Lights, Camera, Action

Tool

TWENTY - TOOL

Mark's POV

It felt so good to be out of the hospital. I did wish I could have stayed in Cincinnati longer (outside of the hospital), or I at least wish I could have done more. LA was my second home, though, and being back there made me feel like I was on the road to recovery and I could make videos again soon. The first few days, I did take it easy, and I finished editing and uploading the prerecorded videos I had. When I was finally good to go a few days later, I started making new videos again, including the Five Nights at Fuckboys games and Drunk Minecraft. I was cleared to drink after all, so why not? I knew my limits.

"You do realize that when you upload these episodes daily, it's going to look like you're becoming an alcoholic right after your hospital visit, right?" Alyssa asked as I finished editing one of the videos. Despite the fact that I was fine, she had been hanging around a lot more often to make sure I was okay. I could tell she had been really worried at the hospital, and I was sure the whole thing had upset her.

"Yeah...I'll explain that I recorded them all in one session on two separate days," I made a mental note.

"Good idea. Hey, are you still writing with Matthias and Cyndago tomorrow?" 

"Yeah, why?"

"The cast wants to do that dinner tomorrow. I was hoping you'd tag along. Other people are bringing their significant others, and I don't really want to deal with Jason alone, anyways." She had a point. I didn't want her by herself there with Jason. Not because I don't trust her, but because I don't trust him.

"Yeah, of course I'll go. When and where?" I asked.

"Maggiano's Little Italy at six. Will you guys be done by then?"

"We're spreading everything out for a few days so we only have to spend the afternoon working. It'll be fine," I promised.

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The next day was plenty busy, but it was somewhat productive. Matthias, Ryan, Daniel and I did waste some time, but what do you expect? We still made progress, and I managed to get home in time to put on nicer clothes and pick Alyssa up so we could go to dinner. Apparently Maggiano's was not only a nice place, but it was also really delicious, so I had high expectations.

"Why do you do this to me?" I questioned Alyssa when I picked her up and saw her outfit. Every time she dressed up I couldn't help but stare. I mean, I always caught myself looking no matter what she was wearing, but skirts and dresses apparently are a weakness of mine.

"Because I have to look nice. Trust me, if I could wear jeans, I would," she responded. As much as she complained about having to dress up, she always seemed so radiant and confident when she did. Maybe that was part of the reason why I liked seeing her in nicer clothes than usual.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were led to a private room where many of Alyssa's cast mates were already sitting. We sat by Alyssa's closest friends that she had worked with, and she introduced me to everyone. Jason arrived right on time, and luckily he was forced to sit somewhat far away from us.

"Hi Alyssa, Mark," he greeted us, despite the distance.

"Hello, Jason," I responded with a smile. I would just kill him with kindness when he spoke to me.

Fortunately, I didn't have to keep that up for long. He didn't speak to us much, so I was able to focus on Alyssa and her real friends from the set. Everyone seemed really nice, and I easily got lost in conversation.

"I'll be back," Lys told me after a while. She got up and headed for the bathroom, probably. A few moments later, Jason got up and left as well. That was extremely unsettling to me. I didn't know how creepy he was going to be, so I waited about thirty seconds before getting up and following. 

I went towards the bathrooms down a hallway and saw Jason waiting outside them. I stayed hidden behind a wall and pretended to be doing something on my phone until I heard familiar voices.

"Oh, hi Jason," Alyssa said.

"Hey. Can we talk for a second?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I was wondering if you've been getting any of my messages."

"I have, actually."

"Okay, well, why haven't you been answering lately?" Is this guy serious?

"You mean the reason why isn't already obvious?" Alyssa's voice hardened.

"Oh, come on. It's just a few texts, Lys. It's not a big deal," he said.

"First of all, don't ever call me that. Secondly, you calling me sexy is not just any normal text between coworkers. And at this point, that's all I consider you to be."

"Is that all you and your boyfriend were, as well?" Wow. Asshole.

"My boyfriend is a hell of a lot nicer than you, so don't you dare say anything about him," she defended me, her voice angrier than before.

"Your boyfriend will never be as good for you as I am. He doesn't deserve you," Jason sneered.

"And you do?" There was a pause and a sigh from Jason before he replied.

"Listen. I just want to make you happy, okay? He doesn't have to know about any of this, okay? 

"Don't touch me."

"Come on, it's fine. Just trust me, alright? He doesn't have to know." 

"I already know," I spoke up, stepping into the hallway. Jason was holding onto Alyssa's wrists as she tried to wriggle out of his grip.

"Dude, she started texting me first," he immediately said, backing away and letting go of her.

"I've seen the messages and I know what you're up to. I suggest you stay away from her or you'll have to deal with me," I told him coldly, grabbing hold of Alyssa's hand.

"Alright, douchebag, no need to make a big deal out of this," Jason retorted.

"You know, you're really lucky we're in a nice restaurant right now, because you just might have a black eye if that wasn't the case," I growled.

"Whatever, man. I don't need this. I'm done," he decided. He walked past us, making sure to bump into me, and went straight out the door. He was lucky that the dinner was already paid for.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" I questioned Alyssa as we made our way back to our private dining room.

"He just squeezed my wrists kind of hard, that's all. I could have handled that on my own, you know. I have pepper spray in my purse, enough sense to kick him in the balls if necessary, and I was going to make a loud scene if he got too ridiculous."

"I know, but I didn't want it to have to go that far. I knew as soon as he got up after you that he was up to no good, but I guess he's an even bigger tool than I thought."

"Well, thank you for helping me, even if I would have been fine by myself," she said, squeezing my waist.

"It's my job to protect you, Lys. Don't worry about it."

Once Jason had left and all that was over, it was actually a really enjoyable dinner. I was so glad that I went, but I was even more happy that Alyssa was okay yet again. I found that whenever she was content, I was content.

Hey guys. I know this isn't the best chapter and I told you guys #SEXYMARK would be a part of it, but I decided to push that off until the next part. I'm already almost done with the next chapter, so it for sure will include the whole #SEXYMARK thing, I promise! Anyways, please let me know what you thought of this chapter and leave me some comments. Also, vote if you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading. The next update should be pretty soon, since I got ahead of the game with my writing :)