Rough Day

Four - Not So Bella Notte

Dinner goes off without a hitch. I made a concious effort not to order spaghetti, solely in order to avoid any awkward happenstances. As a matter of fact, neither of us actually ordered any pasta dishes! I hope Mark wasn't trying to avoid the same thing as I was...

After Mark pays the bill, despite me asking to split it, we decide to walk around a nearby park. Actually, I kind of convinced him. We'd finished dinner early, so the sun hadn't even begun to set. The park is beautiful. 

We walk around for several minutes, mostly in silence. Mark picks a small flower and twirls it between his fingers. 
I study him carefully before spouting, "You know, you could go to jail for that?"

He quirks his eyebrows at me. "For what?"

I look ahead and rock back and forth on my feet. "For picking flowers. It's illegal." I pause and look back at him. "But I won't rat you out or anything."

We both smile, and Mark chuckles a tad. It's kind of a tender moment. I feel carefree, if only for a second. However, I am brought back to reality when Mark's gaze shifts off to somewhere in the distance. There's a faint glimmer of something indescribable in his eyes. Whatever it is, it seems so far away.

I almost hesitate when I reach out and gently touch his arm. He jumps a little, probably startled away from that far off place.

"What is it?" he inquires.

I shuffle between my dialogue choices, almost like my life is an actual game. That's a disgusting thought. "I'm worried, Mark. You don't seem like yourself lately."

The glimmer in his gaze floats away almost completely, but not quite. I know he's trying to hide it. He was right, you totally can tell when he plasters a fake smile on. And he does. He smiles at me and tries to persuade me that everything is ok.
"I'm alright, alright? There's nothing to worry about...," he trails off.

I can't help but frown. How can I help him when my own feelings are getting in the way?