
Honey that's no lie
As time goes by you will get to know me
A little more better
Girl that's the way love goes baby, baby
I know you are afraid to let
Your feelings show
And I understand
But girl it's time to let go
Girl it's time to let go because
I deserve a try honey, just once
Give me chance and I'll prove this all wrong
You walked in you were so quick to judge
But honey he's nothing like me
Darling, why can't you see

I'll never break your heart
No way (no way) no how
I'll make you cry

Oh, need me
Honey no way
I'll do you right
I say no how
I would never do that to you girl
Ooh, just give me a chance
To prove you how much I love you
I would give you the world
If you're my girl...

I'll never break your heart
I'll never make you cry
I'd rather die, than live without you
I'll give you all of me
Honey that's no lie
I'll never break your heart
I'll never make you cry
I'd rather die, than live without you
I'll give you all of me
Honey that's no lie

“…And Belle, I want you to know I meant every single word of that,” he expressed with a soft kiss. Isabelle just looked back at Mark with sparkling eyes, and just nodded. “Well, what should we do next?”
“Well, we could join the others.”
“Or we could stay here…what do you think?”
“I like my idea better, but mind you I’m not the world’s greatest skier. I’ll be falling on my bum every five seconds.”
“Nonsense! You’re not the world’s worst skier, that’s me job!” he laughed. “But look on the bright side, if we fall, we’ll be falling on top of each other.”
“You sick, sick man!”
“Ah, so this must be the real Belle,” Mark remarked causing her to blush. “Welcome back!”
“It’s good to be back!” she laughed. “Well, I guess I should change,” she said throwing the covers off and headed towards the bathroom. “Where should I meet you?”
“The lounge is fine. I’ll be waiting.”
“Okie dokie. Oh yeah, Mark, by the way, I suggest that you wear extra layers of underwear considering your tushie will get sore from falling! Trust me, I speak from experience!” she quickly added as she closed the door to the washroom and left Mark in fits of laughter in the other room.

~~ Chapter 10 ~~

“Oh my God! What do we have here? Mark? Isabelle? Together?” Angelina announced to her friends (including the other four members of Westlife) as she saw Mark and Isabelle heading over to them. The group was standing at the top of hill and was just about ready to ski down it. “Hey Belle, shouldn’t you be in bed considering you’re really sick?” Angelina said as she winked at Isabelle, thinking she was covering her friend’s excuse.
“Hey Angie! I saw that! Sorry to break it to ya, but we cleared everything up,” Mark confronted with a laugh.
“Yeah, Angie! It’s all good. But thanks anyway,” Isabelle also laughed as she and Mark finally reached the group.
“Hold up! What the hell’s going on here? Would someone please like to inform us- well me at least, on what just happened?” Monique interrupted as she raised an eyebrow. She was obviously confused to the fact that Isabelle was with a guy- Mark for that matter; the same guy she had been trying to avoid all day. Don’t get Monique wrong, she was happy for Isabelle and all, but she was just as confused though. But then again, who wouldn’t be? So Mark and Isabelle clarified the last half an hour to everyone and made sense of everything. The news from the two of them was greeted by ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ and just as many ‘awws.’
“Well then Marky, I see I’ve taught you well,” Shane said as he came and stood next to Mark and smacked his bum. “Whoa there mate! That’s one podgy arse! I think you’re getting bigger than our mate Bryan here!” Mark couldn’t help but laugh at this comment and made one of his own.
“Shane, let’s just say, always, always listen to this young lady!” he said while pointing to Isabelle. “She advised me to wear many layers of underwear because she knew I’d be falling on my bum 99.9 percent of the time I’m out here,” Mark remarked as he caused Isabelle to blush.
“I did,” she admitted proudly. “Just ask him how many times he fell just climbing up this hill!” This caused everyone to burst out laughing.
“Boy do you people like standing around a lot and doing nothing,” Nicky interrupted jokingly, but he was probably being serious at the same time because it made him think of Georgina after seeing Mark and Isabelle together.
“Yeah, I agree with Nicks. Let’s make the most of our money,” Kian added. “Last one down the hill is a…erm...um….help me out Bry.”
“Last one down this hill is a rotten egg!”
“Gee thanks Bryan, very helpful. I could’ve never thought of that one on my own,” Kian said sarcastically.
“Okay! The last one down this hill has to claim the title as a wuss and on top of that, they have to buy everyone lunch! As for the wuss part, Kian, you already filled the spot!” Bryan teased. After Kian heard the last bit, he gave Bryan a playful push on the back, which caused Bryan to lose his balance, fall on his stomach, and slide down the hill face first. Unfortunately, waiting at the bottom of the hill for Bryan was a pile of snow, which he then crashed into headfirst.
“Oh my God! Bryan! Are you okay?” Isabelle questioned with concern, kneeling beside Bryan as she reached him first. “You didn’t break anything, did you?” she added brushing the snow off his face and placing his head on her lap. Mark reached Bryan second and couldn’t help but admire what Isabelle was doing. The way she was helping Bryan without hesitation. Mark couldn’t help but have gleams in his eyes, and stand there speechless.
“Yeah, sorry mate! I didn’t mean for you to pull a stunt like that! I was just messing around.” Kian said as he reached Bryan third.
“Yeah Belle, I’m fine. I sure caused a scene didn’t I? And Kian, don’t worry about it. We’re cool.”
“Bryan, are you sure you didn’t break anything? Quick! How many fingers?” Angelina said as she and the rest rushed to Bryan.
“Yeah I’m sure. Thanks Angie. God, it’s good to be me!” Everyone stood there confused at his last remark.
“What the hell are ye talking about mate?” Nicky inquired.
“Well, I may have made an eejit of myself but there is a bright side to this. I…Bryan McFadden do NOT have to claim the title as the wuss and buy all ye hungry goons lunch! And Angie, to answer your question, you’re holding up ten fingers, which just happens to be the number of lunches someone’s gonna buy.”
“You mean eleven lunches Bry. You eat enough food to feed two people!” teased Shane.
“Ha, bloody ha. But no Shane. So, who’s gonna cough up the dough? ‘Cause it surely ain’t gonna be me!” Bryan laughed his head off. Everyone looked at each other, trying to avoid the subject. No one seemed to be willing to volunteer. Who in their right mind would?
“You know what? I’ll do it. I’ll be called a wuss; I don’t care,” Isabelle whispered catching eyes with Mark. She could see in his eyes that he was just amazed by her. She quickly turned away from his gaze and looked at Bryan. Even though Bryan’s head was in her lap she could see the confused expression on his face, although it happened to be upside-down.
“You’ll what? Belle are you mad?” Bryan questioned as he looked up at Isabelle’s face.
“Ya heard me. I’ll buy lunch.”
“Um… Belle, I’ll do it. You don’t have to. He’s my deutzy sham. I’ll buy everyone lunch,” Mark insisted trying to be a gentleman towards Isabelle.
“And he’s not my friend? I’ll do it. And if you try arguing with me- let’s just say DON’T argue with me!” Isabelle declared with laughter.
“Whoa! I like this one. She’s feisty! Marky, she definitely a keeper,” Brian teased as he got up to his feet and put his arm around Isabelle’s shoulder.
“Um Bryan, are you sure you didn’t break anything?” Isabelle questioned slyly.
“Uh yeah…Why?”
“’Cause if you ever try a comment like that again, I’ll break something of yours, and it won’t be too pleasant,” she replied quick-wittedly wrapping her arms around Bryan’s stomach. She then turned to Mark again and she could see ‘that’ look in his eyes once again. However, she couldn’t really tell what he was thinking. After everyone had had a good laugh and Bryan had collected himself together, they all headed to the chalet for lunch, which Isabelle the wuss was to pay for. However, Isabelle would never be a wuss in Mark’s eyes.

~~ Chapter 11 ~~

Once everyone had a nice meal, they all returned to their skiing. They all split up and then agreed to meet in the lounge in the evening to head to dinner. While Mark and Isabelle sat in the lift together, they were surrounded by Cassey and Shane who were in front of them, and Bryan and Angelina who were behind. Isabelle and Mark’s friends couldn’t help but keep on saying how cute they looked together. Bryan, who could be a real pain at times, wouldn’t stop wolf whistling from behind, and this caused Mark to blush. Isabelle, who was feeling warm and fuzzy inside played along with her friends, and laid her head on Mark’s shoulder causing the surrounding people to ‘aww’ at the sight. Mark who was surprised by Isabelle’s action wrapped his arm around her; pulled her close to him and caressed her hair causing another ‘aww’ from the onlookers. When everyone got off at their slope of choice, Mark and Isabelle were left in the lifts alone.
“Isabelle, I just wanted to let you know that…” Mark’s voice trailed off because he didn’t know how to tell Isabelle what he wanted to say.
“Yes Mark? You just wanted to let me know about what?”
“I don’t know how to say this to you without sounding too blunt, or without trying to scare you away. I really don’t want the last bit to happen because I would kick myself for not thinking before I spoke if you ever got away from me,” he whispered turning his head away from Isabelle.
“Ooh Mark…” Isabelle was speechless. She lifted her head from Mark’s shoulder and turned his head to face her. She did feel a bit scared and uneasy but she tried desperately to hide it from Mark, so she wouldn’t hurt him. “Mark, just be honest with me. If what you have to tell me makes you feel scared, you don’t have to tell me. You can take your time and tell me when you feel you won’t regret what you say,” Isabelle spoke softly to Mark while looking him in his eyes.
“Isabelle, when you talk like that, it just makes me want to confess everything to you. I just want to tell you my every emotions, my every thought,” Mark confessed with a sigh. “What I wanted to tell you is…you make me feel…complete. It feels as though I have known you my entire life- and in life times before. You make me feel so differently now- and that’s a good thing. You make me feel as though I am floating on cloud number nine. I have one question though, and that is, ‘why did I just meet you yesterday?’”
“Mark, that’s so sweet. It’s flattering beyond compare. But I have some questions too. I keep thinking why are you so sweet to me? Why do you even talk to me or how can you even look at me after the way I’ve treated you. And now, why do you feel as though we’ve known each other our entire lives?”
“To be quite honest…I don’t know. It’s just that when I saw you yesterday, I saw a sad young lady, who looked like she was hurt…deeply. And now… when I see you today, you’re full of life, full of happiness, full of strength…and anyone who can hold Bryan’s head in their lap for more than 2 minutes is strong, physically, and mentally…and you’re definitely stronger than yesterday. I just hope that I am part of the reason for your happiness,” Mark said the last bit extremely faintly.
“Oh Mark, you didn’t just say that. Now I’m gonna get that stupid song by Britney Spears stuck in my head- and that’s the last thing I need! ‘Cuz now I’m stronger, than yesterday. Now it’s nothin’ but my way. My loneliness ain’t killin’ me no more, Iiiiiiiii’m stronger!’ Just great! I’m singing it now! There, are you happy?” Isabelle interrupted the sweet atmosphere with laughter. All Mark could do was throw his head back and laugh at the sight of Isabelle singing to him.
“See Belle? I…rest my…case! But let me warn you right now! Never, and I mean never talk about Britney Spears like that in front of Kian. He’ll murder you!” Mark exclaimed in between laughs.
“I won’t promise you anything yet!” she responded slyly.
“Just promise me more hugs and kisses,” he said timidly. After they had their little talk, they finally decided to get off the lifts and do some skiing. This is where they had a great fall. It was just the first of many which they would encounter that afternoon. Mark got out of the ski lift first and held out his hand for Isabelle. She took it without hesitation, but when she did, Mark lost his balance and they both fell to the ground. The two of them were laughing like mad and just got back up and brushed themselves off. Another fall occurred while the two of them were fooling around. Mark was insisting that Isabelle should go down the slope first and then he would follow her; however, Isabelle was refusing to do so. Isabelle gave Mark a gentle push trying to back away from his reach which sent him falling on his back, but he immediately grabbed her by the arms and pulled her down with him. Mark landed on the snow on his back and Isabelle fell on top of him. They found themselves looking into each other’s eyes once again. However Isabelle made the first move and started to rub snow in Mark’s hair while he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before they both got up again. They kept doing that all afternoon; falling down and getting back up. At one incident when they both were on the ground, Isabelle heard a faint cry of distress.
“Shh, Mark do you hear that?” Isabelle asked as she placed her finger on his lips and motioned him to listen attentively.
“Hear what?”
“Can’t you hear that? It sounds like someone is crying out for…help. Here, listen carefully.”
“Now that you mention it, I do and it sounds like it’s coming from over there,” he said, pointing in a direction, which was scattered with trees. Just as Mark finished talking, Isabelle had already undone her skies and was running in the direction that Mark had described. Mark then got up and ran right behind Isabelle. He was so close that she could hear him literally panting for air. Boy, was he in bad shape, especially for a pop star! But Isabelle didn’t pay too much attention to his breathing and concentrated more on the cries. Just as they got closer to the sound, they could see a little figure forming in front of them. It was actually a little boy who was leaning against a tree with his legs pointing outwards; a ski lying off in the distance; his left hand was covered with his right and he was crying in pain.
“Oh my God! What’s wrong?” Isabelle questioned.
“Oww! Oww! It huuuuurts!…Make it stop!” the child managed to say in between sobs as he unveiled his left hand. Isabelle was shocked at what she saw, which was a deep cut in the palm of the boy’s hand and his right glove was drenched in blood.
“Okay, Isabelle, calm down, for the boy’s sake! You’ve done this before! You have your certificate!” she thought to herself. “Okay Mark, I need you to divert his attention off the pain. Just ask him some simple questions while I try to mend his wound,” she whispered.
“I’m on it! Hey there buddy, what’s your name? No, wait! Let’s see if my psychic powers are working today. Your name is… um…it’s Michael…No no! That’s not it! It’s…Patrick right?” The little boy was amused by Mark’s so-called ability that he started to laugh.
“That’s not it. Mommy says not to tell strangers my name. She says not to talk to them.”
“Ah darn! Well I’m Mark and this is Isabelle and she’s gonna fix you up, okay?” Mark looked up at Isabelle and she looked back at him with an expression on her face that said ‘you’re doing good! Keep it up!’ When Mark said this, the boy realized that he was hurt and was shaking now from shock. Mark noticed this and diverted the boy’s attention.
“Well, what’s your favourite colour?”
“Purple!”
“No way! That’s my favourite colour too!” Mark exclaimed with joy. Unfortunately, the little conversation was interrupted. Isabelle had wrapped her scarf around the his hand and then placed her glove on top of it, and was in need of another one.
“Mark, can I borrow your scarf?” Isabelle whispered hoping the boy wouldn’t hear her. Unfortunately the boy’s attention was now on his wounded hand again and he looked as though he was about to cry once more. Mark immediately gave his scarf to Isabelle and changed the subject by quickly asking the boy another question.
“ So what’s your favourite TV show? Mine’s the Teletubbies!”
“I don’t like them but my brother likes to watch them.” While Mark kept the conversation going Isabelle took Mark’s scarf and tied it around the boy’s neck to treat his shock and warm him up preventing any hypothermia.
“All done!” she interrupted Mark and the boy again. They were so into their conversation that they were surprised when she spoke and they just looked at her. The little boy looked down at his hands and saw that his blood- stained glove was now replaced with a scarf and Isabelle’s glove. “Let’s get you to your parents now.”
“But-but I can’t move my legs! I think they’re broken,” the boy was about to burst into tears again. Fortunately Mark cut in.
“That’s not a problem! I can take care of that! I can carry you back to the lodge.” Without any stalling, Isabelle picked up the boy’s skies; went back to theirs and got them as they made their way to the lodge.

~~ Chapter 12 ~~

“Colin! Oh my God! My baby, are you all right?” the three were greeted by Colin’s mother who was running to them. Just as she got to them, she took Colin out of Mark’s hands, and overwhelmed her child with hugs and kisses. This left Mark in a state of shock. Just imagine it; returning back to the lodge only to find the child in your hands being snatched away before you can even realize what’s going on. “Oh my poor baby! What happened to you? Oh my God! Are you hurt? Why are you’re hands covered like that? Oh God, tell me you’re all right!” Colin’s mother rambled on hysterically.
“Um…excuse me ma’am, but you might want to be a bit careful. He has a cut on his left palm, which I’m pretty sure was caused by the blade of his ski, and he said his foot- right foot, he couldn’t move it. But I’m guessing he meant his ankle. He probably twisted it or something of that sort. It would be a good idea to call a doctor and get it checked,” explained Isabelle as she was holding the tears back because she got emotional after seeing the mother and son reunite.
“Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t get back when you did. I reported Colin as missing and the ski patrols are already out looking for him. I’m just thankful the two of you showed up when you did.”
“It was no problem,” Isabelle replied back as she looked at Colin and smiled.
“I just don’t know how I could let this happen. I told Colin to stay in the lounge for two minutes while I went to go tell his father that we were going to go skiing. I told you to stay here. I told you not to move a single muscle until I got back! Why did you do it?” Colin’s mother explained as she looked at Colin who was in her arms. “I’m just glad you’re back, but you do know that you’ll be grounded…probably for the rest of your life! But thank you oh so much!” she said with a giggle which made it obvious that Colin had inherited her genes.
“It was no problem, really. Especially since he was such a strong and brave boy,” Isabelle replied as she gave a little brush to Colin’s hair. Colin looked up at his mom and gave her a look that said ‘I was strong and brave.’
“Well, I sure learned my lesson. Never leave this menace alone, not even for a split second especially at a ski lodge.” Isabelle just laughed at that comment and smiled at Colin. “Is there any way I can repay the two of you? You just name it and I’ll see if it’s possible for me to do. Anything you want. You need a reward for what you’ve done for me,” Colin’s mother questioned with insisting eyes.
“Oh no, that’s not necessary. Just the sight of the two of you happy is all the reward we need. I’m just glad that you are relived from all that worrying,” Isabelle replied refusing anything from Colin’s mother.
“No, really. I’ve said ‘thank you’ but there must be something I can do for you. It’s the least I could do.”
“No thank you. Truly and honestly. The safety and happiness of the two of you is all I need. But thank you.”
“Are you positive? I mean, I would feel awfully guilty if you didn’t take anything from me.”
“I’m 110% positive. And please, don’t feel guilty. I would just like to know how Colin will be doing after a doctor checks him. That’s all.”
“All right then. But thank the two of you so much. I guess I should go and call a doctor and tell the ski patrols that Colin is back,” Colin’s mother replied, as she was ready to walk away. She gave Mark and Isabelle a great warm hug before she left. After taking a couple steps, she turned around to face Mark and Isabelle and said, “And by the way, you two are going to make great- extremely wonderful parents one day. That is completely obvious after the way you handled Colin and the whole situation.” With those last words she walked off. This left Isabelle in shock. She had to repeat the words in her head a couple times before she actually comprehended what Colin’s mother had said.
Mark stood next to Isabelle and just shook his head back and forth in disbelief, while looking at Isabelle.
“What?” Isabelle questioned curiously.
“Amazing, simply amazing. You’re as amazing as they get. I just can’t believe that the boy’s name was Colin. That’s my younger brother’s name. This Colin must be around the same age as my brother as well but my brother’s probably a bit older. And I just can’t believe the way you treated him. I keep thinking, what if that was my little brother injured in the cold? You would have helped him and I would be just as grateful to you as Colin’s mother was to us. This is why you’re so amazing. You just help anyone. They don’t have to be someone you know you just help anyone in need. And what she said about the parenting thing….y’know what?…She’s right. You’re going to make an extraordinary mother one day,” Mark remarked as he came out of his shock. He then wrapped his arm around Isabelle’s waist and pulled her close to him.
“Hey! C’mon now! You helped too. I could have never done that all by myself. I mean, I would never be able to bring Colin back to the lodge alone. And if I did, he might have hypothermia or something and who knows what else might have happened. Don’t just give me all of the credit, you deserve some too y’know. We did it together,” Isabelle confronted Mark as she put her head on his shoulder. After the final words came from Isabelle, the two of them just stood there, watching Colin and his mother disappear into the distance.

~~ Chapter 13 ~~

“Hello Cassandra, Filan,” Kian greeted as his two friends approached him and Yasmine, who were sitting on a couch in the lounge.
“Hello Kian, hey Yasmine,” Cassandra replied as she took a seat next to Kian and as Shane sat next to Yasmine.
“Bry and Angelina went to the Chalet to reserve a table, but where’s everyone else?” Kian questioned while looking around the lounge.
“Well, we just saw Monique and Nicky heading this way, but Marky and Isabelle? Haven’t seem ‘em since this afternoon,” Shane answered Kian with a grin and a look that said ‘what could Marky be up to?’
“Oh well. They’ll be here soon. Let’s just wait a bit. Besides, I haven’t seen Belle this happy in ages. Live and let live,” Yasmine remarked as she tried to remember the last time she saw her friend as happy as she was with Mark.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I haven’t seen Mark this happy since….Hell! I’ve never seen Mark this happy!” Shane blurted out which was followed by many laughs from everyone.
“Umm…I don’t mean to pry, but why did Isabelle seem so hurt yesterday? That was the first thing I noticed when we all met yesterday. I just didn’t think it was appropriate to mention anything then,” Kian asked shyly. You could tell he kind of regretted asking that question because he started to blush and it was really obvious.
“Well, it’s not my place to tell or say anything about it, but let’s just say…Mark doesn’t seem to be like her previous boyfriend who was a cheating fool and a miserable bastard!” Yasmine could feel that anger building up inside of her. All of the girls were really close and felt empathetic about each other. This was why Yasmine got so worked up at the thought of Isabelle’s ex-boyfriend. That, and she was pretty violent too…*hehe*. *
“Oh…I…see…well I’m awfully sorry I brought it up. I just wanted to know why Isabelle seemed so hurt. I guess men can be such…such…”
“Dumb Arses!” Shane filled in Kian who was apologizing like a true gentleman.
“Well not the exact words I was looking for, but it’ll do.” As Kian finished his last comment the four friends who were sitting on the same couch were waiting (and getting impatient mind you,) for the other four to arrive. Finally, in the midst of the conversation and laughter, Nicky and Monique arrived.
“Hello everybody. How are all ye?” Nicky said as he approached the group.
“About time. What took you two so long? We saw you as we were coming,” Cassandra joked as she looked at her watch.
“Well sorry,” Monique said sarcastically.
“Yeah, we’re sorry. Did you miss me mate? I missed you. How are you feeling now that I’m back?”
Nicky teased Shane as he went over to where Shane was sitting and squeezed his way onto the couch, giving Shane a big hug.
“Oi! Get your filthy hands off me! And I’ll tell you how I feel now. I feel like beating you down with a yardstick if you don’t move. But then again…if I do that, Georgina won’t be too happy.”
“Okay! Okay! I get it! All you had to do was be polite y’know!” Nicky laughed.
“Hey everyone! What’s up?” Isabelle greeted as she and Mark approached the group.
“Boy am I happy to see you, Belle. You just saved me from this mad man! He’s out to kill me!”
Nicky said in his heart melting Irish accent as he pretended to hide behind Isabelle. After Shane saw this, all he could do was throw his head back and laugh.
“Hello everybody. Um…where’s Bry and Angelina?” Mark said with an Irish accent which was just as charming as Nicky’s.
“They’re gone to get a table. It’s not easy finding a table for ten people you know,” Yasmine joked as she filled Mark in.
“Oh, I see…well I guess we should go then. Besides, I’m hungry. Saving someone sure can make my stomach growl,” he responded leaving everyone other than Isabelle confused.
“What the hell are ye talking about?” questioned Shane once he had calmed himself down from laughing.
“Never mind. We’ll tell you over dinner. We’ll tell all of you over dinner,” Isabelle replied.
“Oh sure. Take his side,” Nicky blurted out trying to make Isabelle blush. This obviously worked because she could feel her cheeks getting warm. Isabelle didn’t reply to Nicky’s answer, but she just looked to the ground. Mark who was standing beside her wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him trying not to make his action obvious to everyone. Unfortunately, they all noticed and ‘awwed.’
“Okay people, let’s move before Bryan eats all of our food,” Shane announced as he got up from his seat. Everyone agreed and before they knew it, they were headed for the chalet for a nice warm meal.

~~ Chapter 14 ~~

“Hey guys! Over here!” Bryan waved his arm to his friends while yelling across the whole chalet.
“How could we have missed you Bry?” Nicky teased as he pulled a seat at the table.
“Ha ha Nicky! Very funny!”
“I try.”
“Okay, that’s enough boys! We’re not in kindergarten anymore. Let’s just have a nice dinner, okay?” Isabelle spoke up sounding so much like a teacher. The two guys stopped their joking around; looked at Isabelle; then looked back at each other and burst out laughing! Everyone took their seats and ordered what they wanted. Mark obviously sat next to Isabelle and he moved his seat as close as he could get to her. Everyone was having a blast. They were talking about their day, they were telling jokes, and laughing like they would never laugh again. There was one incident where Nicky might have laughed a bit too much. He was laughing so hard that he choked on what he was eating. Luckily Monique was sitting right next to him. Monique noticed how he was coughing like mad and she took her hand and smacked him on his back. She smacked him so hard that he flinched forward so hard, he nearly fell into his plate! Now for all of those who know Monique, you know that being smacked by her feels like being tackled by a whole football team!
“Oh God Nicky! That was hilarious! You flinched so much you almost-” but Shane couldn’t finish his sentence, he started to choke from laughing at Nicky! This time it was Yasmine’s turn to smack somebody. Cassandra was sitting next to Shane but she could never find it in her to smack anyone, not even if it meant saving his or her life. So Shane was lucky that Yasmine was on the other side of him!
“You were saying Shane? I believe in karma what you give is what you get returned!” Nicky replied quick-wittedly as he sang the last bit of his comment.
“Oh shut up you Savage Garden wannabe! As for you Canadian birds…how did you ever get to be so strong and where’d you learn to smack like that?” Shane snickered.
“A little cranky now aren’t we?” Nicky teased.
“Okay guys. I take it both of you are all right now,” Cassandra cut in stating the obvious as she tried to avoid any argument between Nicky and Shane. After that little comment from Cassandra, everyone started joking and laughing again. All of them were eating their dinner and laughing amongst themselves, creating the ruckus they were beginning to be known for. All of them were having too much fun to even realize what was happening around them.
“Hello again. I thought I’d find the two of you here,” said a familiar voice. Mark and Isabelle turned around to see that Colin and his mother were standing behind them.
“Oh hello! How are you?” Mark said standing up as he gave Colin’s mother a handshake All of the others around the table seemed to be confused to what was going on, so Isabelle explained what happened that afternoon and how they knew these people.
“Well, I’m sorry to interrupt your dinner. You seem to be enjoying yourselves,” Colin’s mother remarked.
“Oh that’s quite all right. Here, take a seat,” Isabelle gestured for Colin and his mother to pull up a chair and join them.
“Oh that’s okay. I won’t be too long. Besides, Colin’s father is getting our table,” Colin’s mother refused, but Colin had already taken the offer and climbed into Isabelle’s lap, making her heart melt. Isabelle was surprised by Colin’s actions and just looked at Mark with a smile on her face. Mark looked back at Isabelle with the same gleams in his eyes that he had earlier that day. “Yes, well I just thought I’d come over and thank you once again. I also came to ask you something. It’s really quite embarrassing for me, but I realized afterwards that I hadn’t asked for your names or given you mine for that matter. That was quite stupid of me, I mean can you imagine ever doing that?” Colin’s mother spoke as she blushed when she looked at Mark and Isabelle. Isabelle and Mark looked at each other and just smiled.
“Oh, don’t worry. That’s happened to me quite recently. Don’t feel bad. Well I’m Isabelle.”
“And I am Mark.”
“Well thank you Isabelle and thank you Mark. I will say thank you a million times if I must. Anyway, my name is Elizabeth Carey, but I’d prefer you call me Elizabeth. Well, anyway, I just wanted to come and return something,” she said as she took two wrapped up boxes out of a bag and gave one to Isabelle and one to Mark. They were both confused and didn’t know what was happening. They opened the box and just giggled to themselves when they realized what was in them.
“Thank you very much, it’s gorgeous,” Isabelle thanked Elizabeth as she pulled a beautiful scarf out of the box and tickled Colin’s nose with the end of it. “You really didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes, thank you. It’s brilliant,” Mark exclaimed as he pulled his scarf out.
“Well, when the doctor checked Colin, he removed the two scarves. One was covered in blood and the other wasn’t too bad. I figured they were yours and I thought I would return them- replace rather. I hope you like them, it’s not much but it’s the least I could do.”
“Oh I love it. Thank you!” exclaimed Isabelle.
“I picked them out myself,” Colin spoke as he looked up at Isabelle with sparkling eyes.
“Ahhh! That’s why they’re so cool! You know what? The next time I go shopping-which I hate doing; I’m taking you with me. You can pick out my whole wardrobe for me, okay? Is that a deal?” Isabelle said to Colin in a cheerful voice.
“It’s a deal!” Colin exclaimed as he went to shake hands with Isabelle. Just then Isabelle noticed the cast on his hand.
“So I see your hand is hidden under a cast eh?” Isabelle said to Colin in a casual tone. “Are you feeling better now though?” she asked as she gave him a little hug. (Remember that he’s still sitting in her lap.)
“Yeah, I feel better. It doesn’t hurt that much. I didn’t even cry when the doctor wrapped the cast around my hand. I was brave!”
“Yes, that’s true. He was such a brave boy. I think I cried more than he did all day,” Elizabeth said with a giggle. “The doctor came and he cleaned up the wound in his palm so it wouldn’t get infected. He also checked Colin’s ankle and said that it’s just twisted a little. He put two splints and immobilized it. He said Colin should recover in no time. I’m just thankful you brought him back because it could have been worse.”
“You’re very welcome,” Mark replied to Elizabeth as he gave Colin a ‘thumbs up.’
“Do you…um...want to maybe…sign…my cast?” Colin asked shyly as he looked up at Isabelle with hopeful eyes.
“I thought you’d never ask!” Isabelle said cheerfully once again. Colin’s face completely brightened up when he heard Isabelle’s response. She grabbed a pen from her purse and signed Colin’s cast. Colin then went around the table and got everyone to sign it. Elizabeth just looked at her son with admiring eyes as he went around to everyone. Once everyone signed his cast, he returned to his mother and showed her what everyone wrote. They were both so happy, Isabelle nearly cried again.
“Colin, you’d better keep the cast because you never know how much some of those signatures might be worth some day,” spoke Isabelle as she looked at Mark and gave him a wink.
“I will,” he said timidly.
“Well I guess I’ll let you guys get back to your dinner. Thank you so much once again,” Elizabeth said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been thanked this much in a day,” Mark joked causing Elizabeth and Colin to giggle. “Hope to see you again Colin and Mrs. Carey- I...uh…. mean…Elizabeth.”
“Yes, I hope we meet again. Until then, take care,” replied Elizabeth.
“You take care too, and you especially little buddy. And remember our deal,” Isabelle said as she leaned forward and gave Colin a little hug. “See you soon.”
“Bye everyone,” Elizabeth said as she waved to the whole table just before she and Colin left. The group just watched the two of them walk off. They could also see that Colin had a little limp when he walked, but they also knew that he would be fine.
After Elizabeth and Colin left, the group continued on with their laughter. They all got along pretty well and just laughed at anything. Finally Monique spoke up.
“Would you please excuse me? I’ve got to visit the lady’s room. Anyone else gotta go?”
“I don’t have to go but I’ll come,” Isabelle offered as she got out of her seat. It was that girl thing where girls never went to the washroom alone.
“Yeah, I’ll come to!” Bryan exclaimed at the thought of going inside the ladies’ washroom.
“Nice try, Bryan, but no. But when you get a sex change, then maybe,” Isabelle replied quick-wittedly. This surprised everyone, especially Bryan.
“Oh that hurt, Belle. I never knew you had that in you,” Bryan replied pretending to be hurt.
“What can I say? I’m unpredictable,” Isabelle responded as she gave Bryan and apologetic kiss on the cheek. That surprised Bryan as well. He pointed to his cheek and looked at Mark with a big grin on his face trying to annoy him. Fortunately Mark kept calm even though he probably felt like beating Bryan with a baseball bat.
“Is anyone else coming or what?” Monique questioned. She seemed to be getting a bit impatient.
“I’ll come too,” Cassandra said as she got up from her seat.
“Okay, c’mon then. I wanna get back before my chocolate mousse cake gets here.” With that, the three girls left for the washroom.

“Aren’t you glad we dragged you out here?” Cassandra asked Isabelle while they were in the washroom.
“Yes, thank you so much,” Isabelle replied in an ecstatic tone. “I’m having a great weekend now.”
“Oh really? So what’s the 411? Details sista’!” Monique squealed as she walked out of the stall and headed for the sink where Cassandra and Isabelle were standing.
“Oh my God! Where do I begin? Mark is just…oh bless him!”
“I take it he’s nothing like…well you know who,” Cassandra suggested.
“Oh no Cassey! Mark is nothing like that creep! No word in the English dictionary can describe my hate for that scumbag! But Mark on the other hand…he’s just what I need right now. He makes me feel complete and he said I make him feel complete. I know I just met him, but that’s the strange part. We feel like we’ve known each other forever. Thank you Monique for telling me to get out there and meet new people. I probably would have kicked myself later if it weren’t for you.” Monique and Cassandra looked at Isabelle and then looked back at each other with concerned looks. They were both thinking that Isabelle was moving a bit too fast and had no idea what she was talking about, but neither of them wanted to be the one to break it to her.
“Well I’m glad he makes you happy,” Cassandra said, trying to hide her concern.

“Yes, he does make me happy,” Isabelle replied in a daze. “That’s good to hear. Finally…Isabelle won’t be moping around now! I thought I was gonna have to smack some happiness into you if Mark didn’t show up,” Monique said teasingly.
“Speaking of smacking, where did you learn to smack like that? You almost made Nicky cough up his lung! It was hilarious!” Cassandra blurted as she remembered what her friend did earlier that evening.
“I dunno. I guess it’s a gift,” Monique said as she shrugged modestly.
“I don’t care. Gift or no gift, you gotta teach me!” Isabelle joked.
“Sure thing Belle. But how ‘bout we get back now? I don’t want Bryan to eat my cake, and we don’t wanna keep your lover boy waiting, now do we?” Monique teased Isabelle causing her to go red.
“I dunno what I would do without you guys! Thank you so much!” Isabelle said and giggled.
“Well you definitely wouldn’t have met Marky Warky that’s for sure!” teased Monique as she gave Cassandra a wink.
“I sense a group hug coming up!” Cassandra laughed as she, Monique and Isabelle did exactly what she predicted. After the girls had their little moment, they headed back to the group.

~~ Chapter 15 ~~

As the girls returned to their table, they noticed that the lights were dimmer than they were when they first entered the chalet. They also noticed that the guys were gone.
“Hey, where’d everyone go?” Cassandra asked curiously as she sat down. Angelina and Yasmine just had huge smiles on their faces.
“Turn around and you’ll see,” Yasmine said with a grin as she pointed in the direction the girls were to face. Isabelle sat down and turned around in her seat only to find the lights turn off completely. She was pretty anxious to find out what was going on and she seemed really excited, but she was confused at the same time. Just then she heard soft music starting to play, and she heard a gentle voice saying,
‘It’s every little thing…’
Isabelle was really curious now and she was literally squirming in her seat, as well as giggling to herself. She kind of figured out what the guys were up to but she didn’t know what to expect. Before she had any time to think she faintly saw that at the front of the room, on a miniature stage, there were five figures with their backs to the audience. They were all in a line with the person in the middle standing a bit to the front. She could see this because five spotlights started to come on, but this was happening really slowly. Just as the spotlights came on all the way, the music started to get a little louder. Just as the music got louder the figures started to turn around ever so slowly. When they were all turned around, she could see that Mark was in the middle (obviously,) and she could hear that soft voice starting again. Mark had started to sing and he was to be accompanied by the others singing in the background, as well as Shane singing lead.

Hello, let me know if you
Hear me
Hello, if you want to be near
Let me know
And I’ll never let you go

Hey love,
When you ask what I feel,
I say love
When you ask how I know,
I say trust

And if that’s not enough…

It’s every little thing you do
That makes me fall in love
With you
There isn’t a way that I can
Show you
Ever since I’ve come to
Know you
It’s every little thing you say
That makes me wanna feel this
Way
There’s not a thing that I can
Point to
‘Cause it’s every little thing
You do

Don’t ask why,
Let’s just feel what we feel,
‘Cause sometimes,
It’s the secret that keeps it alive
But if you need a reason why…

It’s every little thing you do
That makes me fall in love
With you
There isn’t a way that I can
Show you
Ever since I’ve come to
Know you
It’s every little thing you say
That makes me wanna feel this
Way
There’s not a thing that I can
Point to
‘Cause it’s every little thing
You do

Is it your smile or your laugh
Or your heart?
Does it really matter why
I love you?
Anywhere there’s a crowd,
You stand out
Can’t you see why they can’t
Ignore you?
If you wanna know
Why I can’t let go
Let me explain to you
That every little dream comes
True with every little thing
You do

It’s every little thing you do
(Yeah)
That makes me fall in love
With you
(Yeah)
There isn’t a way that I can
Show you
Ever since I’ve come to
Know you
It’s every little thing you say
(Yeah)
That makes me wanna feel this
Way
(Yeah)
There isn’t a thing that I can
Point to
‘Cause it’s every little thing
You do

It’s every little thing you do
(It’s every thing, every thing you do)
Makes me fall in love with you
(Makes me fall in love with you)
There’s not a way that I can
Show you
(Oh yeah)
Ever since I’ve come to
Know you
(Ever since I’ve known you)
It’s every little thing you say
(It’s every thing, every thing you say)
Makes me wanna feel this
Way
(Makes me wanna feel this way)
There isn’t a thing that I can
Point to
‘Cause it’s every little thing you do

It’s everything,
Everything you do
Makes me fall in love
With you,
It’s everything,
Everything you say
That makes me feel this way

It’s everything,
Everything you do
Makes me fall in love
With you,
It’s everything
, Everything you say
That makes me feel this way

As the song finished, Mark was standing in front of Isabelle holding her hand in one of his hands and holding the microphone in the other. They were in their own world because they had their eyes locked and they didn’t even notice that the whole chalet was filled with thundering applaud. Isabelle had her eyes filled with tears because that was the sweetest song she had ever heard. Monique and Cassandra looked at each other with tear filled eyes and just smiled because they were happy to see Isabelle happy. Yasmine and Angelina were just as surprised, even though they were in on the whole thing. It was really an unplanned thing. After the three girls had left to go to the washroom, the manager came up to the boys and asked if they wanted to do some karaoke unaware of what he was in for! Anyway, Mark was still holding Isabelle’s hand when Shane came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder which was a ‘that was brilliant, mate’ pat. Mark finally snapped out of it and realized that everyone was clapping at the performance.
“That was magnificent boys! Let’s give ‘em a round of applause. Have you guys ever thought about making a career out of singing? Just marvellous,” the manager of the chalet spoke into the Mic that was on the stage. “Now, who’s going to be our next performer?” The manager continued on, but no one in the group was really listening. Obviously someone volunteered, but the group of friends were too shocked to even pay attention.
“That was amazing you guys! Now I know what the DJ meant when he said you guys are UK’s top sensation! You people in the UK have damn good taste!” Cassandra said as the guys came back and sat down.
“DJ? What DJ?” Bryan asked confused.
“Oh that’s right. You guys weren’t there. It doesn’t matter, but what matters is that you guys are…Whoa!” Cassandra replied to Bryan.
“Thank you. We hope to copy that success all around the world,” Nicky said while turning red. He was blushing to Cassandra’s comment and it was really obvious too.
“Well, you guys will do it! With talent like that, I wouldn’t be surprised if you took over the universe,” Angelina commented with a laug
h. “Thank you very much,” Kian said graciously.
“That was magnificent. You were unbelievable,” Isabelle whispered in Mark’s ear as he sat back down. Mark too now was blushing.
“Thank you,” he responded timidly. “I guess that’s what I was trying to tell you today in the ski lift,” he continued quietly while looking Isabelle in the eyes.
“Wow you guys! That was the bomb! I was completely blown away,” Monique spoke up.
“Well thank you Monique!” Bryan said cheerfully.
“Yeah…I kind of feel bad about not mentioning it earlier but…I’m sure you guys know that I’m having my birthday party tomorrow. Well, I would really like it if you guys would come,” Monique said a bit embarrassed because she hadn’t said a word about the party to the guys.
“Oh, you mean we weren’t invited before? Oh well, we were gonna crash it anyway,” Bryan teased.
“No, no! It’s not like that! I thought you guys would be coming anyway. I just wanted to invite you more formally. So you guys better come!”
“We will. I was only kidding Monique. And if you’re lucky, we might even do a little number just for you,” Bryan said as he gave Monique a little wink.
“Okay! That’s good. Because I thought I’d have to beat you over the head with a hammer and drag you there!” Monique teased Bryan. “Well, now that we’re formally invited…would you…maybe…umm… I dunno…like to go…as my…date?” Mark whispered to Isabelle. He especially said the last bit very faintly. “I mean, just to make it official.”
“Um...I don’t know Mark. I’m gonna have to think about it. I don’t know if I’m ready yet. Lemme sleep on it, ok?,” Isabelle replied quietly. Just as she said that, she saw Mark’s smiling face turn completely disappointed. He lost the gleams in his eyes and looked really hurt. Isabelle couldn’t bear to see him like that so she spoke up, “ I was only kidding Mark. Of course I’ll be your date. I’d be crazy not to. And plus, when’s the next time a huge pop star is gonna ask me to be his date?” Isabelle said with a giggle.
“I hope I’m the only one who does that,” Mark said quietly. He changed his expression so fast it was actually quite cute. He was smiling like a small child on Christmas morning. Isabelle gave him a little kiss on the cheek just to make him blush. “So you’ll be my date?”
“Couldn’t you tell by that kiss?” Isabelle said just to remind him what he had said earlier to her that day. Mark was beaming now and everyone’s heart just melted by watching the two.
“Aww! You guys! That’s so cute! How about we get outta here now? I don’t really feel like eating my chocolate mousse cake anymore,” Monique suggested to the group.
“Yeah, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m not really hungry for my dessert either,” Bryan said as he placed his hands on his stomach to show how full he was.
“I guess there’s a first for everything!” Shane teased Bryan.
“Ha ha Filan!”
“Okay, well I’ll pay the bill and then we can leave,” Yasmine insisted.
“NOT A CHANCE YASMINE! PUT YOUR PURSE AWAY AT THIS INSTANCE!” Bryan shouted nearly giving Yasmine and himself a heart attack. Fortunately, no one else in the chalet heard him, because they were too busy laughing at whomever it was making a fool of themselves by singing karaoke.
“Okay Bryan. No need to be rude,” Yasmine shot back at Bryan.
“I’m sorry. But I’ll pay for this.”
“No you won’t mate. I’ll do it,” Mark insisted pushing Bryan’s hand aside.
“No, no. I’ll pay,” Shane joined in.
“Boy, when one of you doesn’t want to pay, none of you want to do it. But once someone insists on paying all of you want to pay. Men! Some things I will never understand!” Isabelle joked as she reminded the guys of what happened that afternoon over lunch.
“That’s why I said I’d do it,” Yasmine mumbled as she took out the money from her purse. Bryan saw this and immediately brushed her hand away. He quickly took out his money, called the waiter for the bill, and paid before anyone else had the chance to do so. With everyone ready to leave, they all got up and headed back to the lounge for a while.

~~ Chapter 16 ~~

“Go! Go! Go! SCORE! Yes!” all of the girls screamed as they jumped up from their seats on the couch in the lounge. They were watching hockey on TV and their team just scored a goal. The girls were all standing up and giving each other ‘high-fives’ and the guys were just shocked by their behaviour that they just sat there staring at them in disbelief.
“All right! That was a sweet goal!” Angelina exclaimed as she calmed down and sat back down.
“Never in my life have I seen girls go this crazy about sports! Not even Gina!” Nicky said as he shook his head in shock.
“Yeah, I agree with Nicks! You girls went mad!” Kian defended Nicky.
“But didn’t you see that goal?” Angelina questioned in an ‘are you blind or something’ tone.
“Of course I did. I just didn’t expect all of you to jump outta your seats and go wild,” Kian mumbled timidly.
“Yeah, well, we did! You guys sure look- Oh my God! Fight! Fight! Fight! More violence!” Monique didn’t finish her sentence. She was diverted to the fight that had broken out on the ice. “Shane, remember over dinner you asked where we Canadian ‘birds’ learned to smack? Well, there’s your answer!” she said to Shane as she pointed to the fight.
“I wouldn’t doubt that one bit!” Shane said as he laughed at the scene on the television.
“The youth of today! What is this world coming to?” Bryan said as he threw his hands over his face and pretended to be disappointed by shaking his head in disgust. “What kind of a sport is this anyway? I mean, any eejit could stop a little black rubbery thing from getting inside of a net. Footie on the other hand, now that’s a real sport!”
“Oh really Bryan? Well first of all, that little black rubbery thing is called a puck. For heaven’s sake, get it right! And secondly, isn’t hockey like ‘footie’ in a way? I mean any fool could stop a huge ball from getting inside of a net,” Yasmine questioned Bryan making him feel stupid.
“Hey! It’s a very hard job of stopping that huge ball from getting in the net. I’ll have you know that I was a goal keeper at Leeds!” Nicky stood up for himself.
“Well, I rest my case,” Yasmine teased Nicky. “Like I said, any ‘fool’ could stop a huge ball!” This made Nicky blush so much, he just looked to the ground.
“So Nicky, how did you get from being a goalie to a pop star? I take it you’re a better singer than you are a goalie?” Cassandra questioned Nicky making him blush even more. He was literally burning. His pale face was covered with red and it showed without a doubt.
“Well, firstly Cassey, it’s goal keeper. And secondly, I guess you could say that.”
“Ah, goalie, goalkeeper, same difference,” Cassandra said as she brushed his comment off to the side.
“So Belle, what’s your favourite footie- oh wait…it’s soccer here isn’t it? Well, what’s your favourite ‘soccer’ team?” Kian questioned Isabelle trying to get her involved in the conversation.
“NO! Wait Belle! Don’t answer yet! Let’s see if you and Marky, here, have something else you can add to your ‘Things in common’ list. When I count to three, both of you yell out your favourite team, okay?” Bryan suggested the idea.
“Well, this should be interesting!” Mark said with a smirk.
“Yeah, it should!” Bryan agreed.
“I meant, it should be interesting to see you count to three, Bry,” Mark laughed making everyone else laugh.
“Hey! Watch it Feehily! Another comment and I’ll have to snog Belle just to teach you a lesson!” Bryan replied quick-wittedly.
“I’d be sorry for the poor girl if you ever snogged her!” Mark shot back.
“I’m warning you Feehily!”
“Okay! Can we continue with Bryan’s idea?” Isabelle cut in. She was so confused with their slang she just looked at their faces. How was she supposed to know what ‘snog’ meant?
“Yes! Let’s! As I was saying, I will count to three and the both of you blurt out your teams, ok?”
“So wait Bryan, lemme see if I got this right. You count to three and then I… What do I do again?” Mark teased Bryan even more. Bryan just shot Mark an evil look and continued.
“Okay… 1…2… 2 and a half…2 and three quarters…3…”
“LIVERPOOL!” they both screamed at the top of their lungs. It was such a hilarious sight. Everyone in the lounge was staring at them but they didn’t care. They just bursted out laughing and so did the rest of the group.
“Whoa! You guys sure you’ve never met before- not even in a previous life? I mean, you guys are really starting to freak me out!” Bryan commented in disbelief. He wasn’t the only one that was shocked. Mark and Isabelle were just as surprised.
“Oh just great, Belle. First you’re a Gemini just like him, but do you have to have the same favourite footie team as him too? I just told you I played for Leeds and you choose Liverpool anyway,” Nicky pretended to be really hurt so he crossed his arms and sat next to Isabelle with a pout. He looked like an adorable child when he was mad. It was so cute!
“Aww! I’m sorry Nicky! It’s just that number 10 on Liverpool, you know Michael Owen, he’s just so cute. I bet his a good soccer player too, but I don’t pay too much attention to that,” Isabelle giggled as she gave Nicky a little hug.
“Oh I feel much better,” Nicky said with sarcasm. “So now you’re saying that I’m not cute! Thanks a lot Belle. I thought we had something special? I guess I was wrong,” Nicky continued to pretend. He was just having a laugh with Isabelle and she knew it too.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that Nicky. You’re cute too!” she said as she gave him a little kiss on the cheek.
“Hey! I’m sitting right here y’know,” Mark remarked from across the couch. He, Shane, Kian and Bryan were sitting on the couch on the other side of the coffee table from Isabelle, Nicky, and the other girls.
“I can’t seem to make anybody happy today. Anything I say gets totally blown outta proportion!” she remarked as she threw her hands in the air and shook her head back and forth in disappointment.
“Welcome to our world!” all of the ‘Lifers said at the exact same time. They all looked at one another and threw their heads back and started to laugh. It was like they rehearsed it or something. It was just too funny; guess you had to be there to see that. The laughter continued on for another 15 minutes or so when Monique spoke up,
“Well guys. I think I’ll be heading to bed now. I gotta wake up early tomorrow and prepare for the party. Goodnight everybody,” she said as she got up from her seat on the couch.
“Wait up Monique. I’m gonna head to my room too,” Yasmine said as she quickly got up too.
“Now that you mention it, I’m gonna be off too. It’s time for my beauty sleep,” Bryan commented in a feminine voice as he left the couch as well.
“I hate to break it to you Bry, but a year’s worth of beauty sleep wouldn’t do you any good!” Kian teased his ‘mate.’ “Bryan, you’re gonna be a minger for life!”
“Ha ha Egan! I may be ugly, but at least I don’t have that problem our friend Mark does.”
“What the hell are ye talking about, Bryan?” Kian asked very confused. Mark was just as curious to hear what his friend had to say about him.
“Well, let’s just say, you don’t wanna walk into a room after Mark’s had beans!” Bryan grinned and laughed. This made Mark really embarrassed. He never thought that his friend would say such a thing in front of a girl that he really fancied. Mark was so embarrassed he couldn’t even look at Isabelle’s face; he just looked down and played with his rings.
“Bryan, isn’t it past your bed time? You gotta wake up early tomorrow if you wanna hit the slopes. And even if you don’t I’ll come and personally wake you up bright and early just for the hell of it! So I suggest that you head for your room now!” Isabelle shot back at Bryan after noticing the affect that he had on Mark. She wanted Mark to know that she didn’t think any less of him just because of that comment.
“Yes Ma’am,” Bryan said with surprise as he saluted Isabelle and walked off with Monique and Yasmine.
“Well I’m tired too. I think I’m gonna have a good night’s sleep tonight only so I can Par-tay tomorrow evening! Goodnight everyone!” Angelina announced excitedly.
“That sounds like a good idea Angie. I guess I’ll head for our room too,” Cassandra agreed with Angelina.
“I’ll walk you two lovely ladies to your room. Goodnight lads, goodnight Belle,” Shane volunteered and left with the girls.
“Well I guess it’s just the four of us then,” Nicky said as he looked at everyone.
“Actually, just the three of you. I’m leaving too,” Isabelle declared as she got up from the couch where she was sitting next to Nicky. She patted Nicky’s shoulder and then walked over to Kian as gave him a hug.
“Goodnight Marky. I thought I’d call you that since everyone else does,” she whispered as she gave him a light goodnight kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight Nicky, my cute goal keeper,” she said lastly as she winked at Nicky and walked away.
“She must be the most beautiful person I’ve ever met, physically and internally. I wish I met her before you Marky,” Kian confessed as he said ‘Marky’ mocking Isabelle’s sweet voice. The two of them just stood there watching Isabelle disappear into the distance.
“Yeah I know, she’s really something. Where was she for the last 20 years of my life?” Mark questioned without moving a single muscle.
“Gee thanks mates, now I know what to tell Gina the next time I see her…whenever that’ll be,” Nicky said disappointedly as he watched and listened to his friends talk.
“Soz Nicky. It’s just that she makes me feel complete. You don’t think it’s a bit too early to say that, do you?” Mark questioned as he turned around to face Nicky.
“Um…No comments,” Nicky replied but Mark wasn’t too interested in what Nicky was going to say for he turned around once again to make sure Isabelle was out of his view.
“Well I’m knackered! My arse is sore from falling,” Kian announced as he rubbed his bum. “I’m gonna hit the sack.”
“Kian, I have had more falls than you today yet my bum is fine. I’m telling you, you gotta listen to Belle,” Mark insisted as he thought about Isabelle’s advice.
“Okay mate. I’ll remember that for next time. Goodnight lads,” and Kian just like Isabelle walked off into the distance.
“What a party pooper! Well I guess it’s just you and me Markus.”
“Nah Nicky. We should go to bed too.”
“Oi mate! I can’t believe you just suggested that! I’m not like that. I never knew you were!” Nicky teased.
“No Nicky! I didn’t mean it like ‘that.’ You sleep in your bed, and I sleep in mine. You’re sick-minded Nicky. No wonder Georgina calls you an animal,” Mark defended himself as he laughed at what he said. Nicky couldn’t help but laugh either. The two of them finally got up and started to head in the direction of their room. However, they were still laughing like mad. They were your typical Irish men- better yet, you typical drunken Irish men (drunk on laughter thank you very much!) who walked off for a good night’s sleep.

~~ Chapter 17 ~~

Monique had lived up to her plan when she said she had to wake up early in the morning. She got up at 8:00 a.m. and gave herself an hour to get ready. She tried to make the least bit of ruckus because she saw that Isabelle was still sound asleep. Just as she stepped out of the washroom after doing her business, she heard a light knock on the door. She was just on her way out and wondered who it could be that early. She casually walked up to the door and opened it.
Oh, hi Nicky. Hey Mark,” she replied trying not to wake Isabelle up as she realized who was on the other side of the door. She opened the door completely and gestured the guys to come in, but she placed a finger on her lips to advise them to keep it quiet.
“Good morning Monique. Happy Birthday!” Nicky whispered as he gave Monique a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Yes, Happy Birthday! And may your day be filled with love, peace, and happiness,” Mark said as he gave her a hug as well.
“Mark, don’t take this personal, but you sound like a Hallmark card!” Monique giggled but realized she was being a bit too loud.
“Well, I never! Here I am, wishing you a happy birthday and you completely insult me! Well I guess we know your birthday beats are gonna hurt!” he said pretending to be offended. The three of them started to laugh amongst themselves but then calmed down avoiding waking Isabelle.
“Well, I was just going to go for breakfast right about now. What are you guys doing up anyway?” Monique gave the guys questioning looks.
“Well, I couldn’t’ sleep and I figured you’d be up, so I thought I’d take you to the chalet for a Birthday Breakfast,” Nicky said as he flashed Monique that gorgeous smile of his.
“Aww, that’s so sweet Nicky. I’d love to join you for brekkie. I also have to go check if everything’s all right for the party tonight,” Monique exclaimed. She then looked at Mark and was waiting for his answer.
“I couldn’t sleep either,” Mark said in a dazed tone while he turned his head to look at Isabelle.
“Lemme tell you. This boy wouldn’t shut up all night. He kept talking, ‘Isabelle this and Isabelle that!’ I was so tempted to suffocate him with his pillow!” Nicky whispered to Monique as they watched Mark watching Isabelle. Monique’s heart melted but she quickly changed the topic.
“Well how ‘bout we leave for breakfast now?” she proposed. She thought that Mark would refuse and would want to be alone with Isabelle for a while.
“Yeah, that sounds good to me,” Nicky replied while he and Monique headed to the door. “Aren’t you coming sham?”
“Nah, I think I’ll stay here for a bit. I’ll catch up with you in a minute.” Monique was completely right about Mark and felt proud of the fact that she was right.
“You sure mate?” Nicky was a little confused. What could his friend possibly be up to? But Mark didn’t have time to answer because Monique nudged Nicky with her elbow and motioned him to leave. Just before she closed the door behind them she gave Mark a wink and whispered, “Have fun.” This made Mark laugh to himself. Once the door was closed and Nicky and Monique left Mark slowly approached Isabelle’s bed and sat down gently at the edge of it. He just sat there and adored her like he did when she wasn't sleeping. He then thought to himself ‘even when she’s asleep she’s an angel.’ He started to caress her back and to stroke her hair. He also ran the back of his fingers against her soft cheeks and smiled at the thought of who was in front of him. While Isabelle was sleeping, a small smile spread across her face. She was probably having a sweet dream. Even when she was dreaming, she was smiling! Mark just watched her sleep peacefully with love-filled eyes. Then, while gazing at her, he began to sing a song very faintly, (literally whispering) which he felt expressed his emotions during this incident. (It was so weird how one song could be used in two different ways…but we won’t get into the actual meaning of this song.)

I would die for you
Lay down my life for you
The only thing that means
Everything to me
‘Cause when you’re in my arms
You make me prouder than
Than anything I ever
Could achieve
And you make everything
That used
To seem so big
Seem to be so small
Since you arrived

On angel’s wings, an
Angelical formation
Angel’s wings, like letters in the
Sky
Now I know no matter what
The question
Love is the answer
It’s written on angel’s wings
(Ooh)

And I often wonder why,
Someone as fraud as I
Deserves to be as happy
As you make me
(Oh yeah)
So as the years roll by
I’ll be there by your side
I’ll follow you wherever your
Heart takes me
Cause you make everything
That used
To be so big
Seem to be so small since
You arrived

On angel’s wings, an
Angelical formation
Angel’s wings, like letters in the
Sky
Now I know no matter what
The question
Love is the answer
It’s written on angel’s wings
(Oh)

Now anyone who’s felt the touch
Of heaven in their lives
(Felt the touch of heaven)
Will know the way I’m
Feeling looking
In my baby’s eyes
That’s why I can’t bear to be,
Too far away
I know that God must love me
Cause he sent you to me on
Angel’s wings

An angelical formation
Angel’s wings, like letters in the
Sky
Now I know no matter what
The question
That love is the answer
It’s written on angel’s wings
Love is the answer
It’s written on angel’s wings

Just as Mark got to the last chorus Isabelle awoke and fell in love with what he was singing. She slowly opened her eyes and gave Mark a smile.
“That was so beautiful,” she whispered graciously with her eyes half open and half closed.
“A beautiful song only comes from beautiful inspiration,” Mark replied, as he took Isabelle’s hand and kissed it. This caused Isabelle to blush first thing in the morning.
“Thank you,” she managed to say softly after blushing. She was looking up at Mark who was sitting very close to her and still stroking her hair with his other hand. She felt as though she could look into his dazzling blue eyes and get lost for eternity.
“Did you sleep well sleeping beauty? You had a smile across your face a while ago. Having a sweet dream?” Isabelle then snapped to reality and sat up in her bed.
“I’ll say. Like a log. But then again, I can do that anywhere. And, I wasn’t having a dream, well not that I can remember anyway. I think I was smiling just sensing the fact that you were near,” she replied as she patted Mark’s hand and smiled even more. This time it was Isabelle’s turn to make Mark blush. He was beaming from ear to ear. He was like a little child who didn’t have a worry for the world. After the last comment from Isabelle, there was that moment of silence. That awkward moment of silence. Isabelle finally said something to get the conversation going again.
“Um, where’s Monique?” she asked Mark as she looked around her room only to find the two of them there.
“Oh, she and Nicky went to the chalet for breakfast. We can go too if you want,” Mark suggested as he explained to Isabelle. However, his eyes weren’t too enthusiastic about the idea. He looked as though something was bothering him but Isabelle didn’t feel brave enough to bring it up. She just looked at Mark and refused.
“Nah, but I think I’ll go get dressed soon. So what are we gonna do today?” she questioned cheerfully trying to make Mark just as cheerful.
“I dunno. We can do whatever your puney little heart desires,” he replied teasing Isabelle.
“Hey! My heart’s not puney. It’s HUGE! I’ve got room for your farting ‘arse’ in there don’t I?” Isabelle replied with laughter. She then regretted what she said because she thought Mark would feel hurt after what Bryan said about him the previous night. To her surprise, Mark was laughing at the comment and looked as though he was ready to jump Isabelle and tickle her.
“Well I guess you have a point. I do have a farting arse… but shhh, don’t tell anyone!” Mark joked with Isabelle as he cupped Isabelle’s cheek with one hand. “So you decide what we’re gonna do today? We can join Nicky and Monique for breakfast. They didn’t leave too long ago. If you get dressed quickly, we can maybe make it in time before they leave,” Mark was now actually thinking of joining the two. He thought it would be best for Isabelle and him to have a nice breakfast so that they could bear the day ahead of them. Isabelle quickly agreed to the idea and went to get dressed. She left Mark waiting in her room while she ran to the bathroom to do her business.
“Please let us have a wonderful day. I just want to see her smiling one last time just like she was yesterday,” Mark said to himself as he looked at the closed bathroom door. He obviously had something bothering him, but he didn’t want to mention a thing to Isabelle. After she was ready, the two of them headed for the chalet, hand in hand.

~~ Chapter 18 ~~

“Come on Kian, show me what you’ve got!” Bryan’s shouts for action were the only noises heard that brisk afternoon. The whole group had decided to go outside and have a snowball fight, and enjoy the freshly fallen snow while they could, before the party that evening. Monique had confirmed the plans with the staff of the resort and had decided to join the snowball fight as well.
“Watch out!” Cassandra exclaimed as a snowball passed Kian close by. The group teamed up for a massive snowball fight and was filling the air with laughter. The first team consisted of Kian, Angelina, Nicky, Isabelle, and Cassandra, while the other had Shane, Monique, Mark, Bryan, and Yasmine. The only way the players could avoid the snowballs was either by ducking or hiding behind the beautifully snow-covered evergreen trees that scattered the area.
“Thanks Cassey!” Kian shouted as he just missed the snowball that was thrown by Bryan. Soon the snowballs were being thrown everywhere aimlessly and hitting anything or anyone.
“Bryan! I’m on your team remember?!”
“Sozness Shane!”
“Hey Mark, catch!” Isabelle shouted as she threw a snowball towards him.
“Ha! Ha! Missed me!” he teased her just as he moved to the side, avoiding the snowball.
“No I haven’t!” Isabelle shot back as she threw another snowball, and this time it hit Mark right on the bum. He looked at Isabelle with a surprised look and rubbed his bum. Isabelle took a bow and Cassandra gave her a ‘job well done’ pat on the back.
“SNOWJOB!” Angelina yelled as she and the others ran towards Nicky, burying him in the snow. Shane was really determined to cover Nicky, so he started to kick snow on him and he fell on top of him, not letting him get up.”
“Oi Shane! You weigh a ton! Get off you fat horse’s arse!” Nicky whined as he pushed Shane off of him and brushed the snow that was on his jacket onto Shane.
“Here Kian! Have some snow!” Yasmine yelled on top of the laughter as she threw a snowball at him. Kian quickly grabbed Isabelle who was standing near him by her arm; put her in front of him and hid behind her as the snow hit her hard right in the stomach.
“Ow! Yasmine!…KIAN!” Isabelle shouted furiously even though she wasn’t mad. She just got even. She took a huge snowball and threw it right at Yasmine, but Yasmine ducked and it hit Mark…again! Isabelle couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the fact that she hit Mark again. She stood there with her hands on her stomach and laughed. She had her hands on her stomach because it was hurting more from laughter than it was from the snowball that hit her there.
“Oh that does it! It’s your turn Belle! Let’s give you a taste of your own medicine!” Mark shouted as he charged towards Isabelle causing the both of them to fall on top of the snowy ground. Mark landed on top of Isabelle, and the rest of the team came and fell on top of Mark.
“Belle sandwich!” they all yelled at the same time as Isabelle got pushed deep into the ground.
“Holly mother of pearl! I can’t breathe dammit!” Isabelle shrieked out of breath from under her nine friends. “You guys better get off or Mark won’t be able to have kids!” They laughed at that comment and finally got off of her but Mark remained and didn’t budge. He looked deep into Isabelle’s eyes with his concerned eyes and cherished the moment. Isabelle felt that he had something on his mind and made a mental note of it to ask him later.
“Hey you two! Get a room!” Bryan yelled as he brushed the snow off of the arm of his jacket.
“Um, Mark…Can you please…get off me? I still can’t breathe…and I’m kinda cold,” Isabelle spoke quietly trying to bring him back to reality.
“Huh? Oh! Yeah, I’m sorry Belle. Here, are you all right?” he questioned as he got up and reached out his hand to her. Isabelle took it and Mark helped her up from the snow. When she turned around, she could see the cavity she left in the ground. It was pretty deep considering that nine people were on top of her.
“Yeah, thank you.” Mark was now behind Isabelle, and he was trying to warm her up by rubbing her arms with his hands.
“So what’s everyone looking at? Show’s over! There’s nothing left to see. C’mon now, shoo, shoo!” Mark said as he motioned everyone to move along. “What happened to the snowball fight?”
“Can we go in now? It’s getting cold,” Nicky whined as he folded his arms and shook back and forth trying to keep warm. He looked so adorable in his puffy snow-covered winter jacket and his toque, which nearly covered his eyes. He and Isabelle were freezing from getting snow jobbed. They all decided to go inside and have a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. While they all brushed the snow from their clothes and went inside, Mark stayed outside a little longer, looking over the empty battlefield. Isabelle saw Mark still standing there so she walked over to him and put her arms around him.
“Hey, won’t you come in? Hot chocolate’s ready.” Mark turned around to face Isabelle. She saw that he was really worried about something, but she didn’t know what it could be. “Mark, what is it?”
“What’s what?” Mark asked trying to stop his voice from shaking. He looked really tensed and solicitous, which was quite odd to Isabelle. He might have hid his troubled thoughts in his voice but his eyes couldn’t lie.
“Mark, please tell me. Your eyes look like they’ve had sleepless nights. What’s on your mind?”
“You,” he said convincingly as he took Isabelle’s hand in his. “Blimey! You ARE freezing!” She giggled at his comment but hadn’t forgotten about her question. She didn’t want to push Mark. She had told him before that he could tell her anything and he should do so only when he felt comfortable and ready. Just as Mark was about to pull Isabelle in for a kiss, it started to snow gently. Mark lifted Isabelle high above his head and began swinging her around until…they fell. Laughing, they both fell on the soft snow. Mark tried to get up, but Isabelle pulled him back down.
“Hey, thought you were cold. Don’t you wanna go in?”
“You know what I really wanna do now?” Isabelle smiled at Mark.
“What?” Isabelle picked up a handful of snow and started rubbing it in Mark’s hair.
“Have a snow fight with you!” Mark started laughing and the next minute they were both in a snow battle, while the sound of their laughter filled the crisp afternoon sky.

Afterwards, they sat together in front of the fireplace, warming up from the cold, with a mug of hot chocolate in their hands.
“Mark, were you really thinking about me?” He looked at Isabelle in surprise.
“Yeah…I was.” She wanted to ask him why he looked so concerned then, but he stopped her by pushing his lips on hers. Mark’s lips were trembling when he did that, Isabelle thought afterwards…

~~ Chapter 19 ~~

“Whoa! Monique! You look sexy!” Isabelle laughed as she purred like a cat after her comment. She and Monique were getting ready for the party, and Monique had just stepped out of the washroom in a long navy blue slim-fitted dress. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it wasn’t too casual either. You could say it was ‘just right.’ It was a sleeve-less dress with straps that were not spaghetti straps but they weren’t too thick either. The neckline was just right too. This means that the guys wouldn’t be able to look down her dress even if they tried! Especially Bryan…He wouldn’t be able to do what he did to Mariah Carey when they recorded “Against All Odds” together! *Hehe*
“Thanks Belle. You look hot yourself girlfriend,” she replied with laughter as she twirled around while looking in the mirror. Isabelle was putting on her earrings, which went astoundingly with her dress. Isabelle was wearing a baby-blue-lavenderish slim-fitted dress that went down just a bit above her knees and that showed-off her long legs that belonged to her 5’8” ½ body. Her dress was sleeve-less as well and it had thin straps just as well. As for her neckline, it wasn’t revealing either. It was a straight-neck that showed-off her silver necklace with little flower pendants bordering the chain very nicely. “Mark’s gonna freak when he sees you. I mean he’s jaw’s gonna be on the ground in a heartbeat!”
“Really? You think so? I dunno…I think it’s a bit too much for a simple party in the lounge,” Isabelle spoke modestly as she went over to Monique and shared the mirror.
“Nah! I think it’s fine. It’s appropriate. You’re not going overboard. And Mark’s going to want to be by your side every second. He’ll become territorial, y’know how guys get.”
“Hey, I’m not complaining if he wants to be with me every second,” Isabelle replied while looking at her reflection. Monique’s concern was coming back and she felt she had to say something. She was just about to speak up when there was a knock at the door.
“Wonder who that could be?” Isabelle said inquisitively as she went to open the door.
“Hey Be-whoa! You look hot sista’! You on ‘fiah.’ Mark’s gonna have a heart attack!” Cassandra exclaimed as she walked into the room and made Isabelle spin around so that she could check out her friend and how she looked. (Not ‘check out’ as in that way! All of these girls are straight thank you very much!)
“Thank you.”
“I rest my case! Why don’t you ever believe me? What’s Cassey got that I don’t?” Monique teased Isabelle.
“Would you like that alphabetically or numerically, Monique?” Cassandra joked.
“Ha! Ha! Very funny! Anyway…you look good too Cassey.”
“Well I hope Mark does like this. I just feel so comfortable and loved with him, and I just…oh bless him! ” Isabelle thought out loud. Her friends looked at her and then looked at each other. Cassandra and Monique were getting those concerned thoughts again.
“Um Belle…I don’t want to ruin your mood, nor do I want to be a party pooper, but don’t you think it’s a bit early to tell exactly how you feel about him? I mean you’ve known him how long? Not even 72 hours yet and still you sound like you’re in love with him! A bit fast don’t you think Belle?” Cassandra spoke up as she tried not to hurt her friend’s feelings.
“Well, it does seem a bit fast now that you put it that way. And I definitely don’t want to get hurt again. But I can be caught up in the moment, can’t I?”
“Sure you can. But I think it would be wise if you just took things a bit slower, instead of got overwhelmed with everything. Remember what you told me? About not getting your hopes up too high? Well, I suggest you take your own advice there, Belle! Be on the safe side! But you can still have fun with Mark, as long as you don’t rush yourself just to fill up that hole in your heart that Mr. Anonymous left a few weeks ago,” Monique spoke openly as Cassandra nodded her head to every word. “And remember, we are leaving tom-…” but Monique didn’t finish her sentence because she realized that Isabelle hadn’t thought about that specific issue. However, Isabelle figured out what Monique was going to say and it clicked to her that this weekend might be the last that she saw Mark.
“Oh my God, Monique! That never even crossed my mind. How could I be such a fool?” Isabelle said despairingly as she sat down on the bed looking at the floor. Monique knew that Isabelle would become melancholy again, and that was the last thing she wanted before her party. She wanted Isabelle and herself to enjoy the party without having painful thoughts throughout the night.
“Hey, c’mon now, Belle. Don’t do this again. You were so happy a few seconds ago. Don’t ball up inside again,” Cassandra said as she sat next to Isabelle and wrapped her arm around her shoulder.
“Yeah, but a few seconds ago I didn’t even think that’d I’d be leaving Mark tomorrow. You don’t understand Cassey. I completely forgot about that. I was so caught up with him, I forgot about my future,” Isabelle replied on the verge of breaking out into tears. “Everything was going so well too.”
“I’m so sorry Belle! I should’ve kept my stupid mouth shut. I feel so guilty,” Monique said just as disappointed.
“No, it’s not your fault Monique. I was gonna have to face reality sooner or later. I was living in a dream world for the last two days. You’ve actually made me think ahead of time.”
“So…um…what are you going to do?” Cassandra asked quietly and curiously.
“Well, I have to go to the party. I mean we can’t let a good dress like this go to waste,” Isabelle said, forcing a smile on her face and wiping her tears from her eyes. She had to put on a smile for her friend’s sake. She wasn’t going to ruin her friend’s birthday.
“Are you sure that’s what you wanna do? I mean what are you gonna tell Mark?” Monique asked curiously. She was surprised to see her friend being optimistic. Isabelle and Monique were literally sisters and they were basically opposites. Isabelle was pessimistic the majority of the time and Monique was the optimistic one. But to find Isabelle being optimistic at a time like this was…well bizarre.
“I dunno. I guess I’ll deal with that when I have to. I don’t want him to think about that right now if he doesn’t have to. He already seemed upset about something, I don’t wanna add to that.”
“Well, at least you have time to think of what you’re gonna do,” Cassandra tried to make Isabelle see the bright side.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she replied faintly. “Thank you guys. I really don’t know what I’d do without you. I don’t know how I’m going to repay the two of you.”
“That’s easy! I get to be Maid of Honour!” Cassandra blurted out making her and Isabelle laugh.
“Nuh uh! I am so the Maid of Honour!” Monique shot back.
“Relax guys! There’s not gonna be wedding for a loooong time. I’ve got plenty of time to decide! But to let you know ahead of time…It’ll probably be the both of ya!” Isabelle cut in. The girls continued to get ready; Isabelle finished putting on her jewellery, while Monique fixed up her make-up. Just then, there was another knock at the door.
“Cassey, you go open the door. I don’t wanna feel like a door man,” Isabelle ordered politely and jokingly.
“Yes ma’am,” Cassandra said as she headed to the door and opened it half way. “Belle, there’s someone here for you!” she turned around and said with a wink. Isabelle figured out it would be Mark so she quickly looked in the mirror before walking up to the door.
“Well I’ll be! You’re lookin’ mighty fine!” Mark exclaimed with his eyes wide open and his tongue literally sticking out of his mouth.
“Thank you,” Isabelle said timidly as she began to blush. “You look outstanding as well.” Mark looked pretty alluring himself. He was wearing black pants, with a burgundy shirt and a black jacket on top. He looked very voluptuous and attractive as well. Isabelle was surprised by what she saw. It wasn’t a tux or anything, but it was just as appealing.
“Shall we go?” Mark said as he stuck out his arm like a gentleman for Isabelle to take.
“Yes we shall,” she replied as she accepted and placed her hand through Mark’s arm. “I’ll see you in a bit, Monique, Cassey?”
“Oh yeah, go ahead. We’ll see you in about 5 minutes,” Monique said as she insisted that Mark and Isabelle leave.
“Okay. Well I guess we can go then,” Isabelle said to Mark who was still bewildered by the way Isabelle looked.
“Okay. Bye Monique, bye Cassey…and by the way, you ladies look just as gorgeous,” he said before he and Isabelle left. Isabelle and Mark walked to the lounge in silence. Mark was thinking how angelic Isabelle looked, while Isabelle had thoughts about her conversation with Cassandra and Monique running like mad in her head.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do…I really don’t. Maybe I can fool you Monique, but I sure can’t fool my heart.”

~~ Chapter 20 ~~

The staff of the resort had really done a spectacular job of transforming the lounge into a party room. There were baby blue and white balloons floating everywhere. There were streamers hanging from the ceiling, and the lighting was just indescribable. It was like a high school prom basically, but the only thing different was that there was actually some booze. There was a snack table filled with food (which Bryan had already been introduced to,) there was music playing in the background, and there were bubbles floating everywhere. What made it more magnificent was the fact that it was snowing outside which made it seem like a winter ice castle. It was like a page right out of a fairy tale. It was amazing what people could do within a night’s notice. This is because the party was actually going to be quite small. It was only going to be the girls going into the nearby town for dinner, dancing, and a couple of drinks. Fortunately, the guys showed up when they did and the party grew. Monique decided to keep the party at the lodge and to let all of the guests staying at the resort come to it. She asked the staff the previous night just before she went to bed if her ideas would be allowed and if the staff could help with the food. Luckily they were quite thrilled to help and everything went well. Anyway…back to where we were.
“Oh my God! This is so beautiful, Mark. Can you believe that this is the lounge?” Isabelle commented enthusiastically as she and Mark entered the room hand in hand.
“It’s brilliant. I can’t wait to see the expression on Monique’s face!”
“Me neither! She’s gonna freak, never mind you!”
“What was that about me?”
“Oh nothing,” Isabelle replied quietly.
“Oh my word! Well how the devil are you?” a familiar voice said as the person placed their hands on Isabelle’s waist. Isabelle and Mark were both surprised and turned around only to find Kian looking Isabelle up and down as well as being flabbergasted.
“Well thank you, Kian. You look absolutely magnificent yourself,” she complimented sincerely in a posh British accent. “So who’s gonna be the lucky lady tonight?” she teased him. (Let’s get this straight right now so there’s no confusion, okay? The only reason why Isabelle said that was because she knew that Kian and Yasmine didn’t have any chemistry. They just liked each other’s company! That’s it! The only people attracted to each other out of the ten were Mark and Isabelle. The others just hung out in couples for the hell of it! Get it? Got it? Good! So, back to the story! *Ahem*)
“I dunno. I haven’t found her yet I guess,” Kian said a bit disappointed but then cheered up right away. Surprisingly, he wasn’t moody!
“Ah, don’t worry ‘bout it. I was only teasing. But you could always come look for me if ya get lonely,” she offered with a wink.
“Nah, you already got a date. Besides, I don’t think Mark would appreciate that too much,” he whispered while looking at Mark. Mark was watching his friend like a hawk. Monique was right; Mark was getting territorial. “But could I ask you for just one thing though?”
“Sure, anything,” Isabelle replied as she tightened her grip in Mark’s hand letting him know he wouldn’t have to worry about her leaving him for Kian.
“Would you, maybe…save a dance for me?” he asked with hopeful eyes. He looked so uncertain of what Isabelle’s answer would be.
“Of course I will. How can I refuse?” she giggled. She could feel Mark’s grip tighten as well. She looked at Mark with a smile and mouthed ‘don’t worry.’ She was just being friendly and didn’t want to disappoint Kian. Kian who was happy to hear the answer from Isabelle gave her a quick ‘thank you’ hug and then walked away to meet up with Bryan and Angelina at the snack table.
“Mark, don’t worry. I’m going to spend the whole night with you. It’s just one dance. Other than that, I’ll be right by your side. Well the dance with Kian and a trip to the lady’s room could be the only things that could keep me apart from you,” she assured Mark with laughter. He lightened up and placed his arm around her waist. He didn’t seem too talkative. He just seemed dazed and worried at the same time. “Mark, what’s wrong? I can forfeit my dance with Kian if it makes you that uneasy.”
“Oh, no. It’s not that, it’s just-”
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Whoa, do you look gorgeous or do you look gorgeous?” Nicky interrupted Mark as he came over and gave Isabelle’s hand a kiss.
“Thank you, Nicky. You’re not that hard to look at either,” Isabelle complimented him while blushing. Isabelle was overwhelmed by the compliments that she was getting. She was also getting frustrated at the same time. She was finally getting around to finding out what was bothering Mark, but she kept getting interrupted. She also had those thoughts in her head that wouldn’t just vanish into thin air. “Now, only if Monique will get here. It seems as though her party has started without her.” Just as she said the words, Monique, Cassandra, and Yasmine appeared.“ Damn! That’s creepy! I scare myself sometimes.”
“Well helloooo Birthday girl! You ladies sure make Jennifer Lopez look like a head-less chicken!” Nicky remarked as he looked at Monique, Cassandra, and Yasmine with his eyes popping out of his sockets. Just then Bryan, Kian, and Angelina came over to greet everyone. They all exchanged compliments and the girls modelled their dresses by spinning around.
“Hey, where’s Filan?” Bryan questioned as he realized that not everyone was present.
“The last I saw, he was in the loo,” Kian spoke up which made everyone laugh (even though it was the truth!)
“Shane sure has been having diarrhea lately,” Bryan cracked up as he slacked of his ‘not-present’ friend.
“I heard that Bryan!” Shane called as he came up from behind his mate.
“Oh good. So is everything all right? Did you have a nice time with your friend the toilet seat?”
“Haha! Shut up Bryan.”
“That’s enough gentlemen. Can we please enjoy the party?” Yasmine cut in.
“Yeah, Yasmine’s right. Anyway, I can’t believe how gorgeous this looks. If I didn’t know this was the lounge, I’d swear this was a dream,” Monique exclaimed as she looked around the room at how it was decorated.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Cassandra remarked in agreement. Isabelle was starting to feel uncomfortable and she felt as though she was about to burst into tears. She felt like everything was going perfect for her friends while she was the only one that had to deal with the fact of Mark and her going their separate ways the next day.
“Um, could you please excuse me? I have to make a quick trip to the restroom,” she quickly excused herself. She was glad she didn’t make it obvious and that she was able to hold back her tears until she reached a stall and cried her eyes out there. “What am I going to do? I should talk to Mark about this, but I don’t want to ruin his night. Okay, calm down Isabelle. You’re going to have to do it sooner or later. Just tell him how you feel and hear what he has to say. Maybe he’s already thought about it and doesn’t know how to tell you. Okay, here’s what you’re gonna do. Get out of this stupid stall; fix your face, and go have this conversation with Mark instead of yourself.” Just as Isabelle finished having that little chat with herself, she touched up her make-up so that the mascara that was running didn’t make her look like she just got punched. She quickly took a look in the mirror and said, “You can do this.” With the simple words of self-encouragement, she headed back to the party.

~~ Chapter 21 ~~

Meanwhile, back in the party room, everyone had broken off to do their own thing. Mark was standing and talking to Kian and Shane, while Bryan, Angelina, Yasmine and Cassandra were dancing to the music. Monique and Nicky were also standing together and having a little chat.
“God I miss Richard!” Monique said with a sigh.
“I miss Gina just as much,” Nicky confessed disappointedly.
“Why didn’t you bring her along? I’m sure she would’ve had fun.”
“She had some school stuff to finish off that she couldn’t get away from. And we couldn’t go skiing another time because this is the last holiday we’re gonna have for a long time. But what about Richard?”
“Well, since it is my birthday, I decided to go skiing with just the girls. It was supposed to be a girl’s weekend out until you guys came along-, which is a good thing. What was I thinking?”
“Aww, don’t worry about it Monique. I bet Richard misses you dearly,” Nicky said comfortingly as he gave her a hug.
“Thanks, Nicky. I’m sure Georgina feels the same about you.” Monique and Nicky continued on with their conversation that they didn’t even notice Isabelle who had returned. Isabelle walked into the room without drawing any attention to herself and she noticed that everyone was busy in their own little worlds.
“Good, I can have some time to think about what I’m going to say to Mark,” she thought to herself as she headed to a window in a low profile manner, and just stared outside. She had other things on her mind other than her problem with Mark. She also kept looking at her wristwatch every five minutes hoping that the time would move faster.
“Hey you. I didn’t even see you come in.” Isabelle was deep in her thoughts when Mark interrupted her. He came from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist while resting his chin on her bare shoulder.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I saw you talking to Shane and Kian, and it looked like it was important, so I didn’t want to interrupt you. Besides, I thought I’d come and watch the snow. It looks gorgeous outside.”
“Really? We were just discussing which foot-I mean soccer team was the best. Nothing important at all.”
“Oh, I see. Well I’m here now…with you,” she replied as she looked at her watch again. Finally! It was time. Isabelle quickly whispered something in Mark’s ear and he agreed without hesitation. Mark then borrowed Nicky from Monique and got together with the other guys. He told them what Isabelle said to him and they all agreed right away. While Mark was talking to the guys, Isabelle went to Yasmine and whispered something to her. Yasmine nodded as well and Isabelle left the party with the guys.
“Hey Monique! Come here for a minute,” Yasmine said to her friend as she called her over to a chair.
“Okay, but um…what’s going on?” Just then the lights went out in the lounge. (Déjà vu huh? Good! *Hehe*)
“Guys, what’s happening?” Monique sounded worried. But before her friends could answer her, she heard the sound of an acappella. The lounge too had a miniature stage just like the chalet, (but it was much smaller) and that’s where the sound was coming from. Just as the lights were coming back on she could see six figures- NOT five! SIX! They were singing “Happy Birthday!” Monique was so surprised she was about to cry! But just as the lights turned on all the way, she gasped in shock!
“Oh my God!” There on the stage singing Happy Birthday to her was no other than her… boyfriend Richard! Isabelle had sneaked back into the party room after getting the guys and Richard acquainted a few minutes before they came onto the stage. Monique didn’t see her because she crept in when it was dark. Monique was so happy now she couldn’t believe her eyes. How could she? They were filled with tears that blurred her vision. By the end of the song Richard came up to Monique and gave her the longest and most passionate kiss ever.
“Happy Birthday sweetheart,” he said as he pulled her into a warm embrace.
“Oh my Lord. Thank you,” she said with tears streaming down her face. Happy tears that is. “What are you doing here? When did you- how did you get here?” Monique’s head was buzzing with questions. But she already knew the answers to some of them. She immediately turned around to find Isabelle standing there with tears streaming down her cheeks as well. Monique just looked at her friend and shook her head in disbelief. She then pulled Isabelle into a hug, which caught her by surprise.
“Come here you. You’re the best, y’know that? Thank you so much,” she thanked her best friend while still hugging her.
“Yeah, I know. And you’re completely welcome,” Isabelle said with a smile as she pulled away and wiped away her tears. Everyone was on the verge of breaking out, and Nicky looked really obvious. Richard said hello to all of the girls and gave Isabelle a hug as well.
“You were right. She was surprised,” Richard whispered in her ear. Isabelle knew her friend too well. She knew that Monique could never last a weekend without Richard, so she made plans before they came for him to make it to her party. It was Isabelle’s secret and it wasn’t at all easy to keep. Boy, this sure was better than those roses that Monique thought were for her. Once everyone and everything settled down again, Monique, Richard, and Nicky hung out together. (Monique didn’t want Nicky to feel as though he was out of the picture just because Richard arrived. She also didn’t want him to feel hurt because Georgina wasn’t there.) Bryan, Angelina, Yasmine, Kian, Shane and Cassandra all went to get a drink as in an alcoholic drink before they started to dance the night away. As for Isabelle and Mark, Isabelle felt that it was the right time to have that talk with Mark. That talk that could change her life forever…

~~ Chapter 22 ~~

Isabelle was thinking of where she could get to be alone with Mark and how she was going to get him there. The music in the background was so loud she couldn’t even concentrate. She looked around the room and saw that all of her friends were dancing now. She wanted to be somewhere quiet yet she wanted to be in view of her friends in case Mark got angry and did something outrageous! (Hey! You can’t blame the girl. She doesn’t know what Mark’s capable of! She’s never seen him angry!) Finally, she thought of something.
“Um Mark, can we go outside for a bit? This music is um…er…giving me a headache,” she suggested as she put her hand on her forehead.
“Oh? Um, yeah I guess so.”
“Thanks, I could really use some air.” She wasn’t fibbing either. She was starting to feel nauseous at the thought of what she was going to say to him. They quickly made their way onto the veranda where they could still be seen by the people in the lounge. There wasn’t a flake of snow on the veranda because there was a roof above them, which had dim lights hanging down from it.
“It’s one amazing party in there. You really know how to make Monique cry,” Mark commented as the two of them stood on the veranda looking out at the vast mountain chain that surrounded the area. Isabelle just nodded her head in agreement and avoided looking at Mark. She was too busy thinking and was too anxious to get it over with. Mark noticed how uneasy she looked and wondered what was wrong. “Belle, are you okay? I mean are you sure you wanna stay out here? It’s quite cold. Look, you’re freezing!” He noticed that she was shivering uncontrollably. Who wouldn’t be in a dress like that? “Here, take this,” he said as he took off his black jacket without hesitation and wrapped it around her to keep her warm.
“Uh yeah, thanks. I’m fine- I mean I’m sure- I mean yeah I’m sure I wanna stay out here and I’m fine,” she replied quickly without really thinking.
“Isabelle? What’s wrong? You look…well confused.” Damn! He didn’t buy her act.
“Mark, I think we need to talk,” she said while finally looking him in the eyes. She moved away from him and sat on the bench that was on the veranda. She then gestured Mark to sit next to her. He was completely lost and did what Isabelle motioned. “Mark, I don’t know how I’m going to do this…” she said in a whisper as she took his hands in hers.
“Belle, what are you talking about?” Isabelle just stopped herself, took a few deep breaths and continued on.
“Mark, as you know, I have had such a wonderful weekend and I owe it all to you. But…” she stopped again just as tears started to form in her eyes. She looked to the ground and tried making this easier. Mark was now worried because he didn’t know what to expect.
“But what, Isabelle?” What are you trying to tell me?” he questioned while lowering his head and following her eyes.
“But…but tomorrow…it’ll all be……over,” she murmured in tears. She could barely see Mark with her eyes because of the stinging tears. “Tonight is all that we have left. After tonight, I’ll return to being that miserable Isabelle who moped around and made her own life a living hell, while you’ll return to your glitz and glamour lifestyle and move on somewhere far away from me.”
“What are you saying, Belle?” Mark asked trying to deny what might be next.
“I guess I’m saying that it’s……over. You don’t know how much this hurts, Mark. But I guess it’s the right thing because why would you want a low life girlfriend like me when over half the world is falling at your feet. You could have any girl you want, whether it be Julia Stiles or Mandy Moore or Mariah Carey or-"
“You,” he cut in and stopped her babbling for the second time that weekend. “You, Isabelle LaRose. You are the only one I want,” he whispered as he held her face in his hands. He wiped away her tears with his thumb and continued on. “That’s why I have to ask you something very important…” he hesitated to proceed.
“What Mark? What is it?” she questioned while persisting to cry. Mark looked at Isabelle’s face and thought if he wanted to finish off what he was saying. He took a few seconds to gather himself and then began again.
“Well I was thinking about this all day especially when we had that snowball fight-just us two. I didn’t want to bring it up though because you were so happy. And you deserve to be happy after all that pain,” he stopped again and sighed. “This has been disturbing me all day, but now I’m just going to say it. Belle, I don’t want to rush you into anything but…” he paused again.
“But what?” Isabelle was starting to get annoyed with the pauses.
“But, um…would you…would you be willing to…to come along with me tomorrow? That’s how we could always be together. I mean you could join the others and me and tour with us. You could have your own bunk in the tour bu-”
“Mark, I can’t do that! Listen to yourself! Do you know how crazy you sound?! I have to think about my future. My place is here in Canada. I don’t belong on the road!” Isabelle cut Mark off. That talk with Monique and Cassandra was showing now. “It’s outrageous! I’m sorry, but I just can’t do that.” She snapped and made him realize how foolish he sounded. She then got up from the bench and stood by the steps on the veranda, with her back to Mark. Mark got up and walked up behind her but left some space in between them.
“I’m sorry Isabelle. I didn’t mean to put you through that. I just thought-”
“You just thought that everything would work out fine if I left my life and became a part of yours. But I can’t just leave. What would I tell my friends- my parents? It’s ridiculous!” she cut him off again as she turned around to face him. She was really upset now and her tone showed it. She didn’t know what they were anymore. If they were broken up like she said a few minutes ago or if they were going to work things out. She was more confused than ever. Mark was thinking about what she said to him and came to realize that he sounded like a total idiot, and didn’t even think before he suggested that. Just then, there was silence while the both of them calmed down.
“So…what do we do now?” Mark questioned quietly while looking at the ground. He was completely heartbroken and Isabelle could tell. She too was hurt deeply and didn’t know what to do. She didn’t think there was a way they could keep in touch and be as close as they were right now. She had seen (or heard about) many celebrities who tried to have a long distance relationship but then ended up getting hurt. She had already been wounded and didn’t want to experience it again.
“I don’t know,” she mumbled looking out at the mountains. “How ‘bout we just deal with it tomorrow? It’ll give us time to think and get our heads straight. In the mean time, how about we make tonight special?” she suggested trying to get rid of the depressive atmosphere they had created. Mark looked up with a smile as if he had an ingenious idea.
“Yeah. Let’s make tonight special,” he said with a grin as he moved in closer to Isabelle.
“I don’t want to go in right now. I kinda like it out here. Can we stay a bit longer? She asked without minding the fact that Mark was so close to her.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said cheekily as he placed his arms around Isabelle’s waist.
“Mark, what are you doing?” she questioned as she raised an eyebrow, smiled, and placed her arms around his neck.
“Well you said you wanted to make tonight special, so here it is,” he responded as he pulled her in close to him and gave her a long, passionate kiss that melted her heart. Before Isabelle could say anything, Mark started to sing gently in her ear as they swayed back and forth on the veranda, leaving the rest of the world behind….

I'll give the world to make you mine
'Cause I can't go on without you this time, this time

What are you doing tonight, baby?

Let's make tonight special

All I'm asking for is a little love

I look in your eyes
(and) baby, I see
You are the only one I ever need
Right from the start you were there
In my heart and my soul

'Cause, baby, tonight
We'll make it right
We'll light some candle light
Make it all night
Oh, how I prayed for someone like you
To make me feel like you do

I'll give the world to make you mine
'Cause I can't go on without
You this time, this time

So let's make tonight special
Something beautiful that
We'll always treasure
Let's make tonight so right
We will make it a night to remember
All of our lives

Baby all of our lives

Baby, tonight
I'll hold you tight
We will be close by the fireside
Baby, I know
That our love will grow
So strong, baby strong

The stars shine so bright
The moon and the sky
Just being here
With you means more than life
(and) since I met you
My heart has been true to you (to you)

So let's make tonight special
Something beautiful that
We'll always treasure
Let's make tonight so right
We will make it a night to remember
All of our lives

Now that I've found you I'll never let go
You are my everything I need you so

Loving you baby is all that I know
I'll never break you heart

Please let me show

Please let me show that I...

So let's make tonight special (love you baby)
Something beautiful that
We'll always treasure
So let's make tonight so right
We will make it a night to remember
(make it a night to remember)
All of our lives

(We will make it a night to remember)
So let's make tonight special
Something beautiful that
We'll always treasure
(Something beautiful that we'll always treasure)
Let's make tonight so right (so right)
We will make it a night to remember
All of our lives

Cos all of our lives

So let's make tonight special
Something beautiful that we'll always treasure
(Something beautiful that we'll always treasure)

It was music only the two of them could hear as they danced slowly in their own world, cherishing each moment under the star lit sky, before departing from one another the next day…

~~ Chapter 23 ~~

“Bryan! Bryan! Bryan! WOOHOO!” the thundering chants and cheers from inside interrupted Mark and Isabelle, and completely ruined their ‘moment.’ The two who had been dancing away outside pulled away from one another and looked to see what was going on inside!
“Oh my God! What the hell is he doing?” Isabelle gasped as she covered her mouth with one hand at the sight she saw.
“Only Bryan,” Mark mumbled as he shook his head in disappointment. He and Isabelle then returned inside and tried to make sense of what was going on. Bryan was standing (or at least trying to) on the coffee table and was stripping. He apparently was drunk and was undoing his button down shirt while swaying his hips around! (He looked as though he had previous experience! Hmm that only makes you wonder…Anyway!) Everyone was drunk and was just creating a huge pandemonium. He was surrounded by the group who were standing around the table, clapping, chanting, and encouraging him to ‘take it off!’
“Mark! Do something before he makes a fool of- before the staff comes and kicks us out from here!” Isabelle shrieked as she saw how all of her friends had a bit too much to drink. It looked like they were partying like it was 1999! *Hehe*
“Bryan! Bryan, get down from there!” Mark ordered while tugging his friend’s shirt, but Bryan was to ‘boozed up’ to listen. Bryan had his belt to his pants tied side ways around his head; he had his jacket in his hand and was swinging it around in the air as if he was about to let it go any second.
“Shh! Markuths…not while…not while I’m sthwipping. Can’t you thee…*buuuuurp!* that I’m bwusy!” Bryan replied, extremely drunk while burping in Mark’s face! He was struggling to get his words straight, and even more, to stand up straight! Mark was disgusted by the stench of Bryan’s breath! He had been drinking heavily and it really reeked! Mark quickly pushed Shane aside, grabbed Bryan from the back of his shirt and pulled him off the table. Bryan was having difficulty keeping his balance and fell onto the couch that was right behind the table. Mark just left him there and noticed that a staff member had just entered the room. He quickly walked over to the person and began to apologize about his friend. Meanwhile, Isabelle was looking around for her other friends to see if they were drunk as well. She looked around the room and saw Angelina and Yasmine running out of the lounge. She figured they were running to the lady’s room to hurl out their guts! She turned around and saw Shane sitting on the couch with his head on Bryan’s shoulder, and his tongue sticking out on the side of his mouth. The music was still blasting and the lights were kind of dim, but she managed to see Nicky, and Cassandra dancing on the dance floor. They appeared to be fine, but Isabelle wasn’t sure. Isabelle was about to head over to them and ask if they had seen Monique or Richard when someone grabbed her by her arm and turned her around. Isabelle was stunned by this action. The person grabbed her by her head and just laid a big wet one on her lips! Isabelle was taken by aghast and backed away contiguously.
“That…That was for…for…bweaking youw…pwomise. You didn’t dance…wiv me,” Kian managed to say while fumbling on his legs trying to stand still. Isabelle was so furious that Kian would even do such a thing, she was tempted to raise her hand and smack the little Irish boy right across his face, but then she noticed that he was drunk, and decided to stay calm. Just then Mark came over and took Kian’s arm and wrapped it around his neck, as he helped his friend stand straight. He saw what Kian had done, but decided to forget it, considering his friend was hammered drunk.
“Kian, have you, by any chance seen Monique or Richard?” Isabelle questioned politely trying to hide her anger and worries in her voice.
“Aye?” Kian replied confused by where he was. Isabelle decided not to ask him again.
“Belle, I’ll deal with Kian. You go look for Monique and Richard. I’ll take care of this one,” he suggested as he looked at the condition his friend was in.
“Thanks Mark,” she said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. She then headed to Nicky and Cassandra like she was before she was snogged by Kian!
“Hey, have you guys seen either Monique or Richard?” she shouted over the music to the two ‘dancers.’
“Nope, too busy dancing with Mr. Goalkeeper to baby-sit the two lovey doveys!” Cassandra replied as she laughed at Nicky’s new dance move. At least the two of them were sober. You’d think Nicky would be the first one to get drunk because he was missing Georgina, but the dude was fine. They had returned to their dancing after that little episode with Bryan.
“Dammit! Where could they be? I hope they’re all right. I hope that they aren’t drunk like those two,” Isabelle shouted again as she pointed to Bryan and Shane who were now sleeping on the couch.
“Don’t worry, Belle. I’m sure they’re fine. Monique’s a big girl! Besides, you only turn 20 once,” Nicky tried to comfort Isabelle. “Stop worrying, and relax. Here, dance with us,” Nicky continued as he took Isabelle by the hand and dipped her.
“Whoa!” Isabelle laughed. “Not bad, Nicky! But I think I’m gonna look for- OH MY GOD!” Isabelle blurted out. “Do you see what I see?” she asked her two friends who were staring at her because of her outburst.
“No way! That isn’t what I think it is, is it?” Cassandra shrieked as she saw what Isabelle was pointing to. Nicky looked at what the girls were looking at and just cracked up laughing. “C’mon, Belle.”
“*Ahem! Cough! Cough!* Might I suggest you guys oh I dunno, maybe…get a room?!” Isabelle exclaimed as the three of them walked up to Monique and Richard. Nicky, Cassandra and Isabelle started to laugh so hard they were all sure that they were going to wet themselves. The three had interrupted Monique and Richard who were sitting in a corner of the room with their lips locked. Monique who was sitting on Richard’s lap looked up and turned red so fast she looked like a tomato! They had been sitting there making out for who knows how long, but Monique had like 5 hickeys on her neck!
“Richard!…Stop!” Monique hissed as she tried to get away. Richard was still at her neck and didn’t even realize that people were standing there. “Richard! People are watching!” Richard immediately stopped and looked up at the onlookers and turned red himself! That boy didn’t waste any time, did he?! *Hehe*
“Um…hi guys!” he managed to say. He was so embarrassed; he didn’t even know what to say. The sad part was, the two lovebirds were sober as you could be! It’d be a different story if they were playing ‘suck-face’ when they were drunk!
“Hello Richard! I see you’re keeping yourself busy!” Nicky said in between laughs, which caused Isabelle and Cassandra to laugh even more.
“Um…*Ahem*…I guess...you could say that…” he said avoiding looking at anyone.
“Shut up Richard!” Monique snapped quietly. She was way too humiliated, and just wanted to act as if nothing happened. “So, um…are you guys…having fun?”
“Is that a trick question Monique? I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in my life!” Cassandra teased her friend. “That party’s just getting started!”
“Ha! Ha! Cassey! But um…where’s everyone else?” Monique was starting to get angry and moody. That was something her and Richard had in common. When they were having their mood swings you’d want to stay far far away!
“What? Please tell me your jokin’! You didn’t see that scene that Bryan caused? Boy, you guys were really busy, now weren’t you!” Isabelle said as she tried to calm down. Her stomach was killing from laughing so much.
“Of course they were. You can’t be making out and notice Bryan at the same time,” Cassandra added.
“Okay, y’know what? I’m leaving!” Monique declared as she stood up from Richard’s lap. You see, Monique was the type that got mad really fast; however, at times, you couldn’t tell if she was serious or just having a laugh. This was one of those times.
“Oh, I’m sorry Monique. We were just teasing you. If you don’t get birthday beats, you gotta get something else. It’s only fair,” Isabelle apologized as she gave her best friend a hug.
“I guess you’re right,” she replied while looking at the ground. It was still hard to tell if Monique was joking around or not. But then, she looked up very slyly and the evilest grin spread across her face. “Can you say gullible?” she laughed out loud.
“So, now what do we do?” Cassandra asked as she finally stopped laughing.
“Well, we haven’t had my birthday cake yet…” Monique didn’t finish off, hoping her friends got the idea.
“Cake sounds good to me. But I dunno about those two,” Richard commented as he now pointed to Bryan and Shane on the couch.
“That’s okay, that means there’s more for us,” Nicky laughed.
“Okay, so here’s what we’re gonna do, we’ll all meet up in mine and Isabelle’s room, and we’ll have the cake there. I don’t think they’d be enough for everyone in the lounge, so it’s best if we eat there.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll go see if Mark’s up to it, and we’ll all meet in our room,” Isabelle agreed.
“Okay, see you in 10 minutes,” Cassandra replied. Isabelle left her group of friends and went to go see if she could find Mark. Just as she passed by the couch, Shane and Bryan woke up. They were still drunk, but they were doing better than before.
“Hey guys, are you up for some birthday cake?” Isabelle asked as she saw them sit up straight.
“Cake! Did someone mention food?” Bryan exclaimed. He was wide-awake now. Shane was still a bit groggy and confused, but he still nodded.
“Yeah, we’re going to my room for some of Monique’s birthday cake. You’re welcome to join us.” Just as she said this, Bryan was standing straight up and was ready to stuff his stomach. (He had to fill in that empty space he previously made by puking!) Shane decided to come along too even though he didn’t know what was happening.
“Okay guys, just come with me first. I have to look for Mark and Kian now.” Just as they were walking out of the lounge, they bumped into Yasmine and Angelina. Once Isabelle asked them about cake, they looked like they were going to barf all over again. The mention of food just wasn’t their cup of tea at the moment. They joined the three anyway, and were off to get Mark. Finally, they found the two, Kian and Mark, and all of them were off to have some yummy chocolate sponge cake- the typical birthday cake!

~~ Chapter 24 ~~

“This has been one night I will never forget!” Isabelle commented sleepily as she picked up the last bit of wrapping paper from the floor and threw it in the garbage bag.
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Monique agreed as she threw away the paper plates. “I never expected the weekend to turn out the way it did,” she said as she looked over at Richard, who was laying on her bed. Everyone had returned to their rooms, and the only people left were Monique, Isabelle, and Richard. Monique and Isabelle were cleaning up after the cake and gifts, while Richard made himself comfy on the bed and ‘supervised.’
“Are you comfortable, Richard?” Monique asked as she sat on the bed.
“Yeah, never been better,” he replied with a grin.
“I’m glad to hear that. Now get out!” Monique teased him as she pushed him onto his side.
“What d’ya mean? I thought I was sleeping here tonight…with you,” he replied again with a bigger grin.
“Please tell me your jokin’!” Monique bursted out laughing. “Now get off my bed. I’m tired. It’s been one long day.”
“Fine. But where am I gonna sleep then?” he said as he gave in to Monique.
“You can sleep on my bed. I’ll sleep on the floor if you want,” Isabelle offered while yawning and flopping down on her bed.
“Thanks Belle, but I think the floor has my name on it,” he replied looking over at Monique with those puppy dog eyes and that pout.
“Ohhh no! That’s not gonna work this time. I fell for that when you first asked me out, and I’m not going to fall for it again. Look what happened the first time- I ended up falling in love with you,” Monique replied. When Monique said that, Isabelle though about her incident with Mark on the veranda. It was like a reflex. It sent a chill down her back and made her shiver. Monique saw that and had to comment,
“Belle, are you okay?”
“Uh…yeah…I was just thinking…” she replied looking at the floor.
“About Mark,” Monique finished Isabelle’s sentence for her. Isabelle nodded her head in a ‘yes I’m guilty’ manner. “So…care to tell?”
“Yeah, I wanna hear about this too. So what’s the scoop, girlfriend?” Richard imitated a woman’s voice and sat next to Monique.
“Well…where do I begin…”
“How ‘bout the beginning, sweetheart,” Richard insisted acting like Richard Simmons. This made Isabelle laugh, and encouraged her to continue-in a really bizarre way.
“Well…Mark…I…we…um…Mark asked me to go with him tomorrow instead with you guys,” Isabelle mumbled the last bit really fast.
“What? Can you say that again? I didn’t hear you,” Monique asked. Isabelle sighed and then repeated herself,
“Mark asked me to go with him tomorrow instead with you guys.”
“What?! Oh the nerve! What did you say? You said no, right? RIGHT?!” Monique was going hysterical now. She was so frantic she stood up and was literally screaming at her friend.
“Of course I said no! C’mon Monique, you know me better than that!” Richard pulled Monique down and wrapped his arms around her shoulder trying to calm her down. “He said that was the only way for us to be together all the time. He was so serious, it actually scare me,” Isabelle continued to explain the whole story.
“At least you have some common sense! Tat boy doesn’t know what he’s talking about! And who says you can’t be together? Maybe it won’t be all the time, but you guys can still be together,” Monique tried to keep an appropriate tone.
“Well, actually…I was the one who thought we couldn’t be together. I mean look at all the people who break up and get hurt because of their long distance relationship. I don’t need to go through that again,” Isabelle explained to Monique and Richard.
“But that doesn’t have to happen to you. I mean look at Nicky and Georgina. I was talking to him earlier and he really misses her, but they’re still together aren’t they? And by the looks of it, they don’t have any plans of breaking up any time soon. It’s all about commitment, Belle. If you really want this to work with Mark, you have to be willing to sacrifice some things, and you have to be determined for it to work,” Monique lectured as she placed her hand on Richard’s knee to show how strong and determined they were for their relationship to work.
“But…but…but what if…”
“No ifs or buts, Belle. Just tell me this, do you want a long-term relationship with Mark?” Monique put her friend on the spot.
“I…uh…yeah…I guess I do,” Isabelle though carefully before she answered.
“Good. Then you’re gonna tell that to Mark tomorrow and you’re gonna work hard at making your relationship work. And even if it doesn’t work out with you two, you’ll have at least made a unique friend. However, I don’t think that’ll be necessary. You guys will make such an adorable couple,” Monique said with a wink.
“Thanks, you guys! I the you two!” Isabelle exclaimed as she hugged Monique and Richard at the same time.
“You’re welcome, Belle. But what did I do?” Richard asked scratching his head.
“You made me laugh, Richard…Richard Simmons that is!” Isabelle laughed. This caused her friends to laugh too. After that talk with her friends, Isabelle, Monique and Richard were off to bed. Isabelle gave Richard one of her pillows and Monique gave him one of the bed sheets for him to use while he slept on the floor. The three of them fell fast asleep, even Isabelle who had butterflies in her stomach because she couldn’t wait to tell Mark the good news the next day.

~~ Chapter 25 ~~

“Where is she? We’re gonna be late!” Monique shrieked to herself as she looked at her watch. “If she doesn’t get here in 2 minutes, I’m leaving!” Just then Isabelle walked into their room with a huge smile on her face. “Speak of the devil! Where have you been?!”
“Well good morning to you too,” Isabelle laughed. “I just had to run a quick errand. But I’m here now. So are we good to go?”
“I’ve been ready for the last half an hour.”
“Well, let’s go then. Wait, where’s Richard?”
“He went to load up the car. I gave him your stuff too, so all we have to do is go now,” Monique said panicky.
“Okay, Okay! I get the point,” Isabelle laughed out loud.
“Boy, you’re in a good mood! Did you talk to Mark be any chance?”
“Nope. Haven’t seen him at all. But I guess I can’t tell you why I’m so happy because we’re gonna be late. So come on!” Isabelle replied slyly. Monique raised an eyebrow at Isabelle and then agreed. They quickly locked up the room and headed for the receptionist desk to hand in their keys.

“About time! What took you guys so long?” Yasmine asked as Isabelle and Monique walked into the lobby ready to leave. Monique nodded her head towards Isabelle and then greeted everyone, including the guys who were also there waiting for them.
“Jeez! The one day I’m ever late, the whole world bites my head off!”
“Okay, whatever, Belle. Let’s just go,” Cassandra said with a yawn. She was still tired from dancing with Nicky last night, and couldn’t wait to sleep in the plane. Just as Cassandra finished, everyone headed for the cars, which were going to take them to the airport.
“Good morning, Mark,” Isabelle greeted him as she gave him a big kiss on his lips. He was extremely surprised because he didn’t know what to expect from Isabelle after what he said the previous night.
“Good morning, Belle,” he gloomily replied. He didn’t know about the thing Isabelle had to tell him so he thought these were the last couple of hours he would ever see her.
“All ready to go?” she asked cheerfully as he put his luggage in the trunk. Mark was really confused now.
“Is she happy she’ll never see me again? Was she leading me on all weekend?” Mark thought to himself as he stared at Isabelle’s face. “Uh…yeah. We’d better hurry though,” he replied quietly. He looked like he had a lot on his mind and was about to do something he would regret.
“Belle, get your slow ass over here!” Yasmine yelled from their car. She was going to drive this time so Monique and Richard could sit together in the car he came in and do whatever people in love do.
“Chill woman!” she laughed and made Mark laugh. “Well, I guess I’d better go, before Yasmine comes here and drags me by the ear. I’ll see you in a bit.”
“I guess so,” he mumbled. “Slan.” Isabelle gave Mark a perplexed look because of the word slan, and just waved and walked away. “Took you long enough! If we miss the plane, I’m totally disowning you!” Yasmine shrieked as her friend got in the passenger’s seat.
Angelina and Cassandra were snoozing in the back seat, and Monique and Richard had left already.
Isabelle turned around in her seat to see if she could see Mark through the rear window. A tear rolled down her cheek as she saw him get into his car, the one where Nicky was driving. She wiped away the tear and they were then off to the airport to go home sweet home.

~~ Chapter 26 ~~

“Hello! Hello!” Shane greeted everyone as they arrived at the airport. Monique and Richard had arrived before everyone and they learned that the girls’ flight along with Richard had been delayed for half an hour. Monique was calm now and looked like she didn’t have a worry for the world.
“Shane, do you have to be so loud early in the morning?” Angelina asked as she got her luggage out from the trunk. It was obvious she had a hangover from all that drinking yesterday. She had also just woken up after an hour and half’s sleep she had during the car ride.
“Angie, it’s quarter past ten. You should be fresh as a daisy after all that sleep,” he replied looking at his watch. Angelina didn’t have the energy to answer and chose to ignore Shane’s comment.
“Well lads, I think we should go in and give our bags, so all we gotta do is board the plane in 20 minutes,” Kian suggested. He was in a good mood too- probably because he was going home. With that, everyone went inside and waited for their boarding call. Mark barely spoke a word and Isabelle stayed by his side the whole time. Finally ‘the call” came.
“Would all passengers on flight IE05 to Dublin please board the plane,” the intercom overhead announced. At that moment, Mark’s heart felt like it had been shot and left to drown in his blood.
“Well, I guess this is it. After this, I will see you only in my memories, unless…” Mark began softly as he turned to Isabelle.
“Unless?” Isabelle inquired, her voice shaking and her eyes filling with tears at the way Mark was talking.
“Unless…I…I…leave,” he whispered holding back his tears. Isabelle was getting emotional seeing Mark getting emotional.
“Leave? What do you mean?” she asked searching his face for an answer.
“We could be together if I leave……..leave Westlife,” he mumbled. The guys who were standing right there were shocked and they looked at each other’s faces in horror.
“Mark! Are you crazy?” she asked as she saw the expression that arose on the faces of the other band members. “You can’t do that!” she said while the tears rolled down her face and as she took Mark’s face in her hands.
“But it’s the only way. I was up all night making that decision, and I really would sacrifice my career to be with you.”
“Mark, listen to yourself! The guys need you. Besides, this is your life. You love singing.”
“But I would leave everything to be with you…I…..I….I love you,” he whispered his voice shaking completely.
“No you don’t Mark. You can’t love me in just two days,” Isabelle said trying to be realistic.
“Romeo and Juliet loved each other and they only knew each other for a night. They next day they got married.”
“Romeo and Juliet also died a couple hours after their wedding. But just take Britney Spears’ advice- her only good advice. Be strong. I got stronger because of you, now it’s your turn!”
“Hey! I happen to like her,” Kian defended the blonde bimbo.
“Sorry Kian,” Isabelle apologized. She continued to try and convince Mark that he sounded foolish and that he shouldn’t leave. “We can still be together. It’ll be difficult but we could do it.”
“But…but I thought you didn’t want a long-distance relationship?” he asked while looking Isabelle who was crying, right in her eyes.
“I know. But I thought about it, and with the help of Monique and Richard, I’m willing to do what ever it takes,” she said with a smile. Just as she said that the intercom started again,
“Last call for all passengers on flight IE05 to Dublin. Please board the plane.”
“Belle, you don’t know how happy you’ve just made me,” Mark said as he caressed Isabelle’s cheek and then kissed her passionately. He then wiped away her tears and pulled her in a long, warm embrace.
“Mark, wait. Before you go, I have something for you,” Isabelle said, as she pulled away and reached into her purse. “Here, this is for you. It’s something to remind you of me.” Mark looked at Isabelle with and odd look and opened the present. When he saw what was in it he bursted out laughing. It was a picture frame with a picture of Isabelle in it that she got done at the gift shop just before they left the resort. The funny thing though was the little caption on the frame. It said ‘Canadian Girls Kick Ass’ under the picture of Isabelle. It was a cute picture of her and it had the date on the back so that Mark would never forget that day. He pulled Isabelle in a hug again and kissed her with all the passion he felt for her.
“Thank you, it’s adorable. Just like you. I have something for you too.” Isabelle looked at Mark before she opened the piece of paper that he handed to her and she read what it said to herself.

If you wanna know
Tomorrow morning I have to leave
But wherever I may be
Best believe I'm thinking of you
I can't believe how much I love you

All we have is here tonight
We don't want to waste this time
Give me something to remember
Baby put your lips on mine

And I'll love you forever
Anytime that we find ourselves apart

Just close your eyes
And you'll be here with me
Just look to your heart
And that's where I'll be
If you just close your eyes
Till you're drifting away
You'll never be too far from me
If you close your eyes
Close your eyes

I know I'm gonna see you again
But promise me that you won't forget
Cause as long as you remember
A part of us will be together
So even when you're fast asleep
Look for me inside your dreams
Keep believing in what we're sharing
And even when I'm not there to tell you

I'll, I'll love, love you forever
Any time that I can't be where you are

Just close your eyes
And you'll be here with me
Just look to your heart
And that's where I'll be
If you just close your eyes
Till you're drifting away
You'll never be too far from me
If you close your eyes

Is there anywhere that far?
Anytime you're feeling low
Is there anywhere my love cannot reach?
Oh no
It could be anywhere on earth
It could be anywhere I'll be
Oh baby if you want to see

You just close your eyes

Just close your eyes
And you'll be here with me
Look to your heart
And that's where I'll be
Close your eyes
Just close your eyes
Till you're drifting away
You'll never be too far from me
If you close your eyes
Just close your eyes
And you'll be here with me
And you'll be here with me
Just look to your heart
Look to your heart
And that's where I'll be
And that's where I'll be
If you just close your eyes
Close your eyes
Till you're drifting away
You'll never be too far from me
If you close your eyes
Oh yeah
Just close your eyes
If you wanna know

When she was finished reading it, she just stared at the page for a minute and let everything sink into her brain. She had tears streaming down her face and she then looked speechlessly at Mark. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him just as the song advised.
“Thank you so much! It’s beautiful.”
“I wrote it last night. It best expresses my feelings.”
“Thank you. And I will do exactly that. Close my eyes when I need you near me,” she said with her arms still wrapped around his neck. Isabelle and Mark had their foreheads pressed together and their noses touching while they both closed their eyes and cherished the moment together. They hugged again and this time they wouldn’t let go of the embrace. Neither one of them wanted to let go. Monique, who was also crying, had to pull Isabelle away gently, while Kian gave Mark a pat on the back and told him everything would be all right. However, they managed to be in each other’s arms again as they kissed their final kiss, which lasted nearly a minute. They had difficulty pulling away, but they did it on their own this time. Finally, everyone said bye to each other and the guys headed for their departure gate. Just as Isabelle was about to walk away to get some air outside before her flight, she heard her name in the distance. She quickly turned around and saw Mark running back to her. She didn’t know why he was doing that and she worried what it could be. She instantly ran towards him and it was just like the old romance movies. When she reached him, she just gave him a blank look.
“Isabelle, I almost forgot! I don’t have your mobile number,” he said a bit embarrassed. Isabelle sighed in relief.
“Mark…I…uh….don’t have a cell phone,” she replied timidly.
“Oh. Well we can fix that,” Mark said. “Here you go, you can have mine,” he said without hesitation as he took out his phone from his pocket and handed it to Isabelle.
“You are crazy, aren’t you?” she said in amazement at what Mark had just done. He didn’t reply to her and just pouted with those adorable lips of his. “Are you sure, Mark?” Isabelle was still hesitant to take the phone.
“Positive. Look on the bright side. I already know the number. I insist…so please take it.”
“Thank you Mark. But here’s my home phone number…and address, just in case,” Isabelle said as she scribbled down something on Mark’s hand.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said while he took one hand and cupped her face in it, caressing her cheek with his thumb. “Now I really have to go,” he said as he gave her one more kiss.
“Bye. Have a safe trip and I’ll speak to you soon,” she said as she hugged him goodbye.
“Bye love.” With that he walked away. He was almost to the gate when he turned around and waved to Isabelle. She was still standing there and blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it and place it in his heart. She then waved to all of the guys until they walked off and she could see them no more. A couple tears rolled down her cheek again but she wiped them away and said, “I can do this.” She finally turned around and headed back to her friends to wait with them for their flight to be called.

~~ Chapter 27 ~~

“Well?” all of the girls asked in unison as Isabelle came and sat down. Isabelle looked over at Richard with a look on her face that said ‘they’re so nosy’ but Richard just smiled and shrugged. Isabelle sat down and all of her friends kept their attention on her waiting for a reply.
“Well what?” she asked looking at her friends and playing dumb.
“What was all that about?” Cassandra asked. She was wide-awake now because she was talking about an issue that involved a guy. But before Isabelle could answer, she heard a ringing.
“Why do I hear a ringing sound?” Angelina asked a bit more alive now.
“That’s because you’re going crazy!” Yasmine teased. Isabelle ignored her friends, dug into her purse and pulled out the phone, which caught all the girls (even Richard) by surprise.
“Hello?” Isabelle greeted softly.
“Hey you! I miss you already,” Mark replied cheerfully at the sound of Isabelle’s voice.
“Mark? I miss you too, but when I said ‘talk to you soon,’ I didn’t think it would be this soon,” she laughed.
“Well, we’re just about to enter the plane so I thought I’d ring you up,” he explained. Isabelle just laughed at the fact that she was talking to Mark on her new cell phone.
“Oh, I see. But who’s phone are you talki-”
“Hurry up Mark! You’re gonna use up my batteries!” Isabelle heard Kian freak out in the background.
“Nevermind,” she said as her question was just answered.
“So?” Mark asked.
“So?” Isabelle replied back. She didn’t know what to say.
“Well I guess this is how we’re going to spend a lot of our relationship, on the phone,” Mark sighed. “Oh well, as long as it’s your voice on the other side.” Isabelle fell silent and she could feel herself blushing. “You’re blushing, aren’t you?” Mark asked as though he could see right through the phone.
“Yeah, I am,” she said quietly. Just then the girls’ flight was called over the intercom.
“Well I guess I’d better let you go,” Mark replied as he heard the call through the phone. “Besides, Kian’s throwing a hissy fit over his phone. I kinda took it out of his bag without asking,” he confessed with a laugh.
“All right. Well I’ll talk to you soon…again.”
“Yeah, I’d like that. By the way, here’s the number to your phone,” Mark said as Isabelle wrote down the number.
“Okay, thanks. Bye Mark.”
“Bye Belle,” and with that both of them hung up.
“You never told us you had a cell!” Monique exclaimed, her eyes wide open.
“What’s there to tell? But to make you happy….I have a cell. There!”
“Well I wanna hear all the details. But tell me in the plane because we gotta go,” Cassandra said getting up from her chair in the waiting area.
“Okay, I’ll tell you guys everything. Let’s just go. I wanna go home.” So with the final words from Isabelle, everyone got up and headed to their departure gate, not leaving the memories of their weekend behind.

~~ Chapter 28 ~~

“Happy birthday, Belle!” Cassandra exclaimed on the phone.
“Thanks Cassey. But y’know what? I don’t feel any older or different,” Isabelle replied as she plopped down on the couch, put her feet up, turned the TV on, and chatted with her friend on the phone. It was a gorgeous day in June and Isabelle was home alone, relaxing and trying to pass the time. She and the girls were out of university for 3 weeks now, and they were running out of things to do.
“That’s good though because you don’t want to mature too fast. Life would be such a bore if you were serious all the time.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. But the weird thing is, I don’t feel like doing anything for my birthday. I just wanna stay home,” Isabelle sighed.
“I know what you mean. I mean I’m still exhausted from those exams,” Cassandra laughed.
“No kidding,” Isabelle agreed honestly. “So what’s new with you?”
“What are you talking about? You sound like you haven’t seen me in ages. Need I remind you that we just went shopping yesterday?” Cassandra remarked sarcastically. “But to answer your question, I’m just catching up on all my soaps.”
“Why do you even bother with that garbage? The basic steps of a soap is, fall in love with a guy, sleep with his best friend, have a kid and claim that it’s your husband’s child, divorce the man and take all of his money, then the cycle continues again,” Isabelle dictated while flipping through the channels avoiding any soap opera.
“Yeah, well that’s easy for you to say. You’ve got all the excitement in your life. You’re the one with the pop star boyfriend while my life is filled with boredom.”
“Well, to be honest, my life isn’t as exciting as it may seem. I mean the last time I actually saw Mark was on Valentine’s Day. This is harder than I- oh hold on a second, Cassey. I’ve got another line.”
“Okay,” Cassandra agreed as she waited patiently for her friend to return to their conversation.
“Hello?” Isabelle answered the call.
“Hey Birthday Girl!” Mark’s cheerful voice greeted her.
“Mark! Speak of the devil!” Isabelle exclaimed excitedly. “Oh can you wait one minute. I’ve got Cassey on the other line.”
“All right.”
“Hey Cassey? Sorry to do this to you, but it’s Mark. I’ll call you back later.”
“Oh sure. Ditch the girlfriend for the boyfriend,” Cassandra teased with full sarcasm in her voice. “I just have one thing to say to you…‘I rest my case!’”
“Thanks Cassey. I knew you’d understand,” Isabelle said.
“Yeah whatever. Call me later. I want the full 411!”
“Goodbye Cassey,” Isabelle said with a bit of annoyance and then returned to her conversation with Mark.
“I’m back!” Isabelle announced with a sigh.
“Good! I missed you,” Mark replied.
“Aww Mark! I missed you too! I still do.”
“Don’t worry love, I’ll see you soon. I just called to tell you one thing…” but Mark didn’t finish his sentence.
“And what would that one thing be?” Isabelle asked as she smiled to herself on the couch.
“I wanted to say-”
“Hold on a second Mark,” Isabelle interrupted him in a provoked tone. “Someone’s at the door,” she explained to him as she walked over to the door with the phone still in her hands and opened it.
“Happy Birthday Belle!” Mark exclaimed as he stood on her front porch with his cell phone to his ear and a teddy bear and bouquet of tulips (Isabelle’s favourite flowers) in his hand. Isabelle was absolutely shocked. She couldn’t believe he was at her doorstep after 4 months-especially without notice. She was so surprised she dropped the phone and just jumped into Mark’s arms and gave him a huge hug.
“Oh my God, Mark! You’re such a freak y’know that?” she said as she was overwhelmed with his presence.
“Gee thanks, Belle,” he laughed while still hugging her and giving her a long kiss after so long.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I never expected you to be at the door. This is the best birthday present ever!”
“Oh, so I guess you don’t want my gifts then.”
“Don’t even think about it, Marky! Flowers and teddies are welcome anytime. Speaking of welcome, come on in, unless you want to stay out here and continue talking on the phone.”
“I’d rather go in,” he said handing the gifts over to Isabelle and entering the house.
“So why didn’t you warn me that you were coming? I would have at least dressed up for you. I look like a bum in these clothes,” Isabelle said closing the door behind her and picking the phone up.
“Because I wanted to see your reaction. And you already look beautiful-you’re a beautiful bum,” Mark flattered Isabelle while walking over to her and giving her another kiss. Mark had Isabelle up against the door and he was taking his time kissing her. After about a minute, Isabelle finally gave Mark a light push and pulled away.
“You really did miss me didn’t you?” Isabelle asked with a smile.
“You have to question that?” Mark replied leaning in for another kiss; however, Isabelle stopped him. She didn’t bother to answer his question but decided to ask him one of her own.
“So where are the others? I thought you guys go everywhere together,” she questioned with a wink and sat down on the couch.
“Oh, they’re in Ireland. We have a break for 2 weeks then it’s off on promos again. I decided I’d come see you first,” he said expecting Isabelle to be proud of him as he followed her to the couch.
“Mark, you’re such a sweetheart,” she complimented snuggling up to him.
“Really? Well I guess you make it come naturally for me,” he replied pulling Isabelle in close to him. Isabelle didn’t reply but nodded her head in response. “So what do you have planned for tonight? Are you throwing a big birthday bash like Monique?”
“Actually, I’m not. I don’t have anything planned- and that’s how I want it, really,” Isabelle confessed to Mark. He was just sitting there listening to her while fiddling with her hair.
“Really? You don’t want to do anything for your birthday? Not even though I’m here?” Mark questioned slyly. Isabelle lifted her head from Mark’s shoulder and gave him a look while raising an eyebrow.
“And exactly what is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh nothing. It’s just that I already made plans,” he said in a casual tone as if it didn’t matter a bit.
“Oh really?” she said curiously. “Well do tell. I’d really like to know.”
“I knew you’d want to know,” he laughed. “Well since it’s been about four months since I last saw you, I thought we would go out to dinner. Y’know, celebrate your birthday and our 6 month anniversary is coming up,” he said while Isabelle listened with gleams in her eyes. When Mark finished explaining, Isabelle took his head in her hands and gave him a huge kiss (kinda like what Kian did to her a while back! *hehe*)
“Wow! What was that for?” he asked touching his lips.
“You remembered our anniversary. And besides, I felt like it. Got a problem?” she asked failing to keep a straight face.
“No ma’am. No problem!” he laughed along with her.
“Good. Glad you see it my way. Now, where are we going for dinner? Hope it’s not too fancy because it’ll take me forever to look for a dress,” she admitted.
“Well, sorry to break it to you, love, but it’s pretty fancy. You deserve a fancy place sweetheart. Have you heard of a place called ‘Jardin D’amour?’”
“Please tell me you’re jokin’!” she blurted out wide-eyed. “We’re going there? I’ve only been there in my dreams, Mark!”
“Well that’s where were going tonight. We’ll have a wonderful view of Niagara Falls from our table.”
“Oh my God! What am I going to wear? I don’t have anything ‘that’ fancy.” Mark couldn’t help but laugh at his girlfriend freak out over what to wear. She was never like this about clothes, but a fancy place like this got her freaking out. “Okay. I’m gonna call Cassey. She’ll probably have something,” Isabelle was talking to herself now.
She quickly ran to the phone and filled her friend in on the last half an hour. Both girls on both ends pf the phone were squealing with excitement like little schoolgirls. While Isabelle conversed with her friend, Mark sat on the couch watching her joyful face. He just thought how beautiful she was when she smiled and how he was going to make the night one she would always remember.

~~ Chapter 29 ~~

“Jess! Have you seen my Gucci purse?” Isabelle yelled from her room to her sister’s room.
“Yeah, check under your bed!” she yelled back. Isabelle heard her sister’s reply and didn’t remember putting it there, but checked anyway.
“How’d you know it was there?” Isabelle asked her sister as she walked into her room.
“Because that’s where I put it after I stole it from you a month ago,” she replied while cracking up.
“Haha! Very funny. Anyway, how do I look?” she asked while modeling the dress she borrowed from Cassandra for her sister.
“Do you really want me to answer?” she teased her older sister. Isabelle shot a look at her sister out of aggravation that could have killed her. “Okay, okay! You look good. Mark is gonna freak!” Isabelle looked at her sister when she said that and thought how Monique had said the exact same thing 6 months ago. This time Isabelle was wearing a short black dress with spaghetti straps and a straight cut neckline. The dress was short that it didn’t even reach her knees, but it wasn’t a ‘disrespectful’ dress either. Her hair was in a loose French twist and she had no jewelry on except earrings and a diamond watch.
“Thanks. Now all I gotta do is go down and see Mark. Is he ready and waiting?” she asked.
“Yeah. He just went down 5 minutes ago. I saw him leaving the spare room. You’re gonna make mom cry when she sees you guys together,” Jessica confronted.
“I know. But she’ll be crying happy tears so that’s okay. Now get outta my way. I got a man waiting downstairs,” Isabelle joked around with her sister. Jessica moved without a word and let Isabelle through. Isabelle checked herself one last time in the mirror in the hallway, then headed down the stairs. Isabelle slowly came down and stopped halfway down the stairs to find Mark on the couch watching TV. His back was to her so he didn’t even notice she was there. Isabelle cleared her throat to hint to him that she was there. Mark quickly turned around and looked at her completely astonished.
“Whoa! Belle, you look absolutely…stunning,” he managed to say.
“Thank you,” she said blushing like a cherry. “You look amazing, Mark.” Mark was wearing a blue button down shirt with black dress pants and a black suit jacket. He looked…‘bless!’
“Thank you love. But nothing can compare to you.” Isabelle didn’t respond, but blushed as she came down the last few steps. Mark was waiting at the end of the stairwell and took Isabelle’s arm as she reached him. “Shall we go now? Our reservations are for 7:00.”
“Yes. Let me just get my jacket and we can go.”
“All right,” Mark agreed as Isabelle walked over to the closet.
“Mom, we’re going,” she called to her mom who was in the kitchen.
“Okay. Have fun love birds,” she yelled back causing Mark and Isabelle to laugh at the ‘love birds part.’
“Guess we can go now,” Isabelle said as she opened the door. The two of them headed out the door for a peaceful evening of dinner and dancing that neither of them would forget.

~~Chapter30 ~~

“This is so beautiful!” Isabelle exclaimed to Mark as he tucked in her chair while she sat down.
“Isn’t it? I knew you’d like it. They have one like this in France and that’s when I thought I’d bring you here.”
“France eh? It must be a dream come true for you travelling the world and all.”
“It is. But it also gets tiring…and lonely.”
“Lonely? Well that’s odd. But I get lonely without you. I mean I don’t even see you in magazines, posters, or music videos over here. It’s like you’ve got a totally different lifestyle overseas.”
“Well, I do. But I think I like this one better,” he said as he held Isabelle’s hand from across the table. Isabelle looked at him and smiled.
“So what else have you been up to in the last four months?” she asked trying to make conversation.
“Just missing you like crazy,” he replied looking her in the eyes.
“I’ve missed you too, and the other guys too,” she confessed with a giggle.
“Well, they’re fine. I think Kian misses you too,” Mark teased her with a wink. Isabelle couldn’t help but laugh at that comment. Finally, they ordered their food and had a wonderful dinner. They talked and laughed all night enjoying each other’s company. While they were in the midst of talking, the song Mark had asked the restaurant manager to play came on. “Isabelle, may I have the honour of dancing with you?”
“Yes you may.”
“Thank you,” he said as he kissed her hand. “And Belle, listen carefully to the words,” he whispered in her ear.
The two of them got up and started to sway back and forth slowly to the music. The song made Isabelle cry because of the words.

Across the miles,
It’s funny to me
How far you are but how
Near you seem to be
I could talk all night
Just to hear you breathe
I could spend my life
Just living this dream
You’re all I’ll ever need
You give me strength
You give me hope
You give me someone
To love
Someone to hold
When I’m in your arms
I need you to know
I’ve never been,
Never been this close

With all the loves
I used to know
I kept my distance,
I never let go
But in your arms I
Know I’m safe
‘Cause I’ve never been
Held and I’ve never
Been kissed in this way
You’re all I’ll ever need,
You’re all I’ll ever need

You give me strength
You give me hope
You give me someone
To love
Someone to hold
When I’m in your arms
I need you to know
I’ve never been,
Never been this close

Close enough to see it’s true
Close enough to trust in you
Closer now than any words can
Say
Yeah

And when, when I’m in your
Arms, I need you to know
I’ve never been, never been
This close

You give me strength
(You give me strength)
You give me hope
(You give me hope)
You give me (oh) someone
To love
Someone to hold
When I’m in your arms
I need you to know
(Oh no I said)
I’ve never been,
Never been this close

When the song was over, the two returned to their seats and Isabelle wiped the tears away from her eyes.
“Please don’t cry Belle,” Mark said quietly taking her hands again.
“I can’t help it. Being with you is like a dream come true.” Mark smiled at the words that came out of Isabelle’s mouth. He was thinking about presenting her with her actual birthday present he had for her. Without thinking any further, he pulled out a long box from his suit pocket and placed it on the table. Isabelle was caught by surprise and said nothing.
“Happy birthday Isabelle.”
“Oh my…Mark you didn’t have to do this,” she said without even opening the gift.
“I didn’t have to, but I wanted to,” he said. Isabelle looked at him and shook her head in disbelief. She finally opened the box and gasped.
“Oh Mark! It’s gorgeous,” she remarked as she pulled out the diamond necklace from the box. It was a white-gold chain with a diamond pendant. “I can’t except this. It’s way too much.”
“You have to Belle. I got it made just for you,” he said looking a bit disappointed. Isabelle saw the expression on Mark’s face and she thought it was extremely charming of him to do this. She sat there hesitantly and then spoke up,
“Mark, it’s beautiful. Thank you.” She then leaned forward in her seat and gave Mark a long, warm kiss that caused all the other diners to applaud. The kiss startled Mark a bit. He had never been kissed like that before.
“Baby, I’ll run back to the jewelry store to get you another one if you promise to kiss me like that again.” Isabelle couldn’t help but give Mark a warm smile and blush.
“All you have to do is ask,” she replied wittedly as she rubbed her nose against his. They kissed again and the surrounding people ‘awwed’ once again. Once they pulled away, Mark got up and placed the necklace on Isabelle, then sat back down looking at how dazzling she looked.
“There. Now it’s perfect,” he said with a smile.
“Mark, I am never going to forget this night for as long as I live.”
“Good. That was the plan,” he laughed.
“Here’s to an unforgettable birthday and to the most loving boyfriend in the world,” Isabelle toasted while raising her wineglass. Mark was surprised about the boyfriend thing and was left speechless.
“Cheers,” he said as he touched his glass with Isabelle’s glass. The both of them sat there and continued enjoying the night when the topic of family popped up. “Isabelle, I don’t want to be so blunt but how would you like to come to Ireland with me? Now before you snap at me like last time I just want you to know it’s not forever. I just mean since you’re on vacation and you haven’t met my family yet, you would maybe like to come along.”
“Mark, I’d love that. I could catch up with the guys as well,” she agreed on the spot without even having to think twice. “Besides, I’ve never been to the ‘Emerald Isle’ before.”
“So you’ll come?” Mark asked happily.
“Of course. But, um…when do we leave?” she asked curiously.
“Well, we could leave as early as tomorrow. I can get Anto to send down the plane,” Mark said proudly at the thought of having a private plane.
“Tomorrow sounds great. We better get going then if I’m to pack my things. Oh I’m so excited.”
“This is going to be a blast. Belle, you always know how to make me the happiest man alive,” he said giving her hand a kiss again.
“You’re adorable, y’know that?” she laughed looking him in the eyes.
“Yeah, I know. You keep reminding me,” Mark replied. “I guess we should go now,” he proposed.
“All right. Let’s go Mr. Feehily.”
“Let’s Miss LaRose,” he said as the two got up and left the restaurant.

~~ Chapter 31~~

“You’ll never guess where I am right now!” Isabelle exclaimed into the phone. “I’m still having a hard time believing it.”
“Well? Where are you?” Monique screeched impatiently at the other end.
“I’m on a plane on my way to Ireland…….with Mark!”
“WHAT?!?!? Please tell me you’re jokin’.”
“I would if I was! Mark’s right here too,” Isabelle said as she put the phone by Mark and he yelled ‘Hello’ into it.
“What are you doing going to Ireland without me?” she laughed as the phone was returned to Isabelle.
“Well it was a last minute thing, really. I can’t believe I’m in a private plane on my way to Europe!”
“I know. You’re such a spoiled brat!” Monique teased.
“I love you too,” Isabelle replied laughing.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But what do your parents say about this?” Monique asked turning a bit serious.
“Well firstly, they love Mark-well my mom anyway. And secondly, they said all that ‘parent stuff.’ My mom just said that I should be careful and that I shouldn’t rush myself into anything. You know how worried my mom gets. But other than that, she’s cool with it. Besides, it’s just for a week or two. Anyway, I gotta go now. I’ll give you all the details when I get back.”
“All right. Well have fun and take care. Oh! And give your lover boy and the others my regards.”
“Lover boy?” Isabelle laughed as she looked over at Mark. “Okay, I will. Talk to you soon, bye.”
“Buh bye,” Monique said hanging up the phone.
“Well, she freaked out on me, I wish I could have brought the others along. Oh well! I’ve got you and that’s more than enough,” Isabelle said resting her head on Mark’s shoulder.
“And I’ve got you, babe. I’m sorry we couldn’t bring the others as well. It’s just that I want to spend time with you alone,” he replied taking her hand.
“Mark, I’m so excited! I haven’t seen the guys since the airport, and now I get to meet your family. I hope they like me,” she mumbled the last bit very faintly. Unfortunately it wasn’t quiet enough and Mark heard her.
“Of course they’ll like you-they’ll love you. Besides my mum gets so teary-eyed when I talk about you,” he comforted. “It’ll be fine.”
“You talk to your mother about me?” Isabelle questioned lifting her head and giving Mark a questioning look.
“All the time,” he laughed.
“That’s so adorable,” she squealed pinching his nose. Mark couldn’t stop laughing and commented,
“My mum is going to love you- probably more than me!” But before Isabelle could answer, the pilot spoke and said that they were about to land. The two waited anxiously for the landing when they could get out of the plane and step foot on Irish land.

“Oh my God! Look! It’s Mark from Westlife!” a girl screamed out loud to her friends or sister right when she recognized him. Mark was wearing sunglasses and a cap now to disguise himself, but it obviously didn’t work. The girls and their reaction to Mark startled Isabelle who was right beside him. She was especially overwhelmed when the girls started running towards them-she had never witnessed anything like this in Canada and was experiencing it first hand within a matter of minutes of her arrival.
“Just great,” Mark mumbled to Isabelle quite annoyed. “Stay here for a second sweetheart,” he said as he hid her behind a pillar in the airport. Isabelle did as she was told because she felt Mark knew what he was doing. Luckily the fans didn’t notice her when she peeked from behind and saw Mark signing a couple autographs and taking a few pictures. He finished taking pictures with a girl and then headed back to Isabelle.
“I take it you get that a lot? You were so calm,” she said as Mark returned. “They scared the living daylights outta me.” Mark laughed at Isabelle’s remark and gave her a hug.
“Yeah, I guess we’re used to it. I think we should leave though before it gets scarier,” he said looking around if anyone else noticed. To their luck, everyone was minding their own business, which gave them the perfect chance to make their getaway.
“I won’t argue with that. I’m still shocked.”
“All right, let’s go,” Mark said as the two quickly walked out the airport, heading for Mark’s home.

~~ Chapter 32 ~~

“Mark, honey! You’re home!” Mark’s mother Marie exclaimed with joy as she saw Mark open the door to the house. “Welcome home!”
“Hey mum. How are ye?” he asked still standing by the door.
“I’m fine. Well aren’t you coming in? I’m expecting a hug.”
“Yeah. But I’ve got a surprise,” he said looking to the side. His mom just gave him a confused look and waited for him to continue. “Mum, I’d like you to meet…Isabelle,” he said bringing Isabelle into the house by the hand. Isabelle entered the house shyly and started blushing right when she stepped in. Marie was gobsmacked and placed her hand over her mouth.
“Well I’ll be!” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.
“Hello Mrs. Feehily,” Isabelle greeted timidly.
“Hello dear! It’s so lovely to finally meet you,” she said running over to her and hugging her before hugging Mark. “I’ve heard so much about you,” she said still hugging Isabelle.
“So I’ve heard,” Isabelle said easing into the environment. Marie pulled away and laughed as she gave her son a hug.
“Well come in, come in!” Marie insisted gesturing the two of them to sit down.
“Thank you,” Isabelle said picking up her bags and heading in.
“Oh, leave that dear. I’ll get Barry to take that for you,” she said heading to the stairs. “Barry! Barry, come down!” she yelled from the bottom of the stairwell.
“Oh that’s all right Mrs. Feehily. I can manage. But thank you.”
“Nonsense!” she laughed. “Barry!”
“Mum, that’s all right. I’ll take them,” Mark spoke up.
“Déjà vu,” Isabelle laughed as she remembered how she and Mark first met. Both Mark and Isabelle started to laugh, but Marie looked at them confused.
“Did I miss something?” she asked.
“Nope, nothing mum. C’mon Belle, have a seat,” Mark said leading her to the couch.
“Well, I’ll leave you two alone. I have to check up on dinner. Settle in and freshen up,” Marie said heading for the kitchen. Before she walked in she turned around and said, “Isabelle, think of this as your home away from home. Don’t feel like a stranger and make yourself comfortable sweetheart.”
“See, I told you she’d love you,” Mark said quietly. Isabelle flashed Mark a smile and looked around the house extremely fascinated at how cozy it looked.
“Yeah I guess you were right. Well maybe I should go in and see if your mother needs help,” Isabelle said getting up and walking into the kitchen before Mark could stop her.
“Oh hello dear,” Marie exclaimed surprised to see Isabelle in the kitchen.
“Hello Mrs. Feehily. Is there anything I could help you with?”
“Oh no! Not at all! You just got here, love. Here let me get you a drink,” she said heading to the refrigerator and handing Isabelle a glass of juice. “You must be exhausted from your trip, and the time difference must be odd too. I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t hungry. What time is it in Canada right now, if you don’t mind me asking?” Marie inquired trying to converse with Isabelle.
“It’s 1:12 p.m. in Canada at the moment,” Isabelle replied looking at her watch, which was still 5 hours behind Irish time.
“Ahh! That’s why you’re probably not hungry. Well tell you what, you go have a nice shower and freshen up, and then come down for dinner if you get hungry. It should be done soon. Here I’ll get Mark to take you to your room.”
“Thank you,” Isabelle said gratefully as she and Marie walked into the family room where Mark was.
“Mark honey, could you take Isabelle’s bags to your room? You can share with Barry and Colin while she’s our guest.” Mark nodded his head in response and got up to pick up Isabelle’s luggage once again. Marie was satisfied with her son’s actions so she headed back into the kitchen.
“Here Mark, I’ll take that,” Isabelle offered taking her handbag and purse from him. Mark was going to be all macho and not let her take it, but he realized he wouldn’t be able to carry it all at once, so he didn’t refuse her help. They finally got up the stairs and made it to Mark’s room. When Isabelle waked in, the first thing she noticed was the picture frame she gave him, placed on his night table next to his bed.
“I look horrible in this picture!” she laughed dropping her stuff and picking the frame up.
“No you don’t. You look adorable…like always,” Mark replied putting the bags down and walking over to Isabelle to give her a kiss. Isabelle started to blush but that didn’t stop her from making-out with her boyfriend. The two were too busy ‘snogging’ to even notice the door open.
“Mark? Uh oh! Maybe I should leave,” Colin said as he walked in and saw what Isabelle and Mark were doing. Isabelle pulled away abruptly and could feel her face burning with embarrassment.
“Colin! How are ye?” Mark asked as if nothing happened. Isabelle was amazed at how calm Mark was. It was as though he was used to it.
“I’m good. I’ve missed you,” he said giving his big brother a hug.
“Missed you too. Oh Colin, this is Isabelle. Isabelle, this is Colin,” Mark introduced the two.
“Hello Colin. Nice to meet you,” Isabelle said reaching her hand out for a handshake.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you too,” Colin said returning the handshake and giving Isabelle a fascinated stare. “I like your accent,” he said giving her a shy smile.
“Thank you. I like yours too.”
“Hey Colin, where’s Barry?” Mark asked interrupting his brother and girlfriend.
“He’s downstairs helping mum. He just went down.”
“Okay. Well Isabelle, you can take a shower and freshen up. We’ll go down for dinner as soon as you’re done. Then I’ll introduce you to Barry and my dad,” Mark suggested. Isabelle could feel butterflies in her stomach but she agreed. So after unpacking a few things and settling into her room, she headed for the washroom to do her business. After half an hour, Mark and her headed downstairs for a nice warm meal.

~~ Chapter 33 ~~

“Isabelle? Is that you?!” Nicky exclaimed as he spotted Mark and Isabelle hand-in-hand headed his way.
“Hey Nicky!” she said running to him and giving him a hug. “How are you?”
“I’m all right. I’m surprised to see you here,” he said looking at her and then giving her another hug.
“Nicholas, who’s this?” a soft female voice inquired calmly, as she approached from behind. Nicky pulled away and turned around.
“Gina, this is Isabelle. Isabelle, this is Georgina Ahern, the love of my life,” he introduced the two ladies as he wrapped his arm around Georgina’s waist while taking a couple of her bags. Georgina looked like she was enjoying herself; she had at least five bags in each hand.
“Oh, hello Isabelle. It’s nice to meet you,” Georgina said stretching her free hand out with no hint of jealousy in her voice. She was very sincere and was probably used to Nicky hugging millions of girls.
“You too,” Isabelle replied a bit intimidated by how gorgeous Georgina was.
“And hello Mark,” Georgina greeted.
“Ahh! So I’m not invisible,” he laughed. “Hello Georgina, hey Nicky.”
“Hey sham. So what brings the two of you here? You especially, Belle?”
“Well, I’ve never been to Ireland, or anywhere in Europe for that matter so Mark brought me along with him. Besides, Mark’s showing me around so we decided to come to Dublin,” Isabelle explained sneaking a few glances at Georgina. She couldn’t get over how pretty she was.
“Well it’s good you came. How do you like your stay so far?” Georgina asked.
“Well, I only got here 3 days ago but you Irish people are so welcoming. I just love your accents. Oh! There was this one man who was talking and I kept staring at his face,” Isabelle got all excited. “He kind of noticed me and winked. He was approaching me when Mark gave him a cold stare and wrapped his arms around me just for a laugh. The man turned around so fast I couldn’t help but crack up.” Isabelle started laughing really hard just explaining the incident. This got everyone laughing out loud in the middle of the street.
“Hey, do you guys wanna get some coffee? There’s a nice café right around the corner. We could catch up on our chitchat,” Nicky suggested trying to recover from laughing.
“That’s a great idea Nicky. How’s that for you, Belle?” Mark asked.
“Sounds good to me.”
“All right, let’s go,” Nicky said the final words. With that, the four headed to the café for a nice afternoon coffee break.

~~ Chapter 34 ~~

“Well how the devil are you?” Bryan exclaimed walking into Mark’s home where Isabelle, Mark, Kian, Shane, Nicky and Georgina were. Mark and Isabelle convinced Nicky and Georgina to come along to Sligo so that everyone could hang out together. Bryan walked in the door and gave Isabelle a great big hug that left her gasping for air.
“Hey Bry, don’t kill the girl,” Kian yelled out noticing how flushed Isabelle was looking. Bryan ignored Kian and sat down on the couch where everyone was. They had bowls of chips and popcorn with them along with cans of pop while playing cards and having a good time. Bryan decided to chat up with Isabelle and question her about her visit and basically catch up on the past few months. While he did so, the others went on with their game.

After about an hour and Bryan had gotten there, they decided to watch a movie. Obviously it was a gruesome horror movie which Bryan had picked up on the way over. He did that intentionally so that Isabelle could snuggle up to Mark and cling onto him at the scary parts. You could always count on good ol’ Bry for always having tricks up his sleeve!

Once the movie finished, it was very late, so Nicky, Georgina and Bryan decided to spend the night in Sligo. Nicky went over to Kian’s house while Bryan went with Shane. Georgina stayed at Mark’s and was to share a room with Isabelle.
“Come on Nicky. That’s enough snogging now,” Kian said teasingly, while pulling Nicky and Georgina apart.
“Oi Egan! Wait ‘til you get a girl. Then watch me interrupt you,” Nicky snapped. Apparently he got grouchy if anyone teased him and Georgina. “Gina, are you sure you’ll be all right here? I mean if you want me to stay with-“
“I’ll be fine Nicholas. Don’t worry sweetheart,” Georgina convinced giving him a goodnight kiss.
“Yeah Nicky, it’s not like Mark’s gonna barbecue her and eat her piece by piece just like barbecued ribs…. mmmm….ribs!” Bryan said licking his lips as he gave himself a craving for food. This had everyone in fits of laughter except Nicky. He himself was blushing from embarrassment and anger. Luckily, Georgina whispered something in his ear, which prevented him from bursting out and had him on his way with Kian. Right after Nicky and Kian left, Shane and Bryan made their exit. This left Georgina, Isabelle, and Mark to do one thing; go off to sleep. Mark had showed the girls to their room, gave Isabelle a long kiss and then went off to his new room.

During the night, Isabelle and Georgina bonded really well. They stayed up and talked about how each dealt with their boyfriend being away ever so often. They covered topics from guys to clothes in a matter of hours. They were like two high school girls at a sleepover. Isabelle felt she had made a new friend who she could trust completely. However she also thought about her friend’s back home and described each one of them to Georgina. Finally, when all the topics had been covered and they were worn out from chatting and squealing, they too dozed off to sleep.

~~ Chapter 35 ~~

“Aren’t you tired from all this shopping?” Isabelle laughed at Georgina who was carrying handfuls of bags once again. “Didn’t you and Nicky just go shopping yesterday?”
“Yeah, but a girl can never shop too much.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Isabelle said looking at Georgina in disbelief. “I can’t stand shopping! I just came so I could look around and get to know the area.” It was just the two girls out at the mall, having a blast. (Georgina was mainly doing the shopping anyway.) The guys were out preparing for a special dinner that they were going to have that evening. This was the main reason the girls were at the mall; to get new dresses for the occasion.
“Well, I’m going to have to get you into the habit now,” Georgina joked with Isabelle. “Ooooh! C’mon Belle, you are so gonna try that dress on!” Georgina squealed as she walked by a store with a gorgeous dress in the window. The girls went inside and Isabelle tried on the dress. It was a dark maroon-burgundy dress with black embroidered designs and thing straps. Isabelle fell in love with the dress on the spot and bought it right away. The two then continued on laughing and walking around in the mall.
“So, you and Mark barely get to see each other, huh? I can completely relate to that. But it must be hard on you, having to get used to life in the spotlight,” Georgina got a serious conversation going on.
“Yeah, it’s hard. But I’ve just had one encounter so far. It’s kinda hard with no pictures or interviews of the guys in Canada. But I’m learning to adapt to Mark’s crazy lifestyle,” replied Isabelle honestly and openly.
“I see. Well as long as you guys are happy, then that’s all that matters.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Sometimes I wonder how I cope with not even knowing where Mark is or what he’s up to. I know I must sound silly, but I can’t stand being away from him,” said Isabelle timidly as the girls sat down on a bench.
“Don’t worry. You don’t sound silly, and I completely understand where you’re coming from. You’ll be fine; it just takes some getting used to. But I’m sure Mark can’t stand being apart from you. Just spend each day to the fulles-,” Georgina was saying but was interrupted by her cell phone. She quickly dug through her purse and grabbed the phone. “Hello? Oh Nicholas,” she exclaimed. She mouthed and gestured ‘1 minute’ to Isabelle and walked a few steps away. Isabelle decided to get up and walk over to the little convenience booth, which was nearby. All the different magazines and all the different celebrities on the covers fascinated her. Just as she was taking one off the newsstand, her eye caught the cover of one particular magazine. It was a ‘Hello’ magazine with Mark on the cover. At first she only caught a glimpse of it, but once she took it off the stand and read the whole headline, she gasped in horror and dropped it on the ground, while covering her mouth with her hand. On the cover was a picture of Mark and……..another woman! He was caught in action giving her a kiss on the lips. The headline read:
Mark Feehily from Westlife:
His SECRET “Love Life”…EXPOSED!

Isabelle was furious, hurt and shocked at the same time. Even though she felt like she had been stabbed in the heart, she found herself picking the magazine up and turning to the instructed pages only to uncover many shots of Mark with another girl. One shot showed a kiss, while another showed him hugging her. Isabelle stared at the pages in disbelief and prayed that she was dreaming. When she realized it was reality, tears came rolling down her cheeks because she failed to keep strong. She couldn’t bear to look at the pictures any longer, so she shut the magazine and placed it back on the stand. Thoughts were racing through her mind and she came to the conclusion that all men were low scumbags and unfaithful beyond compare. She thought that she had found someone to replace her pain with love when she found Mark. He made her feel special. He made her feel loved and now…now when she felt as though she could tell him she loved him, he went and broke her heart. Unfortunately this wasn’t the first time this had happened to her. While thinking all of this, the tears kept coming and she couldn’t help herself. She felt like she was going to break down right in the middle of the mall. She tried to pull herself together but was unsuccessful. She tried again to calm down, and wiped away her tears. It’s a good thing she didn’t wear mascara everyday, or she would have been in real trouble. Once her face was dry and she felt a bit secure to go back, she made her way to Georgina, keeping a fake smile on her face. When she got back, Georgina was still on the phone; however, she hung up just as Isabelle returned.
“Sorry about that. It was just Nicky checking to see how we were doing. He’s such a sweetheart,” Georgina explained proudly causing Isabelle to feel a striking pain in her heart.
“I know. He can be really sweet,” she said quietly.
“Are you okay, Belle? You’re eyes are really red,” Georgina asked concerned. Isabelle started to panic because she didn’t want to tell Georgina what had just happened.
“Uh…yeah. I’m just a bit tired from all this shopping. I don’t think I can keep up with you. Um…if you don’t mind, would it be all right if we head back?”
“Umm….all right. I guess we can go. But are you sure you’re all right?” Georgina asked extremely concerned.
“Yes, I’m fine. Let’s just go.” So with Georgina in agreement, the two girls headed back for Mark’s house. During the car ride Isabelle sat in silence and thought about what she was going to do once she got ‘home.’

~~ Chapter 36 ~~

“Mum? Have you seen Isabelle?” Mark asked completely worried, as he ran around the house looking for her. “I can’t find her anywhere.”
“I saw her and Georgina get back about 4 hours ago. We sat and had tea together. But she looked awfully disturbed to me. She might have had something on her mind,” Marie replied from her room.
“Maybe she’s still with Georgina. Do you know where she is?”
“She said she was going over to Kian’s house because Nicky was back. She asked Belle to go along but she said she was a bit tired. Poor thing, she hasn’t adjusted to the time difference yet.”
“But then where’s Isabelle?” Mark said walking into his mom’s room.
“Maybe she decided to go with Georgina after all. I’m sure she’s fine. Don’t worry honey. Here, sit down and just be patient.”
“Mum, this isn’t like Isabelle; she doesn’t just go off somewhere without telling anyone,” Mark confronted his mother and thought of ways in which he could contact her. He paced back and forth and then came up with an idea “I know. I’ll try calling her mobile,” Mark proposed quickly dialing the number. Just as he finished, he expected Isabelle to pick up the phone and tell him where she was. To his surprise, instead of hearing the ring in the phone, he heard it somewhere in the house. He kept letting it ring so that he could follow it and locate the phone. He didn’t have to travel far because he discovered where the phone was- in his room (where Isabelle was staying.) Mark now was really anxiety-ridden for the well being of his ‘girlfriend,’ and started to panic. Just as he was about to pick up the phone, he noticed that next to it was something shiny. Something that looked really familiar. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he realized what it was. His jaw dropped at the sight of the necklace he had given Isabelle on her birthday. It was lying next to her phone out in the open as if Isabelle didn’t care if it got lost. Maybe that was the idea! Mark looked around the room and noticed all her luggage was gone. He immediately grabbed the phone and the necklace, put them in his pocket, ran downstairs, grabbing his coat and headed out the door!

~~ Chapter 37 ~~

Isabelle found herself standing in front of Monique’s house as the cab drove away. Her eyes were red and stinging with tears and her hair was soaking from the rain. She didn’t know what to do or why she was there. All she knew was that she didn’t want to go home. She stood there staring at the house, not thinking anything and not feeling anything but heartbroken, cold, and wet. Without making a definite decision, she picked up her luggage off the pavement and walked up to the door. She hesitated before knocking but then did it anyway. While waiting for someone to open the door, the rain from her hair kept dripping down her face and making her eyes water even more, but she didn’t care. Finally, she could hear footsteps on the other side of the door as the person came closer. Monique opened the door and was shocked by what she saw.
“Isabelle! What are you- Oh my God, look at you! You’re soaking wet!” she exclaimed, but before she could say another word, Isabelle immediately broke apart and fell into her friends arms.
“I hate him! I hate him!” she sobbed, holding onto her friend. Monique was absolutely confused but she was still comforting.
“Shhh…It’s okay,” she said quietly and caressed Isabelle’s back. “Here, come in and get warm, then tell me all about it,” she continued as she pulled away from Isabelle’s tight grip. Isabelle wiped away her tears and agreed. Monique helped her with her bags and they both went inside. While Isabelle went to change into warm clothes, Monique made them tea. When Isabelle came back, she was still shivering and her eyes looked completely puffed from crying.
“Here Belle drink this,” Monique said handing over her tea and leading her to the couch. “Okay, now do you want to tell me what happened?” she asked hesitantly, being sensitive of her friend’s feelings. Isabelle stayed silent and didn’t answer. “It’s Mark, isn’t it?”
Monique asked. Isabelle began to cry at the sound of Mark’s name and then started, her voice completely shaking.
“I never want to see his bloody face again!” she cried without thinking. “He’s a cheating fool! I should have suspected something was going on when he wouldn’t call. I hate him!”
“Isabelle, do you think maybe you’re over reacting a bit? I mean, did you talk to him about this?” Monique asked calmly, wrapping her arms around Isabelle and pulling her in for another hug.
“No. I don’t want anything to do with him anymore. Why do I have the worst taste in men, Monique?” she replied pulling away, burying her face in her hands and continuing to cry.
“I can’t answer that, but maybe you should talk to him. At least give him a chance to explain.” Isabelle was furious and looked up at Monique with a vile look.
“Why would I do that? It was totally obvious he was cheating-he was snogging another girl! Whose side are you on anyway?” Isabelle snapped.
“I’m on no one’s side. I just think this is a big misunderstanding. Mark would never hurt you. I just don’t know how he let you come back without explaining anything.”
“He doesn’t know I left- I didn’t tell him. He’ll find out soon enough. Besides, I left my-his cell phone there and the necklace he gave me. I don’t want anything from him.” This left Monique thinking how stubborn Isabelle was acting.
“Okay, Isabelle…you know I love you, but I’m saying this to you because I think it’s best. I think you should rest a bit- you can stay here if you want, but just rest because you’re talking crazy! After you get your head straight, call Mark and talk to him. Hear what he has to say. Just do that okay?” Monique finished expecting Isabelle to agree. But Isabelle remained silent and cried to herself.
“Monique, I’ll rest, but I’m not talking to him.”
“Okay, but just give him a chance later to explain,” she comforted Isabelle by giving her another hug. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
“I hope you’re right,” Isabelle said under her breath while letting the tears fall. “I think I’ll go home now.”
“All right. And just call me if you wanna talk again.”
“I will,” she replied grabbing a tissue and wiping her tears.
“Okay. I’ll drive you home.”
“I owe you big time. I just wish I never fell for Mark,” she said standing up and grabbing her bags.
Monique looked at Isabelle and shook her head in disagreement. Then with Isabelle smiling (on the outside) the girls headed for her home.

~~ Chapter 38 ~~

“Isabelle honey, do you wanna come down for dinner?” her mother asked walking into her daughter’s room only to find her on her bed crying and clutching onto a pillow.
“No, I’m not hungry,” she replied sobbing.
“C’mon sweetie, this isn’t healthy. You haven’t eaten anything since Monique brought you over,” she said sitting on Isabelle’s bed and stroking her hair in a motherly fashion. “C’mon, go wash your face and come down. At least have a drink or something,” her mom continued. Isabelle told her mom everything that had happened, and her mother was being as soothing as possible.
“I’ll just have a drink, but I’m really not hungry,” she gave in drying her face with her hands.
“That’s my girl. But just refresh yourself. I don’t want to be the one to break it to you…but you’re not that good looking when you’re crying,” her mother teased her causing Isabelle to spare a few laughs. Isabelle threw her pillow at her mom’s face jokingly and then headed for the bathroom. A few minutes later, she returned and the two of them headed downstairs, while her mom continued to make her laugh and smile.

Just as Isabelle got closer to the bottom of the stairs, her eye caught something and she froze on the spot while her mom made her way to the bottom.
“Isabelle love, can we talk?” asked Mark with desperate eyes waiting at the bottom holding a long stemmed rose in his hands.
“Mom, what’s he doing here?!” Isabelle shrieked in shock and anger while looking at her mom for an explanation. She was emotionally confused and her eyes became teary once again. Mark felt deeply hurt after hearing this and just looked to the ground.
“Honey, I know you told me you didn’t want to see Mark again, but look, he came all this was just to talk to you. I knew you wouldn’t come down at all if I told you he was here,” her mother clarified placing her hand on Mark’s back for comfort. Isabelle was speechless and just stood there ready to burst into tears.
“Sweetheart, can we please go and talk somewhere?” Mark questioned again finding the courage to say something. Isabelle now looked to the ground, closed her eyes and let the tears just flow down her cheeks. When she looked up, and caught Mark’s eye, his heart felt a huge burden at the sight of her crying with so much pain in her eyes. He took a step closer to her, but as he did that Isabelle took a step backing away from him.
“I don’t want to talk. There’s nothing left to say,” she managed to say softly, her lips trembling. She then turned around to go back up. As she did that, Mark looked at Isabelle’s mother with a helpless look and then ran up to Isabelle quickly, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around. He immediately pulled her into a tight embrace and let her cry on his shoulder. Isabelle felt so warm and safe in his arms, but she still felt cheated. She slowly pulled away and shook her head while looking Mark in the eyes. He felt a hole in his heart grow and he let go of her. She then started up the stairs again and Mark dropped the rose watching her leave. Isabelle’s mother couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up,
“Isabelle, stop. Give Mark a chance. Here, I’m going into the kitchen so you two can talk in private. I’m trusting you to do the right thing.” Isabelle stopped and looked at her mother. She then took a deep sigh and turned around to face Mark. Mark who was standing there was astonished and busy holding back his own tears. Without a word Isabelle picked up the rose, took Mark’s hand in hers and led him up to her room so that they could talk.

Isabelle held her door open and let Mark in first. He walked to one end of her room while she closed the door. He was looking at her while she stood there with her back to him even though she had closed the door. There was a short silence where Isabelle delicately touched the petals of the rose and Mark thought of what he was going to say.
“Isabelle…” he started. As Isabelle heard this she closed her eyes and slowly turned around. “Love, we really need to talk.”
“So talk” she replied quietly finally looking him in the eyes.
“Easier said than done,” he remarked just as quietly. “Well you’re gonna have to help,” he said taking a step closer to her. This time she didn’t move; she just looked at him and tried to keep strong. “Isabelle…what happened? Why did you just leave?” Isabelle stayed silent and remembered what she went through at the mall.
“Mark, how can you act as if nothing happened? If you wanted to break up with me, you should have done it!” she yelled at him.
“Isabelle? Where’s all this coming from? I never wanted to break up with you. I care about you too much to do that!” Mark rebottled taking another step towards her.
“Don’t lie to me Mark! I hate lies and I hate liars!….I saw the pictures! I read the headline! Why did you even bother to come after me if you wanted that……that…” but she couldn’t finish her sentence. She began crying helplessly and fell to her knees. Mark ran to her and held her in his arms again stroking her hair and caressing her back. He then pulled away and held her face in his hands and began tenderly,
“What pictures? What headline?” he said looking her in her eyes.
“You know, the ones in that stupid magazine…that ‘Hello’ or whatever magazine. I saw pictures of you kissing another woman. Do you know how much that hurts?” she posed calming down a bit. Mark didn’t reply and realized what Isabelle was talking about. He looked away and looked to the ground in a body language that said ‘I’m guilty.’ “See…I was right! I knew she was your girlfriend. Why Mark? Why?!” Isabelle demanded an answer. Mark still didn’t answer and couldn’t even look at Isabelle in her eyes anymore. “Mark…you wanted to talk, so talk to me,” Isabelle urged holding Mark’s head and making him face her. He closed his eyes, sighed and then began,
“You’re right, that woman was my girlfriend,” he confessed. Isabelle closed her eyes and cried again. Out of all the times to be right, why now? She let go of Mark and stood up. She turned to walk away but Mark grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “Isabelle, listen to me.” Isabelle turned around and looked at Mark, who was still kneeling down. “I said she was my girlfriend. She isn’t anymore and hasn’t been for the past year. Do you know why?” Isabelle just looked at him and shook her head. “Because you’re my girlfriend. You’re the one who’s been on my mind for the past 6 months. You’re the one who’s picture I kiss every night before I go to sleep. You’re the one who fills that hole in my heart and makes me feel complete. You Isabelle LaRose…you,” Mark finished. Isabelle was completely emotional and didn’t know what type of tears she was crying anymore. She had her mouth covered with her other hand and was just absorbing everything into her head.
“But why is it in the papers now?” she choked up to ask.
“I don’t know. But I broke up with her when I became a part of Westlife and she was upset. It didn’t work out between us; we grew apart and then I was always away with the band. She probably sold her pictures of us to the press to get revenge on me. What was going through her mind, I don’t know. But Isabelle, I swear to you, it’s you who I care deeply about. Here, listen to me: I'm never gonna say goodbye, cuz I never wanna see you cry, I swore to you my love would remain, and I swear it all over again and I, I’m never gonna treat you bad, cuz I never wanna see you sad, I swore to share your joy and your pain, and I swear it all over again,” he ended with a kiss on her hand.
“I…I believe you,” she confessed still holding his hand. “But let me ask you one thing. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“As ironic as this may sound, I didn’t want you to think I was cheating on you. But I guess you’re not used to all the rubbish in the tabloids. Besides I didn’t think you would believe it even if you read it.” Mark explained lovingly and honestly. Isabelle stayed silent as everything fell into place and made sense. She felt completely embarrassed and ashamed.
“Mark, I’m…….sorry for not giving you a chance to explain. Can you forgive me?” Mark didn’t say a word; he just stood up, cupped Isabelle’s face in his hands and kissed her with a heart full of compassion. It was a steamy, long, romantic kiss that left the both of them yearning for more.
“I already did,” he said slyly while pulling away. “And I promise I will tell you everything from now on.”
“You’re amazing,” she said wiping away her tears and shaking her head.
“Amazing kisser or just amazing?” he questioned with a wink.
“Both!” Isabelle replied and leaned in for another one of her boyfriend’s amazing kisses. The two of them stood in the middle of her room making out and showing each other their love for one another.

After a couple minutes of snogging, Isabelle pulled away and looked for a vase to put the rose in. In the mean time, Mark took a seat on her bed and watched her place the flower next to the poem he had given her at the airport 6 months ago. After she put the flower away, Isabelle crawled onto her bed and laid her head on Mark’s lap as he sat there and stroked her hair. Isabelle looked up at Mark and gave him a warm smile; Mark returned her smile with a kiss on her lips. She then closed her eyes and just as she did that, Mark kissed both of her eyes and began to sing lightly to the love of his life (only he hadn’t told her yet!)

I’ll be loving you forever,
Deep inside my heart you'll leave me never,
Even if you took my heart,
And tore it apart,
I would love you still, forever,

You are the sun,
You are my light,
And you’re the last thing on my mind,
Before I go to sleep at night,
You’re always round,
When I’m in need,
When trouble's on my mind,
You put my soul at ease,

There is no one in this world,
Who can love me like you do,
That is the reason that I,
Wanna spend forever with you,

I’ll be loving you forever,
Deep inside my heart you leave me never,
Even if you took my heart,
And tore it apart,
I would love you still, forever,

We’ve had our fun,
We’ve made mistakes,
But who’d have guessed along that road,
We’d learn to give and take,
It’s so much more than I could have dreamed,
Cause you make loving you, so easy for me,

There is no one in this world,
Who can love me like you do,
That is the reason that I,
Wanna spend forever with you,

I’ll be loving you forever,
Deep inside my heart you leave me never,
Even if you took my heart,
And tore it apart,
I would love you still, forever,

And girl I pray you leave me, never,

Cause this is the world, where lovers often go astray,
But if we love each other, we won’t go that way,
So put your doubts aside,
Do what it takes to make it right,
I love you, forever, no-one can tear us apart,

I’ll be loving you forever, (forever)
Deep inside my heart you leave me never,
Even if you took my heart, (took my heart girl)
And tore it apart, (you tore it apart now)
I would love you still, forever,
And I’ll be loving you forever, (forever)
Deep inside my heart you leave me never,
Even if you took my heart, (you took my heart girl)
And tore it apart, (you tore it apart now)
I would love you still, forever,
I’ll be loving you forever,
Deep inside my heart you leave me never,
Even if you took my heart,
And tore it apart,
I would love you still, forever,

After he was done, he saw that Isabelle had fallen sound asleep with a beautiful smile across her peaceful face. He gave her a goodnight kiss and then turned off the little light on her night table. The two of them slept through the night with Isabelle’s head on Mark’s lap and Mark’s hand running through her hair.

~~ Chapter 39 ~~

“I can’t believe he came after you. Belle, that’s so romantic!…I mean if you ever walked out on me like that I would come after you to murder you, but never to make up with you!” Angelina laughed as she sat on the floor next to Isabelle’s bed. “And the song he sang to you…bless him! I wish I had a boyfriend like him!”
“Angie, you wish you had a boyfriend!” Yasmine blurted out causing everyone to laugh, including Angelina. You see, it had been just a little over a week since the mishap incident, and after spending a week in Canada, Mark had gone home. Now that he had returned, the girls all gathered at Isabelle’s house for a sleep over, which they hadn’t had since high school. They were all in a perky and laughing mood, and you could tell by the beaming expressions on all of their faces.
“So Isabelle, you find out if Marky boy has any brothers?….hint hint!” Cassandra asked teasingly as she nudged Isabelle’s elbow.
“Actually, he does, but they’re not your type!” Isabelle laughed.
“What d’ya mean?”
“Let’s just say you and I are old enough to be their older sisters.”
“Ahhhhh! I get it. Too bad the good ones are always taken,” Cassandra sighed.
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Monique finally spoke up in a dazed expression. All of the girls turned their heads towards her, and gave her blank stares.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Angelina asked. “You already have a man! Does the name Richard ring a bell?”
“Yeah I know. But I was feeling ignored so I just said something to be involved with the conversation,” she replied really embarrassed.
“Oh…I get it….I think,” Cassandra said giving Monique a look like she was from Mars or something.
“I think we can get you some help. You just hang in there,” Yasmine replied sarcastically while patting Monique on the back. Monique shot Yasmine a look that said 'drop dead moron!' and then laughed.
“So when are you gonna see him next?” questioned Monique starting a new conversation, as she lay next to Isabelle on her bed.
“Ummmm…I don’t know to tell you the truth. But I have a feeling it’s not gonna happen for a looong time- unless he decides to drop me a surprise visit again,” she replied, which almost convinced the other girls that she was getting used to Mark’s absences. Monique seemed satisfied with the answer and just stared off into space. This meant she was thinking about Richard. He was apparently off on a trip to the states with a couple of friends. He had asked Monique to go along with him, but she had to cancel last minute because she wanted to be there for Isabelle just in case things got worse. Then there was a silence. This was rare with the girls because they were always giddy and hyper. However, this silence occurred because each one of them was in their own world. Finally Yasmine realized this and asked for some music. This time Cassandra popped in a CD and the song that came on got Isabelle blushing. Monique noticed this and handed Isabelle a hairbrush. Then together, they stood up and started to sing to ‘I think I’m In Love’ by Jessica Simpson, using the brush as their microphone. The other girls were rolling on the floor or bed laughing themselves silly, but then they all joined in and were jumping around and singing the song.

Yeah, yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah..
Yeah yeah Ohhhhh

Everytime you're near baby
I get kinda crazy in my head for you
I don't know what to do
And oh baby
I get kinda shaky when they mention you
I just lose my cool
My friends tell me
Somethin has come over me
And I think I know what it is
I think I'm in love

Boy I think that I'm in love with you
I've been doin silly things when it comes to you
In love, boy I think that I'm in love with you
I've been tellin all my friends what I feel for you
Just the other night baby, I saw you hangin
You were with your crew
I was with mine too
You took me by surprise
When you turn and look me in my eyes
Boy you really blow my mind
I don't know what's gotten into me
But, I think I know what it is
I think I'm in love

Boy I think that I'm in love with you
I've been doin silly things when it comes to you
In love, boy I think that I'm in love with you
I've been tellin all my friends what I feel for you

Boy I think that I'm in love with you
I've been doin silly things when it comes to you
In love, boy I think that I'm in love with you
I've been tellin all my friends what I feel for you

Somethin strange has come over me
Got me goin out of my mind
Never met a guy like you before
You make me feel special inside
I think I'm in love
Boy I think that I'm in love with you
I've been doin silly things when it comes to you
Boy I think I'm in love with you
I've been tellin all my friends what I feel for you
Boy I think that I'm in love with you
I've been doin silly things when it comes to you
Boy I think I'm in love with you
I've been tellin all my friends what I feel for you
Boy I think that I'm in love with you
I've been doin silly things when it comes to you
Boy I think I'm in love with you
I've been tellin all my friends what I feel for you

When the song ended the girls dropped onto the bed laughing and out of breath from all that jumping around. After a few seconds, they all calmed down a tad bit and started to chat again.
“So Belle, do you think you’re in love with Mark?” Cassandra posed ever so bluntly, catching everyone by surprise. Isabelle’s eyes were wide open and all of her friends were now looking at her for an answer. She then looked down and felt herself turning tepid. She stayed silent for a couple seconds and looked over to the picture on her night table. She thought to herself and kept playing the question over and over in her head. She the slowly looked up and looked at the faces of all her friends who were still watching her. Then a shy grin spread across her face and she slyly nodded, causing all of her friends to cheer.
“I love him!” she laughed feeling warm and bubbly inside after realizing what she had just said. “I really love him!” she repeated. This time she found herself being attacked by pillows being thrown at her head by her friends out of happiness.
“Guys, did you hear that? Yasmine laughed. “Our little Belle is in love.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Monique exclaimed as she hugged her friend and was returned by one as well.
“Thanks you guys. I just don’t know how I’m going to tell Mark.”
“It’s really simple. You open your mouth, project your voice, move your lips and the words ‘I love you’ just come out!” remarked Angelina sarcastically.
“Shut up Angie!” all the girls yelled out at the same time.
“I know how to say it, I just don’t know when I can tell him. I mean I don’t want to do it over the phone. I want it to be in person-it means more that way,” Isabelle explained to all her friends.
“Well you could have just said that,” mumbled Angelina a bit upset; however, no one heard her.
“I think you’re right. Do it in person,” agreed Monique.
“Yeah. I guess I’ll have to wait a while though. Oh I can’t wait that long!” squealed Isabelle excitedly.
“Awwwwww! You look so cute! I envy you so much!” Yasmine blurted out.
“Don’t hate me because I’m cute!” Isabelle joked tossing her hair like a bimbo.
“Shut up you!” Yasmine replied throwing a pillow at Isabelle again.
“Oi! That hurts!” she laughed.
“Good! That’s the idea!”
“Oh that’s it!” Isabelle replied throwing a pillow back. Before they knew it, the girls were caught in the middle of a pillow fight, which had them in fits of laughter all through the night.

~~ Chapter 40 ~~ “Isabelle, this is for you,” Colin shyly spoke as he handed Isabelle her Christmas present. Isabelle gave Colin a warm smile and then began unwrapping the present. Everyone was at Mark’s house celebrating Christmas and the house was filled with many Christmas decorations along with a cozy wintry appearance. They were in front of the fireplace drinking eggnog and opening their presents. The tiny room along with the house was covered in Christmas decorations, such as holly wrapped around the banister on the stairs, a gorgeous wreath on the outside of the door, and tonnes of presents surrounding the lovely ornamented tree.
Outside, it was dark with the snow falling so heavenly to the ground, and covering the trees, making them look extremely magical. On the inside, the atmosphere was cozy and Christmassy as everyone sat close together in happiness.
“Colin, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Thank you,” she exclaimed revealing a beautiful crystal butterfly chime, while giving him a hug of gratitude. “Thank you all very much,” she continued, looking at Marie and Oliver, along with Barry. Next was Isabelle’s turn to hand out all her gifts, and she did just that. She looked over at her friends and at Mark’s family, who were busy tearing open their presents. Realizing that they were preoccupied, she pulled Mark into the kitchen with her.
“Hey you, what are you-“
“Shh! Don’t worry,” she said placing her finger on Mark’s lips. “I’m just giving you your present,” she continued handing it over to Mark. Mark was smiling now and was ready to open the gift.
“But don’t open it just yet,” Isabelle stopped him. Mark looked up and gave her a confused look. But before he could ask any questions, Isabelle took his hands in hers and looked him straight in the eyes. Mark who was beyond confused now just returned the gaze and waited for Isabelle to say something. “Mark, we have been through so much these past 11 months, that it amazes me to know we’re still going strong,” she began. “I mean, even though we started off with a rough start and had a few obstacles along the way, I’m so lucky to have gone through it all with you,” she continued as Mark smiled to every word. “Honey, from day one you comforted me and did your best to keep me happy and safe, and I am completely grateful for that. You made me trust you when I felt I couldn’t trust again. You cared for me when I thought I couldn’t be cared for. I know it’s taken me a while to say what I’m going to say to you, but I just didn’t want to get hurt again. What I’m trying to say is…….Markus Michael Patrick Feehily….” she paused. Mark’s eyes grew bigger as he waited anxiously for Isabelle to continue. A shy grin spread on her face and then she started. “I am madly in love with you, and I love you with all my heart,” she finished with a beautiful smile on her face. Mark was so thrilled and speechless he picked up Isabelle in a huge hug and held her in a tight embrace not wanting to let go.
“I love you too Isabelle! I love you!” he said rocking her back and forth in the air. Isabelle was holding onto Mark and laughing at the same time. She could feel tears forming in her eyes; she was so happy. Mark finally put her down and pulled her into a romantic compassionate kiss.
“I love you,” Isabelle repeated quietly.
“I love you,” Mark replied kissing her forehead. The two then hugged again, their hearts pounding with excitement.
“Well? Aren’t you going to open your gift?” Isabelle said pulling away and giving Mark an impatient look.
“Oh yeah!” Mark laughed as he saw the look on his ‘love’s’ face. He then began to unwrap the gift ever so slowly, tearing the tape piece by piece. Isabelle was getting rather annoyed and couldn’t keep it in any longer.
“By God Mark! Open the damn gift already!” she blurted out tempted to grab it out of Mark’s hands and open it herself. Mark was caught by surprise and laughed at her outburst causing Isabelle to blush, but then he ripped it open not wasting any time.
“Isabelle!” he gasped. “You shouldn’t have,” he said pulling out a beautiful watch.
“I remembered you liked it when we went to the mall by my house. I hope you still like it,” she confessed graciously.
“I love it, Belle. Thank you,” he said leaning in to kiss her, but Isabelle moved back and didn’t let him. Mark gave her a hurtful look and he himself looked perplexed.
“There’s more to it,” she clarified slyly. Mark gave her an odd expression, so she explained. “Turn it over.” Mark did exactly that and on the reverse side of the watch engraved were the words:
I Love You Always.
Isabelle

Mark couldn’t believe his eyes. Standing in front of him was the most beautiful woman; beautiful physically and from within. He leaned forward again and this time Isabelle allowed him to kiss her. The kiss was magical as if time had stopped and only the two existed. He then embraced her again, and this time tears formed in Mark’s eyes. When they pulled apart Isabelle saw that he was ready to cry. “Oh Mark! Don’t cry. You’re gonna make me cry too,” she said teary-eyed caressing Mark’s cheek and kissing him gently on the lips.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I waited so long to tell you I loved you and to hear it from you. I didn’t want to scare you away or make you feel obligated to say ‘I love you’ to me until you were ready. But now it’s actually happening,” he explained honestly. This made Isabelle burst into tears.
“Well, I’ll say it again to prove it’s real. I, Isabelle LaRose, love you Mark Feehily,” she said looking him in the eyes again. They kissed once more and then realized that it would be a good idea to head back to the other room.
When they walked into the room, silence fell upon them and everyone was staring at them with blank stares. They all looked worried that something was wrong because Mark and Isabelle looked like they had been crying. The two then sat down and kissed just to show everyone that nothing was wrong and everything was more than fine. Unfortunately no one’s expression changed and they were waiting for an explanation for their absence.
“What?” Mark asked calmly looking at everyone. “I love her,” he said turning to Isabelle and kissing her head, causing everyone to aww and continue on with their evening.

~~ Chapter 41 ~~

“Are you cold, honey?” Mark asked as he slipped his arm around Isabelle’s waist, while they continued to walk.
“No, I’m fine. Thanks sweetie,” she replied cordially, kissing his cheek and then wiping the spot her lips touched. It was a chilly October afternoon even though it was sunny, and Isabelle found herself in Ireland once again. The two of them decided to go for a walk and they were dressed according to the weather. Mark had on a black jacket that went just a bit above his knees while Isabelle wore a dark brown jacket just as long, with her hair hanging loose and a chestnut coloured hat that sort of resembled a toque. They were in a place called Hazel Woods, in Sligo, and it wasn’t too far away from Mark’s home. Mark had once told Isabelle how he used to go there a lot when he was younger, and how they used to have a campfire and cook sausages. After hearing this and noticing that Mark hadn’t been there in a while, she insisted that they go there and get away from his crazy celebrity lifestyle.
“I just love it here, and it’s even better with you by my side,” he said looking around at the scenery he hadn’t seen in a long time, as he pulled Isabelle closer to him.
“Yeah, I can see why you love it so much,” Isabelle remarked looking around herself. As they were walking they came upon a sign that said ‘Nature Trail.’ “Hun, let’s go this way,” she said pointing in the direction of the trail. With a simple head gesture, Mark agreed and the two lovebirds continued down the path. While walking down the trail, they saw a huge entranceway made by a sculpture. It was remarkably high and rather simple with a head figure on each end at the top. It was a beautiful piece of Irish artwork and it looked amazing with the path going under it. Just as the two were going to go under it, Isabelle stopped and looked around at her surroundings. There were trees everywhere, and the sun was peaking through the branches. She looked so fascinated by the landscape, and the stillness of noise they had left behind in the city. Mark was watching her with astonishment himself, and at how happy she looked with the shine in her eyes. She then placed her hand on the entranceway just to feel how old it was. “It’s so beautiful out here, Mark…..and this sculpture; it’s gorgeous!” she exclaimed looking at him only to find him in a world of his own. “Mark, are you listening to a word I’m saying? Do you even know the last word I just said?” she asked crossing her arms, shaking her head, and smiling.
“Yeah…. gorgeous,” he replied dazed, looking Isabelle in her eyes. This caused her to smile as she leaned forward to give Mark a kiss on the lips. She was planning on making it a simple peck, but Mark managed to wrap his arms around her body and hold her for a fervent kiss that showed all his love for her. Isabelle finally moved away and gave his arm a little punch, with a grin, and then they started on their walk again. They cherished every moment together and made it the very best. They felt that their love for one another was growing stronger each day and their relationship was getting really serious. They were just exhilarated and grateful that their romance hadn’t leaked out to the fans, and that Mark didn’t have anything to explain like Nicky did about Georgina in interviews. As the trail was ending, Isabelle was just impressed by the beauty and how scenic the place was.
“Sweetheart, I wanna show you something,” Mark said placing his scarf around her eyes and leading her to wherever it was by her hand. Isabelle was kind of nervous because she couldn’t see where she was going, but she had full trust in Mark. “Here we are-BUT don’t take your blindfold off just yet,” he said placing Isabelle in a spot where she would be safe.
“Mark, what are you doing?” she whined, getting anxious to take off the scarf.
“Just hold on a second. I want to tell you something before you look,” he said. “And don’t peek!” he laughed.
“Okay, I won’t. Just hurry up.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise,” she replied rolling her eyes behind the scarf.
“Cross your heart and hope to die?” he asked just to bug her.
“YES!” she replied getting annoyed.
“Good!” he laughed. But then there was a silence while Mark gathered himself, and Isabelle got worried that he wasn’t there anymore.
“Mark?” she asked in a shaky voice. But Mark didn’t reply to her; he instead took a deep breath and started to say something, while taking her hands.
“Isabelle, you know that I would do anything for you, and that I wouldn’t trade what we have for anything in the world. I’m terrible at saying things like this on the spot so I wrote something for you. Here goes nothing.
It’s the way she fills my senses
It’s the perfume that she wears
I feel I’m losing my defences
To the colour of her hair

And every little piece
Of her is right
Just thinking about her
Takes me through the night

Every time we meet
The picture is complete
Every time we touch
The feeling is too much
She’s all I ever need
To fall in love again
I knew it from the very start…
She’s the puzzle of my heart

It’s the way she’s always smiling
That makes me think she
Never cries
I feel I’m losing my defences
To the colour of her eyes

And every little piece of
Her is right
Every time we meet
The picture is complete
Every time we touch
The feeling is too much
She’s all I ever need
To fall in love again
I knew it from the very start…
She’s the puzzle of my heart

Like a miracle she’s meant to be
She became the light inside of me
And I can feel her like a memory
From long………ago

Every time we meet
The picture is complete
Every time we touch
The feeling is too much
She’s all I ever need
To fall in love again
I knew it from the very start…
She’s the puzzle of my heart

Every time we meet
The picture is complete
Every time we touch
The feeling is too much

Every time we meet

The picture is complete
Every time we touch
The feeling is too much
She’s all I ever need
To fall in love again
I knew it from the very start…
She’s the puzzle of my heart,” Mark finished off. “Isabelle, you can take the blindfold off now, but after saying that, I only have one question for you…” he didn’t finish the sentence; he waited for Isabelle to remove the scarf. Once Mark stopped talking, she took the scarf off so quickly, and her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. She removed the scarf only to unveil Mark down on his knee with a beautiful diamond ring between his fingers. “Isabelle LaRose…will you marry me?” he asked taking Isabelle’s left hand and smiling. Isabelle was in pure shock and her jaw dropped to the question and the ring. She covered her mouth with one hand and began to cry.
“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!” she exclaimed crying as Mark slipped the ring on her finger. He then got up and picked her up in a blissful hug. He too began to get teary-eyed as he pulled away from her. Isabelle couldn’t help but let the tears roll down her cheeks, and seeing Mark cry wasn’t helping either. He then placed his hands on her waist, looked her in her eyes, and pulled her extremely close to him, just before he planted a soft, love-filled kiss on her lips. Isabelle wasn’t planning on pulling away anytime soon, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back without hesitation.
“You’ve made me the happiest man alive,” Mark said quietly as he pulled away first. “I love you so much,” he declared softly as he cradled Isabelle’s head and pulled her into an affectionate hug again.
“I love you too,” she responded, laying her head on Mark’s chest and closing her eyes. They then pulled away and turned to the stunning scenery. In front of them was a sparkling lake with the sun reflecting off of it and a couple of swans swimming around close by. They stood on the shoreline in silence, and just observed how a few moments ago they were two young people in love, and now they were to young people who had devoted their lives to one another, with a ring symbolizing their unity.

~~ Chapter 42 ~~

“Mum! Dad!” Mark yelled into the house as he and Isabelle arrived. The whole family came running out of the kitchen where they were having dinner to see what all the fuss was about. “Look everybody! Isabelle and I are engaged!” he exclaimed, while carrying Isabelle in his arms and showing them the ring on her finger. Isabelle was beaming from ear to ear and was ready to tear up again after hearing the word ‘engaged.’
“Oh my!” Marie covered her mouth as she began to cry. “I can’t believe this! This is such wonderful news!” she said walking over to them. Mark put Isabelle down and hugged his mother who was speechless. Marie then hugged Isabelle and gave her a kiss on her forehead.
“Congratulations son,” Oliver praised as he too hugged his son and his soon to be daughter-in-law. “This causes for some champagne!” he declared, walking over to a cupboard where he kept his wine and champagne.
“A toast to Mark and Isabelle on their engagement,” Marie said raising her glass.
“May the Lord bless the two of you for the rest of your lives,” Oliver added raising his glass and touching it with the other glasses.
“Thank you,” Isabelle said appreciatively as she looked at Mark and smiled, before drinking her champagne.
“This is so cool,” Colin blurted out as he took a sip of champagne from his mother’s glass. “Isabelle, you’ll make such an awesome older sister.”
“Aww…thanks Colin,” she said her heart melting as she hugged him.
“Congratulations,” Barry said. He was just as shy as Isabelle was when she first met the family.
“Thanks Barry. Thank you all,” Mark said pulling Isabelle close to him.
“I’m still having a hard time believing this. My baby is engaged, and he couldn’t have chosen anyone better,” Marie said wiping her tears.
“I’m having trouble believing this too,” Isabelle said giving Marie another hug. “I can’t wait to tell my parents. My mom just loves Mark, and she’ll be so happy to hear this news!”
“Oooooh! I’m just so happy!” Marie squealed. After their little champagne break, everyone returned to the kitchen for a nice warm meal, and more celebrating.

~~ Chapter 43 ~~

“So do you guys have a date set?” Monique asked drying her hair with her towel as she walked out of her washroom. The girls had all gathered there so that Isabelle could tell them the news all at once. They were overwhelmed with the news when they first heard it and now they were getting into deep conversation.
“Well, we’re planning on having it next June or July,” Isabelle replied looking over to Monique’s calendar, which was showing the month of October. “Most probably July,” she said afterwards.
“This is beyond believable!” Monique exclaimed as she sat on Richard’s lap, who was sitting on her bed. “See what you would have missed out on if you kept to yourself almost two years ago!” Monique winked.
“Yeah, I can’t believe, you, the baby of the group is getting married before us!” Cassandra declared with happiness and a little envy in her voice.
“You can’t believe it? Hah! I still have to get Jessica to pinch me to make sure I’m not dreaming!”
“And I bet she enjoys doing it too!” Angelina laughed at the thought of Isabelle’s little sister pinching her with an evil grin.
“Yeah, she probably does. But my mom on the other hand; she can’t stop crying. She’s so happy for us.”
“And so are we,” Richard finally spoke up. He was too busy listening to the girls to say anything.
“Thanks you guys. You’re the best,” Isabelle said walking over to them and giving them a group hug.
“I know, and that’s why I’m gonna be the Maid of Honour,” Cassandra said aloud sticking her tongue out at Monique.
“Whoa! Wait there for a minute. I could have sworn you said you were the Maid of Honour. Well I’ve got news for you Miss. Keep-on-dreaming, I am the Maid of Honour and you sticking your tongue out isn’t gonna stop me!” Monique rebottled. She was getting all worked up, so it was a good thing she was sitting with Richard because he held her in a tight grip so that she couldn’t stand up and walk over to Cassandra and beat the living crap out of her.
“Damn Monique, I was only joking,” Cassandra said knowing that it was going to be Monique anyway. “Chill woman!”
“Don’t you tell me to chill! Or I’ll…….I’ll,” Monique started fisting her hands.
“Or you’ll what? Tell on me?”
“Why you…….” Monique said trying to stand up.
“Okay! That’s enough you guys! You keep this up and neither of you will be the Maid of Honour,” Isabelle said sternly yet with a laugh. “And now that I think of it, I think I’ll ask Jessica,” she said looking up at the ceiling and thinking about her decision.
“WHAT?!” Monique shrieked in astonishment, looking hurt.
“I’m just kidding. Listen to Cassey and CHILL!” Isabelle laughed. “I want you to be the Maid of Honour, Monique, and Cassey, Angelina, and Yasmine, I want you guys as my bride’s maids along with my sister,” she said looking her friends in the eyes. “And Richard, Mark wanted me to ask you if you would be one of the Groom’s Men?” Richard was taken back by the offer and he was speechless.
“I’d love to Isabelle. Thank you,” he said gratefully.
“Good, then it’s settled. Now all I need to do is go shopping for the dresses, shoes, flowers, cake, party favours,” Isabelle started to ramble off the things she was going to need. She suddenly felt thunderstruck by the idea of preparing for a wedding. Her wedding.

~~ Chapter 44 ~~

“Isabelle, where do you want the cake?”
“The flowers aren’t here yet, Belle!”
“Isabelle, There’s a stain on this tie!”
“Belle, I think something’s burning!” These were all the shouts Isabelle was putting up with as people were constantly in need of her opinion or order. She was going crazy inside because the wedding was in a day and there were still a million things to be done.
“Isabelle, I think something’s really burning,” Yasmine said as she approached Isabelle with a concerned look. They were all at her house now getting things ready for ‘The Big Day.’
“Oh my God! Are you serious?” Isabelle asked in shock. “Where? What? Oh my God!” she freaked out.
“Actually, you know what, Belle?” Yasmine started noticing her friend’s condition. “I think Monique and Angelina are in the kitchen. They’ll deal with it. Don’t you worry.”
“Like that’s supposed to make me feel better!” Isabelle said throwing her hands in the air.
“They’ll take care of it,” Yasmine repeated.
“Are you sure?” Isabelle asked her eyes pleading for reassurance.
“Positive. You just stay here and continue with your work.”
“Isabelle, where do you want the cake? I can’t hold it much longer,” a voice asked. Isabelle turned around and saw Nicky with a huge box in his hands.
“Oh Nicky! I’m sorry. Um…just put it in the cold room for now,” she said racking her brain for the right answer. With a sigh, Nicky headed off to the cold room. “Thanks Nicky,” she yelled behind him showing that she was really thankful.
“Isabelle, what about the flowers?” another voice yelled.
“They’ll be here tomorrow morning,” she yelled back without even looking up. She was too busy looking at the guest list and checking off everyone who had returned their RSVP cards.
“Isabelle, do you know where-”
“Isabelle, have you seen-”
“Isabelle…”
“Isabelle!”
“Isabelle…” The stress was really getting to her and she felt like she was going to go insane! Just then Isabelle’s mother walked in.
“Isabelle-”
“WHAT?!” Isabelle snapped looking up to see her mom’s face in shock. She then regretted the way she reacted. “I’m sorry mom, it’s just that this is too much,” she confessed ready to burst into tears.
“That’s what I came to tell you,” her mom began, sitting next to her daughter and stroking her hair. “I came to say that maybe you should take a break before you have a panic attack,” she explained softly, trying to make her daughter calm down.
“Thanks mom, but I don’t think I can do that. There’s so much to do and so little time. I don’t know how I’m ever gonna get through this. I don’t think I can go through this.”
“Don’t worry. You can get through this and you will, but I’m telling you….take a break. Go outside and get some air. Here, I’ll do whatever you’re doing. You take a breather,” she insisted. Isabelle looked at her mom and gave in.
“All right. Thanks mom,” she said hugging her and then stepping outside for a little peace and quiet. However, it wasn’t much saner outside. There were people running around everywhere, and people shouting to one another from across the yard. Just then she saw Mark who honked the horn as he pulled up in the driveway. She quickly ran over to greet him.
“Hey beautiful,” he said as he got out of the car and kissed her. “How’s everything going?”
“I think I’ll be spending our honeymoon in an insane asylum. That tell you anything?” she said shaking her head at all the chaos around her. Mark chuckled a bit then gave his fiancée a hug.
“Don’t worry, love. Everything will be fine,” he said encouragingly. “Just another day until you become…Mrs. Feehily,” he said liking the sound of that.
“Yep, Mr. and Mrs. Feehily,” Isabelle said placing her hand behind Mark’s back and resting her head on his shoulder.
“Oh before I forget, look what I just picked up,” he said entering his car and reaching out to grab something. Isabelle gave him a confused look and waited for him to explain. “These are our tickets to Hawaii,” he said waving them back and forth. A smile spread across Isabelle’s face at the sound of Hawaii.
“I can’t wait! I just want to get this all over with!” she confessed.
“Me too, babe. Me too,” Mark said hugging Isabelle and kissing her hair. Just as they were standing there, they heard a cry from inside the house. The both of them quickly ran inside to see what the matter was.
“Oh my God! Why is there so much smoke?” Isabelle screeched as she entered the house.
“I…we…uh…kinda…. um…burnt the pie…pies,” Monique said looking to the ground then at Angelina with a mean stare.
“Yeah…um…you know how the box said 15 minutes…well….um….we sorta thought it was…*Ahem* 50…minutes,” Angelina explained hoping Isabelle wouldn’t bite their heads off. To their surprise, Isabelle seemed relieved.
“So no one’s hurt or anything?” she asked.
“Um…other than my broken nail….I’m fine,” Angelina said.
“Okay, then it’s all right. You know what. Forget having the rehearsal dinner here. We’ll just go out for dinner,” Isabelle said. She was trying to find the easiest way out of all this madness and she wasn’t willing to send her friends into the kitchen again to start from scratch!
“That sounds good to me,” Isabelle’s mom spoke up.
“Okay. Well, It’s quarter to five, and we’re supposed to be at the rehearsal at half past five. So that’ll give you guys time to clean up and get ready,” Mark said. “So, we’ll all meet at rehearsal and then we’ll go out for dinner,” Mark finalized. Everybody agreed and went back to what they were doing. Isabelle and Mark went off to do separate tasks and then were off to the rehearsal.

Finally, the night was over and Mark drove Isabelle home. This was the last time he was going to see her as Isabelle LaRose. He pulled up her driveway and went over to her door and opened it for her. Everybody had already returned home and Isabelle was the only one left.
“Here you are,” he said as he took Isabelle’s hand and helped her out of the car. “So, I guess this is it. After tonight, you’ll no longer be my fiancée, but you’ll be my wife. My wife,” Mark repeated.
“I know. Isn’t it amazing how time flies,” she said leaning against Mark, who was leaning against the car now. “I can’t wait to see you in your tux tomorrow,” she said nuzzling her nose with his.
“Yeah? Well, I can’t wait to see the doors open with you standing there in your white dress,” he said taking his fingers and moving Isabelle’s hair behind her ear. “Blimey! Our wedding day is tomorrow!” Mark bursted out.
“Yes, I know,” Isabelle laughed at his remark. “But you know what I can’t wait for?” she asked with a sly grin.
“What?”
“Our honeymoon. The two of us….alone…in Hawaii. No one to bother us. No one to tell us when to get up, or when to get dressed,” Isabelle said placing her arms around Mark’s neck and leaning forward to be closer.
“Oooh, I like the part about not getting dressed,” Mark remarked biting his lip.
“I didn’t say that,” she laughed. “But, we won’t have a honeymoon if we don’t get married. And we won’t get married if I sleep in tomorrow,” she said looking at her watch. “So with that being said, I shall love you and leave you,” she declared.
“You have a point. But I don’t want you to go yet,” Mark said pouting.
“Well, I don’t want to go either but I don’t wanna miss my own wedding,” she said looking him in the eyes trying to convince him that she had to go.
“Oh all right. But can I at least have a goodnight kiss?” he asked like a little child being deprived of dessert.
“Well I was gonna give you one,” she smirked leaning forward to kiss Mark. She held his head and ran her fingers through his hair as he pressed his lips on hers.
“Goodnight Mark,” she said pulling away and turning towards the house.
“Goodnight Belle,” he said grabbing her hand and pulling her into him for another kiss. He quickly cupped her face in his hands and placed his lips to match hers. He then cradled her head and placed a hand on her lower back so that she wouldn’t fall backwards as he pushed his lips to hers. Isabelle finally managed to push Mark away and make her quick escape before he tried to snog her again. She quickly ran up the steps to the porch and turned around to wave goodbye as she blew him a kiss. Mark returned her wave and kiss and whispered to himself, “I love you,” before driving away to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

~~ Chapter 45 ~~

“Isabelle, the flowers are here!” Cassandra yelled up the stairs, hoping Isabelle would hear her.
“Okay! Thanks Cassey!” she replied from upstairs. She and a couple other people were helping her get dressed. Her dress was like a gown. It was a gorgeous dress. It was a sleeveless dress with thick straps that could be worn on the shoulders or leaning off the shoulders. It had beaded work on the torso part of the dress and the bottom part bloomed out like a fairy tale dress that belonged to a princess. It was puffy like Princess Diana’s dress but it didn’t have as long a train. The veil was just as gorgeous. It had a crown and her face covered on the front and her hair covered in the back. It had bits of tiny pearls embedded into it making it look every bit exquisite. Her hair was tied up with the curls stuck to her head and she looked like a Barbie doll if not a princess. Her bride’s maids were also dressed in their beautiful burgundy dresses. The dresses looked exactly the same as Isabelle’s dress from the back with thin straps that crisscrossed all the way down. And going down the spine were little flowers that completed the dresses.
The flowers that Isabelle was to hold down the aisle weren’t the normal white flowers. Instead she chose to go down with burgundy roses the same colour as the bride’s maids’ dresses. This was because the first gift she ever got from Mark were those roses at the lodge two years ago. And the flowers that the bride’s maids were to hold were white roses that matched with Isabelle’s dress.
“There, that should do it,” Isabelle’s mom said as she finished placing a pearl necklace around Isabelle’s neck. “You look….amazing,” she said starting to cry.
“Mom, don’t. You promised you wouldn’t cry,” Isabelle said taking off her long white glove and wiping away her mom’s tears.
“I know, but I can’t help it. My child is getting married. I think I have the right to cry,” she defended herself as she got a tissue and wiped away.
“Mom….” Isabelle said as she hugged her mom.
“Hey, now if you cry I’m going to kill you,” she laughed pulling away and looking at her daughter’s face. “You’ll mess up your make-up.”
“See, that’s where I’m ahead of you. I told myself that I was never going to wear mascara on my wedding day,” Isabelle laughed causing her bride’s maids to laugh with her. Just then they heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” Isabelle said. With the invitation, Isabelle’s dad walked into the room with a camera.
“Whoa, Belle. You look gorgeous,” he said in the most fatherly way possible. It was hard for her father to acknowledge the fact that his little girl was all grown up and about to belong to another man.
“Thank you daddy,” she said hugging him almost ready to cry. He then pulled away from her and asked if he could get a couple of pictures with the whole bridal party. Everybody gathered close together and took the pictures. Then they opened a bottle of champagne and celebrated.
“To Isabelle….her last few hours as a single woman and a LaRose,” Jessica toasted raising her glass.
“To Isabelle,” everyone cheered as they took sips of their champagne.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but the limo’s here,” Georgina said as she came upstairs with the news. She too was one of the bride’s maids because she was one of the first people who befriended Isabelle when she first went to Ireland, and they had grown close over the years.
“Thanks Georgina,” Isabelle’s mother said. This caused Isabelle’s stomach to do flip-flops. She was trying to convince herself that she wasn’t nervous and that all of this would be over in a couple of hours, but the limousine was a sign that she was getting closer to marrying the man of her dreams. “Okay, is everyone ready? Do we have everything Isabelle?” her mom asked as everyone started to file out of the room.
“Um, I think so,” she replied uncertain, her mind somewhere else. Her mother sighed at the uncertainty of her daughter and felt she should run through a list of things that she might be forgetting.
“Do you have your purse?”
“Check.”
“Do you have the flowers?”
“Cassey?! Grab the flowers!” Isabelle yelled downstairs. “Yep we have the flowers,” she gave her mom a sly grin.
“Do you have your suitcase for the honeymoon?” Isabelle looked around and remembered that they had already put it in the car.
“Check.”
“Well, that’s all that I can think of,” her mom said looking around her room once more making sure they had everything.
“Okay, well then I guess we can go now. Besides, I don’t want my groom to think I stood him up at his own wedding,” Isabelle said as she winked at her mom in a playful manner.
“Well get a move on it then,” she replied smacking Isabelle’s bum as if to tell her to hurry up. Isabelle couldn’t help but laugh at her mom as they walked out the room and headed down the stairs to the limo.

There inside was the whole bridal party along with the bride’s parents. The limo was crowded but it was fun because Isabelle was spending her last few single hours with the people she loved the most. They were sitting and laughing and talking about Isabelle’s childhood, when they reached the church. They quickly got out of the limo and hurried their way into a room in the church before the groom and his party got a chance to sneak a peek at them. The day was gorgeous outside for July. It was sunny and the sky was clear not showing a single trace of rain.

Finally, it was time for Isabelle’s entrance. She and her father waited behind the doors as the flower girls and bride’s maids along with the ring bearers made it down the aisle. Then the music began to play which was Isabelle’s cue. Just before the doors opened, she and her dad had a little moment.
“I want you to know that your mother and I are very proud of you. We just want to see you happy and that you are when you’re with Mark,” he began making Isabelle’s eyes fill with tears. “We love you very much and we hope your love for us won’t change once you’re married to Mark,” her father ended.
“Daddy, I love you and mom. And no ring on my finger is going to change that,” she said hugging her dad. She then quickly pulled away as she felt the doors were about to open, and just then they did. Mark who was waiting at the end of the aisle was left breathless when he saw Isabelle at the other end of the aisle looking more stunning than ever. She looked right at him and smiled even though her stomach was filled with butterflies.
“She looks amazing, doesn’t she?” Mark said without even turning around to face his groom’s men. He heard a simple “Yeah,” from all of them and waited for Isabelle to approach him. Her father then started to lead her down the aisle very slowly. She looked at everyone standing in the pews and she couldn’t help but start to cry as she made her way down to the love of her life. When she finally reached the end, her father lifted her veil, gave her a peck on the cheek and returned the veil to the way it was.
“Who gives this woman to this man?” the priest started.
“Her mother and I,” her father said before he joined his wife back in the pew. The ceremony continued on with the exchange of vows and rings. Before Mark and Isabelle knew it, the priest had said what they were both waiting to hear,
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Mark didn’t have to hesitate how he was going to do it with so many people watching them. He took his hands to lift the veil behind her head and then cupped her face in his hands and kissed her like he had never kissed her before. They then pulled away and walked down the aisle for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Feehily.
Once they got outside they found themselves lost in a cloud of rice and confetti. They quickly made their way to their awaiting limo and drove off to their reception.

“Mark, we did it,” Isabelle whispered, as they waited for their cue, behind the doors.
“I’m glad you didn’t have a change of heart at the last minute and run off on me,” Mark said teasingly but sounding serious.
“Well actually, I did….but everyone convinced me to go on ahead with it,” she said looking at Mark with a serious face. Mark was left shocked at what he heard and didn’t know what to say. Isabelle saw the expression come across his face and spoke up, “I was only kidding. Sheesh, you look like you saw a ghost.”
“Don’t ever do that to me again,” he laughed with a huge sigh of relief.
“Okay, I won’t,” she replied nuzzling his nose again and giving him a kiss. They waited anxiously hand in hand for their entrance. Isabelle had now taken off her veil and train and was ready for a night of dancing.
“So, without any further adieu, I introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Feehily,” they heard a voice say as the doors opened. Just then Isabelle and Mark entered the ballroom waving to everyone and heading straight to the dance floor for their first dance.

I open my eyes I see your face
I cannot hide I can't erase
The way you make me feel inside
You complete me girl, that's why
Something about you makes me feel
Baby my heart wants to reveal
I'm down on my knees, I'm asking you
So these three words I wanna hear from you

Yes I will, take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will, so these three words I promise to
Yes I will, give you everything you need
And someday start a family with you
Yes I will, take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will, baby I promise to
Yes I will, give you everything you need
And someday start a family with you

Oh yes I will

This is no ordinary love
And I can never have enough
Of all the things you've given to me
My heart , my soul , my everything
Every night I thank you lord (I thank you lord)
For giving me the strength to love her more
And more each day I promise her
As long as I hear those three words

Yes I will, take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will, so these three words I promise to
Yes I will, give you everything you need
And someday start a family with you
Yes I will, take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will, baby I promise to
Yes I will, give you everything you need
And someday start a family with you

I stand beside you, in everything you do
Wherever you go, whatever you do
Baby I'll be there (oh baby I will be there)
As God as my witness
I will carry this through
Till death do us part, I promise to you

Yes I will, take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will, Baby baby yes I promise to
Yes I will, give you everything you need
And start a family with you, baby
Yes I will
Yes I will
Yes I will, I promise you
Everything's gonna be all right
It's gonna be all right
I will

When the song was over, Isabelle and Mark pulled apart from their warm embrace and kissed a warm kiss. Then they headed over to their cake, which was placed beautifully at the front of the room. They cut their cake and fed each other the way all newly weds do. After a couple minutes of having their pictures taken, Isabelle threw the bouquet and Georgina caught it, which was not at all surprising. Later that evening came dinner and more dancing. During some of the songs Isabelle danced with her dad while Mark danced with his mom. After several dances, Isabelle went to get a drink of water.
“Excuse me Mrs. Feehily, but may I have this dance?” a voice said as they cleared their throat and tapped her on her shoulder. Isabelle was surprised first and nearly choked on her drink but then turned around to find Kian standing in front of her in a tuxedo. He along with the other ‘lifers and Richard were the Groom’s Men and they were all wearing the same tux.
“Well I’ll be. If it isn’t Mr. Egan asking me to dance instead of grabbing me by the head and laying a big wet one on my lips,” she said causing Kian to blush.
“Nah, I can’t do that….too many witnesses tonight,” he quick-wittedly responded catching Isabelle off guard. “So what d’ya say?” he insisted.
“I’d love to,” Isabelle accepted putting her glass aside. They then headed off to the dance floor. Kian sure was getting his grove thing on in one of the fast songs and Isabelle couldn’t help but laugh. But then the song turned slow and he immediately took Isabelle’s waist and started swaying back and forth with her. Isabelle felt comfortable with him, knowing that he wasn’t as drunk as he was when they first met. He was still Kian and he wasn’t taking it too far. However, he was a bit deutzy and you could say he had two left feet. This is because while they were swaying back and forth he managed to bump into Nicky and Georgina along with Monique and Richard who were right beside them dancing away. While they were swaying, Isabelle caught Monique’s eye and they both smiled to one another. Monique looked like she was ready to cry and she looked like she was going to say something too; however just as she was about to say something, Isabelle felt a tap on her shoulder and she quickly turned away.
“Can I cut in?” Bryan asked as Kian shot him a look that said ‘what do you want?’
“Can’t you see that we’re dancing?” Kian asked still holding onto Isabelle.
“Bryan, I’ll dance the next one with you…I promise,” she said giving him a warm smile. She knew that Kian wanted to dance with her and she wasn’t going to upset him or ruin her wedding just over a silly dance. Bryan seemed to be a good sport about it and left the two. Isabelle returned to having her arms wrapped around Kian’s neck and laid her chin on his shoulder. A few minutes later, the song was over and Isabelle insisted that she needed to sit down for a while. She left Kian on the dance floor and asked Yasmine to join him. She got up out of her seat without hesitation and joined Kian. He seemed to be satisfied with her company so they continued to dance. Just as Isabelle sat down to rest her feet for awhile, Mark came up from behind her and placed his arms around her shoulder, while kissing her cheek.
“You look like the center of attention with the lads,” he laughed causing Isabelle to give him a ‘yeah, right’ look. She then gestured him to have a seat next to her as they watched everyone having a blast on the dance floor.
“So, Mr. Feehily, are you ready for Hawaii?” Isabelle asked looking at Mark’s watch. “Only 1 hour to go,” she said raising her eyebrows with excitement.
“Are you kidding me? I can just hear Hawaii calling my name!” he laughed causing Isabelle to laugh. Just then Monique approached them with Richard holding her hand.
“Hey you guys. Congratulations,” she said as Isabelle stood up and greeted her best friend with a hug. “I’m so happy for you,” Monique said still hugging Isabelle and holding her tears back at the same time. Just as they pulled apart, Monique held Isabelle’s hands and spoke, “You know that we’re best friends and we’ll always be best friends….even though Mark may be your new one, don’t forget your old one, k?”
“I could never forget you. And now I have two best friends. But there are some things I can only share with you that I can’t share with Mark…..I mean, who’s gonna drag me into a mall and make me shop? Or who am I gonna talk to about the newest Freddie Prinze Jr. movie? You Monique. So you’re not outta the picture woman...not yet anyway,” Isabelle laughed. Just then Isabelle’s eye caught something. Something sparkly and shiny. “OH MY GOD!!” she exclaimed over the music nearly giving Mark and Richard a heart attack. But Monique knew what her friend was talking about. A sly grin spread across her face as she saw the excitement in Isabelle’s eyes. “Is this what I think it is?” Isabelle asked. Monique just nodded and beamed from ear to ear. “I’m so happy for you!” Isabelle hugged her friend and began to cry. Mark was still kind of confused and Richard was just amazed at how these two girls knew what each other was thinking or talking about with just a few words. “Mark, Monique and Richard are engaged!” Isabelle explained to bring Mark into the loop.
“Ohh, now I get it,” he laughed. “Well you could’ve just said that in the first place!” He then got up and gave Richard a manly hug and gave Monique a kiss on the cheek.
“So who have you told so far?” Isabelle asked.
“Just you guys…. man are you observant or what, Belle?” Monique teased.
“Well congratulations,” Mark said.
“Thanks you guys. We appreciate it. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have some dancing to do,” Richard said leading his fiancée onto the dance floor.
“This has been one amazing night,” Isabelle said to Mark as she held his hand. “I mean, we get married, my best friend is engaged, and I’m here with you. What more could I ask for?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m more than satisfied.” Isabelle agreed and kissed Mark on the cheek. They sat there in silence hand-in-hand watching all of their guests having a blast. Just then Shane came up to them and called them out into the foyer. When they got there, the doors opened and in front of them was the group they called their friends.
“Hey you guys, we know that you have to catch your plane soon, but before you go, we just wanted to tell you guys how much we love you and how happy we are to see you guys finally tie the knot,” Shane started raising a glass.
“Yeah, and I just want to add to that by saying I hope your days are filled with love and joy all the rest of your lives,” Monique added raising her glass.
“A toast to Mark and Isabelle. May your married life be long and love filled. And may your candle of love never burn out before it’s time,” Nicky said raising his glass.
“To Mark and Isabelle,” everyone said and drank their wine.
“Thank you everybody. This has been the best night of my life and I will never forget it as long as I may live,” Isabelle said placing her hand around Mark’s back and holding her glass in the other hand.
“Yes, thank you. None of this would have been possible without you guys. You’ve helped us and supported us in more ways than you may think. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” Mark added. “But now, we must go….as much as I would love to hang out with you guys…I have a plane waiting for me and my wife. So once again, thanks for coming and please drive safely,” Mark continued.
“Bye you guys,” Isabelle said hugging each and everyone before making her exit to the car which was to take her and her husband to the airport.
“Bye,” everyone waved as the car drove off into the distance.

~~ Chapter 46 ~~

“Mark, we’re finally on our way,” Isabelle said as she cuddled up close to Mark in the plane seat. “We made it through it all, and now the fun begins,” she said osculating Mark’s ear very gently.
“I know. I can’t believe it’s actually happening,” he said looking at the wedding ring on his finger and smiling. “I love you,” he said to Isabelle for the millionth time that night.
“I love you too,” she said closing her eyes and hearing his heart beating in his chest.
“So what are we going to do first in Hawaii?” Mark asked trying to make conversation with his wife. That’s right, his wife.
“Well I don’t know about you, but a Jacuzzi sounds good to me,” she replied looking at Mark in his eyes with a smile. “My bones and mind need some relaxing. I don’t even want to think about yesterday and how my name was being called every six seconds,” she shuddered at the thought. Mark only laughed because he knew that Isabelle was trying to make her wedding perfect to the very last bit of detail, and having people calling her constantly was getting on her nerves.
“Well what are you going to do when we have kids?” he asked raising an eyebrow. “You won’t be hearing ‘Isabelle, Isabelle,’ but you’ll be hearing ‘Mommy, mommy!’” he pointed out to her.
“That’s why they have something called boarding schools,” she joked. “Those rug rats can give the teachers headaches for all I care,” she teased. Mark knew that she was joking and that she loved kids. Even if they kept calling her repeatedly. She just loved being around them, but at the moment with all of the wedding stuff on her mind, she just wasn’t in the mood to think about kids.
“Ohh…is that how it’s gonna be?” Mark said playing along with her. “Well can’t we just keep one?” he said sounding like he was talking about a pet. Isabelle shot him a look that said ‘okay shut up now,’ and he understood it right away. They both looked at each other and then laughed. Just then the seatbelt sign came on so, Isabelle and Mark obeyed the sign. A few moments later, the pilot’s voice was heard through the speakers.
“Hello, and welcome aboard USAirways. This is your captain speaking and we will arrive in Hawaii in approximately 3 hours. We are flying 3000 meters above ground and should have smoothed flying all the way through. The seatbelt sign is on, so we advise you to keep your belt on until the signs are turned off. Have a safe trip and thank you for flying USAirways.”
“I’m glad it’ll take 3 hours- it’ll give me time to catch up on my sleeping,” Mark said placing a pillow behind his head.
“Me too. I couldn’t sleep at all last night; I was too nervous,” Isabelle confessed with a yawn.
“Well I suggest we sleep now so that we can visit that Jacuzzi you were talking about,” Mark said with a wink.
“All right,” Isabelle agreed, pulling a blanket over her body. “Goodnight sweetheart,” she said leaning forward and giving Mark a quick kiss.
“Goodnight hun,” Mark said returning the kiss and closing his eyes to the pleasant thoughts of Hawaii.

It was barely even an hour when Mark and Isabelle awoke to a woman’s frantic voice.
“Sir! Ma’am! Please get up! Put your life vests on and head to the nearest emergency exit!” an airhostess was saying as she tugged on their shirt to wake them up. The fear in her eyes scared Isabelle and she nearly broke out into tears with confusion.
“Mark! What’s going on?” Isabelle asked her voice trembling with terror.
“I don’t know,” he said just as terrified. “Excuse me, ma’am! What’s going on here?” he stopped another airhostess who was walking by with life vests.
“The plane is going down. There’s a fire in the cockpit! Hurry and put these life vests on! And get out of the plane! Get out!” she yelled above the screams of other passengers. Mark quickly turned around to Isabelle and saw the pain and panic in her eyes. Mark gave her a long hug and blinked back the tears that were forming in his eyes. He didn’t know what to do. He then pulled away from Isabelle and kissed her a long and comforting kiss. Well at least he tried to make it comforting, but he couldn’t help his lips from trembling. He then pulled away and stood up.
“MARK! Where are you going?” Isabelle shrieked with fright.
“Nowhere without you. Just put this on,” he said reaching under their chairs and grabbing the life vests. Isabelle did as he said and held Mark’s arm with all her might. He then tried to get through the crowd and make his way to the emergency exit. However there were too many people in his way and no matter how hard he tried to push forward, he ended up being pushed back. Isabelle looked to the side and saw a woman with a child in her arms who was crying frantically with fear. The woman looked at Isabelle with shattered eyes and continued to hush her child by stroking his hair. Isabelle’s heart broke to see the woman not even make an attempt to get out of the plane and save herself if not her child. Just as Isabelle and Mark felt that they were about to make it out of the plane, a sharp jolt in the plane created a sudden darkness that had Isabelle’s heart beating at 1000 beats per second.
“ISABELLE!” Mark yelled as he felt her lose her balance and fall to the floor. Luckily he still had her hand and hadn’t lost her. Just then a small emergency light started to flicker and allowed Mark only to see Isabelle’s face and the dreadful look in her eyes. He helped her up and held her tight to him. He looked down to her and saw her looking back up at him helplessly, fearing what was coming next.
“It’s going to be all right,” Mark said trying to comfort her, but it was far from convincing. She just looked up at him with her tear stung eyes and whispered fearfully,
“Mark, I’ll always love you.” Mark tightened his grip and was trying to deny the obvious.
“No, Isabelle. We’ll make it through this!” he yelled trying to make her believe him. “I love you!” he cried tears falling from his eyes. “I love you, Isabelle! I love you!” Those were the last words Mark and Isabelle ever spoke. The two lovers were gone. Never to be heard from again.