Chapter 4
Ladies Man
~2 days later~
Your POV:
My body jolted as a great bouncing on the foot end of my bed woke me up from my deep sleep. The sun blinded my eyes with its brightness, and I panicked for a second before rubbing my eyes and sitting up, gaining focus on the situation.
Katie jumped up and down up and down on my bed before finally landing on her bottom, rolling around in my blankets giggling. I sighed in relief then groaned and slapped a hand across my eyes.
"Katie it's so early why are you in here?" I grumbled. Katie smiled before crawling up the bed, taking a seat next to me.
"Can you pleaseee play with me and Mark? Pleaseeee," she begged.
"Mark and I," I corrected.
Sudden pain in my lower half made me grab my stomach and groan. Katie's smile faded and a more worried look was etched across her face.
"(Y/N)? Are you ok?"
I nodded, getting up and heading to the bathroom. I slipped in and shut the door behind me, locking it. The pain was familiar to me. Mother Nature was here to wreak havoc on my body. Shivers ran down my spine as I remembered HIS words...
"That's fucking disgusting," HE hissed
"It's natural... I can't do anything about it..."
"I don't care. Stay away from me until it's over."
"You don't want to be near me for a week?"
"You heard what I said. Wash the sheets and get the fuck out. Come back when you're done."
"But-"
"Get. Out. Now. If you don't, I'll throw you out myself."
I shook my head rapidly, enough to get very dizzy in an attempt to make the memory go away. It was natural. HE wanted plastic. HE wanted perfect.
I replaced my underwear and put on a pad before making my way to the kitchen and sat down at the bar. I folded my arms and rested my head in them. I sat still for a moment before a light tap on my shoulder made me jump and lift my head. I hadn't even realized Mark was in the kitchen making breakfast. If I wasn't in so much pain I would have laughed.
He wore a silly Batman apron, a white shirt with blue and green designs, grey shorts, and held a spatula in one hand. The smell of pancakes floated through the kitchen.
"Oops, sorry to jump you. Good morning (Y/N)," He said happily before pausing a moment and looking at my face. "Jeez, you look really pale. Are you feeling ok?" He asked, slowly raising his empty hand and resting it on my forehead, feeling my temperature. I nodded.
"I'm ok... it's just... um..." I shook my head. It would be embarrassing to tell him. He moved his hand off my forehead and stared at me for a moment before his eyes lit up.
"Ahh, I know. That time of the month, huh?"
My eyes widened. "How did you know?"
He chuckled and turned back to his skillet, flipping the pancakes with ease. "You think I've never been around women before? Well, missy, you are certainly wrong," he stated. I rolled my eyes at him and rested my head in my arms once again. I got annoyed really easily during these times.
"Sit up, beautiful. You need to eat something," he persuaded, placing a large plate of pancakes in front of me before calling to Katie. I stared at the plate before looking back to Mark who was flipping more pancakes.
"Quite the cook, aren't you?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, my dad taught me how. This is his recipe, actually."
He took two more pancakes off the skillet and slapped them onto a plate and set them down next to me. Katie was pancake crazy. She was going to love this.
"So-" Mark started, "-Katie is going over to her friend's house today. I have to drop her off after breakfast. Are you okay on your own for a bit?" He asked as he placed his hands down on the bar in front of me, leaning over slightly. I giggled at him quietly.
"I'm an adult, Mark. I can take care of myself."
He shook his spatula at me playfully, and for whatever reason, it didn't seem to frighten me.
"Don't you get sassy with me. I'm just making sure. Now I think you eat and take a nap. Maybe you'll feel a little better," He suggested, but it sounded more like an order. I felt a small flame ignite inside me. Something I hadn't felt in years.
Without thinking, I bit the inside of my lip as I leaned over my plate, getting a little closer to him. "Is that an order?" I purred. He chuckled quietly and leaned down, his eyes locked onto my green orbs, his face only inches away from mine.
"Maybe it is. And what are you going to do about it?" He whispered, challenging me. I leaned in a little closer.
"Ignore it," I hissed. He bit his lip.
"Is that so?" I nodded, staying in my position. He leaned closer, his eyes dilating.
"I'm in charge here, beautiful. I wouldn't challenge my authority if I were you...," he warned.
"Really?" I questioned. He nodded, his eyes moving down to my lips before he leaned closer, attempting to close the gap between us.
Just before our lips touched, I pulled my face away quickly. I heard Katie come crashing down the stairs and watched her scurry into the kitchen. She hopped up onto the stool next to me. Her eyes boggled at the pancakes in front of her.
"I love pancakes! Thank you Markimoo!" She giggled. I laughed at the silly nickname she created for Mark. I think it fits him well. Mark smiled.
"Of course, Katie." He turned back to me. "We'll continue this conversation later."
I blushed deeply as he winked at me when Katie wasn't looking.
Just as I was about to dig into my pancakes, I froze stiff.
What the fuck just happened? Did I get sassy? I haven't been sassy since... well... and then he tried to kiss me? And I didn't move? I was going to let him do it? I wasn't afraid? Jesus Christ, what is he doing to me?
I shook my head again, cleaning out my mind enough to be able to move again. I ate my pancakes as I watched Mark clean up the dishes and put ingredients away. Seriously, what was he doing to me?
After breakfast, I watched as Mark and Katie waved me a 'goodbye' as they loaded into Mark's car and headed to Katie's friend's house. I leaned against the doorway, breathing in the warm summer air for a few moments before a wave of exhaustion floated over me. Katie had woken me up hella early, and I needed that extra sleep. I figured I would take Mark's suggestion. I could really use a nap.
The sound of plastic bags rustling woke me from my sleep. The couch cradled my body gently and the fluffy blanket wrapped around me begged me to go back to sleep. The sun tugged at my eyelids until they opened. I rubbed my eyes and blinked a few times before my vision was back to normal. I watched in silence as Mark searched through many grocery bags in the kitchen, finding items and placing them in the correct spots.
I yawned and stretched loudly in order to get his attention. He smiled, turning to me.
"Hello again, sleepyhead," He cooed.
I smiled and gave a small wave. He finished putting the rest of the groceries away before picking up a bag and stepping into the archway of the living room. Mark fished through the bag for a moment before pulling something out and throwing it to me.
"Catch."
I caught the item and looked over the front. He bought my favorite candy? I sat up slightly. "Is this for me? How did you know?"
He laughed quietly. "Of course it's for you, beautiful. And I have my ways...," he said mysteriously, making his way to the couch and flopping down next to me. This time, I stayed put.
"I got (favorite movie) too. We can watch it if you want to." He smiled. I stared at the items. This was all new to me. I've never had a man do something so nice for me before.
HE thought this time of the month was gross. HE cussed me out because I couldn't control it. HE kicked me out for a week. HE was a nightmare.
I came back to reality, placing my hand on the cover of the movie case. I smiled gently. "Thanks, Mark. I've never met a guy who's done something like this for me before."
His pearly whites shined as I handed him the movie. He got up and popped it into the DVD player. Mark settled back down on the couch next to me. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"
"Okay," I echoed.
As the movie came to an end, my eyelids started to get heavy again. "Mark... I'm tired...," I muttered. He laughed quietly.
"Go back to sleep, I'll wake you up later."
I nodded, staring into his deep brown eyes. He stood up from the couch and started making his way to the kitchen.
I don't know what I was thinking, but I grabbed his wrist lightly. He turned around smiling, looking down at me.
"What is it, beautiful?"
The words slipped out of my mouth before I could control it. "Can you stay, please? I'm cold." My face flushed red.
Cold? It's the middle of the summer and I have a blanket. He would never believe it. Mark chuckled quietly, relaxing back on the couch.
"Well... I guess so...," he said in a goofy voice. I bit my lip slightly. He took the bait.
Mark laid down on his side, patting the couch lightly. I wrapped myself into a blanket burrito before laying down next to him, my back against his chest. His arms snaked around me, pulling me in closer. He rested his chin on the top of my head lightly.
"There. Now, go to sleep, beautiful."
He didn't even need to say so. My eyes snapped shut, and I was off into a sleepy wonderland.