Taking A Chance On Love || m.t.

二 Like Old Friends

Before I knew it, we were drinking and laughing together like we'd known each other for years. As he spoke, there was a reservedness to him that slowly melted away as the night wore on and the bottle slowly emptied. By the last sip, neither of us were drunk, nor particularly tipsy, but we were definitely not sober. The atmosphere grew warm and slightly heavy with tension as I began to be aware of Mark in a way I wasn't before. We were now lounging carelessly on the couch, much closer than we were before as our bodies touched from shoulders to feet, yet not quite in each other's arms. I felt... comfortable around him, in a way I couldn't quite explain. Perhaps it was due to the effects of the alcohol, but I was opening up to him as if we weren't complete strangers just a few hours ago.

As we talked about a variety of subjects, the conversation took a more serious turn as Mark started talking about his career.

"Don't get me wrong, I love being a kpop artist and being in GOT7, but you know how the kpop industry is like. Sometimes I feel suffocated by the industry because I always have to worry about my 'image'. Everything is catered towards my artist image, from the music I make, to what I eat, and how I interact with the other members. Much more than that, I always need to worry about how I interact with other artists, whether they're label mates, rival groups, and especially females in general, artists or not. Doing my solo work in America is a lot less restrictive, but I'm still under the rules of the kpop industry since that's what got me started and all that," he rambled, carelessly waving an arm in the air as he spoke. "Y'know, what you said earlier shows that you're aware of it too," he continued, looking over at me.

Languidly relaxing next to him, I lazily look over, a question in my eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You were worried about getting me in trouble right?" I nodded. "Yeah, it shows you're aware of how strict this industry can be. Something like this would be grounds for a major scandal. If we were back in Korea, I'd be almost certain Dispatch or another paparazzo is lurking somewhere close by. That's part of the reason why I looked for this place when I got to America. I wanted a private place where I could go without worrying about bumping into fans or paparazzi. A place, besides my apartment, where I can just relax," Mark said lazily as he looked around the room.

"Well it looks like the whole 'not bumping into fans' part didn't pan out," I said jokingly. Mark turned to gaze at me, more serious and sober than I expected as his eyes roamed my face.

"Yeah. But somehow I'm not mad about it at all. I quite like this fan," he said quietly as butterflies invaded my stomach and my face heated up with more than the effects of alcohol. "To be honest, I always wanted to progress both in my career and my life, but it's sad that right now I have to choose between the two," he said as I tried to compose myself. Without thinking, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"It's not fair that you'd have to choose between life and career. But who says you have to? You're not new to the industry so the need to establish an image isn't as imperative. Plus you're not getting any younger. Sure, it's not popular and you might get lots of hate for it, but if you meet someone and you think that person is worth it, I think you both can get through it together," I said carelessly. "Just...y'know, make sure your group, family, and relevant people are aware beforehand so you don't blindside them. They might even be able to help, you never know."

Surprised, he looked over at me.

"I don't think I've ever had someone just tell me to screw it and refuse to make this a choice. Aren't you the type that plans everything? I'd expect you to say I should plan for this too," he said, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Laughing lightly, I kicked off my heels and put my feet up.

"Yeah well...it's not my usual style either. I like to plan everything but even I can admit that if we try to plan everything, we might plan opportunities right out of our lives. Whoa that was deep...wish I was sober enough to write it down somewhere. I might need that advice later."

"Don't worry, I'll remind you if a time comes when you need it," he said, laughing softly. I looked over at him, wondering how that would be possible if we're never going to see each other again after tonight, but decided not to overthink as the alcohol clouded my mind in a pink haze.

Somehow we both found ourselves reaching for each other as the night wore on and the bottle sat empty, and I was laying in his comfortable embrace when my ringtone cut through the air like a chainsaw through steel. Noticing that his arms didn't leave me even as I was fumbling for my phone, I smiled to myself before the smile dropped upon seeing Leila's name flashing on the screen. Glancing at Mark apologetically, I answered the phone as he shifted his arms around me so I could sit up straighter.

"Hello?" I answered, thinly veiled irritation laced through my voice. I could hear the pulsing sounds of EDM club music, noisy party-goers, and a DJ in the background, meaning she must've been in another club.

"Essie! I just saw your text! We got here and didn't see you so we moved to another place. Are you at home? I don't hear anything in the background," Leila yelled drunkenly through the phone. Wincing at the loud noise, I pulled the phone away from my ear slightly before answering.

"I called and texted way before you told me to be here and nobody answered. It's been hours, Leila. It sounds more like you forgot about me," I said frustratedly, tugging my other hand through my hair. Mark patted my waist in an attempt to calm me down and flashed me a comforting smile when I looked over.

"I'm sorry Essie, let's go out next weekend, I promise I'll make it up to you!" Leila said lightly, evidently distracted as I heard her talking to someone in the background discussing where to go next.

"Whatever Leila, you guys already left and you already sound distracted, so you might as well continue partying without me. I'll see you whenever."

Perhaps due to her extreme drunkenness, she lightly agreed and I hung up, mumbling about how it would've been a horrible night spent seething at home if I hadn't decided to stick around a while longer.

Amused, Mark waited for me to put my phone away before taking me back in his arms.

"I'm glad you decided to stick around though. We probably never would've met otherwise," he said smoothly, eliciting a small laugh from me as he brushed his lips against my cheek.

Sighing, he glanced at the time on the clock and turned to me, light disappointment on his features.

"I want to stay and enjoy the night longer, but it looks like we both should be getting home," he said.

Taking a look at the time myself, I was shocked to see it was well past 1am, meaning I had been here for over 4 hours. Agreeing, I let Mark call a rideshare for us and settled down to wait.

"I don't know about you, but I had a lot of fun hanging out with you tonight. I know a bar isn't exactly your scene, so if you're interested, maybe we could hang out again, next time on your turf?" Mark said, searching my eyes tentatively.

"Yeah, I'd like that," I said warmly, giddiness blooming in my chest as we exchanged numbers.

By the time we were driven to my apartment, we had considerably sobered up, but the pleasant atmosphere remained. Before I walked in the door, I joked "Next time we hang out, I expect food!"

Chuckling good-naturedly, Mark replied, "How about later today?"

Only half believing him, I nodded and did a mock salute before I closed the door and sunk down to the floor, still in disbelief at how the night went. I could hear him laughing again before he entered the car and left.

Before falling into bed after a shower, I picked up my phone and saw a message from Mark:

It's a date.

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