When the Tables are Turned

Chapter 21

Mark's POV

I turned and started walking towards the coffee table.

I picked up the small gift bag containing the couple rings and said to P'Gun, "I will drop you off at your house first, then I will go to the mall to return these rings."

P'Gun did not say a word but just stood looking down at his feet, his face looking undecided.

I continued to stand by the coffee table.

I waited for him to say something, to give him a chance to change his mind and say that he wants to give himself and me a chance and see if things would work out between us in spite of our age difference.

Dammit! For the first time in my life, I resented being so young. I wished fervently that I was P'Gun's age or even older.

I had always been so happy about being young and vigorous, but I was never carefree. At an early age, I had learned to be serious about responsibilities and I enjoyed learning to do things for myself. I never let my parents do things for me for very long.

I could probably go as far as to say that I am more mature in character and in thinking and making serious decisions than P'Gun, even if he is older than me.

P'Gun is just too focused on physical age rather than maturity of character, but in the end he has to make a choice. I cannot force him into a decision that he might regret later on, and then we would be back to square one.

I noticed him taking a step in my direction.

I felt my heart flutter as he kept walking slowly, getting closer and closer to where I stood rooted to my spot beside the coffee table.

When he reached me, he took both my hands in his and looked me in the eye.

"Mark ... "

Here it comes, I thought, bracing myself for the big fat reject.

"Mark," he said again, after taking a deep breath, "you are the greatest eighteen year old that I have ... "

"Stop right there!" I found myself yelling at him, "don't you mention numbers to me! I know how old I am and how old you are, without you or anyone telling me, but I am not going to accept the age factor as an excuse for you to reject me. You have to come up with a better, more valid reason than that!"

"Shut up, Mark!" it was his turn to be angry, "let me finish what I had started to say before you rudely interrupted me."

I took a deep breath and pursed my lips to keep myself from saying another word.

"I was trying to say that you are the greatest eighteen year old that I have met and will probably never come across again if I were to let you go."

"What are you saying, P'Gun?" I asked weakly, not knowing what was coming at me next.

"What I am saying is ... "

I couldn't let him continue. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Don't ... just don't say it, P'Gun," I said waving my hand at him in dismissal, "let me fetch my car key so that the sooner that we shhmmmmm ... "

He was kissing me. He was kissing me deeply. He was kissing me to the deepest core of my being.

I broke the kiss.

"P'Gun, does this mean ... does this mean ..."

He extended his hand to me, lifting his ring finger slightly above his other fingers.

I took his cue and grabbed the bag and quickly took out the small box containing the couple rings. I opened the box and took out the ring that corresponded to his size.

"P'Gun," I said, my hand that was holding the ring, hovering over his hand, "I hope, I sincerely hope, I hope with all my heart that this ring will stay on your finger for the rest of your life."

"It will," he said softly, looking at me so lovingly that I almost found it hard to believe.

He took the box and took out the other ring.

"Give me your hand," he said.

"It's all yours," I said, extending my hand to him.

"Mark," he said, his hand that was holding the ring, hovering over my hand, "I hope, I sincerely hope, I hope with all my heart ... "

Was he mocking me? He was saying the exact same words that I had just uttered to him earlier.

" ... that this ring will bind you to me body and soul ... "

Okay, he was starting to sound greedy.

" ... just as the ring on mine will bind me to you body and soul."

Okay, that was equality to the best degree. I was rooting for that. That certainly would get my full fledged support.

THE  END      THE  END      THE  END