Page 120 of Prized Possession

Marcus was the first to fall asleep that morning, and given all the pills, sex, and stab wounds, that wasn’t much of a surprise, but I spent the whole day just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He’d said the most perfect things, yet I couldn’t help worrying that maybe he was just caught up in the moment. I was living the dream I’d had since I was a child, and I didn’t want to miss a single moment of it.

So, when Marcus finally did wake up a couple of hours later, I braced myself for his regret, but it never came. Instead, he kissed me with passion, and asmile that suggested he might quite like waking up next to me, which is a good thing as I’ve not been back to my own room since.

The first night after the sex, when we said goodnight to each other, I somewhat reluctantly headed towards my own room, and Marcus looked confused. I didn’t know what to do, as we hadn’t exactly given a label to whatever the confusing situation between us is.

Marcus simply laughed, threw me over his shoulder, and took me back to his room, all while I shouted at him for risking his stitches.

Since then, I’ve never even attempted to sleep alone, it just feels right to be with him.

It’s more than just sex. Being next to him, talking to him, gives me more peace than I ever expected.

Somehow, the first weekend my parents returned, Marcus was able to get us out of going to lunch, stating he had to work, and he wasn’t willing to let me go alone.

My dad argued, of course, but Marcus simply reminded him that he was amenable when he cancelled for two weeks to take my mother on holiday, so returning the favour is the least he can do.

Surprisingly, my dad backed down, and my nerves eased a little more.

While we are alone in the apartment, it’s like we are in our own little bubble, completely unaware of the world around us.

I continue going to my classes, and baking at home to practise everything I’ve learnt, and Marcus still has his job to go to, but when we’re at home, just the two of us, it’s like we forget about the world outside.

One morning, at the start of my fifth week with Marcus, we’re having our usual breakfast, just sitting together, grateful for each other’s company, when Marcus turns to me, a serious look on his face.

“It just occurred to me, I’ve never taken you on a real date.”

I can’t help but laugh. “That’s okay. We’ve spent lots of evenings having dinner together and then watching a movie, so we can class them as dates.”

Marcus shakes his head, scowling at me. “Fuck, no. I can do much better than that.”

“Is it…safe for us to go on a date?”

Although we’re all over each other here in the apartment, on the rare occasions that we go outside together, we decided it'd be better if people don’t know what’s going on between us.

Marcus never specifically made any promises to my family at the time of the bet, but if people find out we’re having sex, it would be a grey area where the bet is concerned, but with the peace treaty, there’s no doubt it would be crossing a line.

We hadn’t wanted to put too much pressure on our new relationship, so we kept our intimacy indoors.

“I’ll pick somewhere that’s safe. So, do you want to go on a date with me?” he asks, sounding a little shy.

I lean over and press my lips to his in a deep but quick kiss, pulling away with a smile on my face. “I would love to go on a date with you. When?”

He pauses for a second before saying, “How about tonight?”

I’m a little startled that he wants to do it so soon, but I don’t even think before I blurt out, “Yes.”

Marcus chuckles, his lips tipping up into his cocky smirk at how eager I sounded. “You don’t have any classes?”

Shit, I do.

“No, it’s fine. Nothing I can’t miss,” I tell him, and he stares at me, assessing to see if I’m being honest.

I roll my eyes at him, which makes him smile and he lets it go. “Okay, tonight it is. Shall we say six?”

“Perfect. Where are we going?” I ask, my heart racing like I’m a teenage girl all over again.

I rather depressingly realise that this will be the first date I’ve ever been on that I picked for myself. Every date I’ve had before was selected by one of my parents, which is an incredibly sad thought.

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