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He chuckled. “I mean, it’s past midnight. Usually, girls don’t wander around this area during this time of the night. You know, because of the sketchy-ass homeless people.”
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “I guess. I just had a lot going on tonight, and I needed to be somewhere other than home to clear my head. Sorry if I’m coming across as aloof and a bitch.”
Mark let out a loud laugh. “You? A bitch? Trust me, I’ve seen much, much worse.” When his chuckles finally calmed down, he placed a hand over Ashley’s again. “Wanna talk about it?”
“I don’t know, not really. I don’t wanna bring you down or anything.”
“Ashley, I’m not sure if you know this, but I’m a licensed psychologist. I do shit like this every day, even when I don’t want to. But right now, with you, I do. Now, what’s bothering you? I’m all ears.”
He leaned back against the bench, his arms stretched out on both sides, and waited for her to initiate the conversation.
“It’s Tara,” she began. “My friend. She’s out with this guy who’s apparently no good for her, and if I don’t find her soon, she may end up d-d-dead.” Ashley broke down in tears at those last words, her eyes watering and her makeup running, but she couldn’t suck it all back in, despite how hard she tried.
Mark wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, rubbing up and down her back as he caressed her shoulders and smoothed out her hair. “Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay, I promise.”
Ashley continued to sniffle, trying her hardest to control herself to avoid looking like a slobbering mess in front of the god himself.
“How do you know for sure?” she asked, her voice trembling and her nose running, as she pulled slightly away, his arms still wrapped around the small of her back.
“Because,” he replied. “Things always seem to work out in our favor, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, handing the plaid print over to her. “Here.” He smiled.
She took it from him and smiled back. “Thanks.”
“You know, Ashley, now’s probably, most definitely, not the right time for this, but there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for quite some time now.” He rubbed the back of his neck and wiped his hands on his jeans.
She blew her nose, the sound echoing in the park and scaring away the pigeons that were pecking on scraps from several days ago.
“What’s that?”
Mark shook his head and turned slightly away. “Nah, forget it, it’s really bad timing. Forget I said anything.”
“Hey, Mark,” she whispered, placing a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, you can say it. Besides, I need a good distraction. There’s nothing I can really do until tomorrow morning anyway.”
He rubbed the back of his neck again. “Well, I’ve been meaning to ask you this for weeks now, but I never really found the courage to do so.”
“Is everything okay?”
He nodded. “Oh, yeah, everything’s great! Well, not great, actually, given your situation.” He shook his head. “I’m dancing around this again. I’m just gonna come out and say it. Ashley, would you like to go out with me? You know, like, on a date?” His face blushed red as he spoke those words, and he quickly turned away. “Sorry, that was dumb, you can say no.”
“Mark,” she giggled. “You’re silly. And since we’re being honest here, I have a confession, too. I have a massive crush on you, ever since I first joined the gym and saw you there, glistening in your sweat. Ew, why’d I just say that?”
He laughed, his voice warm. “Really? I could say the same when I first saw you.”
They both burst into laughter, amused by the coincidence they found themselves in, before they both fell silent again.
“So, how about that date?” he asked again, leaning down and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
