Fault [bxb] ✔

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CHAPTER 46 | Learning

ZACK'S P.O.V.

One year. One year without seeing his face. One year without having him this close to me. One year without hearing his voice. One year without feeling the contact of his hands against my skin, at least in a softer way that wasn't them hitting me. And a whole year without feeling those nice sensations that only him could give me when he touched me.

His fingers continued to caress my cheeks gently, and he still seemed very lost in what was currently going on, as if he couldn't believe that I was actually standing there before him... That I was actually in one piece, alive. And I couldn't blame him for not believing it. After a year of telling yourself that someone has died, and then finding that person again, alive, I think everyone would have the same reaction.

As Mark tried to digest what was currently happening, with his hands that had now switched their attention to run them slowly over my hair, I took some time to take in his appearance. He was still the same big, giant guy I had always known. I've grown up a bit, enough so I can nuzzle my face on his neck without having to stand on my tip toes. He still has that tattoo on his neck that only adds to his badass boy appearance, although right now, he didn't look so much like it. He still looked so handsome, although his face no longer showed that cold or hateful look. Now it looked softer, gentler... But most of all, sadder. His dark hair was still messy and his beard had grown up a little more. But that didn't make him any less attractive. Besides, I like beards. They're so damn hot.

I've been waiting so long for this moment to finally arrive. The moment where I finally would stop hiding and make myself seen to him. Since that incident occurred at the back of the building, I decided that a year would be more than enough time to let him think about and regret every single action that he did to me. And what a better way to make him regret his actions than to faking my death. I wouldn't have done it if I knew that he didn't care about me, but deep inside I knew he did, but he was too blind and lost in his life of lies to admit it.

I knew that he cared about me, even after the beating that almost killed me. I knew that if someone let him know that I had died, he would feel so torn and guilty for what he did. Now he is here, standing just inches away from me, with those and many more emotions evident on his face. I'm glad that everything went just as I planned.

You may be thinking that all of this was unnecessary. That I could've found a different way of revenge. But nothing was better than what I did. I wasn't just going to show up to the school the next day after he beat me up like a punching bag, and expect him to apologize to me without receiving any kind of payback. I knew I couldn't hurt him physically like he did to me. But emotionally... Yes, I could do that. He had to learn the consequences of his actions, he had to regret everything he did wrong, he had to feel as sorry as possible for killing me. And that's what I see on his face now that he's here in front of me.

He ran this long until getting to me, and I couldn't feel more accomplished now. I wasn't going to make my grand reappearance only by walking over to his house and say, Hey Mark! Look, I'm alive! just like that. I wanted to make him feel confused, shocked... That the image that was before his eyes wasn't real. If he really cared about me, then he was going to run after me and don't let me escape again. And that's what he did. I couldn't be happier and more grateful for that. My friends and aunt will be proud of me for what I was able to achieve. Besides, I had to show off my new running skills, that I was able to develop with the passing of time.

What matters now is that I have him here, and he has me here. There is a lot to explain to him, and he also has a lot to explain to me, whether he likes it or not. I didn't plan this whole year of faking my death only to hear lies spilling out of his mouth again. He's going to say the absolute truth, and I won't be playing games anymore.