You swallowed the lump growing at the back of your throat as you tried to clear your mind. You had convinced yourself that if you squeezed your eyes shut tight enough, you could block out any memory of him. Funny enough, your tactic worked.
"Hey, you okay?" you heard a familiar voice ask, and you opened your eyes to see Mark sitting on the bench next to you. The boy had known all about your crush on Haechan. You had tried to keep it a secret, but since Mark was Haechan's best friend and pretty close to you too, he realized your feelings for him soon enough.
"I'm totally fine," you grinned, and Mark shook his head.
"No you're not. That smile? Totally fake."
You dropped the act, your hands instinctively covering your face as you felt your eyes tear up. You weren't crying because you had found out Haechan didn't like you. You were crying because now you doubted yourself. Maybe you would never be good enough. Maybe you were meant to stand alone forever and watch as everyone around you found someone to share their love with.
"Y/N," Mark sighed softly as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders. He pulled you into him so that your head was resting on his chest.
His polo muffled the sound of your sobs, and Mark bit his lower lip as he felt a pang of pain in his heart. He hated seeing you like this. Each tear that left your lashes shattered his heart. He loved his friend Haechan to pieces, but Mark believed you deserved someone who treated you like the queen you were. To Haechan, you were just another person.
"I'm not good enough," you sniffled, and Mark had to stop himself from running his fingers through your hair.
"Of course you are. You're more than good enough. This is Haechan's loss for not seeing that." Mark gave your shoulder a comforting squeeze. You're so cute and talented. How are you so oblivious to how amazing you are? Mark thought to himself.
The whimpering stopped, and Mark felt you shift so you were now looking him straight in the eyes. His heart pounded as he studied your glistening, tear-rimmed eyes. You were beautiful.
"Thank you, Mark. You being here means a lot to me," you managed a weak smile.
That night, you laid in your bed, staring at the ceiling as thoughts drifted through your mind. For some reason, you couldn't get the feeling of Mark holding you and drying your tears out of your head. It was almost like you could still feel one of his hands on your shoulder, rubbing soothing patterns onto it to calm you down. You shook your head in disapproval. No. You couldn't be having these feelings. Mark was just a friend who was helping you get over a hard time. But the more you thought about it, the more you realized Mark was always there for you. He had seen you at your best and your worst.
Quickly, you grabbed your phone off your nightstand and started texting him. You were surprised by how quickly he replied, and a smile lit up your face.
You: Sorry about today. I didn't mean to cry. I swear I'm over Haechan. I just need to work on loving myself.
Mark: Ofc! And don't worry about it. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm always here for you. But don't cry too often. It makes me sad.
That last text made your heart thump. Why did it make him sad too? Well obviously friends hated seeing each other sad, but like... maybe there was something there? You mentally slapped yourself for letting your mind wander like that again.
A few weeks later, you found yourself at a party. And not just any party. It was Haechan's birthday party. You knew all your friends would be there, and Mark had texted you asking you to come. But you were nervous. You didn't want to be in the same room with the guy you used to like and the guy you found yourself currently liking. You weren't sure when it happened, but now, you looked forward to the little conversations you and Mark shared every night.
It could be something silly like a debate about whether pancakes or waffles were better. Or it could be something deep like things you would never change about yourself. You had seen him here and there outside of classes, but you hadn't had a face-to-face conversation with him since that day he held your crying form on that bench.
You mustered up your courage and walked into the house. Immediately, your eyes fell on him. He wore a loose, thin shirt and trousers that fit really well. You could tell he was intoxicated by his posture. Mark leaned over the counter talking to some guys that looked familiar. One of them whispered something to him, and he turned to look in your direction. His eyes found you instantly. But to your dismay, he kept talking to his friends.
In fact, most of the night, you found yourself helping the few clearheaded people take care of the inebriated guests. Most of them headed home once they sobered up, but you realized Mark had no intention of leaving. He was pretty sober now, but whenever Haechan asked him if he wanted to go home, he shook his head.
"Y/N, you can go home. I'll take care of him," Haechan said.
You studied Mark, and he smiled at you. "I want Y/N to take care of me."
Your jaw nearly hit the floor in shock. Haechan smirked and helped Mark into the passenger seat of your car before sending the two of you off. You weren't sure what exactly to do, so you brought him over to your place. Your roommate was out on a weekend trip which meant you had the apartment to yourself.
You helped Mark into your bed and were about to leave him to take the sofa in the living room when you felt a hand wrap around your wrist.
"Stay with me," Mark whispered, and you blushed so hard, you were afraid your white converse would turn hot pink.
He pulled your wrist, and you fell into the bed with him. Part of you wasn't complaining, though. "Don't you have something to tell me?" he asked raising a knowing brow.
You nearly choked on your saliva. You studied Mark's expression. He definitely knew the secret you had been desperately trying to keep for so long.
"I'm not sure. Do I have something to tell you?" you bit your lip nervously.
Mark couldn't blame you. He knew you were scared because you had been rejected before. And you were scared you'd be rejected again, so he decided to make your job easier for you.
"I like you, Y/N," he smiled, and your lips melted into a grin. He laughed at how cute your reaction was, his eyes crinkling into crescents. "Now tell me what you've been hiding from me, silly."
You cleared your throat, but your voice came out as a whisper. "You know that feeling when you've been looking for something, but it's been right under your nose the whole time?"
Mark laughed again, and you grinned. "I didn't realize how much you meant to me. And I'm sorry I only realized recently. You mean the world to me."
You could tell he was trying to hold back a giggle. "Wait, but since you're shorter than me, does that mean you've been right under my nose this whole time?"
"Oh shut up!"
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A/N: Helloooooo! It's been SOOOO long, and I would like to deeply apologize for being absent basically for basically the first half of 2019. I got really caught up with school had no time to update :(( But summer means more time which means more updates, so stay tuned!! Also, I will try to reply to comments like I used to, but no promises that I can reply to each and every one. I promise I read them all and each one makes me so thankful for such amazing readers. Thank you for supporting me <3
Question of the imagine: So... pancakes or waffles?? Am I the only one who can't choose?!