Puzzle Pieces // m.f

1.1

After her short lived moment of courage, Jamie nervously smudged the lipstick stain that had ended up on Mark's cheek and began mumbling under her breath. "Oh... heck. That was a dumb thing. I did a really dumb thing. I'm so sorry."

"Jamie, it's fine. It's very very fine." Mark couldn't stop smiling and took out his phone to take a picture of them together, figuring he could come up with a funny caption for Instagram later.

"I've never been this embarrassed before in my whole life," Jamie mumbled.

"You haven't done much, then." Mark continued walking towards the doors, pulling her along with him.

"Not really, no." Jamie was feeling better about what she had done, but still felt butterflies that she could only describe as rampaging.

"Then it's about time you start doing everything you've ever wanted." Mark grinned at her lack of response and pulled her into what looked to be a cutesy store full of sweaters and skirts and flower crowns and the like.

They spent several hours going from store to store and trying on clothes. Mark insisted that he had to approve of everything Jamie got, just to make sure she was dressing appropriately. It didn't turn out to be much of an issue, though, since she was exceedingly modest. If anything, he began to worry that she would get too hot in all of her slightly too big sweaters.

"Why don't you ever look at sweaters that are the right size?" Mark asked from outside a fitting room as he folded a light pink one that Jamie had been quite fond of.

"They're never quite as comfortable. If I'm cold, which I almost always am, I want to be able to have sweater paws. Like right now." Jamie walked out of the fitting room, now back in Mark's flannel, and raised her hands as an example of what she was talking about.

"You're adorable." Mark smiled and took her hand, leading her to the register.

"This is a really comfortable shirt. I'm not sure you're ever getting it back," Jamie muttered as she looked up at him, her words barely intelligible through her smile.

"Just as well; it looks better on you anyways." Mark's smile didn't falter, and he didn't figure it ever would as long as Jamie was smiling with him. It was good to hear her joking around.

But at her suddenly serious face, he could tell an argument of some sort was on its way, even as they casually flipped through shirts at yet another store.

"You have got to stop saying things like that."

"Why?"

"Because I've known you for, like, two days and you make me want to tell you things I've never even said out loud before."

"How is that a bad thing?"

"People don't last forever."

"You're so nervous about everything. Nothing lasts forever. Just calm down and smile and let it last as long as it's going to make you happy."

"You're so stubborn."

"Oh, and you're not?"

"You act like you're always right."

"Well, I usually am where matters of the heart are concerned."

"You've known me two days."

"And what a wonderful two days they've been."

"In those two days you already saw me have a mental breakdown."

"Nobody's perfect."

"I'm seven years younger than you."

"Have you ever considered how crazy it is that the universe has existed for over four billion years? That really is quite the number..."

"Your friends might not like me."

"My friends are my family and they like what makes me happy."

Mark watched as her lips parted slightly and her hands froze on a light blue and white striped sweater and her eyes flickered to different people's faces, anyone's but his.

"Look, I know you're a logical person. I know there's somewhere around a million reasons this shouldn't work. I know you're looking for something, anything, to justify your nerves. Think about how fucking crazy it is that all of the necessary coincidences that it took for your parents to meet and create you even happened. Think about the coincidences it took for you to fly through school as quickly as you did. Think about how bizarre it is that you managed to sit next to me on that flight. Think about how you said all of the things that you did, all of the things that made me want to know you as well as I know myself. Think about how crazy it is that Ryan and Matt actually agreed to get to know you under the weird circumstances I created for them. Now think about the fact that the universe has literally existed for over four billion years. Think of all the coincidences in the past two days that have us standing right here. You're not going to just overlook that, are you? The fact that in your small piece of four billion years, the universe has thrown you into this situation with a tsunami of coincidences that didn't happen to anybody else in the world. Now, tell me again why we shouldn't try this out? At least test the waters of Jamie and Mark being a thing?" He stared at her expectantly, just waiting for her to respond to his small speech.

"You're so stupid," she angrily muttered as she pulled the sweater off of the rack.

"That means I was right, though! Doesn't it? Doesn't it?" He laughed loudly in his victory and followed her further into the store where she started to look at a pair of high waisted jeans, very pointedly ignoring him.

[A/N: i feel like all i ever do in these is apologize. but for real guys, finals and concerts and consistently being forced to hang out with my dad's girlfriend's kids has screwed with my ability to write as often and this is nowhere near as long as my personal requirements but with the story getting more popular i couldn't just wait until i was satisfied to give you an update. enough of my soliloquy, though. i love you guys.]