Table 15

"Well, I'm all done here," Mark said after talking with me for a while longer. "Are you ready to go home?"

I shuffled my feet a bit. "Yeah," I responded with a small smile. Mark noticed something was up and looked at me in concern. He always seems to see right through me.

Honestly, I really didn't want to go yet. I was enjoying our time together here. "C-can we uh...go to your place? Maybe...to watch a few movies...?" I continued anxiously.

Mark was silent for a short while. God damnit Sean, you don't just invite yourself over like that! You're too dependent on him. Maybe he wants some alone time. I quickly tried to redeem myself, "I mean if you're busy or something, then that's totally fine! I just thought-"

"I'd love to watch some movies with you, Jack," Mark said calmly. I looked up at him. He bore a brilliant smile on his face; the one that made me grin from ear to ear.

He held my hand, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. It was comforting, for some reason. His eyes sparkled with the light from his computer screen. His smile seemed to light up the rest of the room. We held each other's gaze like one of those couples in a cheesy romance movies.

My heart fluttered in my chest like a caged bird. That bird seemed to nag at me, begging me to set it free. "Tell him now! Tell him now!" It shouted at me.

Shit, I sound exactly like a fuckin' woman in those romance novels. Think like a man, Jack! What would a man, such as you, think? DICKS! God damnit.

Anyways, I ignored the nagging bird in my heart. I know that if I keep putting it off, I'll just end up blurting it out at the wrong time. I've already done it once, to those homophobic girls at the diner. But...I don't know. This is a really big deal for me. It needs to be special.

The mood just isn't right. Even if Mark's chocolate eyes seem to be smiling at me from behind his glasses. It's not the right time. Even if he's currently leaning in closer to me, his lips just inches away from mine.

Hold up. What the fuck? My eyes widened in surprise at the raven haired man. His nose brushed against mine for a moment. His cheeks were a dusty shade of pink.

I didn't move. I hardly dared to breathe. I tried to avoid eye contact, but his gaze was hypnotic. My eyes grew wider still as Mark suddenly thrust himself forward. Our lips met. He kissed me gently, still holding my hand.

My stomach flipped. He wasn't drunk this time. He couldn't blame this on truth or dare. This was an actual, loving, passionate kiss. All those doubts...all those unnecessary worries for nothing. He really does care about me. I started to kiss him back, shyly at first.

Mark opened his eyes a bit, and I could feel a small smile forming on his lips. A little more confident now, I closed my eyes and just enjoyed his company. His soft lips against mine were even more comforting than holding his hand. I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to get as close to him as I could without breaking the tenderness of the moment. His arms slid around my waist. I turned my head to get a better angle, urging myself to go for it. So I did.

I massaged my lips against his. Our kiss went from gentle to passionate in an instant. I ran my fingers through his hair, messing it up unintentionally. Mark held my face with his hands, pulling me closer to him. My heart raced.

We seemed to have melted together into our own universe. One were all that mattered was the present, not the past or future. Just the here and now. Without a second thought, I thrust my tongue into Mark's mouth. His eyes flew open as I made our time together more lustful.