something sweet, a peach tree | mark/jaehyun

Chapter 6

July passes quickly and without consequence. Mark's life is pretty much the same—weekdays spent in the office, weekends with Jaehyun. His birthday falls on a Friday, so he's going to James and Annie's for dinner, and then out for drinks with Johnny and Yuta and Ten. Jaehyun was the first out of everybody he knows to wish him a happy birthday, the text coming in right at midnight. Mark is trying not to think about it, because it's making him kind of giddy, and he doesn't want to have to explain himself.

James picks him up from work, AC blasting in his Prius. "Mom made me promise we'd call," he warns as he pulls out into traffic. "So I'm gonna get us together for that as soon as we get home, before Lucy gets too tired."

"Sounds good," Mark says, amused.

"Speaking of Lucy," James continues, "I was hoping to take Annie on a little vacation next weekend. Just one night, we'd leave Saturday morning and be back Sunday afternoon. Think you could watch her for us?"

"If you pay for our food," Mark agrees. "And pick me up and drop me off."

"Fair enough," James says, shaking his head. "You're hired."

Mark laments the lost time with Jaehyun in his head, but he can't really put his heart in it. It'll be fun to hang out with Lucy, and she goes to bed early so he can stay up playing video games or something. Besides, Mark likes Annie, so he has to help his brother do something nice for her.

Deals struck, they spend the rest of the car ride chatting about Mark's birthday plans. Johnny said he had an itinerary for them but wouldn't tell Mark what it was, and Yuta and Ten both seemed pretty excited, so Mark's a little nervous.

"I'm kind of scared they're taking me to some crazy strip club or something," Mark says.

"If they are, don't call me to come pick you up because I'm just gonna laugh my ass off," James says, grinning, as he pulls into his driveway.

Lucy is at the door with her mother, telling Mark happy birthday as soon as she lays eyes on him. "Eomma said you're—twenty-one," she says. "You're way bigger than me."

"I think that's the nicest way to be called old," James says with a laugh. "Believe it or not, Luce, you're gonna be twenty-one someday, too!"

Mark takes her hand. "I'd rather be three than twenty-one," he says. "Three's a good age."

"Three's the best age," Lucy agrees firmly. "'Til I'm four, and then four's the best, and then five..."

Annie brings dinner to the table while James tries to figure out where he wants to put his iPad for the call. Finally, he settles on leaning it up against the napkin holder on the far side of the table and calls their parents.

"Happy birthday!" his parents burst out in unison as soon as the FaceTime connects.

"Thank you," Mark says with a grin.

They chatter about his life, how work's going, if he's ready for school in the fall. His dad tells him they've sent him a little care package that should arrive in a couple days.

"What are your plans for tonight, Mark?" his mother asks. "Oh, do you have someone special to take you on a date?"

"No, I'm just going out with some friends," Mark says over Lucy's giggling.

"Aw, that's good, but I hope you can find someone soon!" his mom presses. "James and Annie were already together at your age. Our Mark is so smart and handsome, I'm sure plenty of boys are interested!"

"Ugh, Eomma, I'm busy with school, I'm not like James. He had himself figured out." Mark makes a face at James across the table, trying to ignore the strange stinging in his chest. "I can barely manage myself, how am I supposed to manage somebody else?"