Regina asked her dad for contact numbers to Mars. She didn't say who she wanted and he didn't ask, though she suspected from the direct numbers he gave her to the royal house, he probably suspected what she was up to.
Maybe he wanted her to contact Marcus.
He gave her three phone numbers and wished her good luck, hugging and kissing her on the forehead. Clare and Mom were in the car already after the heartfelt goodbye and the words of encouragement they gave to Regina.
Regina felt jitter running up and down her limbs while she waved them in the doorway. It was probably like Marcus had felt when he drank coffee, and she remembered that feeling when she tasted it for the first time herself. It was like the ball of energy was growing in her body and desperately needed the way out. She closed the door and leaned back on it, only to take a jumping step away. She inhaled so deep that her lungs hurt, and exhaling, she bent her body, making the sound like she was silently shouting. Her clenched fists were minimally moving in the air like he was hitting something small right in front of her.
She was going nuts.
Smiling broadly, she looked at her phone and three long numbers on it. She just needed to make a call and ask for Marcus's phone number and then it would be it. Her revelation and demand to find a way to be together. If he wasn't with someone else already. Dark thought penetrated her mind, but she quickly smashed it away with an imaginary giant flyswatter. She must think positively. Or she'll just drown back in the muddy pool of her sorrow.
Feeling giddy, she run to sit on the loveseat in the living room and dialed the first number.
Curling her ponytail on her finger she listened to how some guy with a very pleasant intonation told her that he can't share Prince's number, but he could take her message and pass it to him when there would be a meeting. And it would be probably after two days, on Monday.
In a lame voice, she told him no, thank you, and put down her phone. Her giddiness deflated a little, but she still had two more numbers to call.
Chewing her lip, she tried the second number, and some woman with a quiet and soft voice said something similar. When she put down the phone, Regina's eyes prickled with tears. She rolled down to the floor and sat with her back leaning against the loveseat. She put her head in her hand and, not looking down at the phone, tried the third number.
After she asked the same question, the man who sounded older than the previous one asked her who she was. She told him, and also added, that if he can't give Marcus' number, maybe he can give her Darius' or Kosmas'.
She heard a deep inhale, and the man on the other end said, "Regina Morgan, as in Mr. Morgan's daughter? It's a pleasure to hear from you! Thank you for helping our Prince to sign an agreement, Marsikons would always be in your debt for what you've done."
Hearing such an answer, Regina even looked at her phone, checking if she wasn't imagining it.
"But by our protocol, we can't give you his number just like that." She mouthed, 'WTF', but he continued, "It's just I don't have his personal phone number, but I'll see what I can do and get back to you as soon as possible."
Regina's face beamed, "Really? Oh my, thank you, thank you, thank you! I would be so honored and grateful if you'll help me with this."
She put down her phone and stood up. Her giddiness returned and she didn't know where to put herself while she was waiting. She went to the bathroom, brushed her hair, redone the ponytail, and only five minutes had passed. She couldn't just sit and wait, so she decided to drive to her favorite restaurant and buy some pastries. It was silly, but a sweet distraction was the best distraction.
Grabbing her keys, wallet, and a cell, she ran from the door to her Soul. She sat down in the driver's seat, her face glued to the phone, refreshing her notifications every other second and checking if she still had a service connection. She raised her head to look at the windshield and jumped back when she noticed something big and grey in the passenger seat. She put down her phone in the cup holder and sat back, relaxing—
Then looked over and saw who was in her passenger seat.
No. It couldn't be. Her mind was playing tricks on her again.
It was Marcus. But he wasn't here. He was millions of miles away on Mars.
Great, I finally love someone enough that I'm hallucinating.
More secrets of romance her mom had never told her about.
Well fine. If she was going to hallucinate that Marcus was here, the least she could do was use him to practice her big speech to the real thing. Assuming he ever answered her call.
"Oh, hey, you scared me," she said.
She glanced at him and started the ignition, carefully checking the side mirror, before she started to drive. It was no wonder that she saw him now when she was thinking of him constantly for the whole evening.
"Hello, Regina," he said, her mind and body shuddering from the deep rumble of his too-familiar voice.
"I was going to call you today," she said. "But it turns out it's very difficult to get your number, with you being the Prince and all," she said to him conspiratorially.
"You were?" he sat back, leaning on the passenger door, while she was carefully navigating the streets. "Then it's very convenient for me to be here." His voice was incredulous, and she heard a smile in it.
"Actually, yeah. I can practice my speech with you before I tell everything I wanted to the real Marcus," she beamed at him and saw his puzzled face.
"What, you don't want to hear what I wanted to say?" Her palms grew clammy over the steering wheel and she gripped it harder.
He was silent for a beat, "What did you want to say to me, Regina?"
She felt his stare, and again his deep voice carefully pronounced her name, it felt so real, but he couldn't be here. Probably, he was the King already and couldn't go away from Mars anymore.
"Regina?" he prompted again, a little impatient for a hallucination if you asked her.
She bristled. "Wait, I'm trying to remember..."
She shook her head, clearing it. Before she'd made the first call, she had her speech prepared, but now her mind was blank. She couldn't remember what arguments she was going to give to prove to him, that they should be together. Maybe she didn't need any, she just needed to speak from her heart...
Besides, he wasn't really here, she could tell him anything she wanted and then come up with a new speech.
Nonetheless, her heart was beating faster, and she felt the heat on her cheeks.
"I wish you were here with me, more than I ever wished for anything. I love you Marcus and I miss you like crazy." She paused, the emotion grew and threatened to suffocate her. "But I also hate you, that you left me here all alone, and didn't even send a message to let me know that you're okay. I wish the latter would prevail on the former, and I would forget you just like you forgot me already. But I can't turn off my feelings for you, and it's driving me crazy. Like literally. I want to beat you to a pulp and then kiss you all over."
She stopped and felt the first tear escape and stream down her cheek.
"Go on," her hallucination said.
"No, this was bad," she sniffed. "To real you, I won't tell that I hate you. I would just say that I love you and want to be with you, and I hope that you haven't met someone after you went back because I'll find her and tell her that you belong to me." She laughed through tears, "No, scratch the last part. If you already had found someone, I'll be happy for you," her voice broke on the last part. She didn't want her dream Marcus to see what a mess she became. She glanced at him and saw that he was looking at her with his head adorably cocked to the side.
It felt too real.
"Regina, stop the car." His softly spoken demand came from his side.
"Why do I need to do that?" she bristled again. "I need some sugar in my blood while I'm waiting for someone to give me your number. And we're almost there."
"Regina." Oh, this image of him could be so aggravating. Why he doesn't tell her if he liked her speech or not? She didn't look at him while she parked Soul in front of her favorite Italian restaurant, wiping her tears, and not caring that his image was staring at her.
She saw him open his mouth to tell something else, when her phone vibrated and she grabbed it from the cup holder, almost dropping it on the floor. A part of her had begun to think she could just accept this hallucination as the real Marcus, but if this was him calling her now, she'd give up the fantasy and take the real thing anyday. Break her heart and throw it into a supernova, all she wanted was whatever was between them.
She glared at imaginary Marcus. "I can't keep wishing you were really here. I need the real thing." She turned away from him and answered the call. "Yes, hello, I'm here." She cleared her throat and held her breath.
"Ms. Morgan," came a shaky man's voice. "I just found his number, and I'm sending it to you. But please, don't tell him who gave you it, okay? I can get into trouble for this." The man's voice was quiet like he didn't want anyone around him to hear what he was saying.
"I won't, promise. Thank you." She tearfully laughed and cut off the call. She opened her messages and there it was, the promised number.
She glanced to the right. Imaginary Marcus was still there and sitting more comfortably in his seat, his arms folded on his chest, a playful smile on his lips. It was like he was preparing to watch the show of Regina humiliating herself. She wanted to smack him and then kiss him, but only the real Marcus would get such treatment.
She rolled her eyes at him, "If you want to listen to how I'm talking to the real you, then fine." Then she uttered, "You weren't any help anyway."
He barked a soft laugh and shook his head in amazement, while she made the call.
She glanced at him while waiting for the call to connect to Mars, which took at least a half minute. His smile was growing, resembling that of a Cheshire cat. She was waiting for beeps to sound in her ear and narrowed her eyes at him. Something wasn't right.
She was about to put down the phone and redial when she heard the first beep, and at the same time, the loud music started to play from somewhere close to her. She jumped in her seat and almost banged her head on the window of her door. The imaginary Marcus opened his wrist compartment and the music became louder.
He pushed one button and said, "Hello Regina."
What the...?
She heard him in the car and on her phone, and also an echo of her fast breathing.
He was smiling, clearly enjoying the show of dumbfounded Regina, who was lost for words. She stuttered, trying to come up with what to say. "Wh.. H.. You.." And the best what she could come up with was, "You tricked me, you asshole!"
She grabbed his wrist with vi-com and yes, there was her number written in the caller ID.
It was him.
Here.
On Earth.
In her car.
And he heard what she wanted to say to him.
Fucking shit!!!
She closed her eyes with her palms, dropping the phone on her lap, and put her head on the steering wheel. "I'm such an idiot. I want to fall through the ground and hide from everyone for the time being."
She heard Marcus' booming laugh, "Well, I thought everything would go differently, but I enjoyed this version of our reunion."
"Ha-Ha. Very funny." She felt her cheeks were flaming. She couldn't look at him, still hiding in her palms.
But who cared if she was embarrassed? Mortified? She'd burn any way he wanted.
***
When Marcus arrived on Earth and landed in the backyard of the Morgan family house, he thought Regina saw him because she was exiting the house in a hurry. But she was engrossed in her phone while going to the car, so Marcus walked parallel with her and sat down on the other side as she sat down.
He didn't say anything. Why say anything? He was literally right next to her. The ball was in her court.
At first, she ignored him, and he thought oh Mars, he must have really hurt her. He would make amends first by not doing the thing he always did by rushing forward to declare a plan. He waited. He gave her space to find what she wanted to say.
And then he heard her and realized what was happening. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Tears of joy, of course. And maybe a little good humor.
Her speech hit him right in the heart, and he loved every word she said, even about hurting him. If he knew that she was hurting as same as him for the past month, he would be back on Earth immediately. And he was blaming himself for reading her wrongly. If only he knew that she pushed him away only to save him from himself, he wouldn't be so dumb. He wouldn't be a coward, fearing to hear another rejection. He would've asked her to go with him or offered to have a distance relationship, not cutting the connection completely. If only... But he was here now, and she loved him, and she wanted to be with him, and nothing else mattered.
The peace settled in his heart, that everything wasn't for nothing. His insecurities about himself evaporated, and then he just sat and waited for her to make a call. He wanted to see her face when she realized that he was real. He didn't want to laugh to make it harder for her, but he couldn't help himself. She was so adorable when for once he'd caught her off guard and she didn't know what to say. He wanted to pull her in his lap, wrap his arms around her, and never let her go. Never again.
Regina was sitting with her head in her palms, leaning on the wheel. He leaned closer and took her slumped form in his arms and pulled her to him. She resisted for only a second, but then she took the initiative and moved on his lap. She sat on his leg, her knees bent to her chest, and her hands wrapped around his shoulders. Her body was crushed to his and they didn't have much space to move around, but he couldn't think of a better way to reconnect with her. It was like it should've been, they wrapped around each other, hearts beating in unison and their breath mingling.
She raised her face to his, her cheeks flushed. The sheen of tears in her eyes. Her lips full and inviting.
"I know, I'm a nutcase and now you don't want to do anything with me. I'll understand if you decide not to do anything –"
He didn't let her finish. Enough of their thinking for another person. He smacked his lips over hers and crushed her to him even tighter. The kiss started slow and lingering, but in a short time, became more frantic. Regina shifted and straddled him, licking and nipping at his lips, his jaw, his neck, which made him groan. He returned the favor with the same eagerness, their mouths moved in erotic dance, leaving them breathless, but he didn't care. All he cared that she was in his arms, and she loved him. Her scent overwhelmed him, making his head swoon, and he was lost to the outer world.
After a while, she moved her head away an inch, her hooded eyes with a hint of fear, she whispered, "Are you really here?"
"Yes, Regina, I'm here and I love you so much it hurts to be away from you even for a second. I'm sorry I was such a coward, and I hate myself for leaving you like that and not contacting you. I'll forever be sorry for what I've done to you. I thought you don't want me," his voice croaked. "You seemed so happy to finally be with your family, and you've just got your job back. I thought there wasn't a place for me in your life. But one very dear person opened my eyes, and I flew here as fast as I could, to come here and ask if you still want me. Do you want to be with me, Regina? To go to Mars with me? Or we can try a distance relationship if you're not ready to leave your life here." He held his breath waiting for her answer. She told her imaginary Marcus about her feelings, but he needed to hear confirmation to real him. A bit of dread spread from the pit of his stomach through his body and limbs, and if he hadn't been holding her, he knew that his hands would be trembling right now. Because his knees were.
She didn't let him wait too long.
"Yes, Marcus, I want to be with you. And I'm ready to go to Mars with you. My family would be just a call away, and as for the job, it doesn't make me happy anymore. You do. And I'm ready to move forward with you by my side," she softly told him with a smile and kissed him more.
It was the best words for Marcus to hear. He realized, he waited for them since he'd met her and after a long way, they finally would be happy together.
"I love you, Regina," he whispered between kisses and felt his cheeks grew wet.
"I love you, Marcus." She answered him. Their tears of happiness mingling together.
Finally, he felt peace.
***
Regina thought she was in a dream. While driving back home she painfully squeezed Marcus's hand, and waited for him to squeeze it back. She came close to asking him to pinch her. Bite her. Anything to confirm this was real.
He was here, with her. He didn't forget her and came for her just a day before the coronation. The bubbles of happiness threatened to burst out of her, and the broad smile didn't waver on her face.
He asked her who gave her his number, promising to give him the Marsikon Special Achievement National Award. Because if he would've gone with the protocol, she would've never believed, that it was real Marcus, and would've thought that she has completely gone insane.
They sat in the car wrapped around each other until someone knocked on the side window and laughing showed them thumbs up. It was their cue to move back to the house, forgetting about pastries. She didn't need sugar when she had her sweet Marsikon by her side.
"Tell me, who was that person, who opened your eyes?" she asked him while driving back.
"It was my mother."
"You told her about me?" She was shocked and at the same time pleased to hear that talked with his mom.
"Yes, I've told her everything," he chuckled in the end.
"Even about the gun incident?" She was astonished.
"Yes, if you want to call it that," he laughed.
Oh, dear, she needed to think about the way to please his mother, so she would forget about that.
"She would probably hate me." She unlinked their hands and closed her face with her palm, looking at the road through her fingers.
"Don't worry, it turned out, that my mom is as badass as you are." Marcus took back her palm, squeezing it and putting it back on his leg.
Marcus told her how his parents started their love story and Regina laughed, "I like her, I hope will be friends."
"I know you will be." He reassured her and kissed her palm.