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“Keep giving out those kisses, pretty lady, and I might steal you for myself.”
“Quit flirting.” I smack his arm playfully. “You’re not my type.”
Abyss grabs his heart, and his mouth drops open. “What does that mean,I’m not your type?”
“Abyss you’re awesome, but I can’t date a man whore.”
“I’d quit my whoring ways for you.” He winks.
“Sure you would.” I chuckle. “I gotta go, but if you see Mar—”
“Send him your way… yeah, yeah, I got it,” he jokingly sulks. “Go take your shower.”
“Thanks again.” I hurry around him.
When I pass Mark’s room, the door is closed, so I rush to take a shower before confronting him. As water cascades over my head, Malice’s confession swirls around my brain. My stomach somersaults, and I try to swallow past the lump in my throat.
But I can’t hold my emotions back any longer. Sliding to the tiled shower floor, I wrap my arms around my knees and, feeling helpless, let the tears flow. After a few minutes, I pull myself together and push to my feet to finish showering.
Once I’m done, I dry off, throw on some clothes, and pull on my shoes.
I’m striding toward the door when it slides open, and Mark steps in. “Hey, I brought you some coffee.”
“Thanks.” I grab the cup from his outstretched hand. “I was just coming to find you.”
“What’s up?”
“We need to talk.”
“Okay.” His eyes sweep the room. “Do you want to go to the common room, or is this more of a private conversation?”
“Private.” I pull my shoes off and climb onto the bed. “Come sit with me.”
“What the fuck is going on?” He sits on the mattress and faces me. “Does this have anything to do with Malice?”
“Yes… no… yes and no.” I shake my head trying to gather my thoughts. “Why do you hate your brother so much?”
Mark’s eyes darken, and his eyebrows furrow. “He fucking left. He turned eighteen and left. Never looked back.”
Time to rip off the Band-Aid.
“Why were you at Nightly Habit that night?”
“Are you serious right now?” His tone hitches up a notch. “If I remember correctly, I saved your ass.”
“Yes, you did.” I reach out and grab his hand, thankful that he lets me. “I will forever be grateful for what you did. I love you, Mark. You’re my best friend, my brother. I’m glad we found each other, but I need to know why you were there in the first place.”
“Why?” He pulls his hand away and pushes off the bed. “Malice left, I wasn’t happy at home. If he could leave without looking back, why is it so wrong for me to do the same thing?”
“It’s not… not at all,” I assure him. “It’s just… You never talk about your family or where you came from.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” He runs agitated hands through his hair. “I have a brother who hasn’t exactly been fucking welcoming, as you’ve witnessed firsthand. We grew up in an upper-middle-class home, went to school, went to church, and had friends.”
“Did something happen to make you want to leave?” I hesitate. “Something bad?”
His breath hitches, his eyes cloud over, and he takes several steps back. Mark doesn’t respond right away but when he does, his voice is cold and detached.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Apple.” He sighs. “I got out.”
