u p h e r e ↬ m.f. & s.m. [completed]

THOUGHTS

CHAPTER FOUR

Wed. 31st August 2016

"When someone gives you a rare insight into their life, do not repay that gesture by betraying their trust."

-Dodinsky

"You forgot your notebook."

Jack said handing the small book to his friend. The pages were already worn out and the notebook itself looked as if it was older than the boy who consistently wrote onto its pages.

Marks eyes opened wide and his skin turned pale as if he'd seen a ghost. "You did not look into it, didn't you?". Fear was building up in his eyes and he clutched tighter to the book as he ever had before.

"No, of course not, ya' goof."

Marks' grip loosened as he let the air out of his lungs. He had not realized that he had been holding his breath until that moment. Back in reality, he turned around and placed it in his locker. "Thanks.", he said as casual as possible for he did not want Jack to know how much of a relief those few words were.

The Irish boy opened his locker next to Marks' and innocently put some of his books inside of it before he shrugged "Though, I have to admit, I'd really like to." A slight blush appeared on his cheeks and turned their color into a pastel pink. He then closed the metal door shut and turned around to face the exit, leaving Mark on his place with a confused look and furrowed eyebrows. He could only think about all the different things he wished the boy would write into his notebook, yet he did not dare to hurt the privacy of his teenage love, for he already disturbed it 10 days ago.

Jack went off home, for school ended. Mark went off to work, for he needed to help paying the rents.

Of course the young man knew that this was not a life that people would call normal but he eventually got used to it and stopped bothering as he realized it helped his brother as well. Throughout his shift he could not stop thinking about why Jack would want to read his notes. So it came that Mark rung the bell on his friend's apartment for the first time. Thought both of them knew that they lived next to each other neither of them had visited.

Just as the door swung open, it was that Mark realized he had been ringing the bell on his friend's apartment at 10pm, risking his parents waking up. "Shit, man, I'm sorry I rung the bell, okay. I didn't think about it, I should've just texted you. I hope nobody woke up or anything like tha-"

To Jack his words were nothing but a hot, blurry mess.

"Mark, I live alone. Now calm down, for fucks sake.", a chuckle escaped his mouth, his eyes brightened and shone more than usual.

The other boy, who just caught his breath, furrowed his eyebrows today for a second time, the cause the same as before. "What?"

"I live alone."

"And ya don't bother telling me? Man, I thought your parents were getting mad at me. I would have made an awful first impression." And as so often he completely ignored all the other questions that were passing his brain like cars were passing crossroads. Why do you live alone?

He just imagined that if Jack wanted to talk about it he would have by now, or at least mentioned it. So Mark himself knew how much questions could hurt even if you were not pushed to answer them, and he did not want to hurt Jack, who quietly appreciated his gesture, though he still needed to know what was going on inside the brain of Marks', in order to have a good night sleep.