The Last Time

Surprise Galore

The morning came and Mark put his plan into action. Again, he was up before you and he quickly showered and dressed before heading into the kitchen to get to work. It wasn't long until he heard you descending down the stairs. Feeling you inching closer, he hurried with the finishing touches of his project just as you grabbed his arm and turned him to face you.

"Good Morning," he greeted as naturally as he could, though he could tell from the way that your eyebrow was raised that you didn't buy it at all.

"Are you okay?" you asked confused.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're never up before me but you've done it two days in a row now," you stated before placing your hands against his forehead. "Are you sick?"

"I'm fine," Mark chuckled as he removed your hand from his forehead, his skin burning from your touch. "Stop being silly or you'll be late to work. Go and grab your coat, I'll be right behind you."

"You're going to be late to work too if you don't hurry."

"I'm my own boss," he said from behind you, giggling at your pout that he could see reflected in the mirror by your front door. "I can be late if I want."

Turning to face him, you were just about to scold him for his teasing but he caught you off guard when he showed you what he had in his hands. Mark held a brown paper bag on his right and a keep cup on his left. You knew what was in them, considering that this was something that he used to do for you a long time ago.

"It's just a muffin for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch," Mark revealed nervously. "Of course, your coffee, just the way you like it."

Just as nervous as he was, you slowly but surely reached for what he was offering, giving him a surprised smile. Mark returned your smile before grabbing the knob and opening the door for you. Just as you were about to walk out, you found yourself turning to face him again when softly called out your name.

Before you could say anything, Mark cupped your face and placed a gentle kiss on your lips. It was much too soft and much too quick for your liking, especially since it had been weeks since you last felt his lips on yours.

"Is that okay?" Mark asked, desperate for you not to reject him.

Unable to move your gaze away from his lips, you could only nod. You were far too stunned to speak. Mark flashed you his killer smile that you missed terribly and you almost melted into a puddle in his arms. Once he pulled back, you quickly pulled yourself together and reminded yourself of your reality. Don't get your hopes up, you told yourself. Saying your goodbyes, you quickly headed to the car and headed to work.

The morning came and went and before you knew it, you found yourself in the staff dining hall, with Mark's prepared lunch in front of you. Too anxious, you opted to skip breakfast and were now hungry as hell. With trembling hands, you reached for the bag and pulled out its contents one by one. There was the muffin that would now be an afternoon snack followed by the sandwich that he made.

Gasping, you almost dropped the sandwich on the table. A post it note was attached to it, just as you thought it would. Grasping the note, you opened it, finding yourself staring at the picture of a skeleton waiting on a bench meme, with the words 'me waiting for lunchtime'. A snort escaped you before you could hold it back and you eventually erupted into a fit of giggles.

But just as quick as the joy came, so did the sorrow.

Without realising, you had started crying — only noticing when a teardrop started to soak a spot on the post it note. Mark's gesture was bittersweet, reminding you of old times and what could be again. Quickly wiping your tears away before anyone could see, you tucked the note straight into your wallet for safekeeping.

Coming home to find Mark in the kitchen creating what you were sure was going to be another hearty home cooked meal was no longer a shock to you. A part of you was happy because it was starting to seem like it would become a regular occurrence. What did surprise you however, was the question he casually threw your way as you devoured your meal.

"Are you working late this Friday night?" Mark asked before shoving some lasagna in his mouth.

"Not that I'm aware of," you answered thoughtfully. "Did you need something?"

Mark took a deep breath and placed his cutlery carefully on his plate. "I was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner and catch a movie with me?" he asked nervously. "This new sushi place opened up downtown and that director Guy Ritchie that you always rave on about released a new movie so I—"

"I would love to," you answered to the shock of both of you. Apparently, Mark wasn't the only one with surprises that evening. You knew it was dangerous but you couldn't find it in your heart to turn him down considering it had been so long since he'd taken you out on a date.

With an incredulous look on his face, Mark had to make sure he heard you right before he could celebrate. "Just so we're both on the same page, you did say yes, right?" he asked in disbelief, before joining your laughter after you nodded in confirmation. "So, it's a date then."

It was — and you couldn't wait.