Your Mark on Me

Chapter 22: Blue Tides

It was dark, but in the faint moonlight, I could just about make out Mark's silhouette pacing impatiently outside the house. Mom was sleeping; before she went to bed, I had snatched one of her sleeping tablets and slipped it in her tea, just to make sure she wouldn't become aware of my late night wanders.

It was breezy, and he was wearing his overcoat, a big blue jumper hanging half-folded off his arm.

"It's cold", I whined, feeling the chill pervading through my thin, light jacket.

Mark smiled, handing me the jumper. "I know you well, don't I, little airhead?"

Scoffing, I snatched the jumper out of his hand. I wanted to be pretty for him, but it was too chilly. "If you know me so well, you should have texted and told me to dress warmly."

"I could have, but you look cute when you wear my clothes."

I blushed. I put my arms through the sleeves of his jumper and Mark helped me, by pulling it down.

Cute, like a child. Cute, like a pet.

We could hear the faint murmur of the waves and, when the breeze stirred it, the chilly air heavy with salt scraped our cheeks. We started walking slowly towards the beach.

"You were great today. I was very impressed."

I felt my cheeks redden again, and felt thankful for the concealing darkness.

"You have all you need to make it. Talent. Determination. I've never met anyone as hard-working as you."

"I wasn't always this hardworking", I replied, shyly. "More so lately, because I wanted to impress you."

The ground beneath our feet softened. We were reaching the start of the sandy stripe towards which, in the distance, the waves crawled gently. We walked in silence for a while, and, as we got closer to the water, the breeze became stronger, bringing with it more of the chatter of the snoozing ocean.

"You shouldn't care so much about what I think. I'm not as great as you think I am."

"You're the most amazing person I've ever met."

Mark gave a short, condescending laughter. "You're young. You'll meet many other people."

I knew what he meant by that. But how could I make him understand that I didn't care about anyone else, that I knew, from deep within, that there would be no one like him, no matter how many others I would meet?

I could see the water now, a wide, long splash of shimmering darkness, so dark that it was hard to imagine how, during the day, that splash of blackness turned into glistening blue.

"You bring out the best in me", I said.

"You bring out the best in me, too", he echoed, after a while.

I looked at him surprised. I couldn't see his eyes — just like the ocean, their glistening blue was hidden, concealed by the night.

"Look, little one, I'm really not as great as you think I am. You're idealising me. In reality, I'm sort of a terrible person. I'm really self-centred. I'm controlling. I always have to get my way, even if it means hurting other people."

He paused. I patiently waited for him to continue.

"Perhaps it's because of the way I was brought up, believing that I deserved everything, that I was simply entitled to have anything I wanted. Or perhaps that's just my excuse."

"Mark...", I started.

"No."

He had cut me off so suddenly, so abruptly, that I didn't attempt to speak again.