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This chapter is in Mark's perspective.
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Sorry for the late chapter, everyone! It's a doozy - haha! But I went out to a play with my bestie today... it was so good. But enough about me - let's get started!
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It'd taken us only fifteen minutes (rather than the twenty I'd presumed) for us to reach my apartment building, along with an additional five minutes of entry and jazzy elevator music. Throughout all twenty minutes leading up to our comeuppance at the front door, I couldn't detour my eyes from Jack's body, always shifting in just the right ways; the way his eyes darted from left to right, the way he gently ran fingers through his hair every odd second, and the way his chest leapt through his skin-tight shirt - it was all too much for me to take in, too much for me to handle. I questioned whether or not he was teasing me on purpose... it couldn't just be me noticing these natural, casual beauties - could it?
I swallowed my thoughts, all of them deteriorating as I hoisted my key up to the locked door, my hand trembling just in the slightest. I noticed how Jack's eyes lingered with their every vibration, noting my reluctance to just click the key into the lock. I wish that I didn't feel so anxious, that I could just get it over with and take in the sinking feeling all at once, only so that I could shoot up and free from the water, free from the feeling that I wasn't good enough for him. And, just as if he'd heard my thoughts aloud, he let out a small smile, the one that tilted upward to the left more than to the right, the kind that forced you to smile back. It was the kind of smile that forced me into unlocking the door.
Just as quickly as the wave of terror had come, it'd gone and washed up on shore, along with all of the worries I'd had of Jack not understanding. Within seconds he'd let himself into the apartment, taking a good look around, not muttering a single word under his breath. A glance in the kitchen, at the table with only two chairs; at the living room (one meter away from the kitchen), my bedroom; the bathroom, the door wide open, next to the "master bedroom." I watched as he flung himself around, keeping his hands in his pockets as he sauntered about, nodding his head with each and every object taken into account - not once did he point out my messy bed, the dirty dishes (which I would've cleaned if it weren't for the incident), and the coffee stain on the floor. In fact, he walked straight past it all and out, on the balcony, leaning over the banister and into the evening sky - seeing as there was nothing better to do, I joined him, eager to hear what he had to say of my house.
He said nothing, which told me that I was to be the first to say something.
"Jack?" I whispered, my voice barely making a sound. "Do you... do you see why I didn't want you in my apartment?"
He shook his head immediately. "There's nothin' wrong with it."
I bit on my lip, feeling chapped lips bite back. "It's a mess, Jack."
"'A mess?'" he mocked, jerking his head in my direction (only the slightest). "I've lived with four siblings - there were seven people squeezed in that log cabin. You don't think I know what a mess looks like?"
Finding nothing to defend myself with, I decided to change the subject - the stars, just blooming from the newborn night sky, were glistening too brightly to be ignored.
"It's so pretty tonight," I commented, acknowledging them with my eyes. "... The neighbourhood is so lively."
Jack nodded his head in agreement. "This is why I love Halloween so much. The very feelin' of it, y'know? Getting to see everyone come alive - just for one night - is so... enchanting."
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Ever After
Fanfiction"His eyes - oh, God, his eyes - were an entirely different story. Staring into his eyes was like staring into the summer sky just before the sunset came, before the yellow, pink, and purple clouds came to fog up your vision. They were the definition...
