The Boy Next Door

A Cad

"You better be," you warned playfully. "I'm almost late for work."

"I'll make it up to you!" Mark called out as you entered your room and closed the door behind you.

Mark smiled to himself before closing his eyes and leaning his forehead on the wall. He couldn't believe his luck. Just last night, he was complaining about your choice of clothing and now you had blessed him. He shook his head and chuckled to himself before putting his shirt back on and going back to finish his coffee.

Not only did you have a beautiful face, you also had a beautiful body. He was really going to kick Jackson's ass when he saw him today. Mark couldn't stop his thoughts from wandering to you. Keep it together, buddy! It's only been a day!

"Will you be back for dinner?" you asked as you got a bottle of water out from the fridge.

"No, it's Thursday," Mark replied. "I won't be back till after nine because of class."

"I'll leave something for you to eat," you said before giving a small wave and heading towards the door.

"You're the best!" Mark called out.

"I know!"

xxx

Mark spotted Jackson on the phone waiting by the door of the cafe they agreed to meet at and he took the opportunity to smack him up the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Jackson acted surprised even though he knew it was coming.

"You know exactly what it's for."

"I do, but I need details," Jackson smirked at him, earning him another smack up at the head. "What are we doing here anyway? Why couldn't we meet at the campus cafe?"

"Because you work there?"

"Exactly! I could've scored us free food and drinks!" Jackson exclaimed and Mark just rolled his eyes.

"Well, she is working right now, so we can't exactly be there," Mark explained once they sat down after ordering, and Jackson was still confused. "Because we're going to be talking about her, doofus. Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"I told you she was moving in," Jackson said innocently, but flinched at the look Mark gave him. "Look, I honestly didn't think she was your type, or that you would be this affected by her."

"Why haven't you introduced me to her before?"

"That one is on Jaebeom. She is off limits, apparently," Jackson defended himself. "You'll have to take that up with him."

Mark rolled his eyes again. Trust Jaebeom to be overprotective of his friends. He'd have to squeeze him for info another time. Jackson then started nudging him to spill details about the both of you.

"What's there to tell, man? It's been a day," Mark laughed, choosing to keep the incident this morning his little secret. "She seems really cool and really nice."

"And really hot and really sexy," Jackson added with a sly grin. "You should be thanking me."

"Yeah, thanking you for making my life a living hell," Mark scowled and when Jackson tried to protest, he added, "You literally dropped the woman of my dreams on my lap, but made her really out of my league."

"I knew it! I knew you would like her," Jackson said excitedly. "How is she out of your league?"

"You made her my roommate, dude," Mark sighed, rubbing his temple. "You practically friendzoned me."

Jackson was about to protest again, until it all connected in his head. He looked sheepishly at Mark and offered a half apology, which Mark dismissed. Jackson didn't really have to apologise. Nobody really expected the effect you were going to have on him. He and Jackson eventually parted ways as he headed off to his shift at the bar.

xxx

You came home after a long day at work and college to an empty apartment. That's right, Mark was still in class. You quickly dropped off the bags of ingredients for dinner tonight on the counter before heading to your room to grab your Bluetooth speaker. You put your hair up in a bun and cranked the music up to get cooking.

You managed to make enough pasta for two days. After you had dinner, you put it away and washed up, heading to the bathroom for your night routine. When you walked out of the bathroom - fully dressed this time - Mark was just walking in through the front door.

"Jesus, fuck! You scared the shit out of me!" Mark clutched his heart trying to calm it. "What happened to your face?"

"Don't tell me you're afraid of a face mask?" you laughed at him.

"You look like an alien."

"Charming," you sneered at him. "Should I just throw your dinner in the trash then?"

"Did I say alien? I meant the most beautiful person on the planet."

"That's better," you nodded at him and headed towards your bedroom. "I'm heading to bed. You good?"

"You cooked dinner. Of course, I'm good," Mark smiled. You bid each other goodnight and he made his way to the kitchen.

Mark heated up your food and as soon as he shoved it in his mouth, he closed his eyes and wanted to cry. It was the best damn thing he ever tasted. He quickly finished it off and washed up and went to bed.

As he laid there in bed, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to you. He started to think about what it would be like to sleep next to you, or to have you sleep in his arms. He slowly succumbed to slumber and he would never admit it, but it was the best sleep he'd had in awhile.