Table 15

Chapter 24

I woke up to an odd sensation shooting up my leg. I could hear a muffled sound coming from my back pocket. I opened my eyes just a crack. Outside, the sky was a deep, dark blue. The TV and the DVD player were turned off, and I was no longer resting on Mark's shoulder. He must've turned them off and went up to bed after I fell asleep.

I carefully rolled over and pulled my phone out of my pocket. The noise got louder. I covered the speaker with my finger to muffle the sound of Bonetrousle. My alarm had been set to wake me up at 5:15 a.m.

I groaned and shut it off. I placed my phone on the coffee table and rolled over on the couch. Covering my head with the blanket I was wrapped up in, I tried to fall back to sleep. "Who the fuck set my alarm to go off at the crack of dawn...," I muttered.

Suddenly my eyes shot open. I remember exactly why my alarm was set to go off so early. I threw off the blanket and ran, quietly, to the dining table. I grabbed Mark's keys, a jacket, and my phone and ran out door. I gently closed it, trying my best not to wake up Mark.

I flew down the stairs, coming to a halt at the front desk. The late-night worker was napping in his chair. "Hey," I asked politely. He cracked open an eye and sighed.

"Yeah, how can I help you," he said groggily. I asked him for directions and he pointed me the right way. He handed me a slip of paper with a sequence of digits on it. I thanked him and sprinted off in the direction he pointed to. I pulled the jacket on as I ran; there was no time to waste.

---

I debated texting Mark to wake him up. It's been half an hour since I woke up, and I had just finished setting everthing up. It was almost time.

However, I was worried that the text wouldn't wake him, so I started in the direction of the lobby again. I looked back to make sure everything was perfect before running off.

---

"Mark," I whispered, prodding his shoulder gently. "Markle Sparkle," I said, shaking him a little. He grunted and rolled over in his bed, his back to me. I sighed in annoyance. Glancing over at the clock on his nightstand, I noticed that it was edging closer and closer to the time.

"Mark wake up. I need to show you something," I said, a tad bit louder and more urgent this time. With a groan, he sat up. He blinked multiple times as he tried to wake himself up.

"What is it?" he mumbled. I grabbed his hand. "Follow me. Put on a jacket or something. Hurry!" I urged him. He slid his feet into a pair of slippers he had by the bed and let me drag him out the door.

"Are you wearing my jacket?" He asked. I looked down at my arm briefly, and nodded. "Yeah, just wear mine," I said quickly. He grabbed my blue hoodie from the coat hanger by the door and slipped it on over his shoulders. He wasn't wearing a shirt today, and I didn't want him to catch a cold.

I tugged on his arm, leading him out of his apartment, and up the stairs. Mark stumbled behind me, still trying to wake up. "What is it?" He asked. I didn't answer, but a small smile lit up my face. My heart raced, and not because I was getting a killer workout.

As we reached the last step, I quickly typed in the pass code to the door and swung it open. "How do you know that?" He asked. I rolled my eyes with a smirk. "I'll explain later. But look!" I said, motioning him to go through the open door.

With a confused glance at me, Mark stepped out onto the roof of his apartment building. His eyes lit up when he saw my handiwork in the middle of the rooftop.