Practice Love
The Practice

#Practice 033
They said that there is a thin line between love and friendship, but what's between the line and love? 

Was it weird for days to be as peaceful as the small waves sailing in the sea? Because that was what Mia had been experiencing since then. Ever since she told Mark about her past, there was this relieved, light feeling. It felt as if the weight on her shoulders were removed, and it felt as if she could finally breathe. To think that the man whom she never expected to be the one who had taken a huge chunk of her life... Suddenly took over the centre of everything. That's what she'd never understand. 

He stomps in like a hurricane, sweeps her off her plastic ideals and set her down in a beautiful fantasy. It was just how Mark Tuan was like to give her the warmth that she craves for.

But what now?  

"So, what now?" She turned to him with her head tilted slightly as she watches the man with his eyebrow raised at her. He was holding a black ladle, with his hair falling naturally on his face. At the same time, he was wearing a knee length apron that ran down to his thigh. Mia pursed her lips, holding back that laughter that might erupt. 

She cleared . "We'll just leave it to simmer for an hour." She said and took the ladle from him, setting it on a clean plate and closed the lid. She lowered the heat, then turned to pick up all the used plates and utensil, setting them in the sink and twisted the water on. It was once again, another day in their summer vacation that was marked off the calender. It was weird to see that Mia was acting all too casual with Mark after telling him about her past, but Mark was contented enough that she was talking to him. 

It was the bliss of being with her that kept him going.

He took over Mia to wash the dishes, making sure that she won't be allowed to protest as he hushed her simply with the three words that slowly became his trademark. "I like you so." He grinned when she pressed her lips and looked away. Of course, it was always fun to see Mia's reaction to his casual confessions. It wasn't the best one can think of, but to make sure that Mia would get use to the fact that he does, in fact, like her, this is the only way he can think of.

"What now?" She looked at him, then turned to the clock. 10 minutes has passed, 50 minutes to go. She thought and shrugged. "How about a movie?" Mark suggested, and Mia nodded, agreeing to his idea.

With that, they left the kitchen and took the stairs to their bedroom. Mia set an alarm to remind them about the short rib broth that was simmering in the kitchen, and Mark grabbed his laptop and fell on the bed. Casually, he lied down and searched for a movie to watch.

"What do you want to watch?" He asked her, and she shrugged. "Anything." She said and pulled the elastic that was holding her hair up in a ponytail. Running her fingers through her jet, black hair, she turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to sit like that?" She asked, and he nodded. "How else am I going to sit?" He looked up, raising a questioning brow at her. 

Mia pursed her lips and shook her head. "Nevermind..." She mumbled and took a seat on the small, vacant spot on the single bed. She was trying her best to hold her balance on the small spot, Mark noticed as much, and a playful idea stirred in his mind.

Casually, he hooked, pulling her in with his arm casually hung by her waist as he clicks on a movie with his right hand. Mia flinched, eyes rounded slightly at the touch. "You were going to fall off." He answered before she can question his actions and pulled her closer. "Just watch." He chuckled and leaned his head back to the pillow. 

Mia sighed and shook her head. She will never be able to win an argument against him. She knew as much. So she leaned back, her head tilted slightly, resting on the crook of his neck as they watched the movie. It was an old english film, though Mia wasn't sure what film it was. She was never into movies anyways. She never bothered to keep up with the trend of the latest movies or anything that relates to visual entertainments. For all her life, she was far too busy for that. 

"Mia." She felt his throat vibrate on her sculp and responded. "Hm?" She casted a short yawn. She was getting bored of the movie, and they haven't even gotten past the 30 minutes mark. Mark's hand on the laptop curled, clenched into a fist as he breathed. Now that he thought about it, Mia being far too casual with him may have been a bad thing after all. 

The fact that she was acting all too familiar with him, with her head casually resting on his shoulder, and the fact that she wasn't struggling to get out of his grasp... They're slowly killing him inside. 

He turned to the girl whose breathing turned soft and steady. She eyes were closed, and her lips were parted slightly. She dozed off. He held back a gulp and blinked his eyes. His breath was released with a shaky chord as he brought his free hand to his temple. This is bad, really bad. He thought and turned to the girl.

Her lashes that curled upwards naturally were weapons that she never bothered to use. And her lips... He fell back with a loud puff on his pillows, surprising the girl as she snapped her eyes awake and turned to the man in question. "What now?" She groaned, annoyed that Mark had woke her up from her sleep. But Mark didn't respond, he couldn't. Because honestly, what now? He ran his fingers through his red hair and turned to the girl who was busy rubbing her eyes. She was tired, bored of the movie that obviously failed to catch her interest. 

"Your phone." He tried his best to act natural despite the annoyingly loud pound of his chest. He wasn't entirely lying, her phone was buzzing furiously on the study desk.

Mia groaned once more and turned to