Thousands of Miles Apart | MARK

Chapter 9

Wow the view is really amazing, Mark thought to himself as he looked out the windows at the top of the CN Tower. He turned his head to look at the girl beside him, who was rubbing her arm, a small red spot forming where he had grabbed her. Mark scratched his neck, feeling guilty.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mark asked her, pointing at her arm. Sarah looked at him before giving him a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, putting her arms down.

"Remind me not to take you to an amusement park." Sarah joked, causing a smile to form on Mark's face. The two of them walked around, enjoying the views of the outside world around them.

"Do you want to go upstairs?" Sarah asked him as they finished their round. Mark tilted his head in confusion.

"Is there more?" Mark asked her. Sarah nodded, leading him up the stairs to another observation deck, where the two could feel the wind blowing.

"Wow." Was all Mark could say as he held onto his hat, trying to prevent it from blowing away. Sarah leaned forward against the rails as Mark stood beside her. He turned his head, watching her side profile as the wind blew her hair. He didn't notice the small smile forming on his lips as he observed the girl. Sarah suddenly turned to face him, catching him off guard.

"What?" Mark asked as Sarah gave him a weird look. Sarah shook her head.

"Are you done? Let's go back down."

...

The next stop was Ripley's Aquarium, located beside the CN Tower. Sarah watched as Mark ran from fish tank to fish tank, admiring the fish.

"Look, neomu yeppuda." Mark exclaimed, pointing to a fish swimming by. Sarah chuckled at his behaviour.

"You're more energetic than the five-year-olds." Sarah said, eyeing the kids around them. Mark turned his head, following her eyes before giggling to himself.

"Okay, maybe I should calm down a bit." Mark said, making both of them laugh. Mark then realized his previous words.

"Do you speak Korean?" Mark asked her as they walked through the displays.

"Yeah, probably not as well as you though." Sarah told him, looking at the fish around them. She stopped in front of an interesting tank.

"Ah, my Korean really isn't that good." Mark said, before turning around as he realized the girl wasn't beside her anymore. He walked back to see Sarah looking at a jellyfish display.

"Wow, that's really pretty." Mark said as Sarah nodded. An idea suddenly popped into his head.

"Go stand near there." Mark told her. Sarah looked back at him, clearly confused.

"Go," Mark pushed her towards it as he took out his phone. Sarah finally understood as Mark held his phone up. She posed awkwardly beside the display as Mark took her photo. Mark put his phone down, waving his hand to tell her to come back.

"Look," Mark said, smiling as he proudly showed her the photo.

"Not bad." Sarah said, trying to hide her happiness.

"Let's go over there!" Sarah said, pointing to the overhead tank. Mark nodded, following the girl, a bright smile on his face as he looked at the photo before returning his phone to his pocket.

...

"Oh my gawd, are those stingrays?" Mark said as he pointed to the open pool. Sarah looked over his shoulder to see what he was looking at.

"Yeah, let's go touch them." Sarah said, walking towards the pool but before she could get close, an arm pulled her back.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Mark asked her, staring into her eyes with worry. Sarah smiled back at him, taking a step back to reveal the crowd that had their hands in the pool.

"Perfectly safe." Sarah told him, dragging him over to the pool. She put her hand near the water, waiting for a stingray to approach. Mark simply watched her in awe. After a moment, a stingray approached her hand, allowing Sarah to pet it. Sarah giggled at the touch while Mark watched the interaction between the two.

"Can I try?" Mark asked. Sarah nodded, moving her hand away as Mark slid closer, rolling his sleeve up. As Mark put his hand near the water, the stingray swam away, leaving Mark hanging.

"Aww, he didn't like me." Mark said, a pout forming on his face. Sarah chuckled at his behaviour.

"Here," Sarah reached forward, grabbing his hand and holding it closer to the water. Slowly, another stingray came closer. Sarah felt Mark tense as the stingray neared, but she held his hand firmly in place. As the stingray poked up, Sarah guided his hand, helping him pet the stingray. Mark giggled at the touch.

"It feels like a mushroom." Mark said, making Sarah smile.

"Yeah it does." Sarah said, slowly moving her hand away. Mark suddenly felt the warmth from her hand leave, and turned his head to follow her hand, wanting her hand to return back to his. Sarah gave him a small smile, wiping her hand on her pants.

"Ready to go?" She asked him. Mark looked back down to see that the stingray had swam away before taking his hand out, wiping it on his pants as well.

"Yeah, let's go."

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Stingrays actually feel like mushrooms lol