Blameless ✔

Chapter 5: ❝I'm getting engaged❞

Chapter 5: ❝I'm getting engaged❞ 

♡Mark's POV♡

"Mark."

Go away.

"Marky," the voice cooed, poking my cheek.

Having to restrain myself from grabbing the finger and twisting it in the wrong direction, I flipped my body around and face planted into the pillow underneath my head.

"Markia, time to wake up," the annoying voice continued.

Blinking a few times, I opened my eyes and the first thing they landed on was the electronic alarm clock rested silently on the oakwood nightstand beside my bed.

Silent.

That's when it clicked.

Grunting, I tossed a pillow at Anthony's face, quickly regretting my decision as I heard him laugh amusedly at my reaction to him idly waking me up on a Saturday morning.

"Why'd you wake me up?" I questioned, my husky voice not giving my death glare much justice as I rubbed my eyes to rid myself of some tiredness.

Rolling his eyes, he picked up the pillow that landed by his feet and tossed it carelessly on my bed before taking a seat on the red couch on the left-hand side of my room. "Number one - you were already awake because if you weren't, there's no way you would've reacted in such a hostile way upon hearing the sound of my voice," he began. I threw him a look. "Number two - just because it's Saturday doesn't mean you have the automatic right to sleep in and number three..." He paused, his face contorting into one of earnest. "I need to talk to you about something."

I scoffed but sat up in bed nonetheless. He always went by this tiresome order of speech, never forgetting to leave the most relevant factor until the very end - number three.

Staring at him, I signalled him to continue.

He sighed nervously, biting his bottom lip and that gesture alone immediately turned me into a nervous wreck because the Anthony I knew didn't possess a single nervous bone in his body; always doing things unabashedly and humorously - similar to Luke.

"Come on, spit it out," I demanded, more anxious now than anything. "If you don't say it now, you're never going to say it."

He nodded, filling air into his cheeks before releasing it again, his nervous eyes glancing at me for a split-second before at long last opening his mouth to speak. "Don't get too shocked, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," I complied even though I'm sure he too was aware that whether I got shocked or not would be completely out of my control but I knew the sooner I got him to speak, the sooner I could get some more sleep.

He breathed in and out again, sparking my impatience as I said, "if you keep doing that, you won't have any air left to speak."

He laughed courteously at my loss threat, making me all the more anxious.

"Listen," he started, clasping his hands together over the bend in his knee. "I know you're going to get shocked regardless of what you promised me earlier so I'm just going to blurt it out."

Good, I thought. As long as you know.

"I'm getting engaged."

My eyes widened to their limit.

My mouth turned bitter.

I wonder how many synonyms fell under the word betrayal.

Treachery...

"Mark."

Double-crossing, deceitfulness...

Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Anthony ran a hand down the length of his face as he again called my name, only this time using a softer tone - how generous.

Deception, duplicity, dishonesty...

"You liar," I spat, my voice laced with malice. "You two-faced liar - you promised-"

"I was young."

"How long have you been with her, huh?" I demanded. "Tell me!"

Hanging his head low, he shamefully mumbled, "since college."

I shook my head in disbelief, my anticipated sleep long forgotten at this point. "I can't believe you," I whispered, kicking my legs out of bed and stalking out of the room, too angry to even look at his face or share the same airspace with him.

I ignored the sound of my bedroom door re-opening and blanked the desperation clinging to his voice as he said, "what did you want me to do? Stay single and alone for the rest of my life?"

Taking out my phone, I speed dialled Luke, prepared to tell him to meet me at the park in fifteen minutes. I waited a few seconds, not acknowledging Anthony's presence behind me until I heard his sorrow and despair, which matched perfectly with his pained expression that I only got to witness when I turned around, clutching my phone tightly in my hand to the breadth of breakage.

"You know what? You were the first person to cross my mind when my girl finally gave me a response to my proposal. I thought, 'wow, I can't wait to tell Mark' because I assumed you would be happy for me." He scoffed. "I didn't know your detest towards women would be to this extent."

I watched with guilty eyes as he ran a hand through his hair frustratedly, disappearing into the confinements of his bedroom, probably too angry to look at my face or share the same airspace with me.

"The mobile customer you are calling is not available at the moment. Please try again or leave a message at the beep."

Beep.

Tearing my gaze away from the rattling doorknob, I redialled Luke's number as I was in dire need of his company.

"The mobile customer you are calling is not available at the-"

"The mobile customer you are calling is not-"

"The mobile customer you are-"

But alas, he didn't pick up.

-

Short chapter - strong emotions.

Next chapter will be longer, I promise. I just wanted to give you an idea of what Mark's life was like at home even though there's still a lot more explaining to be done.