A Collection of Memories (Markiplier X Reader)

The First Date

            The knock on my door came at exactly 7:00PM. He was perfectly on time, and here I was, still trying to finish getting ready. I groaned in frustration at the mirror in front of me, and yelled through the apartment. "Door's unlocked! Come in!" I heard the door open and close, and I frantically tried on one last dress from my closet. It was red, with a flowing skirt that reached just past my knees. The neckline dipped just low enough to be interesting, but not altogether very revealing. I looked once more in the mirror, finally satisfied, and slipped on a pair of flats as I left my bedroom.

I walked through the apartment and found Mark standing awkwardly near the front door. Remembering that this was his first time in my apartment, I quickly started to apologize for having to make him let himself in. I rambled on for a moment, trying to explain my plight in deciding on a dress, when I stopped mid-sentence, realizing that Mark was not paying one ounce of his attention to what I was saying. Instead, his jaw was a little slack, and his eyes were moving up and down my figure, taking in everything. I blushed nearly as red as my dress and smiled.

Mark finally smiled back and breathed, "Wow. You look so beautiful."

I shyly tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "Thank you," I said softly, "You look amazing too." It was my turn to look him up and down then, and I realized that "amazing" couldn't possibly describe what was standing before me. He was all decked out in a suit and tie, his long hair combed neatly to one side, and he was freshly shaven. He smiled at my compliment and blushed as well.

"Well...shall we?" He held out his arm to me, ever the gentleman, and half turned towards the door. I grabbed my purse off the end table near the door, and took his arm, nervously biting my lip as he opened the door for me. Walking out into the cold night air, we both shivered, and I felt Mark's arm flex beneath my hand. I tried to ignore it, but I simply couldn't. I tightened my hand around his bicep and he took immediate notice, flexing his arm again as if I wouldn't notice his purposeful movement.

He walked me down to his car and opened the passenger side door for me, smiling as he shut it and went to the driver's side. I clasped my hands together in my lap, nervously sighing as he got in the car and started the engine. I looked up at him, noticing that he was nervous as well, and asked, "So, where is this place?"

"Oh, you'll see," Mark teased, smiling at me, "I've only been there once, but I really think you'll enjoy it.

The restaurant in question was only a few blocks away, but as we pulled into the lot, my heart skipped a beat. He was taking me to the Il Grano, a beautiful Italian restaurant that I had never thought to find myself in anytime soon. Like before, Mark opened my car door for me and led me into the building on his arm. He gave the host his name and we were quickly taken to our table in the back of the dining room. There was a single candle in the middle of the table, and my eyes fixed on the flickering flame as Mark pulled out my chair for me. I thanked him, then watched as he went to take his seat across from me. Looking at him in the candlelight, it was hard to believe that just this morning, he asked me to be his girlfriend.

He looked up from the menu he had been staring at for a minute, and smiled at me. I smiled back, shyly hiding my face behind my own menu. I decided on what I wanted, then slowly lowered it about five minutes later. He was still staring, his elbows on the table and his chin resting on his hands. I blushed deeply at that, and Mark smiled wider. "You're beautiful when you blush like that," he whispered. I simply stared back at him, and then he reached one hand across the table. I placed my hand in his, and leaned forward to press a kiss to my knuckles. He stared at our hands for a minute, absently playing with my fingers, lost in thought. I could only watch him, not wanting to interrupt what was going on in his head. Finally, he looked back up to me. "I want to promise you something, right now."

Alarmed, I raised my eyebrows at him and shrugged. "Okay," I said, grinning at him with encouragement, "What is it?"

He shifted in his seat, searching for the right words. "I will never hurt you," he stated, "You're my best friend. Even if this doesn't work, for whatever reason, I will always be here for you. I will always be your friend. No matter what. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you."

"You won't," I stated, without even thinking.

Mark chuckled a bit, started at my quick response, and shook his head. "You're sure already?" He teased, glancing at his watch comically, "We've only been dating for about...eight hours? If that?"

I blushed, realizing how ridiculous I sounded, and shrugged. "I just have a good feeling about us," I said, joking along, but meaning every word I said. "This just feels...right."

Mark smiled, squeezing my hand in his. "It does, doesn't it?"

***

Later that night, Mark was walking me back to the door of my apartment. Our hands swung between us, locked together as if they were meant to be that way, and I was laughing so hard that it hurt at the face Mark was making. He was joking about Wade's drunken dancing the night before, and doing his "best" to imitate Wade's face in the process. As we stopped outside my door, our laughter died down and Mark turned to face me, taking both of my hands in his. "Tonight was amazing," he said, quietly, looking deeply into my eyes.

I smiled, stepping closer. "Thank you," I whispered, "For tonight."

Mark grinned and playfully rolled his eyes. "I didn't do anything," he said, "You're what made tonight special."

"Oh really?" I laughed, "And how did I do that?"

"By saying you'll be with me," he whispered, without missing a beat. I smiled, and he began to lean towards me, his eyes locked on my lips. I leaned into him and closed the distance, closing my eyes as his kiss and his passion filled my senses. It was only a short, goodnight kiss, but it left me dizzy as I pulled away. Mark still held me close for a moment longer, resting his forehead against my own. "Call me when you wake up tomorrow?"

"Of course," I giggled, rubbing my nose against his.

He smiled, leaning back to kiss my nose. "Goodnight," he whispered, kissing my lips once more before I watched his begin to walk back to his car. I let myself into the apartment after he was out of sight, and closed the door behind me, leaning against it as I closed my eyes and sighed contentedly.

This was the beginning of something truly amazing.