Wonderous Blue

Mark Goes to the Market

Jack stood up and offered his hand to me. I gladly accepted it, hoping that he didn't notice the blush forming on my face.

Jack's POV:

I pulled Mark up, which required me to use some muscle strength. Damn, Mark was heavy. He definitely has more muscle than the average Joe. Or maybe I was just weak. Hell if I know. I glanced at him, our eyes locking for a moment. Mark's face was slightly flushed. We paused for a moment. Then two. Then three.    I felt my ears start to burn. Oh god... I made this so awkward. I can't look away though.

After realizing I had been holding his hand for much longer than I should've, I nervously pulled my hand away. I quickly switched between looking at my hands, then at Mark. Do something other than stare!

I coughed awkwardly. I whistled for Sam to come back to me. He finished off his conversation with Tim and swam to me. He wrapped his body around my arm and laid comfortably on my shoulder. Smirking, he playfully nudged me with his face. Along with the classic wiggle of the eyebrow. Sam knows. Damn, I didn't think it was that obvious.

"Shut up." I playfully and annoyingly whispered, only loud enough for Sam. "The least you can do is be my wingman." Sam saluted in response.

I looked back up and saw Mark whispering to Tim. I could see his lips move, but I couldn't hear him. I wonder what they're talking about. I politely waited for them to finish up their conversation.

"You're going to love it here! Most of people here are nice. There's little shops and Diner's too! I'll have to introduce you to my friends as well." I happily said. I wanted to make sure he felt welcomed in this foreign place. Even if I did have to stretch it a little. I felt like he would do the same for me.

"You say that like I'm going to be here for a long time," Mark replied with a nervous chuckle. He rubbed Tim's head, seeming to find an excuse for not meeting my eyes. "I'm going back to the surface soon, right? There's no need to really do that if I'm leaving soon."

"Well, I don't exactly know how to fix this situation. I'm sorry, but you might be here for awhile, or until we figure something out," I replied with guilt. "I thought in the meantime we could do something fun, to make this shitty situation at least a little better. Of course, if you don't want to we-"

"No no no, it sounds neat. I guess the best thing I can do in this situation is to enjoy it. For all I know, this could be fun!" Mark said, trying to be optimistic. He stared out of the alleyway, fake hope in his murky eyes. I appreciated that he was trying to make me feel better, but it made me feel worse about forcing him into this.
Tiny Box Crab Tim seemed to be taking a small nap. Mark looked down and his face slightly dropped, as is remembering something bad. He mumbled something to himself, mentioning the surface.
"What was that? I'm sorry," I said, looking over.
"Oh nothing. Just like what I had before."

I halted for a second, my heart shattering. How shitty was his life before all this?! It couldn't have been that bad... Right? We'll talk about this later. I won't forget to mention it. Ignoring my thoughts, I continued on as if nothing was wrong.

"The city is so lovely. I'll text my friends and we'll meet up at a bakery or something later." I replied. I reached in my satchel and pulled out my WavePhone 10.