RELATIONSHIPS

"About last night..." Mark began, and a weight settled on my stomach. But his tone was lighter than I expected and had an edge of hesitation. "You almost knocked me over with that bowl of popcorn, you know."

I laughed, grateful for the levity. "Well, you almost dropped the mugs, so we're even."

He smirked, shaking his head. "Fair enough."

After a couple of minutes of silence, where none of us added anything, he finally spoke, his tone growing quieter. "Since Mackenzie, I don't think about... relationships. Too complicated. Too much trust involved, and that's... not easy for me."

I studied him for a moment, the vulnerability in his words catching me off guard. "I get it," I said softly.

Mark's brow lifted slightly. "You do?"

I nodded, my gaze dropping to the frozen pond.