On The Way |M.L

chapter 11

(A Man)

"Is your phone paired to the car?" asked Rain, Mark's eyes remained fixed ahead, his jaw set in a strong line, as if determined to block out any distractions, but that didn't stop the girl sitting next to him from asking her question. He took a couple of seconds before he nodded, unlocking his phone and passing it to her.

With a flick of her finger, the sound of music filled the car, it was jazz, she was a big fan of it.

"You're too late for classes you know that, it's almost 5 pm" said Mark

"Yeah I slept through all my morning classes, I had one at 3:30 pm, I really thought I'd make it" said Rain in both guilt and disappointment.

"Mark am I annoying you?" she asked, and for the first time since they got into the car, his gaze tore from the road, but instead of settling on her face, it flickered down to her injured foot, and she noticed how his expression seemed to darken. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, her hands fidgeted on her lap.

"Calling someone at 4 am to tell them you love their smile may be annoying to some"  said Mark with a small smile after a long pause.

"I said that?" she asked with a cheerful voice.

"You sound happy about it" 

"I mean- yeah! At least I didn't say anything stupid or embarassing-"

The car had stopped at a red light, and the male finally fully turned his head to look at her "embarassing?"

"Yeah, I was pretty drunk, so I can't really remember much... I'm just saying" Rain couldn't specify, she just prayed to the gods that she hadn't made any weird confessions, Mark's smile only grew wider.

"Maybe I'll tell you later" he said, and she looked at him with a confused expression.

"Where are we going though?"

"Your foot needs to be treated, and I'm no big fan of hospitals"

"So where are you taking me then?" she asked, right when they entered a private parking lot underground.

"My house"

It was a long trip in the elevator, but their arrival at his top building penthouse explained it all. The sleek, modern decor and expansive city views left Rain speechless, her eyes widening in awe as she took in her surroundings. 

Mark left her standing inside the big living room, her waist felt cold at the absence of his touch. So she followed him into his room without calling for his help, her eyes darting around nervously.

"I just got the first aid kit, why didn't you wait for me to help you?" he asked, as he mentioned for her to sit on what she could tell was his bed.

Oh lord his bed!

"Oh no no it's okay" she mumbled with a bright smile, trying to take the first aid kit from him, but he didn't give her the chance to do so. Instead he proceeded to take her crocks off, and with a gentle touch, he began to carefully remove the bandage from her injured foot, his hands surprisingly gentle as he tended to her wound.