9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Logan

I curse MovieFlix's very existence as I stare at the buffering symbol. As much as I pay for cable, and this thing has the audacity to buffer? Without breaking contact with the accursed screen, I pop a Reese's into my mouth. I totally messed things up with Mark tonight. What an idiot I am! I won't blame him at all if he moves in with Brandon tonight. A key turns in the door lock, and I am shocked. I hadn't expected Mark to be back so early, but he walks in all the same. "What are you watching?" he asks.

" Nightmare on Elm Street ."

"Which one?"

"The gay one."

He snorts. "I don't know what's worse, you referring to the second Elm Street movie as ‘the gay one' or that I knew exactly which movie you were talking about," he says.

"Guess you're spending too much time with me."

Although time spent with me is time not spent with Brandon. I really need to stop thinking that way. I am a grown adult and need to get my head on straight.

But fucking Brandon.

The man has to have some flaw: a criminal record, a string of disappeared ex-lovers, or a freaking giant zit somewhere awkward.

"I'm sorry I ruined your date." I finally say.

"I know you are," he replies. "I was all right. Brandon was gracious enough about it. Besides, he was trying to be helpful and he helped me network. To be honest, I did feel out of place there. I think I should have prepared better. I had this wild idea that all I had to do was dress nice and talk."

"It didn't work that way?"

"They were playing chess; I was playing checkers."

I smile to myself. Poor Mark is absolutely terrible at both of those games.

When Mark plops onto the sofa beside me, I pass him the bowl of candy. "Trick-or-treaters, huh?" he asks.

"To be fair, I must have had at least a handful of them before I decided to crash the gala," I reply.

"I swear," he says. "That you made it on your own before me is incredible."

"Now, let's not go attacking each other's diets," I reply, "Dorito's are a breakfast food."

"They are if you're in a hurry."

"So maybe you need to quit hitting the snooze button on your phone," I say wryly.

He opens his mouth to retort but closes it without comment.

"Got you there, huh? So, chess and checkers? You felt like you didn't belong? Were they rude to you?"

"No," he replies, sounding absentminded. "It was just odd, I guess. I met Drake Elwood. Do you know him?"

"Sure. The business building on campus is named for his family."

"But you don't hang out with him."

"No, not really."

Mark plants an elbow on the sofa-arm and rests his cheek in his hand. "Logically, I should have had a good time. I was with an attractive man at an expensive gala in an art gallery."

"But you didn't have a good time?"

"Not really."

I sigh. "I want you to be happy, Mark, that's all. When it comes right down to it. I want you to be happy. And if that's with Brandon, then I am happy for you. So why did you leave and come back here?"

MovieFlix finally starts the movie, but I only half pay attention to it.

"Did Brandon do something to upset you?" I ask. "Do you want me to go and key his car?"

"No, of course not!"

"I'll look him dead in the eye and do it."

"I know you would," Mark says, shaking his head. "Leave Brandon alone. He's this completely perfect guy."

Yeah. Creepily perfect. He's probably the result of alien engineering.

"Don't pick on him," Mark replies, shoving his shoulder against mine. "It's been a confusing night."

"What do you mean?"

"I broke up with Brandon. Or he broke up with me. I guess it was pretty mutual."

I wince. "I'm sorry."

He shrugs. "It'll be fine. Maybe I'll just date you instead."

I have a retort ready, but it dies on my tongue. When I chance a look at Mark, he hasn't moved. He doesn't even look at me, but I can see his smirk.

"You're serious?" I ask.

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, but—"

"But I think I've liked…no…loved you for a very long time," Mark says. "It just took me a while to piece it all together. You know I'm slow with stuff like that."

I carefully lean over and kiss him on the mouth. His lips are rough and chapped by the cool autumn air. Mark smells like peppermint and tastes like a bit like copper. His hand curls in my hair, and I tip over, awkwardly flailing onto his lap. Mark shakes with laughter as Reese's cups fall free from my bowl and scatter over the carpet.

"Did you get yourself drunk or is it just that you've fallen for me?" Mark asks, his eyes bright and eager.

"Maybe it's both. Maybe I'm drunk on you and have fallen for you," I reply.

I roll onto my back and rest my head on his lap.

"Really?" Mark asks.

"Really."

He shakes his head and runs his fingers through my hair. My eyes dart away and then back to him. This has to be a dream and any second I'm going to wake up, and it's going to ruin everything.

Someone screams from the TV, which draws Mark's attention for a second. "You know, this isn't at all how I imagined this going down," he says.

"What were you expecting?" I ask.

"Well, I had it in my head that you would be eating all the chocolate in the house, but somehow, I just hadn't imagined Freddy Krueger murdering someone in the background."

"I can turn it off," I say.

Mark returns to stroking my hair. "No," he replies. "Leave it. I think it suits you. You wouldn't want a normal love confession from me."

I smile up at him. "I'd take any love confession from you," I say.

He leans down and kisses me, but before I can deepen the kiss, he pulls away. I tilt my head and pause. Illuminated by the TV, I can just barely make out the color rising to his cheeks. "Too fast? I'm not good at this," Mark says.

I smirk. "Does that mean we have to get you a lot of practice before you'll be a good kisser? Because if so, I guess that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

Mark rolls his eyes and swats my arm, but his lips twitch in a smile. "Unfortunately, Logan, I think that's exactly what it means."