Masqueraded Identities

Chapter Eight

Three hours later, Mark was walking me back to my dorm when he suddenly slipped his hand in mine. I felt my face flush, probably an unflattering shade of red, and I was thankful for the darkness that had swallowed up the campus.

Mark had done a great job of making me feel better. He was so easy to talk to. It was also really nice that he didn't have to suddenly leave to go study, for once.

"Are you going to be auditioning for the play next week?" he asked, giving my hand a small squeeze.

"Maybe. The theatre teacher seems pretty set on who's going to be getting the leads, though."

"He does that. Then he picks someone you wouldn't expect. Besides, it's obvious he thinks you're talented."

"Nuh-uh."

"Are you blind?"

"No, I am not. I do probably need a better glasses prescription, though," I teased.

He laughed. "You should definitely look into that prescription if you haven't been able to notice the proud look he gets any time you perform."

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"Will you audition? Please? We can audition in the same time slot!"

I felt a grin tugging on my lips. "You really want me to, don't you?"

"Yes!"

"Fiiine!" I said, giving in.

Mark beamed a bright, white smile, and said, "I knew you'd see it my way."

We had reached my dorm building by this point. Once it was past nine, the opposite sex wasn't allowed in the dorm buildings on week days.

Mark and I stood in front of the door, staring at each other. It wasn't an awkward stare, just a content look. However, as the seconds passed, I felt my eyes drawn more and more to his lips. I looked away in embarrassment.

He grabbed my chin and pulled my head to look at him, brushed back a strand of my hair, and put a barely-there kiss on my lips.

"I'll see you around," he said, and walked away without looking back.

SO DAMN SEXY.

I raced into my room, slamming the door open.

"Guess WHAT!" I exclaimed.

Tay looked up from her homework, and asked, "What?"

"Mark kissed me!"

Tay hopped off the bed and raced toward me. "WHAT?! How?! Where?!"

"Well, he was walking me back to the building after some air hockey, right? And he had held my hand on the walk back. So when we came to the building, he leaned in, brushed my lips with his, and left. It was so unexpected but so wonderful."

Tay let out a squeal, and before I knew it, we were holding hands, jumping up and down, and screaming like the little girls we were. Granted, boy-obsessed little girls, but that's a minor detail.

Suddenly Tay stopped jumping, and asked, "Is he a good kisser?"

I bit my lip and thought about that. While the kiss was very seductive, I'm not sure if it meant he was a good kisser. So I told her that.

Tay thought about it, too, and said, "I think it means he is. I mean, if he leaves you wanting more, he has to be, right?"

"I guess."

Tay and I jumped up and down some more, then we eventually went to bed.

To think, this night had started off terribly.