All Shades of Uncomfortable

Elena cleared her throat. "You can keep your pants. I'm fine with just the jacket."

"Thank goodness." Mark sighed in relief with a hand on his chest. "I was afraid you were going to force me to strip." He looked to be grateful to her like she could have easily had her way with him if she hadn't shown him any mercy.

Elena looked downwards while playing with her fingers. She had nothing more to say.

"When I woke up the next morning, I didn't see you," Mark said as his playful grin disappeared and was replaced with a soft gaze.

Immediately, Elena lifted her head. She stared at him for several seconds before letting out a soft sigh. She knew what he was talking about and suddenly, she couldn't seem to want to meet his gaze.

"Why did you run away?" he asked. Since she left that morning, he has been dying to question her about so many things. Unfortunately, he didn't even know her name or how to find her. Then something happened that distracted him from searching for her.

Slowly, he lost interest in going the extra mile to find her. He thought that since she left like that, she must not have wanted him to look for her.

"I didn't run away. It was morning. I had to leave," Elena explained as an unpleasant feeling pulled at the pit of her stomach. She had zero desire to explain herself hence she refused to speak any further. "It was just a one-night stand."

Hearing her reminder of what the night of passion they shared was all about, Mark felt a bitter taste on his tongue. He suddenly had the urge to rebrand the name tag for that night they spent together, but it wasn't appropriate, at least for the moment.

Mark took in a sharp breath as his gaze darted across the room, his thoughts already filled with the next questions. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the top of her head as that was the only part of her face he could see.

He licked his lips and said to her, "When I woke and didn't find you lying next to me, I was disappointed. Then, I saw the sheets." Elena gripped the table clothes with her fingers.

Her breathing ragged as the light in her eyes dimmed. She didn't want to have that conversation with him. It was like a ticking time bomb for her.

She was all shades of uncomfortable.

Mark studied her reaction for a few seconds before he continued. He needed to make sure he was getting the point right. "There was dried blood at the centre." Heaviness welled in his chest as he was almost at a loss for words.

Almost, he could see the scene from that morning replaying in front of him. "I took your virginity." He sounded guilty and regretful of his action as a heavy silence descended on them.

Elena was almost about to rip the chunk of the fabric in her hands apart in sheer nervousness. Mark was bringing up a sore experience she wished to avoid so desperately, she was bound to be uneasy.

It's not like she never had the slightest idea of the fact that he would want to talk about that night. She was aware, but she didn't expect him to go that deep.

"You told me you had a boyfriend," Mark recalled without breaking his gaze.

Elena met his gaze to defend herself. "I didn't lie about it."

He shook his head. "Regardless, if I knew you were still innocent, I would have restrained myself and stopped at foreplay at most. I'm really sorry," he apologized. He thought it was the right thing to do after all these years, to show his remorse, but she waved it off.

"There is no need to render any apology to me." Her tone was cold.

"You don't have to speak that way." Mark thought she was trying to make him feel less guilty, and he didn't want it. "You were really young back then, and I have been waiting to express how sorry I am."

"I was already an adult." Elena defended.

"Yet I felt so guilty like I had taken advantage of you." Mark fired back.

She shook her head in denial. "The sex was consensual."

"We were both drunk a-and…and heartbroken." Mark tried to state how wrong he was for leading her into his bed because of how frail their hearts were at that time.

"You didn't force me. Please, can we not talk about it?" Elena pleaded as she blocked her view with her palm. She was starting to feel an incoming headache.

Her pulse rate was slowing, and she could feel it. Any more word on that topic that suffocated her and she could faint in front of him.

At the end of the table, Mark watched her trying to calm her nerves while breathing in and out through the gap from her lips. She seemed to be really affected by that conversation.

Seeing her in that state, Mark stopped and thankfully, the waiters decided that now was the right time to come and serve their food.

Perceiving the aroma of the dishes placed before them, Elena felt her heartbeat start to normalize as her tensed nerves started to ease up.

A deep breath escaped from her lips. And when she felt she was stabilized enough, she moved the hand blocking her view and looked down at her food.

At least, it was appetizing enough to make her look forward to tasting it instead of dwelling on the intense conversation from a minute ago.

The waiters opened the bottle of wine and poured some of the content into their wine glasses before withdrawing, leaving them alone to enjoy their meal.

Mark stared silently at the red wine in his glass before averting his gaze. "Can I ask one more question?" There was still a very important fact he wanted to confirm.

To be honest, Elena didn't want to hear any more questions concerning that night, but for one reason best known to her, she accepted and nodded in approval while meeting his gaze.

"Do you regret that night?" Mark probed. His tone was careful so as not to upset her.