<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/9a/PowderBlueCoralPink.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Grace Carter (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=308599.msg15006958#msg15006958)<br/><strong>Age:</strong>23<br/><strong>Sexuality:</strong>Heterosexual<br/><strong>Hometown:</strong>Brighton, England<br/><strong>Date/Time:</strong>2 July, 2019 | Mid Morning<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Restaurant lunch date<br/><strong>Wearing:</strong>Same as picture<br/><strong>Coupled with:</strong>Corey<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Mark<br/><br/><hr/><div class="floatright">(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/5a7df8aff6576e8f8c60a567/1533309407149-SU2XFKHJ10U2J7FOKOV7/belmond-la-residencia.jpg?content-type=image%2Fjpeg)</div><br/>Her joke was not only not met with laughter, it actually seemed as if she had done something to thoroughly vex Mark. He repeated her words:<em>’I suppose it’s for the best’</em>taking them into his own voice and making them sound as if they had offended him. Grace blinked and her brows ruffled as she waited for some sort of an explanation when Mark swiftly rose from his chair and turned to walk out.<br/><br/>Maybe it was an ego thing? The idea of a woman walking out on him was so unfathomable that he had to do it first? Even though he was the one who sort of suggested it…?<br/><br/>He turned around to look back at her as he waited for the elevator, all bristly and preparing for a word battle, or so it appeared. Then came those infamous two words before a verbal attack was launched<em>‘You know…’</em><br/><br/>Grace tensed everywhere, holding her breath as Mark spoke to her from halfway across the balcony.<br/><br/>He reminded her that he accepted her apology - nothing about how he appreciated her honesty, but hey, maybe he didn’t - and understood the frustrating parts of the show that they were on, but apparently he had expected to enjoy her company for a couple of hours.<br/><br/>Grace felt her jaw drop a little, not with the intention of speaking, but in actual surprise. The doors dinged in front of him and he moved to step in. By then, Grace had stood from her seat, both to get a better look at him and to potentially stop him from leaving.<br/><br/>Mark mentioned Corey by name, and Grace’s heart stopped for a minute. She blinked, forced herself to swallow and willed herself to focus. He said this moment wasn’t a shining one for her. As if out of habit, she scoffed. He went on to say that he felt she made no effort with him at all and knew nothing about him, therefore had no right to essentially pawn him off to Elsa.<br/><br/>This time her lips parted wider with the intention of speaking, but Mark wasn’t finished. He thought she sabotaged their date, and that she did this earlier with JJ. He said she was the problem. Grace shrank slightly. Her next blink was a wet one, as her mouth finally closed.<br/><br/>Apparently she was wrong for committing to Corey. For wanting to commit to him. Mark sarcastically told her to go off into the sunset with him, and give up their spots to two people who would participate in the process. Then he decided to end the date right then and there.<br/><br/>Grace grabbed her purse and marched over to him, holding her hand against the lift’s door opening so that even if he slid his shoe away, the doors still wouldn’t close on her. “Now, hold on. That’s not fair. You’ve said a lot to me just then and I feel that I deserve at least a chance to respond. Don’t you?” She searched his eyes for a moment.<br/><br/>She sighed and lowered her head, then her arm, stepping out of his way. “Please, let’s go back and sit. I’m sure you’re hungry.” Grace now felt like she was walking on eggshells and had to watch exactly how she was phrasing everything from here on out. “Or we can talk here if you’d prefer, just please…” she gestured for him to exit. “You standing in the lift makes me anxious and I can’t think properly.”<br/><br/>Assuming Mark was alright with at least getting out of the elevator, she took a step backward to make more room for him. With a heavy exhale, Grace picked her head up again and sniffled, blinking rapidly in a clear effort to hide her emotions. She cleared her throat and met his gaze.<br/><br/>“I think we really misunderstood each other just then. So, if you’d just let me, I’d like to apologize if I offended you. I thought it was best to leave because I was forthcoming with you and shared that I wanted to pursue Corey. I thought that maybe you wouldn’t want to spend the rest of your afternoon with someone who isn’t romantically available. I didn’t mean anything by it.”<br/><br/>She felt her shoulders hunch slightly. “And when you suggested that I go, I guess I took that as your way of saying you’d rather me leave, as well. So I shouldn’t have assumed that and I apologize.” Grace took a moment to recall what else had been said.<br/><br/>“As for the part about Elsa, I…” Grace sighed, glancing sideways at the floor, before meeting Mark’s gaze again. “I only mentioned her because I overheard you and Logan at the kitchen earlier talking about her. And… beyond that, if I’m being completely honest, there are two girls who are currently single. Apart from the new arrival. And that’s Elsa and Samantha.”<br/><br/>She wasn’t proud of what she was about to say next, it was evident. Her hands met in front of her and started fidgeting together. “Samantha made it clear at the first coupling ceremony that she’s interested in Corey. It seemed that the only reason she didn’t steal him away from me was because it’d create unnecessary drama.”<br/><br/>Grace glanced down at her knotted fingers. “So, part of the reason I wanted Elsa in a couple was because I don’t want her to go home, selfishly. She’s been very nice to me and I’d like her to stay. And… I… didn’t mention Samantha because, well, the opposite is true about her.” She raised her hands in a sign of surrender. “I know, that wasn’t very nice.”<br/><br/>She took another moment to collect her thoughts and take a deep breath. “Getting back to you and I… I am genuinely flattered that you asked me on this date. Truly, I appreciate it. But, at the same time, I felt something with Corey that I’ve not felt with any other guy here.” She laid it out as simply as she could. “I sparked with him and I’ve not sparked at all with anyone else.”<br/><br/>She paused, rolled her lips together, then carried on. “Maybe I haven’t given myself enough of a chance to spark with someone else. And that is my fault. But because it was so instant with Corey, I guess I felt like I didn’t need to settle for anything less than that.” Her tone was a sweet and kind one, she wasn’t trying to start anything.<br/><br/>“I’ve been away from the villa all day and haven’t had a chance to spend much time with him. But before I can think about romantically getting invested in someone new, I’d have to know that it wouldn’t work with Corey. And right now, I just don’t feel like that’s the case. I think if we’d have the time, it would work out.” She thought back to their kiss last night. That kiss had to be the first of many more to come, right?<br/><br/>Grace sighed, her shoulders slumping a bit. “I didn’t mean to put you off. I’m sure you’re great and you’re right, I don’t know you. So maybe it’s not fair of me to say that there isn’t a connection. Maybe I am afraid of having two connections at once so I don't let myself get there at all. I just… I’m new to this situation. I’ve dated the wrong guys forever and I’ve finally met a good one in Corey and I’d just be an absolute idiot to let him go, I think.”<br/><br/>She looked at him then, hoping her explanation for everything made more sense. “Have I cleared the air? Can we get back to lunch? Please?” She requested, knowing full well he could pie her off if he wanted to, regardless of her actual effort expended in trying to salvage what was left of their date.