Let the Heart Free

Prologue

All throughout childhood, Mark and Raven were always close. They were inseparable.

Mark was always the hard headed yet fun to be around type of person. He had tanned skin, curly dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Always dressing in casual clothing. Raven on the other hand, would always do whatever Mark wanted. It was never by choice either, Raven just liked following Mark around. He had lightly tanned skin, more pale than Mark's, silky long black hair that reached his upper back. He always dressed casually but his clothes were more worn out than Mark's, having loose threads, holes and stains. But, as long as he got to hang out with his best and practically only friend, he was satisfied.

Fast forward to the present day, Mark and Raven live in their shared dorm room at their university.

"Do you think anyone from our highschool peaked there?" Mark asked as he was laying on the top bunk of their bed. Raven was at the other side of the room, sitting at his desk and working on an essay for his science class. "I wouldn't be surprised if half of the school peaked. They were all assholes." Raven replied nonchalantly, he seemed spaced out and tired.

Mark looked over at Raven with a raised eyebrow and frowned. "You okay? You seemed..a bit out of it." Mark said to him, concerned for his wellbeing.
"Sorry. I've just been thinking about my father." Raven replied, sounding a bit distant. "Maybe we could go out to get your mind off of it?" Mark suggested with a gentle smile, knowing how bad Raven's memories of his father could be. "Sure. I need a break from this essay anyways." Raven replied as he closed his laptop and stood up from his chair.

The two young men decided to take a stop at their local grocery store for a quick snack. They made their way out the dormitory, down the street and across the road until they reached the grocery store.
"Are you sure you can pay for my half? I can pay you back when I get my paycheck." Raven asked, a bit self conscious about his financial situation.
"Don't worry about it man, I can pay for both of us. You don't even have to pay me back." Mark replied with a reassuring smile and shoulder pat, calming Raven's nerves.

Both young men walked into the grocery store and immediately walked over to the snack food section.
"Did you have a plan on what we would get or is this just a free for all?" Raven asked as he looked around the aisles.
"Uhh, no, I didn't have a plan. Just grab what you want, I don't mind." Mark replied as held up a basket he grabbed at the entrance.
It didn't take long for Raven to completely fill up the basket with chips, a few microwaveable meals, drinks, even a few candies, though he didn't have much of a sweet tooth.

"Sorry, I got a bit excited." Raven replied sheepishly with a slight smile. Mark chuckled softly and grabbed the basket full of items back from him "Don't worry about it." Mark replied as he pat his shoulder and walked to the checkout lanes and waited in line with Raven.

It took a few minutes before they made it to the front of the checkout line, the cashier was busy ringing up all of their until he finished and began totaling up all of the costs. Mark couldn't help but feel drawn to the cashier's appearance. He had blonde hair with his roots growing back in, dark almond brown eyes and what seemed to be a friendship bracelet on his right wrist.

Mark could feel his heart pounding in his chest when him and the cashier made eye contact, the cashier said something inaudible to him but he was too much in a daze to hear his words.
"Mark." Raven said to Mark as he nudged his shoulder.
"Huh?" Mark mumbled, snapping out of his daze and looking at Raven. Raven nodded his head towards the cashier who was now leaning back in his seat.
"I said cash or card?" The cashier asked, fixing his visor that was lopsided on his head.
"Card, I'm sorry." Mark apologized, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment as he inserted the card in the chip reader.

The cashier handed Mark the receipt and the shopping bags. Mark took the bags and smiled at him before he left the store in a hurry, Raven dashing behind him.
"Dude, what happened to you back there?" Raven asked Mark with his arms folded over his chest.
"Sorry, I..zoned out." Mark half lied in reply, his cheeks burning in embarrassment as he walked back to the university with Raven following behind him, not believing the words that came out of his mouth.

Back in the dormitory, Mark placed the plastic bags on the floor and plopped down on bottom bunk of the bed while Raven sat on the office chair in the corner of their room.
"Alright man, there's no way you were just 'zoned out'. You like him, don't you." Raven said to Mark with a knowing look on his face.
"Maybe I do. But isn't it weird that I can blush at the sight of someone's appearance alone?" Mark asked, a bit self conscious.
"I wouldn't say you're the only one who has that issue." Raven replied with a shrug.
"I don't know man, he just looked..perfect." Mark said, his voice trailing off as his mind created a mental image of the cashier's face once more.
"Calm down man, you should at least get to know him first." Raven remarked as he snapped in Mark's ear, snapping him out of the daze once more.
"Sorry about that." Mark replied with a sheepish smile.

A few days after the incident, Mark and Raven found themselves back in the same grocery store, this time looking for the same cashier more then any food or item they needed.
"Is that him?" Mark whispered to Raven but noticed at Raven's voice was already occupied. Raven was busy on the phone with a friend of his, not paying much attention to Mark. Mark grumbled and rolled his eyes, mocking anything Raven said under his breath with a hand gesture. Raven glanced at him in the corner of his eyes and smacked the back of his head lightly, earning a small yelp from Mark.

Raven hung up his phone and turned around fully to look at Mark "Alright man, I don't need you mocking me. What did you say anyways?" Raven asked as he tucked his phone in his back pocket. Mark, still rubbing the back of his head sighed and looked at him, "I asked if that was.." Mark said but trailed off as he looked back in the same spot where the cashier was, but was now gone "Never mind." Mark finished off.

Raven turned around to see the cashier back at the cash registers and helping a customer before he looked back at Mark, "He's over there, lover boy." Raven said as he nodded towards the cashier.
Mark felt a spark of hope and looked around for something to buy, as an excuse to talk with the cashier.
"Here we go, let's go." Mark said as he grabbed a party sized bag of chips and sped walked over towards the checkout lanes with Raven following behind him.

The two found themselves in the back of a long line at the checkout lane, both of them looking anxious. The cashier seemed tired as he was in the middle of scanning a customer's items, trying not to fall asleep right then and there.
After what felt like an eternity, Mark and Raven finally reached the front of the line and put the bag of chips on the conveyor belt.
"Alright. Will that be..cash or credit?" The cashier asked, seemingly unaware of that fact that he didn't even scan the chip bag.
"Are you okay.." Mark asked but trailed off as he eyed the cashier's name tag, his name was Lev. "..Lev?" Mark finished off his question, a look of concern written all over his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm exhausted." Lev replied, slurring his speech slightly as he shook his head, trying to wake himself up before he tossed the bag of chips onto the bagging area, his body clearing on autopilot.
"Maybe you should clock out early." Mark suggested as he helped Lev out of his chair.
"I would but.." Lev trailed off as he fell asleep in the warmth of Mark's arms. Mark froze in place and looked over at Raven, mouthing that he needs to get the manager.

The manager soon arrived and helped Lev into her office where he could sleep on the couch in the corner while Mark and Raven had to pay for their bag of chips in a different check out lane.
Back at the dormitory, both Raven and Mark collapsed onto their bunks and let out a sigh.
"Well that was a mess." Raven remarked.
"Tell me about it." Mark replied as he rubbed his eyes.
"What do you think happened to him?" Raven asked curiously.
"Hell if I know, I'm going to bed though." Mark said as he kicked off his shoes and went to sleep.

The two men thought they might not have another run in with Lev because they thought he might've been fired after the incident but they couldn't have been more wrong.