The Jerk Of A Science Teacher

Broken Mirror

"So this is where you meant by 'where it all began.' I spoke as I stared up at the sign above the cafe. Mark had picked me up at 7 on the dot, before taking me to the same cafe we had our first date in.

"Yep, I hope that's okay," Mark asked, turning to me. I could see the worry in his eyes. He wanted to make this night perfect, I just hope he wasn't stressing out about it.

"You coming in or what?" I heard a voice shout from the doorway. Turning to look at the source, I found Sam grinning at us.

"Sam's here?"

"It wouldn't be like the first time if he wasn't. Anyway, he's going to help me with what I want to do tonight." What did he want to do tonight? He seemed nervous by the whole thing. He wouldn't bring me here, just to break up with me. Would he?

"Lovebirds, I'm counting down from 10 before I close these doors," Sam shouted, rolling his eyes. I could tell Sam was joking by the big grin and his eyebrow raised in a joking matter. I kissed Mark on the cheek before walking to the entrance.

"Come on." Mark soon followed, quickly catching up to hold my hand as we entered the cafe to see a table set out with a white tablecloth.

"You didn't have to do all this but thank you."

"I wanted to. I want to try again because I know no matter what I'll always be drawn to you. Now let's sit."

Sitting down at the table across from Mark I took the time to study him. He had worn a tie I had never seen before and his hair was neater than usual. Still messy but like it was on purpose. I could tell he was nervous by the way he was fiddling with his hands. Why would he be nervous? Is this to do with what Sam is helping him out with?

"We need to talk," I stated, breaking the silence between us. "We need to tell each other what we truly feel before we can move on." Mark gave a short nod, almost like he didn't want this to happen.

"Can I go first?" He asked. I nodded, leaning forward so I could get closer, showing I was truly interested in what he had to say. Mark took a deep breath before letting it all out.

"When you ran out, I didn't expect to feel the way I did. I felt devastated, lost, and hurt. Really hurt. I thought for sure you would say yes, I couldn't see what a big deal it was. I forget that you're younger than me because when I'm with you I forget everything. I forget our situation, I forget that we've only been dating for a few months and already I've fallen this hard. That's why I started to become cold towards you. It was overwhelming what you made me feel, just by smiling in my direction. With your big brown eyes, staring at me I felt like I could do anything but I also felt powerless. The power you have over me was scaring me. In my 24 years, I've never met anyone like you, Scarlett Miller. I want to travel the world with you because I want to see what's next for us. I understand if what I just said makes you want to run for the hills but know that I meant every word I said. I want to see what's in store for us and our relationship, but I can only do that if you still love me, Scarlett."

I was taken aback by Mark's speech. I finally knew how he felt towards me and our situation. As I looked at the man who had just poured his heart out to me I realised tears were running down his cheeks. He looked so vulnerable. Depending on what I said next would either fix his cracks or make them worse. He was a mirror of me in that moment, and we both had the power to fix each other or break each other.

"Mr Harris, Mark. I was scared when you announced your big travel plans to me, especially when I found out they involved me. I thought I would just be a whisper in the wind, a student you fell in love with that you would remember from time to time. When you asked me to travel the world, I realised how serious this was. Not that I didn't love you. God, I definitely love you. But I realised that the man sitting in front of me had stolen my heart. We had only been going out for a few months but I know that's all it took. For all that we've been through, I know we're strong together. I want to travel the world with you and explore our relationship and what we have waiting for us. Mark, I love you, whether you're my science teacher or just a man who happens to love me back."

Mark was grinning as he took my hand in his.

"In that case, Sam bring it here." Sam soon came out of the kitchen carrying a black jewellery box and a box of tissues.

"Beautiful, truly beautiful." He said, pretending to weep into a tissue while sniffing. "Want one?" He asked us, holding out the box of tissues. I shook my head no thanks, giggling slightly at his actions while Mark shook his head, rolling his eyes. Mark took the mystery box from Sam's hands before asking,

"You can never be serious can you?"

"Nope." Sam grinned, before skipping back to the kitchen.

"He's something else," Mark muttered under his breath.

"What's with the black box?" I asked him.

"I wanted to know if you still wanted to travel with me before I gave it to you. So here, open it." I looked at him with an eyebrow raised before slowly opening the box. I gasped at what was inside.

"Mark, it's beautiful." Inside was a silver paper airplane necklace.

"I thought it could be a good start to the souvenirs we'll collect. Here, I'll help you put it on." I stood up as Mark took the necklace before clasping it around my neck. He gave a light kiss on my shoulder before turning me to face him.

"I love you." He whispered before encasing his with mine. As our kisses became more passionate, I forgot the world. I forgot that I needed to speak to Riley, that graduation was coming up, that I needed to speak to my mom about travelling the world. It was just me, him and the cafe. Oh, and of course Sam.

~~~~~~

I tried to warm myself up with the hot drink placed in front of me. There was still a sense of winter as the months slowly moved on. I had arrived five minutes early so I could prepare myself to hear my best friend talk about her feelings towards my boyfriend.

Slowly she approached, sitting down next to me on the bench facing the pond.

"Why are we here Scarlett?" She asked. I knew she didn't want to talk about it. But it was the only way I could understand her feelings and try to help.

"I want to talk about Mark." She sighed, before rolling her eyes.

"I don't want to hear you go on about how perfect he is. You know that Scarlett."

"I know, I want to hear how you feel about him. From the moment you knew you liked him to now." She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Promise you won't get mad."

"Promise." What did I get myself into?

A/N-Guess who updated early? I know I probably won't have time next week so I thought I should do an earlier one. Is it important to you if a celebrity tells you their political views?