Page 83 of Revealing Mark
I hated when he spoke like that, instead of saying it outright. Why did I always have to feel like I was dragging everything out of him? When I refused to say anything, his hand brought mine down from his face.
“Opening up to you scared me.” He looked vulnerable and I couldn’t look away, even the anger I had felt only a few moments before evaporated. “I thought it would be easier to walk away.”
“What changed?” I asked softly.
“I can’t. I need you…”
There were no declarations, just an honesty that made the warmth unravel in me.
Lunch had been a little awkward with Matthew and Sarah’s absence. They had left immediately after the confrontation in the back yard. Mark sat beside me at the table and it felt weird now that my family knew about us especially when I wasn’t sure how my parents felt about it.
I helped my mom and Sophie clear the table while my dad spoke to Mark. I wondered what was being said.
“What did I tell you?” Sophie gloated when we entered the kitchen “I think I may have to become a professional cupid.”
I rolled my eyes at her as I set the dishes beside the sink.
“I’m surprised it took this long,” my mother said while she stood on the other side of me.
“Really?” I asked, a little taken aback.
She nodded. “You’ve had a thing for him for a while and he always seemed to act differently around you.”
“You knew I liked him?”
She smiled. “Of course I knew. Mothers know these things. I think you’ll be good together.”
How had I never known this?
Later, when we were leaving, my father hugged me close while Mark spoke to my mom.
“So, you and Mark?” my dad whispered.
“Yeah,” I murmured, feeling a little shy about it.
“He’s a good guy,” he murmured beneath his breath, which made me feel warm inside.
Well, that was a first. I don’t think I had ever heard my dad say that about any of the boyfriends I had brought home.
“I know that.” I nodded. I had known Mark for a long time, I might not know the details about his life, but I knewwho he was deep down inside. That was what mattered to me.
His actions today had been unexpected. I had no idea he’d been planning to tell Matthew, and now that I’d had time to think about it, I wished he had said something beforehand so I could have at least prepared myself. Although I wasn’t sure it would have changed the final outcome.
It was later, when we walked into my apartment, that I finally had the chance to talk to him.
“You’ve been very quiet,” he said when I dropped my purse on the nearest table and sank into my sofa.
“It was a lot this afternoon.”
He came to a stop beside the armrest. “He’ll come around. It’s just going to take time.”
He studied me. “There is something else bugging you. What is it?”
“I just wish you had given me a heads-up about confronting Matt. Maybe it would have been better for me to have told him.”
Mark shook his head, taking the seat beside me. “There was no way I would have let that happen. He is my friend and it was my responsibility to tell him.”
His hand touched mine and I looked down as his fingers threaded through mine. My heart did a weird flip in my chest and I swear I loved him more even though it wasn’t possible. For someone who had never been overly affectionate, this meant more than it would have from anyone else.
