Growing

Chapter 5

Mark:

The room was quiet except of the drama that currently played on TV and the small noises Lily made while playing with her dolls. I didn't know if I should say something to break the silence between me and Jackson.

The younger was sitting next to me on the sofa, his arm losely slung around my shoulder. He held his phone in his free hand and it seemed like the small device had his complete attention at the moment.

The atmosphere felt a little uncomfortable but I tried my best to focus on the show on TV. I wondered what caused my boyfriend to be so quiet. Normally, he was the one to talk all night.

Of course, it wasn't like he was the only one who said something whenever we were together but I usually preferred it to listen to other people talking instead of speaking up myself.

Sadly, it didn't seem like the younger had the intention to start a conversation and I quickly realized that I would have to say something first if I wanted to break the silence between us.

"How was your day?" I asked the first thing that came up in my mind. Smalltalk definitely wasn't one of my strengths. Jackson looked up from his phone, obviously wondering if I had talked to him.

He lightly shrugged his shoulders. "It was quite ok. Nothing special happened." He answered with a barely visible smile on his lips. Well, at least it didn't seem like he was mad at me.

I felt relieved but on the other side, I had the feeling that Jackson was lying to me. He didn't show any specific signs but a small voice inside my head told me that my boyfriend was hiding something from me.

Actually, I felt like I was pretty good at reading Jackson's gestures and mimics. He didn't get nervous when he was lying but his voice always had a hint of disinterest because he hoped I wouldn't ask for more details.

Of course, the possibility that I was imagining things was definitely there and it wasn't small either. Maybe I was worrying too much and the younger had really just had a boring and uneventful day.

I heard Jackson taking a deep breath before he spoke up again. "There's some kind of school trip during the next time." He said slowly. I looked at him in confusion. I didn't know about such a trip.

"And the Coach wants me and some other guys to come with him." The younger explained further. I raised my eyebrows. "So it's a swim team thing?" I asked my boyfriend who nodded.

"More or less. Not all of us will join him." He answered and placed his phone on the coffee table. "And how long will this trip take?" I looked at the black-haired male who clearly avoided my eyes.

"Two weeks." He said surprisingly quiet. It seemed like he was a little afraid. Did he think I would be angry at him? Of course, I wasn't completely happy but if it was for the swim team, it would have to be necessary.

I let out a soft sigh and took the younger's hand in my own. Jackson finally looked at me and met my gaze. "I'm not angry at you. Two weeks aren't that long." I told him and pressed a kiss on his hand.

I could clearly see the relief on his face. His features were more relaxed now and he even managed it to smile lightly. Honestly, I didn't even know why he should be afraid of my reaction.

I was his boyfriend and therefore not in the position to forbid him something. He was a grown man and could do whatever he felt like. I could tell him what I thought about his plans but nothing more.

Of course, I could complain because he would leave me alone with Lily but two weeks weren't that much and I was sure that Hakyeon wouldn't mind it if I took her to work with me on some more days.

And my daughter also enjoyed it to spend time in the cafe, surrounded by different cakes and other sweets. She had found a new best friend in the usually reserved Taekwoon who seemed to have a soft spot for kids.

"I promise I'll call you and Lily everyday. I'll be back faster than you think. Ok?" Jackson looked at me and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I smiled at the younger male and nodded slowly.

"I'm completely ok with it. Lily and I will manage some days without you. And you wouldn't need my permission anyway." I told the my boyfriend and pulled him a little closer to me.

Jackson stroke over my cheek, making me lean into his touch. "I know. But I still wanted ask you. I think it's important that we can talk about everything and support each other." He told me.

His words filled my heart with happiness and warmth. It meant a lot to me that he trusted me and that he wanted me to know that I could trust him too. I was so grateful to have him by my side.

He gave me his cutest smile and I couldn't stop myself from leaning forward and kissing him on the lips. "I love you Jacks." I said smiling and leaned my head against his shoulder before I looked down at Lily.

She was standing on her legs and her small hands were holding the edge of the table, stopping her from falling. She was actually able to stand stable but I had the feeling that she was a little afraid of walking.

Jackson and I had already encouraged her to make one of two steps but it seemed like she didn't want to. We accepted that our daughter wasn't ready yet and didn't want to force her to anything.

"Do you think she will miss me when I'm gone?" Jackson broke the short moment of silence, making me look at him again. A soft smile grew on my face when I saw the genuine worry in his eyes.

"You're her father, I'm sure she'll miss you but she'll also the be the happiest person on earth when you're back. Don't worry too much." I told him and felt the black-haired male's body relax a little.

I understood that he was a little unsure about being away from Lily for two weeks. He came to see her nearly everyday. I was pretty sure that he was worried that he would miss her too much.

"You're right." Jackson said softly and pulled me closer to him. "Have I ever told you that you're the best boyfriend in the world?" He asked me what caused me to give him one of brightest grins.

"Not yet, but I wouldn't complain if you wanted to tell me." I said playfully and looked at my boyfriend. His gaze was soft and full of several emotions. It made my heart beat a little faster.

"Mark, you're the most wonderful, sweet and caring boyfriend in the world and an amazing father for our baby. Thank you for being with me." The younger said and looked directly in my eyes.

Although we had been a little playful before, I was able to see and hear his sincere emotions in his eyes and voice. He rarely opened up like this and words couldn't express my gratitude for those moments.

-

I'm finally back with a new chapter for you all. It has some fluff in it so I hope you can forgive me the long wait.

As you can see, I've changed my username. I've wanted it to be something more neutral so I can also write about other groups (I most likely won't write any GOT7 story anymore and I can't say what will happen to the ones I have) and maybe even non-kpop stuff.

Is Mark really ok with Jackson being away for two weeks? Will Jackson really go? Will that mean changes for their relationship? What will Mark say if he finds out the real reason behind the trip? Will he ever find out?

Thank you for reading & 9k reads and 800 votes 💙