Second Ave Offices: First Time for Everything (WLW)

Chapter Six

"You did what?" Mark squawked at Ju as they sat in the break room together drinking tea and soda. Well, drinking was what Ju was doing, but Mark on the other hand was spewing his drink onto the table. Ju shuddered and cringed away, only causing him to laugh and choke down the rest of the liquid in his mouth. He held onto his throat, swallowed, then turned his gaze toward her. If he was expecting sympathy from Ju, he was out of luck as she stared at him in disgust. "You were," He coughed and cleared his throat. "With her all night?"

Ju had just explained that she spent the night on Hayden's couch in each other's arms and they'd only slept together. Nothing more, nothing less. As irritating as Mark's childish reaction was, Ju was in a daze of utter shock herself, blushing at the memory of Hayden laying beside herself the night before and clutching her shirt in her hands. As Ju held her close to her chest and drifted off, she couldn't help thinking the same thing now as she had then. Shit... It was good... I didn't think just holding someone could feel so good.

At the subtle clearing of Mark's throat, Ju was pulled back to her conversation and answered, "Yeah, all we did was sleep."

"What?" He pursed his lips and gave her a sidelong glance, then leaned in along the table, speaking in a soft voice, "Never done that before?"

"Sleep?"

"No...! Sleep and spoon with someone you like. You know me. When I actually really like someone, I never make any moves. Flirting without real gain is much easier. Although, last night I didn't have to and Mika loves to cuddle." He wriggled his eyebrows and Ju pretended to vomit over the rim of her mug before taking a swig making him laugh.

"Well, I've never liked or dated anyone before...so..."

Mark blankly stared at her as she thought back to what happened that following morning. It'd been an entire weekend and Mark was gone for most of it, so she never got a chance to talk this out with him at home. Then she spotted him coming into the office with Mika and figured he'd understand more than anyone, asking him to join her in the break room. Then again, would he really?

She mulled it over in her mind, wrapped up in her thoughts until Mark interrupted them with, "How is that possible? You know, I just realized I don't actually know a whole hell of a lot about you. Your past, I mean. I met your mom twice in the last decade and you never say anything other than the superficial. I was fine with it before, but you're my sister, period. And I'm getting worried. So speak up."

"I was never interested in dating during my teen and college years." Ju began explaining as she leaned over her tea, letting the steam soothe herself. "I put my focus into my mom and my studies and spent a lot of time at home or at school. I did student tutoring in high school, too. And I left home at eighteen and met you in college. You know the story from there."

He continued gawking at her for several annoying seconds. "But in all that time you didn't--"

"No. I said I didn't. It wasn't that I didn't ever feel attraction. I definitely find women attractive, not men, but I never acted on it 'cause I just didn't see the point. I was busy with school and building myself a future and they were just fleeting crushes I got over as quickly as they came. Something that ephemeral seemed pointless at the time." Ju interrupted Mark very abruptly, unable to look up from her tea. "And you don't have to react like that, man... I already know I'm weird without you rubbing it in."

When she finally summoned the courage to lift her head, Ju watched Mark open his mouth to say something just as Sheila walked in. Mark stopped in his tracks and smiled extremely big at her rather unconvincingly as if he was trying to hide their last box of festive cookies. Ju glanced between Sheila and Mark, then to Sheila once more with an eyebrow raised, completely befuddled. She looked at Mark with a blank face before furrowing her brow and gazing toward Ju quite disapprovingly as she turned back around and left.