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"Um, do you want to like- should we grab a coffee?" Mark asked stiffly. You both we're about to drive home. You eyed the boy next to you, realising he rarely made eye contact with you when speaking.
"Are you uncomfortable with me?" You asked straight up, not wanting to beat around the bush. "No, why?" He secured his seatbelt whilst he replied. "You just seem so, I don't know, stiff around me. You don't have to force yourself to be friends with me you know. I don't want to be a burden for you." Mark felt his gut wrenching slightly, his insecurities resurfacing.
"No." He said, sliding the lip ring between his teeth as you noticed was a habit of his. "You're never a burden, don't feel like that."
"But you aren't comfor-"
"It's not you Areum, it's me. I'm new to this whole friend shit, I don't know how to even be a friend." Mark looked down at his lap, biting his lip harder as he tried to push down his emotions.
"Hey," you murmured gently, placing a hand over his own hand. At the action, Mark felt his body tense and his heart thumping erratically. "Don't blame yourself, it's okay Mark. Just be yourself around me, I won't judge you, you know that."
"I can't."
"Why not?" You rubbed your thumb over the back of his hand, noticing he was becoming emotional. "Because,"
"I'm weak." His voice dropped to a whisper.
The rawness in his voice sent sharp pains into your heart. "You're not weak Mark." You bent your head down slightly, trying to get a better look at his face that he was trying to hide from you.
"Hey, look at me." Gently you squeezed his hand that was under your. In response, he turned his head away from you, so you could only see mostly the back of his head. His Adams apple bobbed up and down and he pulled his hand away from you and brought his sleeve up to wipe his eyes to stop the incoming tears.
Without hesitation, you opened the door and got out of the car, quickly reaching his door and pulling it open. You outstretched your hand towards him.
"Come here." You urged gently, heart breaking as the sight of a single tear running down his cheeks. He didn't make an effort to move, he was embarrassed and upset at himself. What would you be thinking of him now? He thought.
Slowly you grasped his hand that rested on his leg and intertwined your fingers with his. "I'm here, it's okay to cry."
Mark slowly looked up, eyes glossed over with tears. You offered him a welcoming smile, letting him know he was safe with you. Putting his defenses down, he took the hand you offered and stepped out of the car and into your arms. Your hand slid up his shoulder and hooked around his neck. His body shook as he cried, yet he muffled the noise by burying his face into your shoulder.
"It's okay Mark." Your fingers brushed over his hair in attempts to calm him down. You were too focused being worried about the boy to even notice how intimate this moment was. His arms were hooked around your waist and yours were around his neck.
But it felt right.
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