𝙎𝙄𝙏𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙊𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙃𝙀𝙇𝙁 | Marcus White

Valentines Day Dinner {sub part}

"And then he ran back up to Garrett, paused the music and then restarted his song so he could redo the flash mob now that Lisa was there."

Marcus threw his head back in laughter, his eyes crinkled shut as a loud, boisterous laugh slipped past his lips. Your legs were thrown across his lap, one of Marcus's hands holding onto the one furthest from him, his grip tightening as he laughed at the story of what he'd missed earlier on today. His other hand held onto one of the cartons of Chinese takeout that you'd picked up on your way back to the apartment, his fork lazily stabbed into a piece of chicken and left in the tub.

"Why didn't he just wait till he knew she was there?" Marcus's hand needed against the exposed skin of your calf, your own held your tub of noodles and twirled your fork into them, a mouthful of food a hairs length away from your lips.

"I don't know. I don't know why he'd try and propose like that anyway." Blowing onto the food, you took it into your mouth, chewing down the meal before speaking again. "I mean a flash mob? Really?"

"Are they that bad?" You raised an eyebrow at Marcus, looking at him over the brim of your takeout tub, a look of panic crossing his face. "No, no! Like, I knew they were bad, but I didn't think they were horrendous." Marcus's hand lifted from your leg, returning to his fork and shovelling a mouthful of orange chicken between his lips.

"Honestly." You prodded into your noodles, swirling them around your fork then pulling it from the box, stabbing it into a piece of Marcus's chicken before popping it into your mouth. "I think that would be material for saying 'no.'

"And what would be material for you to say yes?"

"Woah, Woah!" You chocked on the food you'd stolen from Marcus's box, placing your own on the small coffee table in front of you as you tried to stop yourself from spluttering everywhere. "Take me out to dinner first."

"Have I not already?" Marcus leant forward, placing his now empty food carton next to your own, his hands settling on the leg furthest from him, running them up and down the exposed skin. God, did you love pj shorts. "Several times now I think."

"Once."

"Surly it's been more then once?"

"Nuh-uh. Only once before now. To Bobby's." You thought of Sunnyside diner more often then you'd ever admit: the food, the company, the stars. It had all been so perfect. And Bobby was more then a gentleman, the older diner owner had been sweet to you on every occasion you'd gone there.

"Well, I'll have to take you out again sometime, take you on another proper date." It was like he could read your thoughts.

"Our third one?" You teased, reaching out to take one of Marcus's hands into your own, playing with his long, thick fingers and fair hairs that covered his arms.

"Our fourth one. I'm claiming New Years as a date." You didn't have to look up to feel the smile that was radiating from Marcus's face; it was contagious too, a mirror imagine of his face appearing on your own. "What? Meeting the Mom, the sister. If anything that's like a 4 date equivalent. So really it would be our 7th date."

"Oh, so we're just counting everything as a date now, huh?" You asked, though the question was harmless, it provoked a warmth onto Marcus's cheeks, his hands you'd been playing with stopping your motions. He held your fingers in his hand, running his thumb along your knuckles as the blush in his cheeks rose.

"Well, any time I spend with you is worthy of the date title."

Marcus hesitantly met your eyes, his smile as dazzling as ever, especially under the low light of your tv buzzing in the background. Night was falling, each second spent together another second closer to total darkness beyond the window ledge. The dregs of winter blew in through the latched open window, blowing at the wispy and white sheet of fabric that acted as a curtain, the cold night air getting warmer with every day closer to spring time.