Taking it slow

Mark's POV

It's raining. Ten minutes have gone since the cloud nine moment and now I am stuck with a gorgeous man in a tree house. "Looks like we're going to stay longer here huh?" Said Winston, gazing up onto the window blind's gaps. Standing beside the window, He turned his gaze on me with his eyes of deep intentions and an evil smile. I smiled back with a hint of restraint and felt my face hot red so I instantly averted my gaze to the ground while I rummage my hands to my pants to get my phone. I texted my mom that I'll be going home late. Scrolled through my messages a little bit, just to kill time and prevent me from having more awkward moments with a guy that just kissed me a while ago. Gosh the tension it built is incontrovertible.

After the kiss, I felt my body burn, like an aura of heat is surrounding me. I sit back up again after that, and stared at the wall against me. For the record, I haven't had much experience of this stuff, not that I don't want to. Sometimes, well most of the times, I ignore people so I guess that's why I don't have the chance to expose myself from this kind of scenario. That was my first kiss with another guy, and knowing that it happened just a while ago, gave me chills.

As much as I am concerned about my reaction, I still remember Winston standing up against me, his hands on his hips while momentarily fanning himself with his shirt from his chest part fabric. He let out a breath while also staring away at me. It was at least ten full minutes of silence and ignorance.

"Hey" Winston turned and sat in front of me. I then turn off my phone and look up at him, trying my best to be casual. I gave him a raise of my brows to signal him to talk which he got. "A…About the kiss…i-I didn't mean to-" scratching the back of his head, a smile on his face while looking down the ground. "it's fine, you don't have to say sorry" I assured him, holding his free hand. I looked him in the eye, he looked back. And to my sudden shock then a smile sprung out his face. "I was going to say that I did not mean to kiss you without your permission"

By that words, I felt my stomach lurk in shame. Why did I ever think he's sorry? He's obviously happy, you daft dimbo. "Oh" is what I had managed to say while losing my grip on him, but in a glance of a moment he put his other arm at the top of mine, squeezing it a little. "Next time, I'll ask" he assured. And for what feels like a millionth time, I felt my face grow as hot as ever. Am I having a fever? I could really feel that my cheeks are red as blood. "N-next time?" I faced him with an inquiring look. "Only if you'll let me" his eyes play around my body, looking me from my face down to my body. I suddenly felt chills on my arms.

I could not help it; his gaze kills me. To break the tension, I called him out. "What is this? I-I mean, what are you?" apart from me trying to distract him from stripping me naked with his gaze, I really want to know if he's into me or he's just playing with me. Winston is, after all a jock from different state who just happened to move here.

My question sort of worked because he came back to senses and looked me again in the eye.

"Don't be shy, ask me what you really want to know"

I close my eyes and gather oxygen through my nostrils.

"A-are you…D-do you like me?"

In my surprise, which also scratched my heart a little, he slowly smiled and let out a small laugh, shaking his head while he brushes his brows. I turned my face down. Shame wrapping my whole body, when I felt his fingers lift my chin to face him again. A smile of adoration is now embarked on his face.

"What? Do you casually kiss someone you don't like here? Cause I don't"

I was in shock. Does that mean he likes me? That means he like me, right?

"I like you Mark"

There I was, facing a young beautiful guy of silky black hair. Chills travelling through my whole body and I felt my jaw tightly closed. I couldn't find the power to speak. His last statement seems to give my body an order to make me forget how to mutter words. All I could hear is the raindrops against the roof. He was waiting for me to respond, moving his brows up.

"You could say you like me too"

Gathering what seems to be all the power my mitochondria have; I finally found my speech back.

"Oh no-I…I mean Yes, of course I like you too"

Looking from the ground to his face, only my eyes moved that I'm slightly staring up at him. He gradually moved his face in, making our faces closer again. The vibe was the same, the first time he was about to kiss me.

"But…I want to take it slow…C-can we?" I moved my head out of the tension. I see a hint of disappointment in his face for a short time then he smiled adorably back.

"Of course" he then re-positioned himself to a proper seating pose and sat beside me.

"Let's talk" he said.

Glad that the tension was broken, I leaned back on the wall.

"Well, given that I make you fall asleep when I speak, you do the talking now"

He gave a small laughed

"I wasn't really asleep you know; I just want you to know that I'm comfortable with you, but yeah sure I'll talk, what do you want to know?"

He said it with a little speed that my mouth was still slightly open by the time it's my time to answer. This man is a trickster. I shut my mouth and opened it again.

"Tell me your story. Your hobbies, childhood and things like that"

He then started talking.

"Well, I live with Lynn when we were kids since my parents want to live together with Lynn's parents so we could both take care of our Grand Mother…"