Bold As Love

Chapter 3: Dont Hold Back

Naya was sitting in a chair out by the deck of the pool letting the cool night air wash over her. After a few shots and an hour or so of playing poker she'd created a nice buzz for herself but knew she was getting close to her limit. Another drink would probably send her over the edge and she stepped outside to slow down for a minute, trying to regain some soberness from the pulsing energy inside.

Mark opened the sliding glass door and walked outside with his phone in his hand. It sounded like everyone was making good use of Kevin's stereo system because Naya could hear the thumping bass of the music reverberate out of the house. Mark walked up to where she was sitting and pulled up a chair beside her.

"You being anti-social?"

"Nah, just taking a breather for a minute."

"Yeah, same here. That Patrón is gonna knock me on my ass later. Plus, I told Maddie I'd give her a call before things got crazy tonight."

She let out a small laugh. "You are so whipped!"

"I'd rather be whipped than nothing at all," Mark smiled back and shrugged as if it was nothing to be fazed about.

Naya gave an apologetic smile. "I'm really glad things are working out for you two. It's nice to see you so happy."

"Yeah, it took a while to get there but things are good now."

A memory flashed through Naya's mind of a conversation they'd had months ago when he first told her about Maddie. The night he opened up to her about Maddie was the night she considered to be the start of their real friendship.

About Ten Months Ago

Naya was sitting in the high top chair of Mark's kitchen counter opening her take out box of Chicken Lo Mein. She wasn't terribly hungry but Mark had paid for take out tonight so she picked at it a bit while he was on the phone in the other room. Whatever she didn't finish she could just keep at his place until the next time she was over.

He entered the kitchen with a deep sigh and put his phone on the table. He seemed to be distracted, deep in thought, with a solemn look on his face as he stared down at his take out he was opening.

"You okay?" Naya asked.

No answer.

"You wanna watch a movie or something?"

Still no answer.

"Mark?"

He snapped out of his daze. "What? Oh, sorry. What'd you say?"

"Are you okay?" Naya spoke softly. "You seem distracted."

"Yeah, yeah. Ya know, long day. Guess I'm just a little tired," he said rubbing the back of his neck.

Naya walked over to him putting her hand and chin on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "I'm tired too. Why don't we just relax and watch a movie or something tonight?"

"Yeah, ya know I'm not even that hungry." He pushed his uneaten take out away. "A movie sounds good."

She faintly smiled and gently took his hand as she led him to the living room.

They decided to watch 'High Fidelity.' Naya was a big fan of John Cusack and it was one of Mark's favorite movies. He'd seen it so many times that he could easily quote most of the movie and didn't really have to pay attention, which was good because his mind was completely elsewhere.

Naya could sense that Mark was a little off tonight. He could actually be tired but she thought it might have to do with something else. He had been really distant lately. They'd been dating for about five months so far. It was an obvious hook-up. There had definitely been some chemistry there from the start and after a while of constantly being around each other on set it was a natural progression that they would start hooking up in their trailers. They both got along well together, plus, the sex was decent if not good, so they decided to take it passed casual fun and try something a little more serious.