Work Before Play

A Predicament

Mark's cheeks turned as red as his hair while my eyes widened from embarrassment.

"Um," Mark cleared his throat, "Sean, she's not my girlfriend. She's my roommate. She lives in Daniel's old room."

"Oh, well I made things awkward now. I'm sorry to both of you." Sean replied.

"It's okay, I could see where you thought that." I said politely trying to salvage a nice conversation. "May I ask why you are visiting LA?"

"Oh!" Sean beamed, "There's a convention coming up soon so I flew in early to hang out with friends!"

Mark asked me to come to his room to help move his set up around that I messed up when I was using his computer. So I left Sean in the living room and saw him pushing a disc into an old gaming system.

"Hey, this is going to seem really awkward having Sean over for about a week and a half. I really lost track of time and I can't get him into a hotel room for that amount of time without it costing an arm an a leg-"

I cut him off, "You were going to have him stay in my room, weren't you?" I asked nervous.

"Yeah..." Mark scratched the back of his neck. Something I noticed he does when he's nervous, also. "But I have a couple ideas. Sean can sleep on the couch. Or you could give him your bed and you sleep in my room."

"Considering I grew up in a poor home and shared a bed with my brother for the longest time, we can share a bed I guess..." I said shyly. "If that's what you were getting at...."

"Only if you were okay with it." He said looking at his shoes

"I'll put some essentials in your room then. It's settled." I said turning around to leave, but I was stopped by Mark grabbing my arm.

"I thought you were an only child." Mark asked confused.

"Um, I know I said that at first," I looked at the window to the side of the room, not willing to meet Mark's eyes. "He passed away when I was 16, a drunk driver hit his truck head on."

"Oh, Lydia..."

Mark spun me around and hugged me tightly. "We won't talk about it anymore."

"But thank you so much, you have no idea how grateful I am that you are okay with this!" He said, while his voice was muffled by my hair he was leaning into.

I hugged him back, "You're welcome, Mark."

I left to change in my room. I changed to a worn flannel with a black tank underneath with a pair of boot cut jeans.

I walked out to the dining table to start some homework when I noticed Mark and Sean were holding back laughter.

"What?" I asked confused.

Sean opened his mouth first, "You kind of look like a hick."

"Well, I kind of am, I guess you can say." I smirked, thinking of my home in Missouri.

"Really? You look like you belong here." Sean said.

"Yeah, I'm from a rural area of Missouri. I got an outstanding number of scholarships for different schools but my college here in LA gave me a free ride that continued into grad school."

"So you are still in college?!?"

"Yes, I should be graduating within a semester or two depending if I do a summer studies course."

"What are you going for?"

"Ag Business with a minor and emphasis on Wildlife studies. My major in business might as well be a dual major due to how many marketing classes I have taken along with core business." I said with a small laugh.

"Wow! You must be smart!" Sean yelled out in shock.

"No wonder you're such a stiff." Mark mumbled.

"Sean, I'm kinda smart, I can help with management and business related stuff. And Mark, I'm not that bad, I know when I can cut loose and hang out." I said to both of them.

Mark had a thoughtful look on his face. "Aren't you on break next week?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Could you potentially have knowledge to manage someone?"

"I have had assistant jobs and some classes for management. So I assume I could attempt it. Why?" I asked even more confused.

"Could you manage the guys and I during the week of the convention? Like being a personal assistant?"

"Umm...." I was cut off from Mark's second interjection. "I'll pay you extra."

"Deal." I replied without hesitation.

Sean and the guys caught up while I cleaned the dishes from supper and checked my cobbler in the stove.

I grabbed a mitt to place the steaming hot cobbler in the counter in front of the boys.

"No touchy!" I exclaimed and smacked Mark and Sean's hands with the warm mitt. "You'll burn yourself, morons!" 

They all pouted at the thought of having to wait longer for the dessert I made.

I dished out ice creams with the hot cobbler and handed the boys each a bowl.

"Holy shite!" Sean exclaimed after having a bite. "This is heaven!"

All the other boys agreed. I stood by silently eating my bowl while Mark got up and stood next to me.

He took his finger and bopped my nose. "You have flour on your face." He grabbed a napkin and wiped the flour away while chuckling slightly. "All better."

"Thanks Markimoo."

Mark did a double take at the nickname. "You've watched my channel?"

"I started to listen to it in my spare time while I do homework." I admitted sheepishly.

"Annnnd?"

"At least I can testify that you are not faking our dork unless for the subscribers. You are a dork all the time."

"And you are uptight." He said with a smirk.

"Am not!" I said getting annoyed at the snide comment.

Mark set down his cobbler and picked me up and threw my over his shoulder. He opened the sliding door to the backyard.

"Put me down!" I screamed into his back punching him lightly. He just snickered and suddenly he stopped.

The next thing I felt was water soaking me.

I knew how to swim. But my flannel got caught on something in the pool on the deep end. I couldn't come up for air.

I tried to move my arms frantically but I couldn't get my arms above the water.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them I saw Mark's worried brown eyes in front of me under the water as well.

I pointed at my shirt. He saw that I was snagged and did something I was not expecting at all.

He ripped my shirt and tank top off of me.