There was a knock on the dorm door, and Cora jumped a little. She wasn’t ready yet! Ugh, why did Mark always get there so early, every time she needed him for anything. She hadn’t even finished her hair. She stared at herself in the mirror, frowning. It was about as good as it was going to get.

She was wearing a simple dress, with tights and heels, and planned on doing her hair up, with a few curls free of the pinup. She’d pulled out some gold jewelry, and her heart plummeted as she pushed the golden bracelet she’d pick onto her arm. It matched the dress perfectly, but Mark had given it to her.

While they were dating.

She looked up at the ceiling and shook her head, sliding the bracelet off and tossing it back into her jewelry box.

Maria opened the door, still in the process of putting her earrings on, and smiled. “Hey Mark,” She said, moving aside. “Merry Christmas.” Mark moved into the apartment and returned the greeting, but Youngjae followed him in and Maria immediately wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, so Mark excused himself.

He was carrying a few presents with him, the others were down in the car, so he set the few on the table. Maria was laughing at something Youngjae had said, and Mark tried not to feel awkward. He strode towards the closed door on the other side of the room and knocked. A muffled “come in” answered him, so he turned the knob and moved into the room.

“Hello?” He called, when he walked into the empty room. He closed the door and pressed his back against it, wondering if he should move any farther. His eyes drifted to the wall behind Cora’s bed, where they had hung about a thousand pictures of them. It was bare now. And the teddy bear he’d gotten her was no longer on her bed. The room felt empty.

felt empty.

Cora emerged from the bathroom, holding the side of the threshold and tugging on a heel. “Hey,” She said, trying to fit her foot into it. It didn’t work out for a moment, but when it did, she put her foot down and took another few steps forward. Mark’s heart stopped for a moment, and his eyes widened when he saw her outfit.

She was wearing a strapless red chiffon dress with black tights and black heeled ankle boots. Her hair was curled and pinned back, but a few curly tendrils fell to her shoulders and down her back. Her lips were a deep, dark red, and her bright eyes were rimmed with black. She smiled, her white flawless smile, and held her arms out to the side. “Do I look appropriate?” She asked, spinning around and then starting towards her mirror.

Mark bit his lip, watching her walk, and nodded. “Yeah,” He breathed. “You look great.” He noted that she was wearing a thin golden chain and on her wrist was a single golden hoop of a bracelet. “Uhm,” He reached for her hand, and tugged the hoop off her hand. “Where’s the bracelet I got you? Back in July, when we went to the-”

“In my jewelry box, but I figured it would be inappropriate to wear it,” She said, turning towards him and taking the hoop. “Since we’re not together.”

Mark didn’t give her the hoop. Instead, he shoved it in his pocket. “Wear my bracelet. It’ll match.” She made a face. “Don’t think of it like that, though. That I gave it to you when we were dating. Just think of it as… like a friendly gift… or something.” He said, looking down at his feet and smiling awkwardly. “Just put it on.”

Cora raised an eyebrow, but reached for her jewelry box. When she put the bracelet on, she started towards the door. “Come on. We’d better get to Nick’s, so I can see the kids before the party.”

Mark had offered to go with Cora to see Jackson and Tabitha to give them their presents before going to the party. Maria and Youngjae had to stop by Maria’s friend’s house, which was nearby, so they were all heading out together, and meeting everyone else at the house for the party later.

Mark nodded and turned towards the door. The two said nothing as they moved out into the dining room. “I actually wanted to give you guys your presents here.” He said, striding towards the table. There were, in fact, three boxes sitting on the table, all a little large in size. He grabbed the top one. “Maria,” He said, and she bounced over to him, happily taking the box. “Youngjae,” Youngjae smiled and thanked Mark. He turned to Cora, looking down at the box in his hands, and then slowly up to her. “And Cora.” He said, holding the box out for her.

She bit her lip and reached out. “Thank you,” She said, tugging off the ribbon and then tearing into the wrapping paper. 
 

“Oh Mark! How nice!” Maria said, holding up a clock that was square in shape and white. Black hands were shaped with stars on the end, and had all the numbers in the far side. Across the bottom said “Who Cares, I’m Late Anyways”, which had been a joke between the group. Maria was always a good ten to fifteen minutes ahead when they were going out. She was laughing happily, and moved towards the room to put the clock down.

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