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Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Mark would not speak to me on the drive home, and I was too terrified to inquire as to what had transpired with him. It was the only time we exchanged words, and it was about what I wanted from McDonald's. We got our food in the car and didn't even bother going inside the restaurant.

We were on our way home when I noticed that his hands were gripping the steering wheel with such force that the whites of his knuckles were showing.

As we arrived at our house, the automobiles belonging to both John and my dad were already parked in the driveway. I am too exhausted to engage in conversation with anyone. In spite of the fact that my birthday and graduation are both tomorrow, all I want to do is go to sleep.

Mark assists me in moving in both my belongings and some of his.

What's up, and how did it go? John asks. None one of us raised our hands or spoke up. "Give it to me already!" they yelled. Again, neither one of us raised our voices.

"Let's give them some space for a while so they can get settled in. It's likely that they've been gone the whole day. Tomorrow, we'll have a conversation." My dad says. I show my gratitude to him by giving him a look.

"Ok." John says. It doesn't take him very long to get bored of one subject and want to move on to another. " So Mark. You will have the opportunity to brag that Alyanna is "your girl" at her commencement ceremony tomorrow. "Actually? We haven't even settled in yet, and he's already giving Mark instructions.

"Sure, dad, I'll take care of it." Mark mutters this while yawning. Yeah, he sure did make a point with those words.

"Good. It is beginning to be late, so I need to get going." Then John leaves the room.

"The guest bedroom is available to you if you'd like to stay with us," the host said. My grandfather finally broke the uncomfortable silence by stating to Mark.

"I am grateful to you, Chris! I'm going to assume that I should accept your offer." Mark says. Following that, he walks out of the room.

Dad glances at me. How did things turn out? He asks. "Were you able to purchase that dress?"

"Yes we did. That seems to be working wonderfully. I like it." I'm sitting here with my head resting on the counter, which is a bar stool.

"Have you inquired with her on her interest in attending the wedding?" He asks. I reposition myself to face him. It seems as though the pain is gone or very close to being gone.

"Yes, they're on their way," was the response. I will answer. His face became expressionless.

He then questions, "Who is it?"

I inhale deeply and exhale slowly. I pause before continuing, "Mom, Will, her new husband, and..."

"Anyone else?" He asks. It doesn't appear like the fact that she has a new husband has any effect on him at all.

Two of her daughters, to be specific. I will answer. When I glance at him, I anticipate seeing signs of anguish on his face, but they don't appear, at least not to the extent that I anticipated they would. I can tell by the way his eyes are looking that he's hurt, but I was wrong about how badly he was hurt. "I'm sorry dad." I say.

"Absolutely not. I will in fact be attending the wedding with another person." He says. I can feel my eyes bulging.

"What?" I ask partly laughing. He pulls a mock furious face in my direction. "Sorry. I had a feeling that you were seeing someone else. I simply did not believe that it was of that much significance."

"Oh, I've been dating this woman for a long now, and while you were gone I asked her to be my date this weekend." "Yes, I've been dating this woman for a while now." He says. I can see the beginnings of a smile forming on his face.

I say, "Who?"

"Miss Kay." He answers. My eyes are getting bigger again.

"You are referring to Miss Kay who lives down the block, correct? Maddy Kay?" I have not yet worked out a strategy for overcoming the shock that I experienced.

Both Ms. Kay and Maddy are around three years younger than my parents. My mother left home when she was 26, which means that she was 21 years old when she gave birth to me. My dad was 27 years old when she left, and Ms. Kay had just graduated college when she was 22 or 23 years old. After my mom had to leave, it was her who took care of me and made sure I was okay.

"Have you inquired with her on her interest in attending the wedding?" He asks. I reposition myself to face him. It seems as though the pain is gone or very close to being gone.

"Yes, they're on their way," was the response. I will answer. His face became expressionless.

He then questions, "Who is it?"

I inhale deeply and exhale slowly. I pause before continuing, "Mom, Will, her new husband, and..."

"Anyone else?" He asks. It doesn't appear like the fact that she has a new husband has any effect on him at all.

"Absolutely not. I will in fact be attending the wedding with another person." He says. I can feel the hollowing out of my eyes.

I say, "Who?"

"Miss Kay." He answers. My eyes are getting bigger again.

"You are referring to Miss Kay who lives down the block, correct? Maddy Kay?" I have not yet worked out a strategy for overcoming the shock that I experienced.

My response is, "Sure, that would be of assistance."

Before continuing, he gives me a glance. "I suppose you could say that she was my "sweetheart" while I was in high school. During our junior and senior years of high school, we dated for a total of three years until calling it quits just before entering our last year."

"Oh." I pause. Consequently, I must inquire, "Why did you behave in such a manner today?"

"I have no idea. I guess I simply felt strange. I mean, it's been over half a decade since we last spoke. I ended my relationship with her, and I later found out that she and I were both doing well throughout our senior year. But, when I saw her, she had not changed at all. She continued to be a popular cheerleader despite her harsh demeanor. When I played football back then, I had a reputation for being tough and popular. I certainly hope I've developed." He props his elbows up on his knees and cups his palms about his face to protect it.

"You have improved in a very positive way." I said walking over to my desk. "I didn't know you back then, but based on what I know about you today, you're not at all malicious. When we initially met, the nasty football player would have completely disregarded me and not given me a second thought. But you didn't do it because you've evolved into a wise and generous person." I am at this very moment standing just in front of him.

He's looking at me. He has lost that watchful expression that he had earlier. "Thank you Alyanna." He mumbles.

"Just doing my job." I say.

Mark gets up, but he doesn't move once he's there. My height advantage over him is roughly an inch and a half. He stares directly into my emerald eyes, which, due to the fact that he is so near, I perceive to be significantly larger than they actually are. I stare directly into his dark blue eyes, which are filled with a variety of emotions. Because of the events of the past, most likely, and possibly even because of his own father.

He gets down on one knee and gives me a bear hug. "Thank you again." He says, "I'm still hugging you."

I can feel a quickening in the rhythm of my heart. "No issue." I utter a word directly into his sternum.

Even if he walks away, our faces are still so close together that even the slightest movement from any of us may completely alter the situation. Mark presses his lips against mine before I have a chance to pull away. My pupils have dilated in response to the shock, and my heart is beating so quickly that it feels as though it might tear a hole in my chest. I gave in and pulled the covers over my head before reaching up to around his neck with my arms. He wraps his hands around my waist, and we continue to remain in that position for what feels like an eon but is, in reality, only a few minutes.

We finally get moving once again. I would prefer it not to be. I hope that this sensation lasts for the rest of my life. I was already in a bad mood, but this just brought me to an all-time low. I'm already head over heels in love with him, despite the fact that we're not married and we barely know each other.

I can't say for certain that he is. Likely not. But I am, and there is nothing that can change that about me at this point.

The distance that Mark puts between us helps me remember that I'm not in Mark's world. I feel a chill coming on. The heat from the kiss made me feel all toasty inside. Simply being in his company made me feel more comfortable. I feel like calling out to him and asking if he plans to remain here. But, I make an effort not to. I simply went with him to the door and opened it for him when we got there.

As he leaves to go back to his room, you and I exchange one final glance before continuing on your way.

When I'm sure that I won't see him again, I shut my door and rest against it. I raised my left hand to my lips so I could imitate the sensation he gave me there.

Then I glance at the hand where my ring is located on my finger. Mark would not divulge to me the price of the stunning ring that he had purchased for me. The ring that brightens my day and was the impetus for our decision to have our first date at that particular diner. I demonstrated the ring to my mother. The ring that Callie needed to look at in order for us to cease being bothered by it. But if she had just done that, none of this would be taking place now. My ring. This is the only ring I own.

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