A/N: Welcome to book 15. I appreciate the loyalty some of you have shown and welcome all newcomers. I'm excited to see where this series heads next and hope you feel the same.
"So you've had enough of the demon in me?" Mark asked, pouring me a coffee. "The demon in you? You unleashed him on us forever ago...plus...he never really lived in you..." "All technicalities. You know what I meant. What's he doing this time?" he asked, sitting beside me. "Being an asshole." I replied. "How is that news? He's an asshole. Arguably, the biggest one in the entire universe bar none." I explained that he was terrifying me on purpose and my little human heart couldn't handle it. "Ah, the predator. I remember that dick move of his." "Really?" I asked. "It got so bad I couldn't sleep alone for months. He finds it hilarious to scare people half to death. Never seen him do that to anyone except those he's really close to." "If I'm supposed to take it as a compliment, holy fuck, I'm not." Mark chuckled. "I didn't mean it that way. He's just a character sometimes. I'm sure he feels at least a bit bad about it." "I don't mean to impose, but can I spend some time here away from him? I'm feeling a bit...unsettled." "Of course. You know you're always welcome here...just don't be surprised if he turns up here looking for you. I'm sure he's en route right now." "Oh shit, don't say that." I said. "I really can't stand being around him right now." Mark shrugged. "All I can say is keep a lookout. He turns up around here now and again mostly to torture me just like old times." "Torture, huh? I have a feeling that the torturing involves a lot of nudity." Mark's face grew flushed. "What? He tells me everything. I know your little secret." "Yeah? Keep it a secret. I can't let that one out of the bag." I laughed. "Like I'm going to tell anyone about it." I walked outside and dipped my feet into the pool, enjoying the calamity of Mark's backyard. Just far enough from the city to not have to put up with the bullshit, but close enough to see it...and get to it quickly. "You like this pool better?" I looked around for the offending voice. "Dark?" I asked, fearing the answer. "Duh." he said. Oh great. "Look, I figured I'd find you here and that I'd drop by." "Where are you? If you scare me, so help me." "I'm in the pool. Look under your feet." I looked down to see a small black fish. "Hi." he said, swimming to the ladder and transforming into his natural form. I moved away from him. "Oh come on, it's not that bad." he said. "Look, I came to ask you on a date properly. Formally, if you will. I wanna make up for scaring you shitless, even though it was fucking funny." I was feeling a bit unforgiving. "No thanks." I said. He seemed shocked. "R-really?" he asked. "I'm seriously afraid to fall asleep because of you. It's gonna take me a bit to process this." My rejection didn't sit well with him and he left me pretty quickly, leaving behind a cloud of black smoke shaped like a sad face. "You're cute, but that's not working." I muttered. "Dark was here, huh?" Mark asked, clearing the smoke away with his hand. "Yeah, he showed up." "I take it things didn't quite go his way seeing as how you're still here?" "You're great at guessing." I said. "It'll be okay. Just keep brushing him off, and he'll come back with his tail between his legs. Then you two can be besties again and you'll forget about me again." I looked at Mark with surprise on my face. "I haven't forgotten you." I said. "I was kinda joking. Kinda. I mean, I introduced you two...and before that we were pretty tight. I know I get busy, but I do make time for people who are important to me, but over the last...while you haven't really been around." I was surprised to hear that he felt that way. I saw myself as being a really great friend to him. "Don't take it like that, I can tell what you're thinking. I just wish that we hung out a bit more. I feel a bit...replaced." I pulled my feet out of the pool. "Mark..." I started. "Nevermind, forget I said anything. That was a dumb thing to do." I looked at him for awhile. He's been single for...less than a week. He still looks a bit sad and tired about it...but I wonder if he'd like to be my Valentine regardless considering what he just said. "So...this might sound a bit crazy, but...would you like to go on a date on Valentine's Day? A friendly date...I mean, I'm pretty pissed at Dark and you're single..." he cringed when I said single. I suppose if I was dating someone for 4 years and the relationship had just ended, I'd be a bit unhappy, too. "I don't see why not. Maybe some time out will help clear my head a bit. I've been a little fucking...off since the other day." I can remember that day well. Dark had to work for the first time in ages, and I couldn't put my phone down for more than a few seconds without an emotional text from Mark. Everyone thought he'd met the one...and that didn't happen. "You don't have to go out if you don't want to. You're obviously still down and out." "Nah, I need to go. It's...almost mandatory. Besides, I was just saying we don't hang enough." I smiled. "Sounds great...should we meet here at 7?" "Yeah definitely. That gives me a full 24 hours to clean up, and I need every one of them." I gave him a once over. "It's not so bad." I said. "I feel like death." he replied. I couldn't blame him. "Just do what you need to and I'll see you tomorrow night. I'm gonna couch surf with a friend tonight because I'm not ready to go home yet." "Understood, Dark can be a real pain in the ass. Teach him a lesson, stay away for awhile." I agreed to do so and a very foreboding shadow appeared over the pool. "He was listening. That's normal. Here, watch this." Mark said, walking over to the hose. He sprayed straight into the air, ignoring the shower that was raining down on him. I heard a faint hissing followed by rapid footsteps. "He hates being sprayed with the hose. He's like a cat sometimes." I laughed but in the back of my mind, wondered if Dark would be angry and come back with revenge in his head. "He'll get over it. In the meantime, why not go out and find something nice to wear for tomorrow?" Sounded like a plan to me. "I don't know what we're planning on doing." I said. "Nothing too special, but...go treat yourself...you've had a rough day." That much was true. I decided on something simple. Something that suggested friends, not lovers. "I'll see you at 7 then." I replied.
