<div class="floatleft">(https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F55%2Fff%2F94%2F55ff947afff9e9df4b4d00815f299988.jpg&amp;f=1)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Mark Watson (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=308599.msg15011290#msg15011290)<br/><strong>Age:</strong>26<br/><strong>Sexuality:</strong>Hetero<br/><strong>Hometown:</strong>Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada<br/><strong>Date/Time:</strong>3 July, 2019, 23:30<br/><strong>Location:</strong>@ the hot tub<br/><strong>Wearing:</strong>Black boxer briefs - everything else removed<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">T-shirt</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/8174-xrHQxL._UX679_.jpg)</div></div>, well-worn jeans,<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Socks</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://ik.imagekit.io/overdose/3wisemen/catalog/product/cache/4/small_image/265x320/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/x/sx-101913_white.jpg)</div></div>,<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Shoes</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0046/5548/0950/products/STEVEMADDEN-CASUAL_ZENO_BLUE-FABRIC_grande.jpg?v=1549480015)</div></div><br/><strong>Coupled with:</strong>No one as yet<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Open, Delaney<br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/>She laughed.  It was like a pressure valve for the current situation.  He had tried to explain things.  She didn't seem to judge him on it.  The truth of it was that it felt like she had already made up her mind prior to him coming back from the bar.  It might just be a defence mechanism she had created.  It would not come as a surprise to him that she had a multitude of men and boys alike pursuing due to her field of work.  He suspected the attempts to woo her ranged from wildly impressive all the way to unpleasant and generally damning for his gender.  Bringing her churros in Majorca was probably nestled in nicely at the mid-point on that scale.<br/><br/>He was not unique.  Certainly not to her.  No doubt she dated a couple...or a number of guys like him so that their sunrise talk and what he had felt was a genuine connection had been efficiently set aside by her so she could focus on Logan was...well...also not a surprise.<br/><br/>He had just told her all kinds of things and she had made it wildly clear to him where he stood.  So he needed to handle all of it with some grace.<br/><br/>Earlier in the day, during the sunrise talk she had reached out to him unsolicited and touched him.  It was an intimate, affectionate touch that had mirrored the intimacy and affection that had blossomed during their conversation.  While he had been resolutely friend-zoned he hoped that touching her wouldn't pose a problem.<br/><br/>To make sure he had her attention, his hand found hers atop the edge of the hot tub.  His fingers laced with her own...more out of reflex than any other reason.  At least that's what he was telling himself.  He gave her a small laugh and a supportive smile.<br/><br/><em>"Right...so you don't need to apologize for how you feel.  You're not making this a disaster.  The reoccurring theme in all of the disasters here...is me.  So, you're golden."</em>He squeezed her hand gently.<em>"You're into Logan and that's not something you should feel bad about.  Honestly...you made a connection that you want to pursue.  That's something you should feel good about."</em><br/><br/>His hand slipped free from hers and without any fanfare he smoothly lifted himself out of the hot tub.  A large towel was slung around his hips and he crouched down at the edge of the hot tub and rested his hand on her forearm.<em>"Also...what if everything that is happening is exactly what's supposed to happen for things to work out great for you?"</em>He lifted his eyebrows speculatively and gave her a small, confident smile.<br/><br/>He stood once more and looked down at her from where he stood.<em>"I really hope we get to talk more, Delaney."</em>Nodding his head once in a slight, sharp motion as if to confirm what he said and headed back into the villa.