𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙡𝙮 / 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙝𝙮𝙪𝙘𝙠

chapter eleven

The interruption seemed to cut Mark off and he wasn't in a hurry to continue.

"This is what I was avoiding. Putting you in this position where you're actually sad to leave me. You don't deserve it, to be upset over me." Donghyuck shared, referring back to when he was out on the hotel balcony in fear of getting too attached.

"We both deserve it equally as much, Donghyuck. I like you, you like me, remember?" Mark comforted.

Donghyuck stretched his arm out as it was cramping up and he accidentally knocked over his Coke all over the tray table. It got onto Mark's watch, too, so he took it off as both of them looked for napkins and cleaned it up.

"I'm sorry." Donghyuck sheeply replied.

"Just a spill."

"For making you like me." He continued.

"Oh."

And just then, the plane came to a jolt as it landed on the runway. As soon as they pulled up to the airport though, Mark's phone rang.

He shyly smiled at Donghyuck and picked it up.

"Hello?" Mark paused to listen to the caller, "Late? Why's it starting now?" He replied, sounding increasingly worried. "No, I'm on the plane still. Why is it moved? Oh." Mark unbuckled his seatbelt and while still listening to the caller, packed his bag up. "I can be there in forty minutes minimum." He told the caller. They said goodbye and he hung up.

"Is everything okay?" Donghyuck asked, trying to make contact with Mark's eyes.

"They moved the funeral up. I don't know exactly why, it was supposed to be hours from now." He informed the younger.

The inside lights in the plane turned on, telling everyone it was time to exit and the doors opened.

"I've got to run." He said to Donghyuck, hesitating to actually leave.

"Goodbye, Mark." Donghyuck quietly wished him farewell. "Hope you make it on time." He forced a smile, even if it wasn't true in his eyes.

"See you, Donghyuck." Mark said back, and then finally rushed into the isle and off the plane.

Donghyuck sat frozen in his seat as he watched the older walk out of his life. He tried telling himself that maybe it was for the best that they couldn't spend more time together. Maybe Mark really was an asshole.

Nah, he's not.

Everyone around Donghyuck had gotten up and left already so he picked himself back up, took a deep breath, and stood up to leave.

On the pouch in front of Mark's seat, sat the other boy's watch. He must've forgotten it since he was in such a rush. It looked pretty expensive so Donghyuck felt sad that he'd lost it. He picked it up and left the plane, taking one last look at their seats, now empty.

Donghyuck went up to the airport worker at the desk outside the gate and told her about the watch that was left behind.

"His name is Mark, he's in a rush out of the airport but I want him to get his watch back."

"Do you have a number for Mark?" She asked.

Donghyuck was hitting himself. He hadn't even gotten the older boy's number. They'd been on their phones, why didn't he ask? Why was he this stupid?

"No, can't you find it on the computer thing?" He asked the lady.

"Well if he really is in a rush like you say, he's probably out of the airport by now." She told him. "You can stay here for ten minutes, but after that it's pretty much a lost cause."

Donghyuck sighed and took a seat nearby. He opened his phone and scrolled aimlessly. Every now and then a few people ran past the gate and it made Donghyuck stand up, in hopes it was Mark. It wasn't. He shut his eyes for a moment and leaned his head against his hand. His backpack had fallen off the chair onto the ground but he was too lazy to pick it up and move it out of the way. He just watched it sit there, as motionless as himself. God, he was comparing himself to a backpack. He needed to get up and start moving again. Not just moving, but moving on. He'd ran away once before and now he just had to do it again. This time though, it wasn't away from hate, it was away from love. Much harder.