Coming Home | mark lee.

36

Mark walked into the practice room expecting it to be empty.

Instead, he was immediately assaulted by noise.

"WHAT A MAN, MARK LEE!"

He flinched as Donghyuck sprinted toward him like he'd just won the lottery.

"So," Johnny grinned, leaning back on the mirror wall, "how does it feel to have a girlfriend?"

"You both started dating?" Alice blinked.

Jaehyun nodded proudly. "I told you yesterday."

"Mark," Alice crossed her arms dramatically, "when are you going to introduce her to me? I'm literally your older sister."

"She's coming to the performance today," Mark muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

"And now," Jungwoo clapped his hands together, eyes sparkling, "you're going to tell us everything."

"Since when did you guys become so nosy?" Mark groaned, dragging a hand down his face as he walked in.

"Since today," Johnny shrugged.

"Well..." Mark sighed. "...it was hella dramatic."

"Dramatic?" Alice lifted an eyebrow.

"Yeah." He nodded. "She said she liked me too. But then she started overthinking."

"Overthinking what?" Taeyong asked.

"That we're different." Mark explained. "She wants to stay in Houston, study, settle down. I'm here in Korea, constantly moving, zero privacy."

Jaehyun nodded slowly. "...Okay, that's valid."

"I know." Mark sighed. "But then I went to give her her hair tie back and-"

"Oh?" Yuta leaned forward.

"I overheard her talking to her friend."

Everyone froze.

"...What was she saying?" Doyoung asked carefully.

Mark hesitated.

"She thought she was a burden to me."

The room went quiet.

"...Why?" Jaehyun frowned.

"There were some things back in school," Mark said softly. "Stuff she didn't know I went through for her."

"Damn," Johnny muttered.

"So what happened next?" Yuta asked.

"Her friend told her to talk it out with me," Mark continued. "She opened the door and saw me standing there."

"And then you kissed," Donghyuck said confidently.

"No-" Mark protested.

"You kissed," Johnny added.

"No!" Mark flushed. "I told her relationships only work if both people compromise. That I was willing to make it work."

"And then you kissed," Jungwoo tried again.

"...Yes." Mark sighed. "We kissed."

Taeyong smiled. "Worth it?"

"...Very."

"How was it?" Johnny asked.

Mark paused.

"...Wet."

Everyone stared.

"WET?" Jaehyun choked.

"I MEAN—" Mark panicked. "We were crying! Like emotional crying!"

Alice laughed. "Was she a good kisser?"

Mark recoiled.

"What kind of question is that?! Obviously, but also she was my first kiss so-"

Yuta smacked his cheek lightly.

"Look at you," he laughed. "Already down horrendous."

Mark ducked his head as images of Tiffany smiling at him replayed in his mind.

"...Yeah. I am very much in love with her."