𝙎𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙆𝙎; 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙣

|| 25 ||

"You are special." He took his lips inches away from her neck to speak.

"I'm sorry, I can't, I really cannot have sex with all those people in here." Natalie told him when his hand started roaming on below the waist. "They don't seem like they are going to leave anytime soon."

Mark rested his hand on her thigh and just drew small circles with his finger, softly caressing her. He held her closer against him. But Natalie wanted to look at him so she turned her body inches, so she could look at him but not lose that comfortable position they had found in each other's arms.

"They are worried about you. It's nice that you have a family." Mark told her. 

"They are hiding something and they are waiting for me to get better to tell me. You don't hide things from your family." Natalie sighed, making Mark realise something. 

"I have to tell Derek about us, right?" He recalled that day he made him promise that Natalie was off limits for him. Just few days before her accident. Derek was too worried about her and knowing that his best friend's crush could turn out badly, he made sure that Mark was going to stay away, at least until Natalie was well enough to make her own decisions. 

And Natalie was always well enough to make her own decisions. She definitely didn't need someone telling her what she could and could not do. But it wasn't possible for her to tell Derek, not when he was dealing with his father's murder all over again. So she let it slid.

"Yeah, I don't get what your whole deal with him was." Natalie replied. "I'll talk to him, it's nice that he worries but this is kind of ridiculous."

"No, don't tell him anything. I will tell him. I have to be the one who tells him. I tried to stay away, but it's impossible."

"You can tell him that it's all my fault because I am too damn charming."

Mark smiled and wondered if it was too soon to tell her that he loved her. So he decided against it. "I got all the charm in this relationship. This is a relationship, right?"

Natalie smiled up at him. "Yes" she confirmed. "I'm in this for real. I am done waiting, I could fall from a window any day and I would have wasted all the time I could actually be with you. I want to be happy Mark. And you are one of the people that makes me happy."

But there are so many different ways to say "I love you."

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

It was around 6:30 when Natalie woke up. She felt calm and rested, the long conversation and the between kisses with Mark on her bed had helped her a lot, to feel calm again. Being honest to herself helped her a lot. 

And the calmness lasted for about four more seconds, and then she realised that Mark's arm were still wrapped around her waist and he was still laying next to her. "Crap" she cursed, "Mark wake up, you gotta leave before everyone wakes up." She gently shook him awake.

Mark groaned and refused to open his eyes. "What time is it?" He mumbled.

"The time my mom wakes up and makes breakfast. And the time Amber wakes up for school... Crap I need to talk with my daughter." Natalie realised. And even if she knew that Amber liked Mark, it was not an easy situation to deal with. "She's been through a lot, I don't want to throw that in too."

Mark was fully awake the minute Natalie freaked out. "Hey, no pressure. We'll figure it out, whatever makes her feel more comfortable we will do it." He kissed the side of her head.