Gwen was starting to worry about her brother. She and Mark had been secretly dating for about a month. This included a quick kiss when Jamie went to the bathroom, holding hands out of his line of sight, and occasionally walking to her apartment together. Mark had gone a bit farther though by visiting while Jamie was home, with the excuse that he wanted to hang out with Jamie. I mean...it's kind of obvious. Mark and I have been acting differently around each other. Even Clark noticed.
When she glanced over at the counter, she saw that Clark was staring. What is he-? Her thought was cut short when she realized that she was not alone. Turning her head, she saw that at some point Dan had decided to join her. How did I not notice him? Was I really that wrapped up in ordering supplies? The girl slid her headphones off and let her hair fall over her eyes. "Um...when did you get here?"
"About half an hour ago. What are you doing?"
"Just ordering stuff..." Gwen frowned, scanning the order form. It looks right. An absurd amount of cups, ingredients for the bakery, swirly straws, those weird Minecraft napkins. She tilted her head. "We can't possibly go through cups that fast."
"I thought business was picking up," Dan commented. "I brought you a frappe, but it melted."
Gwen finished the order and glanced at the time. It's already past noon. Mark hasn't come by at all today. Is he alright? He didn't text me. What if he's sick? She pulled her phone from her pocket and sent him a quick message. It's just weird not to hear from him like this. I hope he's okay.
"What are you doing after work?"
"What? Um...well I have to go to the store...actually, I should be going now so...I'll see you tomorrow, Dan." She packed up her computer and went up to the counter. "Clark."
He jumped a little and turned away from the coffee maker. "Huh?! Oh. Hey, Gwen. You're heading out?"
"Yeah...I need to get stuff for dinner. What do you think we should have? I know you're coming over so..."
"Something with chicken."
Gwen couldn't help but smirk. Chicken for a chicken. "Alright. Chicken stir-fry it is."The walk home was very quiet, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She was still a little worried about Mark. He hasn't sent me a text back. I wish I at least knew that he's alright. He's probably just doing this to tease me. He likes making me worry. I know he does. Gwen closed her eyes and let the cool breeze blow through her hair. Well...whatever. I don't care. If he wants to mess with me, I'll just ignore it.
The cats greeted her with frantic meows for their lunch. Gwen fed them, discarded her hoodie, and then flopped onto the couch with her phone. Why hasn't he answered me? She nearly fell off the couch when she heard a knock at the door. "Um...j-just a second!" When she opened the door, she wanted to slap the visitor. "Where were you?! I was worried! You didn't even text me back!" Gwen resisted the urge to slap Mark, but just barely.
Mark simply gave her that same smile he always did. "I wanted to have some time alone with you. Jamie won't be home until three today, right?" He walked in, sliding past her.
She frowned disapprovingly, but closed the door. "So...um...I actually need to go shopping soon."
"I won't stay long. I just want to hang out for a while," he persisted.
"Sure...I guess." Gwen tucked a lock of long black hair behind her ear, not sure what to think. I need to grab my purse from my room before I go out though. I could just get it and leave it on the table until he leaves. He won't stay long, right? "I'll be right back."
Shift P.O.V
He stood there for a moment in the living room until his curiosity got the best of him. Mark followed her into her room and was impressed by the contrast between the rest of the apartment and her space. It was much tidier than the living room. Her bed was covered by a light purple blanket and pillows, the rug beneath her bed was black and plush. She had a simple dresser and small closet, a bookshelf, a desk that held speakers and a webcam, and a second shelf that was full of game cases. There were a few posters on the wall, but what really caught his eye was the photo on her bedside table. It was her black horse from the ranch, the photo taken when it was still a foal.Gwen turned from grabbing her purse off the desk and frowned deeply.
"Mark, you can't be in here."
"I just wanted to see your room." He sat on the edge of her bed and grinned. "Come here."
"I...I can't. We need to get out of here."
"Gwen, it's just for a few minutes." He watched her cautiously walk over and when she was close enough, he wrapped his arms around her. "Just relax. Jamie won't be back for a few hours," Mark reminded her. "You shouldn't worry so much." He pulled her onto the bed with him and lied back against the pillows. Holding her close, he felt euphoric. Her hair felt soft beneath his fingertips, her chest pressed to his side. Maybe I shouldn't have come here. I should have gone to the café earlier instead of waiting for her to leave. But this feels so nice.
She rested her head against his shoulder, one arm draping over his chest. "Mark...you had me worried today..."
"Aww! You were worried about me?" he teased, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. He felt his heart beat faster when one of her legs crossed over one of his. She was wearing a black skirt that ended a few inches above her knee and a Game Grumps t-shirt that seemed to hug her frame perfectly. This was a bad idea, he decided. This did not stop him from pulling her on top of him.
Her face turned scarlet and Gwen bit her lip in nervousness. "Mark, what are you doing? What if my brother came home early? He would kill me..."His hands went to her hips, holding her for a moment before wandering up and down her sides. "We never get time alone like this. I don't know when we'll be alone again." Mark smiled when she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. She was still very shy about anything romantic. She acted like she was afraid of disappointing him. Mark knew she couldn't though. She couldn't disappoint him even if she tried because no matter what, he always found amusement in her reactions.
"I...I wish I didn't live with Jamie." Gwen's voice was very soft, as if she feared her brother might hear her. "If I had my own apartment...you know things would be different. It's hard though. Trying to save up for a place."
"You should move in with me." His heart beat even faster. He had been thinking about this for a while and was afraid to ask her. Mark knew how close she was with her twin so she would probably be reluctant to leave Jamie on his own, but he had grown pretty close with her. There was a chance she might say 'yes'. He hoped that she did not notice his heart racing.
Gwen sighed quietly and let her head rest on his chest. "I couldn't leave Jamie."
They were the words that he absolutely dreaded hearing and they crushed him. If she won't even move out, what are the chances that she'll ever want to...? He couldn't finish the thought. Thinking about marriage after knowing someone for only two months would make him seem beyond weird. Creepy even. He did not want to risk her thinking her was just an obsessive creep. Mark ran his fingers through her long hair, in an effort to reassure her as well as himself. "I understand." Even though I don't. If you really love someone, you want to be with them.
Shift P.O.V
She sat back on his waist, letting her hair fall over her eyes, and sighed again. "Mark, I need to go...I have to make dinner tonight."
It was plain from his frown that he wanted to stay longer, but he nodded in agreement. "Alright. Why don't I go with you? I finished recording for the day."
"Did you spend the morning recording?"
Mark smiled, but she could see in his eyes that it was only for her benefit. "I've been up since three o'clock so I could have the rest of the day free," he replied.
Gwen got off of the bed and grabbed her purse. Why does he have to be so sweet? She led the way back to the living room, unsure of what to do next. She was fifty percent sure that her brother would be mad that Mark was at their apartment, but at the same time they had become better friends. Jamie even played games with him sometimes when he visited them. Maybe he'll be okay with him being here.
Sure enough, Jamie was completely fine with their second dinner guest. Clark was a little anxious, but at least Gwen's brother was in a good mood. He let Mark stay until midnight, playing games and watching a really terrible movie that Clark brought. They all had a good laugh from it, except for Clark. He left in a quiet outrage that they were mocking his favorite film.
"This is a parody, right?" Gwen asked.
"I think it's a dark comedy. Whatever it is, it's hilarious!" Jamie grinned and poured himself another glass of soda. "What do you think, Mark?" He glanced over and saw that while he was distracted, his friend had moved closer to his sister. "Mark?"
"Oh! Yeah, it has to be a comedy," he agreed.
Gwen could feel the tension in the air now. It was obvious that Jamie had noticed how close they were sitting. Is he going to say something? They sat in silence for a long while after this until Mark excused himself to go home.
Jamie was helping her tidy up when he finally spoke to her. "You know my rules."
"I know. But I'm not going to make him fight you."
"Gwen-"
"I like him, Jamie! I like him a lot and I don't want him to get hurt! I don't want you to get hurt either! You need to just give up on this stupid rule of yours!" Gwen stormed off to her room, slamming the door behind her. Falling onto her bed, she closed her eyes and felt herself slowly relaxing. Her blanket still smelled faintly like Mark and it only brought her further comfort as she settled into sleep.