<div class="floatleft">(https://inkedcartel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/josh-mario-john-tattoos-21-819x1024.jpg)</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, Late late late<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Diary Room<br/><strong>Wearing:</strong>Beach Towel Wrapped Around -  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>Delaney<br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/>She looked so...great.  Mark couldn't help but look at her. The cold of the night had caused her cheeks to turn pink and it only seemed to make it that much more impossible to keep from looking at her.  She sat on the edge of the deck at the front of her parent's house, hunched over as she tried to hide that she was smoking.  The view of the street was blocked off by three moving trucks and she was doing her level best to not acknowledge them.  The street lights were on and their orangish-yellow light played across the surface of her shoulder-length, blue-green hair.  She exhaled slowly; a billowing cloud of smoke jetted past her glossy lips as she reflexively flicked the ash of her cigarette.<br/><br/>"You don't need to be here Mark.  We talked about this a bunch of times."  She gave him a sidelong to where he sat on the deck nearby.  She inhaled...the end of the cigarette glowing brightly, before she spoke, exhaling at the same time.  "And you shouldn't have done that; she gestured at his arm with her cigarette.  It's not even my name.  You have to stop doing things because you think it's going to make me stay."<br/><br/>Mark frowned, looking at the inside of his forearm.  The tattoo still looked angry.  Still healing.  A red heart with CORI written in a green, flowing script.  He didn't tell her that he couldn't afford it if they had done Corinne rather than Cori.<br/><br/><em>"Lots of people call you Cori."</em><br/><br/>"You have to stop it Mark.  I'm moving to Kingston.  We're just seventeen.  We're young and I'm eight hours away.  It might as well be the moon."<br/><br/><em>"But it's only an hour by plane and we can face-time and..."</em><br/><br/>"Planes cost money Mark and you can't come every weekend to see me.  It's done. We're done.  You're making this harder."<br/><br/>Mark shook his head, exhaling...his own breath misting in front of him from the cold.<br/><br/><em>"But we can do this Corinne.  I love you."</em><br/><br/>She let out a sharp sound...almost a laugh.<br/><br/>"You are only saying that because we had sex, Mark."<br/><br/><em>"That's not true...I said it before we had sex and you said it too..."</em><br/><br/>"You only said it so we would have sex."<br/><br/>He let out a shaky breath...shaking his head.<br/><br/><em>"That's...no...you know that.  You know this and..."</em><br/><br/>She put the cigarette out in the nearby snow...messing the snow about to hide the ash and then dropped the butt down the crack between the boards on the deck.  She took a can of Febreze and sprayed around as she exhaled the last bit of smoke from he lungs.  Standing up she moved to the door...<br/><br/><em>"So I can meet you at the airport later and we can say goodbye properly.  Then you can..."</em><br/><br/>Her back was to him, her hand on the handle of the door...<br/><br/>"No Mark.  You're not listening. We are done.  You don't have to come to the airport."<br/><br/>He shook his head again...<br/><br/><em>"No...I don't feel like I have to.  I want to.  I want to be there...for us."</em><br/><br/>"I don't!" ,she snapped.  He could hear her release a shaky breath and she turned.  His mom said Cori always wore too much mascara but...he liked it.  He thought she was amazing.  He could see that she was upset, her large green eyes were brimming with tears.  "Mark...I don't want you there.  I don't want you around.  Leave.  Please leave.  You don't love me.  You will find someone better and so will I.  Please go."<br/><br/><br/><br/>*******************************************************************************************<br/><br/><em>"I need to go to her."</em><br/><br/>"She told you she didn't want you there."<br/><br/><em>"You don't understand Scott.  She needs me.  She's just scared because all of this is hard.  She's just scared."</em><br/><br/>"So...maybe.  Maybe you're right but you're fucked man.  It's a blizzard out there now. You should have left an hour ago."<br/><br/><em>"If I can get there...maybe the plane is delayed and then I can see her."</em><br/><br/>"IS the plane delayed?"<br/><br/>Mark exhaled...shaking his head.<br/><br/><em>"No...but dude. If I can get there.  Maybe she'll realize.  Maybe she'll see.  If I can get there and see her.  She'll stay."</em><br/><br/>"She's going with her family to the other end of the province dude.  She's not going to stay."<br/><br/>Mark bit the inside of his cheek...forcing his eyes to stay wide open to keep from letting his friend see him cry.  He spoke in a whisper to keep his voice from cracking.<br/><br/><em>"I have to try..."</em><br/><br/>Scott sighed...clapping a hand on Mark's shoulder.<br/><br/>"This is so fucked.  I can't come with you.  I have to stay and look after Carley.  Mom and dad won't be home tonight.  They're staying in the city because of the weather.  Take his sled...but the throttle is fucked and it bleeds oil, man."<br/><br/>Mark nodded his head, smiling...leaning in to hug his friend tightly.<br/><br/><em>"It'll be perfect.  This will work. "</em><br/><br/>Scott shook his head...<br/><br/>"Don't fucking die dude.  And don't wreck my dad's shitty sled."<br/><br/><em>"You look after your sister.  I got this.  I'm gonna get there.  She'll know I'm serious and she'll stay.  It'll be perfect."</em>, he caught the keys that Scott tossed to him and left the house, heading out into the snow and the darkness.<br/><br/>*******************************************************************************************<br/><br/>The distance between the two of them now was palpable. It had been less than a day and this fuckin' place had poisoned the last nice moment he had experienced here.  It just...made him...sad.  He moved down the hallway away from her when he let the sadness turn into...something else.  All of this was going sideways...far faster than he had could have ever imagined.  He wasn't just going to let all of this end quietly...<br/><br/>He was moving back towards Delaney and the door even before he had made the decision to turn around and head back to her.<br/><br/>Calling her name had been louder than he anticipated...so he needed to take a moment so he could speak to her at normal levels even as he placed his hand on the door to keep it from closing.<br/><br/><em>"Okay...so last night, you were the last person I spoke to.  This morning you were the first person I spoke to.  I like that.  I like it so much I need to tell you that I made a mistake." </em>, he inhaled deeply.  His shoulders flexing as his chest expanded, only to slowly exhale through his nose.<em> "I had my moment of wallowing in there." </em>He motioned with a lift of his chin in the direction of the diary room.<em>"I'm done with that. I'm moving forward on this."</em><br/><br/>He walked out of airplanes to parachute into the wilderness.  This was not as scary as that...so he drew in a breath and jumped.<br/><br/><em>So I mean this in about as nice a way as possible when I tell you...I don't want to be your friend. I will give up every single opportunity to be friends with you for that one chance to be more with you. I know you're into Logan and you feel what you feel.  I'm not going to tell you how to feel."<br/></em><br/><br/>He shook his head slightly...<br/><br/><em>"But you don't get to decide how I'm going to feel...about you.  You can friend-zone me as hard as you like but..." </em>He shook his head slightly as he thought back to the morning.<em>"We had a...there was something going on this morning.  We had a connection.  You and I...there's something there.  I felt it, Delaney and I know you did too.  I know I fucked things up at the competition but I didn't fuck them up so much that it made me forget about you and that sunrise.  It didn't make me forget the way your eyes crinkle at the corners when you smile.  And I mean when you really smile and not the dozen other...different smiles you have."</em><br/><br/>He exhaled again...steadying himself.<br/><br/><em>"So...I'm only going to say this once.  I'm not going to be a creep about it.  I'm not going to mope around the house kicking rocks and giving you moon-eyes. I will act normal around the house when it comes to you but I want you to know that right here.  Right now.  I am all in on you.  I won't ever bring it up again but I will not forget about this morning and I will not forget about you."</em><br/><br/>He frowned a moment, his eyes leaving hers...grimacing slightly before looking back to her.<br/><br/><em>"Because I felt it. So you figure out what you want from Logan and maybe he will figure out who he wants."</em><br/><br/>He lifted his right hand...raising his index finger and then pointing it down towards the ground as he spoke.<br/><br/><em>"Because I know who and what I want.  I'm unwavering in that.  I'll give you as much space as you want.  I'll stay out of your sight.  What I won't do is pretend this morning wasn't..."</em><br/><br/>He gave her a small smile...<br/><br/><em>"...great."</em><br/><br/>He worried his lower lip a moment...<br/><br/><em>"So...yeah.  Have a good diary session.  You've had a long day.  Whatever you decide.  No hard feelings.  I think you're excellent no matter what you choose."</em><br/><br/>He stepped away from her and the door...and turned without further drama and headed back into the villa.  Squeezing the back of his neck with one hand and letting out a slightly tormented growl before making his way to the bathroom and slipping into the shower.  Sitting down in it and taking a very long shower as he alternated between streams of hot and then cold water.