Hola!
yet another chapter, cause I was bored and wrote a lot this weekend....
But you know
Once you start writing, sometimes you just can't stop...
Anyways...
Vote and Comment
AKD
---- ---- ---- ----
"Is that all your family that I've met now?" Donghyuck asked, looking around, trying to remember who was who.
"You still have the most important people to meet," Mark said, turning his head around, searching for someone.
"And who is that?"
"My brother and nan." Mark said, "There they are. You ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Donghyuck said, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves and calm them down.
Mark guided Donghyuck with his hand on the small of his back to where his sibling was standing, "Nan! Jisung!"
"Mark!" They shouted with glee, stopping their conversation and jumping on him.
Donghyuck stood back, watching the sweet exchange between the siblings and grandma, a smile on his face at how cute it was.
They bombarded him with questions, "When did you come? What did you get me? Are the other boys with you? You're not leaving soon, are you? Did you get that shirt I wanted?"
"Woah, Woah, Woah!" Mark said, holding his hands up to stop them, "Before I answer anything I want you to meet a very special person."
"Oh my god! Do you know who you are!" Jisung said, his jaw to the ground once he noticed Donghyuck.
"Do any of us really know who we are?" Donghyuck said.
"You're Lee Donghyuck!" Jisung answered his own question.
"I am," Donghyuck said with a smile, "And you must be Jisung. Mark's told me so much about you."
"And I'm Mark's Nan," Mark's nan said smiling, "Nice to meet you."
"Back off, Jisung," Mark joked, taking Donghyuck's hand in his, "He's my boyfriend"
"Dude, how?!" Jisung asked.
"What do you mean how?" Mark asked, "I've got mad dating skills."
"In what world," Mark's nan scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Babe, tell them," Mark said, looking at Donghyuck for help.
"You barely got me though," Donghyuck said, laughing.
Mark scoffed playfully, making a show of tearing his hand away from Donghyuck's and stepping away from him. "I'm breaking up with you."
"Good, I can have him then," Jisung said, winking at Donghyuck.
Donghyuck giggled, "I like your brother better than you anyway, Mark-ie."
"I can't believe -" Mark started to say but got cut off by his father calling him from the other end of the backyard.
"Mark! Could you come here for a minute?"
"I'll be right there!" He shouted back, looking at Donghyuck, "You gonna be alright by yourself for a bit?"
"I'm in good company," Donghyuck smiled at Mark.
"Take care of him, alright?" He told his Nan and then turned to Jisung, "And you! Keep the flirty-flirts to yourself."
"No promises," Jisung told him with a toothy grin.
"Where does he learn these things?" Mark joked, shaking his head but unable to keep the smile off his face.
"You're doing a movie with Huang Renjun and Dong Sicheng, right?!" Mark's nan asked excitedly.
"I am," Donghyuck answered with a smile.
"I've had the biggest crush on Sicheng since he guest-starred on that one episode of 'Take Off'," Mark's Nan gushed.
"He was really good in that," Donghyuck nodded along.
"Is he cuter in person than he is on screen? Is he nice? Is he funny like he is in the interviews? Is he a good kisser?" Mark's nan asked, not taking a breath in between her excited questions. (This is a cute grandma. I'm so glad I have this kind of relationship with mine irl)
"Yes to all of them," Donghyuck answered with a giggle, "And extra yes to the last one."
Mark's Nan giggled too, "If Mark heard that he would be pissed."
"He'll live," Donghyuck said with a sly smile.
"Doesn't he get jealous at all?" Mark's Nan asked, "You and that Renjun are really close."
"Trust is a big part of a relationship, Nan," Donghyuck told her, "And no one should ever tell you how to behave or who you can or cannot meet and talk to. If anyone other than your family tell you that, drop them. They aren't your real friends or someone who cares about you."
"But what if they're jealous?"
"Jealousy is fine but instead of them telling you how to act, they should talk it out with you."
"Is that what you and Mark did?" Jisung asked.
"We fought over it but after cooling down, we did talk about it." Donghyuck said, partially telling the truth but then again this whole 'boyfriend' thing was partially the truth too.
"Can you introduce me to them?" Mark's nan asked excitedly, "Renjun and Sicheng?"
"If it's alright with Mark then, yeah, I'm more than happy to introduce you guys," Donghyuck said with a smile, "Sicheng will love you. He's a complete dork just like Mark."
"Can you introduce me to your hot famous friends too?" Jisung asked cheekily.
Donghyuck fake gasped, putting a hand on his chest as if he'd been shot, "I thought I was the only one for you."
Mark was watching from the opposite end of the backyard, not really listening to his dad. He watched how his sibling and grandmother and Donghyuck were getting along and it just put a smile on his face. He was glad that they were getting along for the sake of their contractual relationship, they needed to have a good relationship.
He wondered what would happen if Donghyuck got too close to them and suddenly the contract just ended. Would his siblings be alright? Would Donghyuck? A million questions ran through his head.
"Mark! Are you listening?" His dad said, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"What? Yeah!" He said, nodding his head.
"What did I just say?" His dad asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"The thing," Mark said, scratching the back of his neck.
"I was telling you about your best man speech," His dad sighed, "Have you finished it?"
"I'm the best man?" Mark asked, surprised.
"Oh my God! What am I going to do with you?" His dad sighed, "The wedding is tomorrow!"
"I'll get it done, dad," Mark said, going to leave.
"He's nice."
"What?" Mark asked, stopping to look back at him.
"I like him," His father approved, "He's good for you."
"You barely know him," Mark said, not sure why he was arguing with Donghyuck. He should be happy that this was all going to plan.
"Call it a father's instinct."
"That doesn't make any sense," Mark said, shaking his head.
"The whole time you guys were together out there you didn't once leave his side and every time he would smile, you would look at him and every time you would smile, he would look at you," His dad said, "You two are good for each other, son. He isn't going to hurt you like-"
"Dad." Mark cut him off, "Don't."
"I'm just saying that unlike-"
"Dad, please!" Mark said, pain flashing in his eyes. "Don't."
"Alright," His dad said resigned, "Donghyuck is nice. I like him. That's all I'm going to say."
---- ---- ---- ----
Night had dawned and everyone was tired from travels. After saying their goodnights, everyone retired to their own rooms.
"Hey, you alright?" Donghyuck asked Mark, closing the door behind them.
"Fine." He said curtly, what his dad said still playing in his head.
"Really? 'Cause you haven't said more than two words since your dad called you over," Donghyuck told him, "Is everything alright?'
"I said I'm fine, Donghyuck!" Mark said, harsher now.
Donghyuck was taken aback by the sudden change of attitude. He thought that they were getting along fine but he was wrong. "Sorry for asking."
Mark sighed, his eyes shut as he tried to calm himself down. He was lashing out at Donghyuck when it wasn't his fault, but Mark couldn't help himself. He completely forgot about what happened the last time he was in a relationship and although what he has with Donghyuck isn't real, to everyone else it is.
Mark knew that it would come up sooner or later but he hoped that everyone had forgotten what happened the last time. He was wrong.
Donghyuck wordlessly, went to his bag and got out his nightwear, walking into the bathroom in Mark's room and locked himself in there, changing.
"Donghyuck," Mark said with a sigh, knocking on the door.
"What?" He answered on the other side, his voice monotone and harsh.
"I didn't mean to snap at you," Mark said.
"Then why did you?"
Mark stayed silent, not knowing what to tell Donghyuck or even where to start. So he just didn't say anything.
Donghyuck opened the door, the front of his hair in a little ponytail and mismatched pajamas. "Well?"
Mark sighed, "You know how your family is a touchy subject for you; well this is a touchy subject for me."
Donghyuck understood more than anyone how painful a touchy subject could be.
"Next time just tell me instead of snapping," Donghyuck told Mark and joked to lighten the tension, "We can't be hating each other so soon."
"Thank you for understanding," Mark said with a small smile.
"It's the least I can do after how you kept your promise today," Donghyuck told him, smiling.
"We still have 3 days to go." Mark reminded him.
They stood opposite each other in a comfortable silence before Donghyuck looked around the room.
There was only one bed...and there were 2 of them.
"So how's this going to work?" Donghyuck asked straight out.
"What?"
"The sleeping arrangements." Donghyuck told Mark like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "There's 2 of us and there's only one bed."
"Since I was a jerk to you, I'll sleep on the floor," Mark said.
"What if someone walked in and saw us sleeping separately?" Donghyuck asked.
"I'll lock the door."
"But then they'll think we're you know...doing..stuff," Donghyuck said.
"You mean sex?"
"Shhh! They might hear!" Donghyuck said paranoid.
"Would you rather they think we're in a healthy relationship and having sex or fighting?" Mark asked, cocking his eyebrow, amused at Donghyuck.
"Neither!" He said loudly.
"What do you want to do then? Sleep on the same bed?" Mark asked.
"No!"
"You can't have it both ways, Donghyuck," Mark said.
"Shh, I'm thinking," Donghyuck said, biting his lip and looking around the room. "Do they usually knock before coming in?"
"Not really," Mark said, "It kinda depends on their mood."
"Oh god, we don't have a choice do we," Donghyuck thought out loud.
"I'm giving you a choice of either locking the door or having me sleep on the floor or sleeping in the same bed," Mark told him.
"Do you prefer the left side or the right side?" Donghyuck sighed, not really having much of a choice.
"What?" Mark asked wide-eyed, not believing that he chose that option.
Mark was sure that Donghyuck would go for the door being locked option.
"Left or right?" Donghyuck asked again, crossing his arms and looking at the bed.
"Left," Mark answered, still shocked.
"Good." Donghyuck said, "I prefer the right."
"Okay," Mark said, not knowing what to say or do as he watched Donghyuck get in bed, taking the hair-tie out of his tiny ponytail and running his fingers through it.
"Ground rules." Donghyuck said, looking at Mark seriously, "Don't even think about doing anything or I'll cut your balls off and make you eat them for breakfast in front of everybody, fake dating or not."
"Yes, sir," Mark said, gulping.
"Get in," Donghyuck said, looking at Mark and following his movements as Mark pulled the covers over himself.
"Keep your distance," Donghyuck said, putting his head on his pillow and turning away from Mark.
"Try to keep yours," Mark said cockily, "No one can resist a piece of this."
"I must be no one then," Donghyuck muttered.
"Goodnight Donghyuck," Mark said, still facing Donghyuck.
"Turn the other way, Lee," Donghyuck said, unable to keep the smile off his face.
Not Edited
Saturday, September 14, 2019
"Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." -Napoleon Hill