Don't Tell Jack... (Mark X Anti)

Part 8

Mark's POV

There he was. I wasn't at all expecting to see him on the side of the road like I did, even though I  didn't really know what to expect in the first place. I'd just gone to make sure he was okay. He seemed a little bit better than he was on Skype, but I was still a little worried about him. He was acting weird.

"Mark?"

I turned my attention to him, my hands    on the wheel. I smiled. He looked ridiculous, the funniest part being that he didn't seem to notice. His face was so flushed with red that he resembled a tomato, and he had a bright white imprint on his cheek where he'd rested his face on the vent. His hair was tangled into an electric green mop even fluffier than mine, a few strands crusted to his forehead with sweat. It was actually pretty adorable.

"Whatcha need fish boy?"

"Can we stop for some coffee? I don't want ta cause any more trouble, but I didn't get any this mornin', with the flight n' all..."

He seemed so unsure of himself, like he  was afraid that I'd lunge out and bite him. It didn't seem right.

"Course man. Dunkin' okay?"

"Why fookin not?" He smiled, causing me to smile back.

We drove by, grabbing a couple coffees at the drive through. Jack's plain black coffee that made me gag, and my froo-froo whipped cream blueberry latte that Jack obviously made fun of me for.

We sat in the parking lot, stirring our drinks and chatting. Jack had asked me the point of getting drive through if we were just going to sit in the car anyway, which led to a dramatic telling of my embarrassing ringtone fail the previous morning.

"So yer to much of a little pussy to face 'em again?"

"What's wrong with being a pussy? Especially if the reason is so freaking mortifying!"

"Your ringtone went off Mark. Why are ya so embarrassed?"

"Everyone looked at me! I could feel their judgement!"

"Maybe they just loved yer ringtone so much they were jealous. What have ya got on there anyway?"

"Ehem... 'Space is cool'."

This led to an opera, a rap, and an acapella performance of my ringtone. We finally finished our drinks and we're back on the road.

On the drive from Dunkin' back to my place, Jack started panting a little.

"You okay?" I thought back to the Skype chat and Jacks story about his previous night. I hoped he'd let me help this time.

"Nah. Nah I'm fine." He panted through gritted teeth. He was holding his head with a grimace.

"Just gotta ride it out. Just ignore me for a minute."

I decided to believe him. I turned my attention back to the road, trying to ignore the sharp pained breaths. A few minutes passed. The panting and pained coughs gradually died down into silence. A few more minutes passed. Jack hadn't said anything yet, so I continued to look forward. An awkward silence followed.

About a block to my place, I heard Jack shift in the passenger seat next to me. Suddenly, without warning, I felt his hand on my thigh. I tensed. I slowly turned my head to face him. He was facing the road, his hand on my thigh.

I studied the side of his face closely. He had a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. A thin stream of red had begun to dribble down his lip.

"Um...Jack?" I couldn't stop staring at the hand on my leg. Jacks grip suddenly tightened. I looked up at him. He was smiling. His eyes were warm and almost... Loving. I hardly took notice of their bloodshot and greenish tinge. He leaned closer, placing his other hand on mine, reminding me to stay on the road.

"Jack..."

He was changing, though. His eyes regained a pure white and his smile vanished. He pulled his hands back to his sides before shifting back into his seat. His eyes began to flitter. With a yawn and a stretch, he turned back to face me.

"Oh, sorry Mark! I must've dosed off fer a sec. Are we almost there? What'd I miss?"

My shock melted into confusion. Jack had just... The way he looked at me like he..... I sighed. Something was wrong with Jack something was very wrong. But I couldn't ignore that look he'd given me. I could still feel his touch on my thigh. I knew what I should do. But I knew something else too, something else that cancelled out any other thought I had. I wanted that moment again. And I couldn't, I WASN'T about to let myself ruin it.

"Nope. Nothing. We're almost there."

"Sorry again for konkin' out. Didn't sleep much on the plane..."

"No problem fish boy."