Jackson’s rambled when he got nervous. Talking his way out of awkward situations had always managed to be his saving grace in social interactions. Now, though, he just felt his nervousness grow. What if Mark didn’t like rambling? What if he found it obnoxious and ridiculous instead of adorable and innocent like everyone else seemed to think?

A hand moved on top of his, immediately silencing Jackson’s rambling. The smooth, slender hand was dotted with lightly-formed calluses. A sign of regular wear, but nothing excessive. “We’ll figure it out,” Mark said. Simple words, but they calmed Jackson immediately. “I would really love to hang out more, but I really should go get some sleep.”

Despite feeling more confused than ever, Jackson smoothed on a small smile, nodding as soon as Mark finished. “Of course. I can’t make you miss your flight by keeping you out all night,” he replied, trying to keep the disappointment from oozing out.

The two just stared at each other for a moment, not sure what to do next. Gods, did Jackson want to kiss him. Wanting to kiss someone he’d just met wasn’t exactly normal. But then again, you didn’t just bump into your soulmate every day either. Most people didn’t meet theirs only to find out that they might never see each other again, either.

“Thanks again for dinner,” Mark said, smiling, “and for everything else. I had a great time.”

Jackson nodded. “Any time,” he said. “Next time you can pick the place.” Mark smiled one of his brilliant, full-face smiles again, a small giggle escaping his lips at the same time. Heart flipping in his chest, Jackson did his best to hold back a gasp. This boy would kill him with how undeniably adorable he was, no doubt.

Without another word, Mark turned to the door and let himself out. Neither of them wanted to say goodbye. That felt to permanent. Even something as simple as “I’ll message you later,” felt awkward to Jackson. It felt fake. The best thing either of them could say was nothing at all.

Once the door had closed, he slumped back in his seat, body exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions it had gone through in the past few hours. His eyes closed as he relaxed for a moment, he didn’t even notice Mark come up to the door next to him until it started sliding open.

“Jackson?” he whispered. It was cute how he said it carefully, like anyone outside might be able to hear them.

His eyes flew open, glancing at Mark’s head that was popping in through the crack between the door and the car. Without saying anything, Mark motioned for Jackson to come closer. It reminded Jackson of when him and his friends would share secrets when they were young, whispering in each other’s ears to make sure no one else heard. Jackson leaned in close, ear angled toward Mark’s lips in anticipation of what he had to say.

Just inches apart, Mark whispered, “I’m gonna miss you,” followed by a super-quick peck on the cheek. Jackson froze, stunned by what had just happened. The heat of Mark’s lips on his cheeks lingered even after such a quick touch, searing the memory into his mind.

Mark just kissed him.

It wasn’t on the mouth or anything, but that wasn’t important. The only thing that mattered was that Mark had come back and kissed him.

By the time Jackson even thought about moving, Mark had already shut the van door and made his way back into the hotel. Jackson hadn’t see how insanely red Mark’s face got after he pulled away. He hadn’t seen how quickly Mark shut the door and ran inside giggling to himself. But it didn’t matter.

Because Mark just kissed him and Jackson would never forget it.

Short chapter! But I wanted to get something out soon and this was a good stopping point. I actually changed up the direction of this chapter last-minute because I decided I wanted them to part still kind of awkward and unsure of themselves this time. Still working out a few details on what's coming next, but I can tell you that our good ol' friends Jinyoung, Jaebum and Youngjae will be making appearances it the next chapter! So stay tuned.

As always, let me know what you think in the comments below! Bonus points if you can tell me what real-life Markson thing I mentioned in this chapter. ;)