Message In A Bottle ↬Markson

Chapter 6

It's been a few weeks, Mark and Jackson haven't talked to each other ever since the meeting.

Mark has been busy with his store, since the holidays were coming around next month.

The dark haired boy has been trying to avoid Yugyeom and BamBam, he didn't want to see them because he was afraid of the things Jackson might have told them about their meeting.

Often Mark thought about the meeting and what would happen if he'd meet Yugyeom and BamBam again. He regularly thought about what Jackson would've said to the couple about the meeting. Mark hates to admit that he thinks he might have made a wrong impression. This was mostly because of his introverted character, which clearly showed during their meeting.

When Mark had walked back home after the meeting he felt bad because he thought he had been too quiet and listened too much. He felt that way because Jackson talked a lot. Mark was fine with that but he felt that he should've talked a bit more.

Of course feelings like these always came after such meetings and there was no way turning back now. Mark talked about it with Jaebum and Youngjae but they weren't much of a help as they kind of made a joke out of it, saying Mark was probably too distracted by his beauty. The 23 year old boy knew that they didn't mean that and he could laugh about it later, yet he felt like they didn't totally understand him.

Along with the fact he didn't have much friends beside the two, he couldn't talk to anyone else about how he felt. He just simply left it and accepted the fact that he needed to live with it.

The American native was scared Jackson had told his friends about how quiet and boring he was during their meeting. This was why he didn't want to face the couple, afraid they'd say bad things about him or he was just generally scared to make a bad impression on them too now.

Around three weeks after the meeting the infamous couple came into the store. Mark is working a shift alone so no one else, for example Jaebum, is around to talk to the couple.

After Mark throws away some rotten apples and oranges in the trash at the back of the store, a place where customers weren't allowed to go, he comes back into the store. He is about to head back to the back of the store again when he hears the bell of the store ring, signaling a new customer has walked in.

Mark put on a smile and turns to the door, when he sees Yugyeom and BamBam walking in. His smile fades and stares at the two boys.

"Hi hyung!" they both greet enthusiastically.

Mark quickly puts his smile back on, "Hi guys, how are you doing?"

Mark is trying not to seem too obvious about the fact that he feels a nervous and unsettling feeling in his stomach. He immediately thinks about his encounter with Jackson and flashbacks of the gathering flash in front of his eyes.

"We're good hyung, how are you?"

"I- I'm good too. What brought you guys back here?"

"Well, we actually were thinking of getting some dried fruits again, we really enjoyed those last time. And just some other stuff we usually get aswell."

"Well help yourselves, the dried fruits are over there." Mark says, pointing at the dried fruits, which are standing next to the nuts he imported from Europe a few days ago. "If you need me, I'll be at the back. Just tell me when you're done and I'll come back so you guys can pay for everything." The younger nod in confirmation and walk towards the dried fruits.

Mark hurries to the back and he sits down on the chair in his office. He puts his head in his hands, covering his eyes. He lets the nerve wrecking feeling settle in the pit of his stomach. He doesn't want to see the other two. He became scared and he didn't want them to come in. Mark barely even processed the whole meeting with Jackson and the bad impression he made on the younger.