When the Tables are Turned

Chapter 17

Gun's POV

By the time Mark opened the front door to his condo unit to let me in, the palms of my hand had grown clammy and cold.

"Would you like something to drink?" Mark asked as soon as I walked in.

"No, thanks," I replied, "can I use your bathroom please?"

He showed me where it was.

"While you're in there, I will take the liberty of ordering our dinner from the Vietnamese restaurant, okay?" Mark said.

"Sure," I said, "but don't order anything spicy for me. I have a sensitive stomach."

"Okay," I heard Mark say from outside the bathroom door.

After I finished my business in the bathroom, I did not go out right away.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror looking at my pale frightened face,

I wondered if I should lock myself in and call 911 to get me out of Mark's condo unit.

I jumped when I heard a loud knock on the bathroom door.

"P'Gun, are you okay?" Mark called out.

"Yes," I replied, "give me a moment. I will be out in a little bit."

I looked at my face in the mirror again, and tried to remove the worried look from my face. I tried to give myself a pep talk. I tried to convince myself that Mark was not out to inflict any harm on me, that he genuinely loved me and would respect my wishes if I refused to do anything that he asked me to do.

I took a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom.

"P'Gun!" Mark approached me with a very concerned look on his face, "Are you sure you feel okay? You look like you have seen a ghost!"

I nodded wordlessly, not looking at him.

"Would you like to lie down on my bed?" he asked.

"NOOOOO!!! ... I mean no, thank you," I said trying to sound calm.

"P'Gun," Mark said, holding me gently in his arms, "I promise I will not force you to do anything that you don't want to do. I love you so much and I respect you as well. Please stop worrying and just enjoy this moment that we are sharing together, okay?"

Again, I just nodded. I was finding it hard to speak.

He took my hand and led me to his living area and made me sit on the spacious couch that could easily double for a bed.

"Let's watch a comedy show while we're waiting for our dinner to be delivered," he said.

He turned his TV set on and pushed the button on his remote for the TV guide menu. He found the comedy channel and pressed the button for it.

There was this popular comedy duo who were providing stand up comedy for their audience. Mark and I both got focused on the show and found ourselves laughing at the funny skit that they were doing. I started to loosen up and relax.

Before we knew it, there was a buzz on the front door. It was the delivery from the Vietnamese restaurant.

Mark set the delivery on the table and went to his kitchen cabinet to get some plates and bowls and then took some utensils from his kitchen drawer.

I helped him set the table and to transfer the food onto the plates and bowls.

"Linda was right," I said, "that restaurant really makes delicious food,"

"Please don't mention Linda's name tonight," Mark requested, "just for tonight, okay?"

"Okay," I said, shaking my head but smiling so that he wouldn't think that I was offended.

After dinner, I helped him load the used dishes and utensils into his dishwasher.

"Would you like to finish watching the comedy show?" Mark asked me.

"No," I said, "let's watch something romantic."

"Of course," said Mark, with a glint in his eye.

I started to get worried again.

We both sat down on the couch and Mark started searching for a romance movie to watch. As he searched through the channels, I looked at the side view of his face.

I realized that this was the first time that I had looked at his face with real concentration.

I realized how handsome he looked. How manly his jawline was, how fine his cheekbones looked. I looked at his shoulders and his sturdy build.

Suddenly, I felt like I wanted him to hold me close.