Mark has prepared for the worst.

When he asked Jinyoung if he wants to come over, he braced himself for a possible rejection from the younger. That was too bold of him to do that. It was a very risky question because for all he knows Jinyoung might still not want to talk to him or even see him. The worst case scenario was, Jinyoung would be blurting out all these ill feelings the younger has for him for being the cause of his relationship break up with Jackson years ago. And Mark knows he is not ready to hear all those. He doesn't think he could live knowing that Jinyoung hates him.

But when Jinyoung said, "okay" , Mark felt himself heaving a sigh of relief. 

And now, he is in the kitchen making two cups of coffee, one for him, and one for Jinyoung who is seated at the couch in the living room, waiting for him. Mark can't believe they are in the same situation they were in when they first met, but he is thankful. Although he initially planned on avoiding Jinyoung, he is still glad of how things turned out. It was unexpected... but it is what they need.

He was in the middle of thinking of how to start his planned conversation when he heard his phone ringing. He left it on top of the kitchen counter so he had to peep in to check who is calling. There he saw his sister's name flashed on the screen. Mark pressed the answer button before putting the phone near his ear.

"Hi, Tammy." He greeted his sister.

"Oh, hi Mark. I'm happy I finally reached you."

Mark continued on stirring the coffee. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Tanya here won't stop throwing tantrums unless we let her see you." He could hear the exhaustion from his sister's voice. 

Tanya. His one and only niece. She is three years old and has grown very attached to him since he stayed in L.A. for the past year. Tanya is a cute little pumpkin but he also knows how handful his niece could be, especially when throwing tantrums. Tammy claims that Tanya got it from him, mainly why his niece is extremely attached to him as well. Mark begs to disagree.

"She is mad because you left without seeing her first and she's more mad at us for letting you leave. My goodness, Mark. Help us out of our misery and please talk to Tanya. I can't handle her like this."

Mark breathed a sigh, realizing what he has done. He did leave without bidding goodbye to his niece. So it is his fault then? "Alright. I will talk to her. Let me have her." He heard a shuffling sound before he finally hears the sound of Tanya crying. Mark can't help but feel more guilty.

"Uncle Mark?" He heard Tanya's sweet little voice followed by the sound of her sniffing. She's crying, indeed! "Is that you?"

"Hey, pumpkin." Mark greeted in a cheerful voice. "How are you doing? Did you miss me that much that you are crying?" And maybe he shouldn't have said that because now he hears Tanya crying. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry baby. Please stop crying." It took a couple of seconds before Tanya did stop crying. Mark feels his heart swelling because he always hated seeing and even hearing his niece crying, moreso when he is the reason behind it.

They spent the next five minutes talking, with Tanya whining over him leaving her without even saying goodbye. Of course Mark said sorry and promised he won't fail on calling her everyday just so they wouldn't miss each other.

"Please don't be mad at me, baby. I promise I will always call and we will always talk. I miss you, and I love you, pumpkin." That, and he ended the call.

By the time he put his phone down, he realized that the coffee he has made has already gone a bit cold. Mark just hissed and decided to just apologize to Jinyoung for taking this long that their coffee is now cold. Not wanting to make Jinyoung wait any longer, Mark took both of the coffees at hand and walked back to the living room where he sees Jinyoung staring at the floor, hands on top of his knees. Only when he placed the mugs on top of the table did Jinyoung took notice of him.

"I'm sorry if it took me longer than it should but, here is our coffee." He handed one to Jinyoung before getting his own. "I'm sorry if it's a bit cold. I just had to deal with something a while ago."

"No, it's okay. I should be the one apologizing since I shouldn't have been here."

Mark has his brows furrowed, hearing this from the younger. What is he saying? "What do you mean? I invited you here, didn't I?" He said, with a hint of laugh in his voice, in an attempt to make things feel lighter, but Jinyoung kept his eyes on the floor. 

"I should've figured that it's only out of politeness. It doesn't mean I should say yes, but I did. And now I think I shouldn't have." Mark didn't know what to say and just watched Jinyoung who is staring outside the window where the rain is still pouring. "Maybe I should head out now. I've been too much of a bother already."

"What are you saying, Jinyoung?" He can't help but ask. "Is there a problem?"

He doesn't get it. They were okay a while ago in the cab, weren't they? Everything seemed so light and usual. Mark thought they were on the right track, talking about things casually. He was pretty sure they were alright, that's why he risked of inviting Jinyoung to come over. Yes, he has another motive and that is to talk about things more seriously, but Mark was certain he was playing his cards right up from the start of the ride and up until now. So, what is wrong?

His hand was itching to reach  for Jinyoung's which were wrapped tightly around the mug. He stared at Jinyoung who he can see is struggling on averting his eyes from him. Mark feels terrified of seeing Jinyoung like this. It reminds him of that day when Jackson unexpectedly showed up outside his apartment, catching both him and Jinyoung by surprise. It reminds him of how Jinyoung tried to keep himself calm while acting like he isn't suffering from their situation when he knew very well that he is. It reminds him of how he held Jinyoung's shaking hands when he finally broke down after his dire attempt of keeping himself together. And it reminds him how... how Jinyoung stared at him, with those sad and broken eyes, right before he walked out of the door, out of his life.

Jinyoung spared him a short glance before putting the mug down and getting his coat. "Nothing. But I really should leave. Thanks for having me, Mark and it was nice seeing you again. But I need to go."

When Jinyoung finally stood up, it awakened all of Mark's senses. Clenching in his fist, he reached for Jinyoung's hand making the younger turn to face him. "Why are you always leaving me?" He breathed. Jinyoung's eyes reflected surprise and he can see how the younger was taken aback by his question. "Has this become a habit of yours now? Is it that easy? Is leaving me way too easy, huh Jinyoung?"

"Mark, this isn't-"

"Isn't two years long enough? You told me that we both needed time and space. That it will help us heal, until this doesn't hurt that much anymore. What happened was out of our control and we both didn't want that to happen. We met and fell in love, but needed to leave each other because of something which we didn't cause?" Mark's voice almost broke. "Is that even fair? Tell me Jinyoung. Was that fair?"

But Jinyoung just shook his head. "This is not the right time to talk about this, Mark."

"Then when? When is the right time? Tell me, Jinyoung because I am so tired of waiting! I am so tired of waiting for you to finally let yourself go of the past, to let yourself move on from all the hurt and pain, . . . . to finally let yourself love me." He saw as Jinyoung shook his head once more but he didn't expect to feel a forceful pull from Jinyoung when the younger broke free of his grasp.

"This is wrong, Mark!" Jinyoung said, almost yelling, hands clenching into fists at his sides. The intensity in those brown eyes were