Timeless - Mark Tuan

Chapter 13

Somehow, Mark and I are able to get away from the crowd of people in the small cafe. With the help of Lady Ealasaid, Mark's fiance is kept busy. He takes me to his car and drives away. 

"Hospital?" He asks, glancing towards me as he speeds off. 

I turn to him, putting up my knee on the chair. "What DID you see, Mark?"

"I guess not the hospital then." He sighs. He finds a space near the river and immediately parks there. He sits still for a long while, just looking out at the sparkling water as I watch him, waiting patiently for him to answer. "Last night .... it wasn't the first time we met, was it?" He asks instead, still not looking my way. 

"Of course not." I answer immediately. "The first time we met was at a club. You were with JB and I was with my friend, Mae." I tell him, remembering what JB said last night. 

He nods his head, chewing on his lower lip. I stare at how perfect his jawline is, how the muscles under it move as he moves his lips. I see how his lashes are curled at the tip and his nose rising from the bridge and slightly curling back at the tip. He's just beautiful. 

His brows go even deeper in the middle. The tip of his tongue emerges between his lips and moistens just the inner part of them. "And in between that?" He asks. "Between the first time we met and last night..." He turns to me then. I feel my cheeks burning as he catches me eyeing him. I quickly turn away and look out at the water. 

"What about it?"

"I'm not sure..." he takes a deep breath. "I don't know if it was just a dream ... But, you were there. We were ...."

I can't stop the blood from rushing to my cheeks yet again. 

"And earlier ... in the cafe. You were dreaming, weren't you?" 

It wasn't a dream. It was a memory. But .... 

"I saw it."

I turn to him, giggling, relieved. I really thought he saw how the fire outside the cafe started. "Saw what? I wasn't dreaming ... or I think I wasn't."

"Yes you were." He holds my shoulders, keeping me in place so he can see my expression. "I was in it."

Ok. He's completely making up stories now. What's his deal? 

"I'm not making up stories."

Curse me. How could I forget!

"And this ..." He looks scared, confused, "how can I know what you're thinking? I hear you."

"I wasn't thinking about anything." I lie. 

"What are you keeping from me?"

"Nothing."

He looks straight to my eyes and I force myself to close mine when I see a little bit of spark starting to form on his. If Lady Ealasaid is right, it's a reflection of my own. 

"I already saw it."

Darn it!

"Annie. What are you? Really." 

"No, Mark." I look up at him again. "What are YOU? You're scaring me." I wriggle myself free from his grip, moving back until my back is touching the door of the car. 

He stares at me intently, letting his eyes pierce me. He looks really perplexed at the question being thrown back at him. "I don't know." He finally says, moving back to his chair. "I honestly don't know." He leans his head on the back of the chair and stare up at the ceiling. "A lot of strange things have been happening lately and I can't really understand what or why."