Markiplier: REBOOT

Episode 23: I Bet My Life

Episode 23: I Bet My Life
*the picture you see there of Mark in a tweed jacket thing was what I thought he would look like. Photoshopped the picture of Mark onto Matt Smith's head myself!*

Eileen’s POV:

Indeed, a night on the town was what we needed. Moments ago Mark disappeared into his room to get something a little nicer on. And while I was trying to decide where it was we could go, Ricky popped up to the apartment with Mags in tow. She had wandered over to see if anyone was home and Ricky spotted her on the street. She suggested a hipster-like underground bar called The Rake’s End. We wouldn’t be going back to Harrison for the Oldies Dance so I didn’t see the harm in trying a new place.

Mags, Rick and I enjoyed a beer while we waited on Mark.

It wasn’t a whole lot longer that Mark came out all decked out. My jaw dropped a little and I grew a little shy. He almost twined Ricky. Mark wore an old tweed jacket, a sky-blue dress shirt, a silk red bowtie, dark brown trousers and some shiny dress shoes. All I could think was, Wow. He seemed to notice the attention I was giving him and shoved his hands into his pockets. Mark then looked at the floor and kicked at something that wasn’t there.

“Right,” I said quietly. “You, uh… you look good, Mark. Handsome. Yes,” I said, trying to find the right words. Most of them avoided me.

He smirked and glanced at me. He wasn’t wearing his glasses. Perhaps he was wearing his contacts instead. But, dear god, did he ever look good. “Thanks,” he said quietly, almost bashful.

Ricky cleared his throat. “We’ll give you two some time. Mags, let’s just wait in the car.”

“Right behind you,” she said a little too quickly.

The door closed with a resounding thud. A silence fell over the two off us that felt quite awkward. What a weird feeling considering there was some sort of making-up we did not ten minutes ago. I did just accept some sort of promise ring from him. It wasn’t like it was ‘I promise to marry you’ ring. Just a simple ‘I promise to do what I can to make this work’ ring. But I couldn’t help to feel that this was some sort of double standard: God knows there could be plenty of meanings behind what we’ve said to each other. After all he did give me his dad’s wedding ring… and if that doesn’t shout a huge commitment coming up in the future, I don’t know what does.

And though the thought thrilled me, it scared me more than anything.

Of course there was always the chance that I was looking into things where there was nothing to worry about. It was a horrible habit. And chances are this ring was the promise he made to me and nothing more. Though I would never admit it to him, I prayed it was only that. There were a lot of things that we still needed to work out, more time to spend with one another, more sunsets to see; more songs to dance and sing to, more birthdays to celebrate, more of everything!

I slowed my breathing, not having noticed it had sped up. Mark looked at me curiously, knowing the gears were grinding and the cogs spinning in my head. He bit the inside of his cheek as he regarded me. I sighed and took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly.

“Is everything ok?” he asked quietly, standing closer to me than he had been before, but still at a respectable arm’s distance away.

I slowly nodded my head, looking unseeing at his bowtie. “Yeah,” I told him as I worried at my bottom lip.

“Ok… well, you know I don’t quite believe you, right?”

I let out a short laugh and shook my head. “Yeah, I know.”

Mark must’ve caught my aimless fidgeting: I couldn’t stop playing with the ring on my finger. He let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair, his waves now a little tousled. “If I know you, you’re worried about one of two things: 1. You’re either thinking this is too soon to accept the ring, which I understand. Maybe it is. Or 2. You are looking too much into what the ring really means.”