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Nathan and Sarah have finally arrived in Mexico, and Sarah still has hiccups that seem like they'll never stop. Excited about this new chapter in their lives, they find themselves being drawn ever closer together through a rather action-packed evening. --The Author
"Bien-- Bienvenidos a *hic* Mexico," Sarah Beloit slowly attempted, with what could charitably be described as poor pronunciation, not to mention her seemingly intractable hiccups. "How was that?"
"Bienve-NI-dos," her boyfriend Nathan Garver repeated with a chuckle, leaning heavily on the properly accented syllable. He didn't even bother to correct her very American pronunciation of 'Mexico'.
Sarah sighed. "Mom did try to get m-*hic* me to take Spanish instead of Fre-*hic* French! I guess I should have *hic* listened. But that's ok, you'll speak Spanish for *huck* us!"
"If we're going to depend on my Spanish, we're gonna have quite an adventure," Nathan admitted.
"Well that's what we're *hmk* here for, right?"
Nathan looked over at his girlfriend. Her face practically glistened with excitement. It was enough to make him smile broadly, too. "That's true!" he agreed.
The past couple days had been like a blur for Nathan. He and Sarah had taken their time traveling through Texas, making the usual tourist stops. And all the while, Sarah still had the hiccups. Her hiccups had echoed through the stone walls of the Alamo - much to the chagrin of their tour guide. She'd hiccupped through little artsy stores in Austin. They had slowly strolled the San Antonio Riverwalk with Nathan's arm close around her hiccupping body. It had been so exciting for him that it was a bit, well, painful. But there are far worse problems in life, he figured.
Nonetheless, while Sarah had quickly - enthusiastically - come to the conclusion that her hiccups weren't going to stop, Nathan had still subconsciously felt like it was just another unusually long case. The fact that something was different had really sunk in for him that morning as he and Sarah had stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast. As the hostess showed them to a booth, she noticed Sarah's hiccups, which were doing their best to be particularly noticeable that morning. "Aww sweetie, do you want me to grab you some water for those hiccups?" she had sympathetically offered in her friendly Texas drawl.
"Thanks, I'm *hic* ok," Sarah had replied casually. "These hiccups aren't going *huck* away."
While the hostess obviously just took that to mean that Sarah had a stubborn case that drinking some water wasn't going to cure, it hit Nathan differently. What Sarah was so nonchalantly saying: it was literally true. Sure, maybe Sarah wouldn't literally have the hiccups for the rest of her life; did that even happen to people? But even in his wildest dreams Nathan had never imagined a beautiful girl who had the hiccups non-stop. It was too ridiculous to even fantasize. And yet, here she was, sitting across from him in a booth at the Waffle House. Not only that, but she was fun, energetic, supportive, even athletic! And she was madly in love with him. And she had left everything she'd ever known to travel to Mexico with him. Seriously? This was a thing that was happening?
Only a few hours later, Nathan couldn't remember what he'd had on his waffles, or if he'd even eaten waffles. It could have been toasted cardboard for all he cared. The whole meal, indeed the whole morning, had just faded away as the reality of how ridiculously lucky he was had finally sunk in. This was a thing that was happening. He really did have the most amazing girl in the world right there next to him. Did anything else even matter?
Not only was Sarah basically amazing, she was also really cute when she got excited! And after a wait at the Laredo border crossing that seemed like it would never end, they were both very excited to finally be in Mexico! "Can we get out and *hic* see the city?" she suggested eagerly.
"I'm not sure exactly what there is to see in Nuevo Laredo, but..."
"It doesn't even matter!" she pressed. "We're *huck* here; that's good enough."
"Unfortunately, 'here' is also one of the most dangerous cities in the world," Nathan pointed out.
Sarah frowned. "You'll pro-*hic* protect me, right?"
"With my life!" Nathan promised. "Or more likely, with the gun that's hidden in the suspension of the truck."
"Nathan!" Sarah gasped. "You told them you didn't *hic* have any weapons!"
"Did I?"
"You did!"
"Well," he rationalized with a smirk, "I don't know for sure whether I do. It could have fallen out, you know. It's not good to make claims that might not be true."
Sarah shook her head. "Oh my word, you c-*hic* could have been in so much trouble!"
"I'd still rather not take our chances in this city, though. How about we wait until we get to Monterrey?"
Only about three hours passed before they reached Monterrey - a sprawling city surrounded by towering mountains. With some difficulty they finally found a park near the center of the city that featured a huge glass walking bridge.
Before locking the truck, Nathan bent down next to the front tire and fumbled around behind it for a moment. He rose to his feet just as Sarah came around the front of the truck to join him. She looked simply adorable in the airy, pale blue sundress she had chosen that morning. A gentle breeze rustled its skirt slightly and carried a few strands of Sarah's light brown hair across her face. Disregarding the wayward hair, she threw her arms around Nathan and looked up at him with those beautiful blue eyes of hers. Her dress matched them perfectly, he thought.
"Kiss me," she whispered.
Despite the small metal box he held in one hand, Nathan gently wrapped his strong arms around her, with his free hand reaching her lower back. His lips bent down toward hers.
Something about that kiss seemed to make them both lose track of their sense of time and place. Other park visitors walking to and from their vehicles, children romping in the grass, a sweaty, shirtless man doggedly jogging along the sidewalk: they all simply disappeared as Nathan and Sarah's lips locked and they held each other close.
Finally they separated for a moment. "I love you so much," Sarah breathed.
"I love you too," Nathan answered. "You look absolutely stunning today, by the way."
Sarah beamed. "You l-*huck* You look pretty hot yourself!"
Reasoning that neither Sarah's dress nor his shorts offered anywhere to conceal the contents of the box he was holding, he stashed it away under the driver's seat and quickly locked the truck. With their arms around one another, two walked toward the glass bridge.
Halfway across the bridge, they stopped and kissed again. There was something electrifying, something new about the feeling of holding one another close and kissing passionately, even if it was something they'd done countless times before. This time it felt different.
They made a token attempt to explore the park and admire the beautiful scenery, but for the most part they were simply transfixed by one another. Finally they found a bench in a secluded part of the park. After a couple more minutes of making out, Nathan finally spoke. "Have you ever felt like this before?"
"Never in my l-*huck* life," Sarah breathed. "It's seriously just us now."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, look at us! *hic* We're on our own in the middle of Mexico. No *hic* mom and dad; no roommates; no br-*hic* brother or sister; no baseball team or *huck* classwork; our phones probably don't even *hic* work. It really is just you and me now."
"And that couldn't be more perfect," Nathan mused.
Sarah nodded in agreement.
Then he added with a grin, "Well, you and me and your hiccups."
Sarah laughed. "Nice of me to br-*hic* bring them along, huh?"
Monterrey is no doubt a fascinating city to explore, but Nathan and Sarah paid precious little attention to their surroundings that afternoon. The beautiful park, the historic buildings and ornate churches, and the grandeur of the nearby mountains all seemed but a blur. Early in the evening, the young couple found a motel near the heart of the city and retreated to their room.
Hardly had the room's door shut behind them than they shoved their suitcase and other belongings through the open bathroom door, and were locked in one another's embrace again. They kissed longer, deeper than they had out in the park. Sarah ran her fingers along Nathan's muscular arms and shoulders, while he caressed her lower back. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you are today?" he asked when they finally came up for air.
Sarah smiled. "I think you *hic* did."
"I didn't know it was possible to be so in love," he murmured.
She practically seemed to glow. "Me *hic* neither. But we are. And I'm *huck* all yours."
After a couple more minutes making out, Nathan clarified, "All mine?"
She opened her eyes and looked deeply into his. "All."
It wasn't long before they were on the bed, and Sarah's dress joined Nathan's shorts and t-shirt on the floor. Sitting next to her, Nathan looked in awe at Sarah as she lay there in only her pink panties and matching satin bra, her bare stomach convulsing with the hiccups that punctuated her heavy breathing. It wasn't exactly a new sight; he'd seen her in a bikini before, even with the hiccups once. But somehow she looked ten times more beautiful today than she ever had before.
A glint of golden light reflecting from Sarah's fine necklace reminded Nathan of another time he'd seen her mostly undressed, several months ago: although it felt like a lifetime away. Pausing, he gently guided her to a sitting position, and lifted her into his lap, with her chest and stomach flush against his. Each one of her hiccups seemed to press her stomach against his, bouncing his hands as they held her sides. Nonetheless, he was focused on her eyes once again as he spoke. "We've been here before, sweetie. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Sarah closed her eyes and lay her head on his shoulder, where it promptly jerked with another hiccup. "I know we have," she said thoughtfully. "And I'm *huck* sorry for what you went through. M-*hic* Maybe I was too scared then. Maybe I'm *hic* just making a really irresponsible decision now! But I do know that *hic* I couldn't possibly feel more different about us today than I d-*huck* did then. I'm sure. I'm yours now."
As if to prove it, she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. "But sorry, there's *hic* not a whole lot here to see," she added a little sheepishly.
Nathan put his finger on her lips. "You're perfect, Sarah. Absolutely perfect."
* * * * *
Two hours later, they both lay naked on the bed, fast asleep from exhaustion. A loud knock on the door awoke them with a start. Who would be at the door at this time of night? Nathan glanced at the clock on the desk. It was actually only 10 p.m., but still, they weren't expecting guests. "Who is it?" he called groggily.
"Room service," a female voice answered.
"Sorry, we didn't order anything," Nathan clarified.
"Fresh hors d'oeuvres, compliments of the manager," the voice explained. Nathan remembered that the clerk at the front desk had said something about their room coming with access to food.
Slipping on his boxer shorts, Nathan rose from the bed, while Sarah quickly retreated to the bathroom.
Nathan opened the door just enough to peek through and see a woman standing next to a porter who was holding a food tray, which contained an open plate of hors d'oeuvres, bread, and cheeses, as well as another plate that was still covered.
Releasing the chain, he opened the door more fully and greeted the porter and the woman. "Thank you, these look delicious," he commented, "We'll just take a couple." The porter stepped into the doorway and Nathan took a piece of cheese from the tray.
Suddenly, the woman reached under the covered plate and produced a small handgun. Holding it under the food tray, she pointed it squarely at Nathan and the porter gave him a shove back into the room. "You're welcome; don't mention it," the woman said, "In fact, don't say a word," she whispered, eyeing the gun.
"Oh sorry, let me let you get some clothes on," she said, returning to her normal voice. The porter pushed Nathan further into the room and the door clicked closed behind him.
In the bathroom, Sarah had put her bra back on and quickly found a clean pair of underwear in the suitcase. As she dug deeper looking for a nightie, she saw the small metal box lying next to the suitcase. Curiously, she popped it open to see Nathan's gun inside. That's what he had been getting from under the car at the park. She thought about hiding it among their clothes but decided to leave it. Who would be rummaging around in their room to find it, after all?
Hardly had that thought crossed her mind than she saw movement through the slightly-open bathroom door. She heard the woman tell Nathan he could get dressed. She assumed the movement was Nathan returning to get his clothes from next to the bed, but she felt like she should peek before coming out into the room, especially since she was still mostly undressed, too. To her surprise, she saw the porter and the woman in the room as well. Something didn't seem right at all.
Sarah hiccupped unconsciously - a sharp, clear hiccup that echoed a little in the small bathroom. Her hand flew to her mouth. She practically dove back to the suitcase and, her hands shaking a little, she opened the gun box again.
Sarah's hiccup attracted the attention of the unwanted guests, as well. The woman eyed the bathroom door from behind which the hiccup had obviously come, and, looking at the porter, cocked her head as if to direct him toward it. He set the food tray down on the bed and turned toward the bathroom.
Nathan knew that in a moment Sarah would be stuck in the middle of this as well. Desperate for a diversion, he ignored the woman's order of silence and suggested, "I think I may have something that will interest both of you." He turned his head toward his wallet on the night stand. The porter paused for a moment. "I've got quite a bit of cash in there - American money - and access to more if you will leave us alone." It was a pretty weak offer given that they could steal the cash and his bank cards anyway, but it was something.
"¿Cuánto?" the porter broke his own silence to ask how much.
"No importa," the woman chided him sternly, "Tendremos todo."
By now Sarah realized what was going on, and that she didn't have much time to do something about it. She pressed Nathan's gun into the suitcase full of clothes to muffle the sound of loading it. Returning to the gap in the bathroom door, she wondered what to do. A million thoughts raced through her mind. She couldn't shoot the porter; even shooting at the woman would be dangerous for Nathan. A random warning shot would only give them time to respond in kind. Is there something else she could do? Why did they decide to drive through Mexico? What were these people going to do to them? Does having sex somehow cause really bad nightmares?
The porter moved toward the bathroom again, and for a moment Sarah saw the woman's gun pointed toward Nathan. Before she even knew what she was doing, Sarah pushed the door open, aimed at the gun, and pulled the trigger. The gun flew from the woman's hand and in the process wildly discharged a bullet of its own into the wall.
Shocked but sensing the opportunity, Nathan leapt toward the porter, figuring him to be a bigger threat than a woman who'd just practically had her hand blown off. As if on cue, Sarah rushed at the woman.
The porter tried to grab a steak knife from the food tray, but a couple dazed, now-unarmed amateur kidnappers were no match for a professional athlete and a fit 19-year-old girl. Nathan and Sarah quickly subdued them, tying their hands behind their backs with a couple of Nathan's belts from the suitcase.
"Now if you'll *hic* excuse me for a moment, I'm going to put some cl-*huck* clothes on before the police get here," Sarah commented nonchalantly.
Nathan gave her a relieved smile. "Don't feel like you have to!"
* * * * *
Naturally, it was quite a while before the exhausted couple made it back to bed that night. And even then, they couldn't begin to bring themselves to fall asleep. Cuddled up together, they talked for a long time as their hearts were still racing.
"You're amazing, Sarah," Nathan said with a grin. "Smoking hot and a great shot?"
Sarah laughed. "Hey, my daddy didn't *hic* take me to the range all the time for *hic* nothing."
"But seriously," he said earnestly, "I don't think I could possibly love you any more than I did already, but I'm so proud of you now too. You saved my life!"
"It wasn't *hic* just me; good job distracting them *huck* long enough for me to figure out what to *hic* do," Sarah added.
"Somehow I knew that if I could keep him from getting to you, you'd figure something out," he explained.
"Thank God!" Sarah breathed. "My hands were sha-*hic* shaking like crazy. Kinda still are."
"Aww," Nathan held her tight. Then he chuckled, "You know, it's been quite a night! An attempted kidnapping and great sex all in one evening?"
Sarah laughed. "How about let's leave out the near-death exper-*hic* experience next time," she suggested.
"Good thinking," Nathan agreed.
They were both quiet for a couple minutes, except for Sarah's muffled hiccups. Finally Sarah spoke, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You know, people always *hic* try to scare me when I have the hicc-*mk*-ups. I'm pretty sure if this didn't work, *hic* nothing will!"
"I hope you're ok with that," Nathan commented with a chuckle.
"Why wouldn't I be? This is *hic* so me!" Sarah laughed. They shared another long kiss before she added, "And as long as I'm with you, I'm *hic* ok with anything."