[I just want to say thanks eveyrone for all the sweet comments! i started writing to deal with some stuff going on in my life but now that I see that i have a following it makes me happy to write :) Im glad everyone liked ch. 13, though im sorry I made people cry! I hope you all like this chapter as much xoxo :)]
[read, vote, comment, tell me what you think! constructive criticism welcome :)]
FOURTEEN: Mark
After Kendall stepped down from her reading I watched her as she walked over to a small group of trees off to the side of the park. I was worried about her after watching her breakdown in front of everyone and followed after her. As I was walking up to her I was at her back and I heard her say, "You were right all along about fixing things in my life, especially with Mark. I just wish I could have told you that in person." She let out another quiet sob and put her face in her hands.
"She wants to change things with me," I shouted joyfully in my head. "Could she really be forgiving me?" I put all thoughts aside and came up a little closer before softly saying, "Hey, are you okay?"
I obviously startled her because I saw her jump a little before turning around to face me. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and the rich hazel color of them glistened with tears yet to fall. She looked embarrassed that she was crying in front of me because she quickly turned to dry her eyes before coming back to face me and asking me, "How much of that did you hear?"
"Enough I think," I said quietly "But really are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she said to me while simultaneously shaking her head no.
She was a mess. I took her by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug. I let her lay her head down on my chest and just let it all out. I had only seen her cry one other time and that was when her dog Butterscotch died in the 5th grade. If she had cried any other time she had made sure I wasn't around to see it. After a moment she lifted her head to change positions and said into my chest, "I missed you Mark."
My heart stopped, she had missed me. I almost felt like I might spring a leak as well when the full weight of her words sunk in. "I missed you too Ken," I whispered as I tightened my embrace around her hoping that the tighter the grip the smaller the chances of her slipping away again. She laid her head back on my chest let out a contented sigh, like she wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I then let my head fall on top of hers and we just stood there holding one another. I felt as though a whole new chapter was beginning for us, and this time I didn't plan on screwing it up.
A couple minutes later Kendall pulled away and looked up at me with now dry eyes. She looked so vulnerable that I didn't want to let go of her for fear that she would shatter right before my very eyes. We both just stared at each other and I look closely at her for the first time all day. I noticed the way her lips curled down into a pout, the way her cheeks were tear stained, and that her sparkly hazel eyes were red from crying. Despite all of this she was still so beautiful. I got caught up in the moment and took the liberty of tucking a strand of wayward hair behind her ear, letting my hand rest on her cheek for a moment. I felt a spark of current when my skin came into contact with hers. As I lingered there for a moment I felt my eyes narrowing in on her lips and I subconsciously began to lean in. Her eyes widened at this gesture and she then was the one who broke the eye contact between us by looking back at the crowd, now heading over to the graveyard to bury her father. "We better head over that way," she said while removing my arms from around her. "I just want to thank you Mark," she continued. "Even though I didn't exactly arrive here on the best terms with you, you still came and supported me in my time of need. You came through for me more than my own fiancée, and if that doesn't say that our friendship can survive, I don't know what does."
