The Only Exception // (GOT7 Markson)

3

Mark turned his head and looked out the front window. His eyes grew slightly. "Wow." he breathed through his parted lips quietly.

"Yeah. I decided on the Porsche today because my other baby is getting serviced." I continued, hopefully demonstrating to Mark that I was someone with my life together. Someone date-worthy.

"That's cool." he said back quietly, getting my drink ready.

"You like cars, Mark?" I said, trying to make small talk. I needed to keep hearing his voice.

"I guess. I mean, I don't have one of my own. I'm a student, so I just take the bus everywhere." he answered. "I think it saves money and is better for the environment anyway. And besides, I really only go home, here, and school."

"I could see how having a car could be pricey. I personally don't have an issue with that, but hey, student life is hard." I said.

"Well, money isn't everything. My mom told me when I was young that all the money in the world won't be able to buy you back the time you didn't spend doing what you love or hanging with people that you care about." Mark explained, sliding my drink to me. "It's been rough on me having to work and go to school full time, so I know the value of a dollar."

"Well look, money isn't everything but I'm sure it could really help out a struggling student like yourself." I said, leaning into the counter to whisper to him. "Here, take this as my way of saying sorry for the other day."

I slid him four hundred dollars in a small money clip and let him conceal it in his apron. He was startled and looked down to double check that I actually did that, then looked back up at me and furrowed his eyebrow.

"That's a lot of money. I don't think I'm allowed to accept that." he said, his voice shaking.

"Please, just do it for me. It'll be your way of forgiving me. I'll feel better." I pleaded, wanting him to see how genuinely sorry I was.

Mark turned away and walked into the back room. I was confused and thought that I maybe offended him like Mandy said. But moments later he came back out carrying a cup and I was rewarded with that million dollar smile that only Mark could make. "Okay. Thank you... Jackson. That's really, really kind of you. But here, take this. That way I won't feel as bad cause it's sort of like you bought something." he said with a small nod, handing me a green mug.

"Okay. Don't mention it. Just make sure you smile more, alright?" I said back to him as I took the mug, enthralled with his beauty once more. "Boys like you shouldn't ever be stressed."

"I'll keep that in mind." he answered, and I swore that I noticed a flush of red come over his cheeks. It warmed my heart as I smiled and walked back out of the shop.

Satisfied, I hopped in my car and took off home.

*

That night I had a few friends coming over for drinks, so I made sure that I was in party mode by the time they showed up. We were inviting a new co-worker out for a night on the town as our way of welcoming him to the firm.

I was just finishing up in the bathroom when I heard a knock at my door and the sounds of muffled laughing from the hallway. Excited, I opened the door and stepped to the side, letting the boys enter one by one. My friend Jaebum walked in first with a few bottles of wine in his hand followed closely behind by Caleb, Jaebum's main squeeze. After Caleb came Kyle, the new member of our work team, and then Steven, a senior member of our team, was the last one to walk through the door.

I smiled as I greeted Jaebum, throwing my arms over him and squeezing him tightly. I shook Caleb's hand firmly and patted his shoulder before moving to Kyle.