And I...: A MarkiplierxReader ✔

Chapter 10: What's Wrong With That?

(Your POV)

Thursday comes and goes. Nothing really exciting. (YC/N) and I travelled around the area within close proxcimity of the condo to different shops, and stuff but that was about it. 

*Time lapse to Friday*
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Y/N!)!!!!" I open my eyes to Arin, Suzy and (YC/N) crowded around my bedside, blowing noise makers and throwing confetti in my face. 'Well that'll be a bitch to clean up.' I just pull the blankets up over my face and mumble "Thank you." Suzy pulls the blankets off me, and (YC/N) drags me literally off the bed. "Not today, Missy." Suzy says. "Yeah, we're going to get our nails done." (YC/N) adds. I gather the strength to pick myself up off the ground "Okay, okay I'm up." I sit myself back on the edge of the bed. 

"Alright so you girls are going to get your nails done, but what about later, what's the game plan?" Arin asks. I smile because I remember Arin promised we'd go to Hollywood today. "Hollywood obviously, you promised!" Arin turns and smiles. "Yes I did promise, and I haven't forgotten, but what exactly do you wanna do?" I sit and think. 'There's so much I said I wanted to do.' "Well, I'd like to see the Hollywood Sign, walk The Sunset Strip and see The Hollywood Walk of Fame." Arin claps his hands together and a smile comes to his face. "Sounds good, I also have an idea if you girls are up for it. I know a guy in West Hollywood who has a nice lounge... well bar really. Although you're 19, you look a bit older then that and could probably pass for 21. Even if he calls you out on it. You'll be with me and Suzy anyway. He's a fan of Gamegrumps so I'm sure he'd let it slide. Me and (YC/N) start giggling. "Cool, first time in a bar. Let's do it!" I suggest. "Okay, well you girls have fun. I gotta go meet up with Dan and get some shit done. Suzy I trust you to look after them, show them a good time. Love you babe." Arin kisses Suzy goodbye and makes his way out the door. 

We begin to get ready and leave the apartment. First a stop for frozen yoguart is in order which wasn't too far from the Nail Salon. "Why'd you wanna come get frozen yoguart" Suzy asked. "Well, it was like a special thing me and my Dad. Kinda tradition. Every year on my birthday we'd go to my favorite Frozen Yoguart shop. Even though he isn't here this year, I still wanna keep the tradition going. This year, and for the years to come it's just gonna have to be a little differently done." 
You can see Suzy's beginning to tear up. "Ahw, sweety I'm so sorry!" I just smile, and assured her it's alright. I've gotten to the healing stage and knowing he's no longer here gives him no excuse not to be as he'll always be with me from now on. 

Around 2:00pm we head to the Nail Salon. We walked in and (YC/N) said to the Salon Lady "give this girl the works! Mani-Pedi, Acrylic nails, whatever she wants!" 'Wow, I hope she intends to pay.' I couldn't help but think at how expensive all that is back home, never mind LA. We spent the next almost 2 hours in the Salon. Giggling, talking, and just generally enjoying each others company. Suzy spent most of the time talking about her and Arin's Wedding. When we were through it was pushing 4pm. Suzy took out her phone and gave Arin a call. "Hey, we're just finishing up are you almost done? ... Oh good, okay so we'll meet you there." She hangs up the phone and says we're gonna all meet at the Hollywood Sign "How far is Hollywood from here?" I asked. Suzy thinks for a moment, "Only about a 15 minutes drive." We slip our shoes on, pay the Nail Artists, leave and slide into Suzy's Car. "Alright ladies! It's go time" Suzy puts up her sunglasses and starts the car.

20 minutes later and I see a street sign 'Sunset Bulv.' "Oh My GOD! That was Sunset Bulv!" I snicker. "Haha yeah it was, we'll be going down that after". Suzy brings the car to a stop, near a hill. "Come on, it's just this way." Suzy points up the hill. we follow her lead, and sure enough within minutes there it was, just as giant as I thought it'd be...'Hollywood.' "Happy Birthday." I hear a deep voice say from behind me. I turn around to see Arin and Mark standing there. Mark, holding a single rose in his hand. He gestured the rose my way. "Here this is for you." I take the rose from him, and naturelly put it to my nose to give it a smell. My cheeks heated up, and I blushed. "Thank you. That's really sweet." We finished off the Hollywood Sign moments with a few pictures and took off back down the hill. The sun began to set in Hollywood. All the lights started to turn on, and flash. It was the exact polar opposite of something I'd see in Eastmont. I linked arms with (YC/N) as we skipped down Sunset Bulv. I must have been brimming with joy. Or at least I felt like I was. This is the exact place I wanted to be my entire life, and here I am. "This is extraordinary!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. People looked at me left and right, but I didn't care. I wanted this moment. Forever. 
From there we hit The Walk of Fame. "Oh, here's Michael Jackson. Britney Spears, Frank Sinatra." I couldn't help but fan girl and get about 100 pictures. 

"Okay, okay my feet are killing me. Can we go to Gary's now?" Arin questioned. I just smile and nod. "This has been the best birthday ever, thank you guys so much!" I call them all in for a group hug, and a picture. "Smile!" We walk the rest of Hollywood Bluv and take it down to the end, where on the corner is  a lounge. With a sign reading "Karaoke 9-2am" sitting out front. We begin to walk in and the bounce starts grilling me, but he doesn't stop us. Once inside we take a a seat close to where the mic is set up. A waitress comes over to take drink orders. "Just water for me thanks." I say. (YC/N) orders a soda and everyone else orders a beer. 

After a few glasses of water I excused myself from the table to go to the bathroom. I walk into exactly what I expected. It was dank, dirty and gross. I had to squat over the toilet. I came out of the stall and washed my hands. I made my way back to the table and took my seat. "So, you girls are going off to college, well what is it you wanna do" Mark asks from across the table. (YC/N) answers first. Well I wanna be a makeup artist. I sit and think even though I know what I really would want to do, but to him it'd probably sounds like I'm just a hopeless dreamer. "Well, I loved to sing since I was a little girl, and have a love for piano and guitar too. I'd like to get into Juilliard and hopefully get my Master of Music and Graduate Diploma in vocals." He sorta seemed surprised yet impressed by this. "Well if you have a dream, stick to it and don't let anything stop you." he said. I just smiled and nodded. Then the music started. Immediately I got a sickening feeling in my gut. I looked up to see a bigger woman standing in front of the mic and listened as she began to sing. *Cue Media Video*

"It's so hard to lose the one you love. 
To finally have to say goodbye.
You try to be strong but the pain keeps holdin' on 
And all that you can do is cry..."

I couldn't help but mouth the words as she sung. She sung beautifully but those lyrics were like a dagger to the heart. I couldn't hold it back. I began to get hot and eventually started to tear. I stood up... and I felt Mark grab my arm. "Are you okay?" He sounded sincerely worried. I couldn't look at any of them at the table. I just sniffled and said "I'm fine." Then, ran towards the back of the building where there was a back entrance to the building. I found a dark corner, and put my hands to my face, and sobbed. "Hey, you're not okay, are you..?" a voice says. I glance up quickly to see that it was Mark who chased me outside. "Please, if there's something bothering you I'd like nothing more then to try and help you through it." he said as he came over to me. I tried to wipe my tears away as best as I could before making eye contact with him. 

"That song.... I-I don't exactly have the happiest of memories attached to it." Mark put his arm around my shoulder. "Hmm, rough breakup, huh?" He asked. "I sang that at my Dad's funeral last year." I stated. He took his arm off me, and instead positioned himself in front of me and put both his hands on my shoulders. "I know how you feel. Fuck everyone who says they know how it feels and in fact hasn't been in your position. I have. I lost my dad in 2007 to cancer. Believe me, I understand." When he told me that, I don't know what made me do it, but I felt comfortable enough to just lean into him and bury my face in his chest to continue crying. "Think of it this way though, through great sorrow, comes great strength. Especially for us performers. It'll never stop hurting, but I promise it does get easier." I just sniffle "Yano, I didn't wanna do this. I talked myself into coming on this vacation to let my past go, and reinvent myself.  I wanted to meet some cool people, have some new experiences. I wanted to live it up. Truth is, I'm just a small town girl, with a big dream. I don't usually wear anything aside from tshirts and jeans and never party. I rarely ever drink. The truth is, I wanna stop pretending, this isn't me, and I just want to be myself. Dad was a fan of that." I tearfully said through Marks chest.

"What's wrong with that?" I looked up to see Mark glancing down at me. He wipes away my tears and we lock eyes. He frames my face with his hand and lifts it ever so slightly. His warm embrace feels so good after crying. For once I feel like I'm not completely alone. I close my eyes, and ... we kissed. His soft and warm lips against mine... he gently caressed me. I couldn't help myself, I kissed him back, and hard. I wrapped both arms around his shoulders and held him by the back of the neck. 

I was wrong what I said before when walking down Hollywood Bluv... that, that was a moment I wanted to last forever. This is.