I'll Be Seeing You

Five.

I woke up the next morning feeling better than I had in a long time. My body felt amazing. No sore neck. No leg cramps. No headache. Just... peace. I must've slept like a baby. When I spotted a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol on the dresser, the mystery of my hangover-free morning was solved. That was definitely Mark's doing.

Mark. Oh God. I remembered everything from last night.

If his shoes weren't still sitting on my bedroom floor, I would've sworn it was just a dream. But it was very much real. The only thing I couldn't say for certain was whether or not I'd made a complete fool of myself. Did I throw myself at him? Was I all over him like some desperate college girl during spring break? What if he only slept with me because he felt obligated?

The more I thought about it, the more embarrassed I became. I wanted to bury myself under the covers and never come out.

"You awake in there?" Mark called from the living room.

"How'd you know?" I replied with a laugh.

"I'm just good, I guess."

Indeed, you are. God, Alyssa. Pull yourself together. I pulled my hair into a messy bun and opened the bedroom door. The smell of fresh coffee and pancakes hit me like a hug.

"It smells amazing in here," I said, making my way to the kitchen table.

"Thought you might need some coffee when you woke up. And you haven't eaten since dinner yesterday."

"Yeah, just had... a lot to drink," I said with a sheepish laugh.

"But you had a good time, didn't you?"

"I had a great time. I loved meeting your family. And your sister and sister-in-law? They're hilarious."

"They're alright, I guess," he said with a smirk.

I hesitated for a second, then blurted, "Before we eat, can we talk about last night?"

He didn't even flinch. "Of course we can."

"First off, I'm sorry for getting so drunk at your dad's. I shouldn't have let it get that far."

"Oh, stop. You were having a great time—and I'm glad."

"I figured you'd say that," I muttered, smiling despite myself. "Okay, second. I'm sorry if I... threw myself at you last night. I don't know what came over me. I hope you didn't feel like you had to do anything just because I was drunk."

Mark met my eyes without hesitation. "You didn't throw yourself at me. So don't apologize. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have. I asked you several times if you were sure, because yeah, you were drunk. But you didn't guilt me or push me into anything. I wanted to."

Okay. Now I'm blushing.

"I just had to get that off my chest. I remember everything, except how I acted. And... thank you."

"For what?"

Oh God. He probably thinks I'm thanking him for sleeping with me. I'm an idiot.

"For making sure I was okay with it. And for... being so gentle."

I could feel my cheeks growing hotter.

"I'd never put you in a situation you'd be uncomfortable in—or one you'd regret," he said softly. "I just wanted to be sure. And of course... I know what you've been through. I don't ever want you to look at me like him."

"You really are an amazing guy, Mark. I hope you know that. So... we're good? Nothing's going to be weird between us?"

"Of course we're good," he laughed. "Nothing's going to be weird. We're adults. Do you regret it?"