There are many things that slip Marks mind during normal daily life and routine, once in a while due to various circumstances he suddenly remembers fragments of them and sometimes he's amazed by the things he forgot.
One of the things he remembers as he sets up his tent at the lakeside, during the annual camping trip with his best friends, is his sisters boyfriend from when they were younger and the way to boy's lips felt against his years ago, 5 to be exact, when they were 15 and a little tipsy.

The memory comes unexpected like any other of those snippets of past times that appear in his head unannounced.
A smile steals itself onto his lips, they used to be so young and foolish and innocent back then.
Not that they are really old now but somehow the innocence has vanished, they grew up, the phase of experiment and curiosity has died down and when he thinks back now he kind of misses the dumbness of those days.
It's weird how he could forget about that part of his past and that it's coming back now making him feel so nostalgic and setting warm tingles into the pit of his stomach as he remembers all kinds of tiny details that made the time back then somewhat special.

It's the bickering with his sister that comes back into his memory, how the only thing they were capable of agreeing on was that they agreed to disagree and how much they loved each other never the less.

It's memories of their first alcoholic drinks, the hangover after and a shared joint they smoked behind one of the vacation bungalows during summer vacation with their toes in the sand and skin aching from the sunburns.

It's scenes of loud laughter and odd jokes play for him and then there's the smile of a person he's almost but not completely forgotten lingering before his minds eye.

Mark remembers that they used to spend a lot of time together, every happy memory from back then seems to be connected to that persons presence and an amused snicker slips his lips when he thinks of the times he'd side with the boy in an argument with his sister, how she threw tantrums while the two of them laughed till they felt sick to their stomachs.

He's not all that sure about what the boy looked like, he remembers thinking he was handsome but not much else lingers in his memory.
The boy used to wear oversized clothes all the time, baggy pants and 3XL shirts, it's a minor detail he can recall.
Mark used to find the choice of clothing hilarious but remembers feeling that it somehow fit the boy with dark hair and broad smile.
What he remembers the most is that he liked him, liked the sound of his laughter and the way he spoke and the things he said though he couldn't name a single one of them if he were asked to right now.
He still remembers the tad of jealous he felt when he saw his sister clinging to his arm.
They were an odd couple, always bickering, always disagreeing and Mark couldn't see what the boy saw in his sister that made him stick to her side but then again he never voiced it because as long as they dated Mark got to meet the other and he liked that.

The two of them weren't really the type of people who'd get along or even talk to each other if it weren't for coincidences, his sister was that coincidence that brought the two of them closer.
Mark was more of the geeky type of person back then whereas the other was the kind of trouble maker kid his mother despised.

Mark knew better than his mother even though he'd have to agree that his first impression of the younger boy hadn't been perfect but soon he'd figured the boy a was a very interesting, very intelligent person beyond all the bad posture.

He started to like him, he felt comfortable around him and now that he thinks of it he probably really liked him a lot back then, to the point where right now he regrets not keeping contact after his sister broke up with him.

The kiss he remembers was stupid but it send butterflies to his stomach never the less.

It happened when the three of them laid on their make shift bed during a summer camp, similar to the one his friends and him are preparing for right now.

He can't remember how they happened to share the narrow space but he remembers that the boy was sleeping in between him and his sister at that time.
Thinking about it now it's kind of embarrassing but back then Mark took pride in the fact that the boy had demanded to lay in the middle, close to “both his favorite people in the world”.
Back then Mark's chest had swelled just a little.
He remembers they talked for hours before even thinking about sleep, the three of them simply laid on their backs staring onto the roof of their tent as their heads buzzed from the alcohol they'd consumed at the bonfire.

Mark remembers how much he enjoyed the easiness of their conversation and the low snickering sounds that drew from the boy's lips when he fought not to laugh out loud.
When the boy kissed his sister goodnight after what felt like hours of nonsense conversation a pout stole its way onto Marks lips.
Today he can't remember why exactly but he blames it on the alcohol that ran through his veins back then that he murmured the thought that was lingering in his head.
"I want one too" he slurred into his pillow and to his surprised nobody laughed or judged him for his statement.
He remembers turning his head to the side and finding a boy with dark hair and coal colored eyes smiling at him before he leaned over to press his lips against Mark's.

It felt so perfect that even now Mark clearly remembers the feeling of soft lips against his and almost tastes the faint note of alcohol on the other's lips.

He shakes his head a little to the memory and rolls out his sleeping bag before sticking his head out of the tent.

He scans the area and steps out of his temporary habitation to join his friends at the fireplace.

"Hey JB....Do you remember the guy my sister dated when we were 15?"
He asks the blond boy, also known as his very best friend for over an decade, who's currently stacking up wood sticks at the side.

He knows JB and that boy were classmates once, JB used to hang with him during breaks sharing cigarettes they stole from their parents.
If Mark can't remember JB will.

"The gangster wannabe? " his friend asks and Mark nods.
"Yeah...What was his name?"

Mark is not sure what it means to know the boy's name, he just feels like it's important to remember.
JB gives him a look but doesn't ask how he got round to asking about it out of the blue.

"Jackson...Jackson Wang."
JB states after a while and suddenly the picture of the boy in Mark's head is more clear than it was before.
The name has image after image appear in front of his inner eye and Mark remembers.
He sees coal colored eyes, remembers thick eyebrows cocking into a smug look and the curve of the boy's lips as he smiles.
He can picture the charming and cool expression Jackson wore most of the time and the expression Jackson's face showed quiet often when they hung out.
The slightly dumb smile that would grace his lips when he felt comfortable enough to let it show.

Jackson Wang...

Mark remembers now.

He nods, deciding to look up that boy as soon as he gets home.

He should have done that much sooner.