Cartel│Mark Lee

The Same Sky

Love can never be forgotten. It was something that just couldn't fade away with given time or with the pure intention of ignorance. I came to learn that love found you, even in the darkest of days. Love was something you couldn't search for, unlike happiness. I looked for happiness in Mark because some part of me felt as if he was the only thing that could hold happiness just within its presence. With Mark, I found happiness and love found me. As I looked at him I saw more than a stubborn man with a gold persona; I saw the only thing that made me want to get up in the morning, my sunshine and smile. Like a reflection, he saw right through me and embodied it. We had both changed each other's lives ever since the first moment he used me as his pawn on the street. When I was in his presence it seemed like the whole world would stop and I was finally able to catch my breath in a world of malice. 

I felt the cold gust of winds hit my body for miles. The top of the car was down making the hairs on my arms stand tall as I shivered. Mark, in the driver's seat, smiled brightly as he looked down the endless road. We abandoned our life with great measure. As the wheels on the tires turned, so did my head. "What about Taeyong? What if people come to find us?" My mind reeled with questions for Mark to answer. As I grew worrisome, he grew brighter. It seemed that for each mile we traveled away from our dull house, the more he seemed free. He dreamed of a day like this. A day where he finally had enough courage to run away himself. Mark never gave his pleasure a chance before today. It seemed that Mark had found his entire happiness the moment he turned the car engine on. 

"Taeyong and any other person you can think of in your pretty little head will be fine. I left them envelopes with cash; an amount of money that is more than able to fulfill their wildest dreams. They will revolutionize the Cartel. They will find a new leader and go on with the business. Finding us will be the least of their concerns with a position like mine open. Assuming me dead will be the higher up gentlemen's main priority." Mark never made decisions without having a backed-up plan set in stone. I could only find comfort in the fact that Mark was rarely wrong or hasty when it came to his life and the business. I let out a deep breath hoping to calm my senses. "Are you sure you're ready to leave everything behind?" I asked. I couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt running away with Mark. I believed Mark thought that leaving with me was the best answer to fixing us forever and I didn't want to be accountable for him leaving his life. 

"I've never been so sure about anything in my life." He reassured me. Mark looked ethereal, as if the whole world was still his. A man who once lived a dull and painful life finally let go. "Have you ever had a dream?" He asked. I looked at him in confusion as he continued speeding down the highway. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live your own life? To not work day and night." He grasped the steering wheel tightly at his words. "I can travel the world, be in love, and finally be free." I tilted my head to see him lightly chuckle in disbelief at his words. "I came to know that running away fixes nothing, Mark. Hell, we should know that by now." My doubts didn't faze him as he continued to smile. "It doesn't hurt to try again. But it's different this time. This time we are running together. " He lightly laughed. I was left speechless at his positive attitude.

"You know, the distance that always came between us never bothered me that much," Mark spoke wisely and I turned to him. "What do you mean?" I found myself hurt by his words and couldn't help but grimace. "I knew as long as we shared the same sky that I would be at peace. Because even if we were millions of miles apart, you would still only be a short sky away." He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. "That is exactly how I feel about leaving the Cartel. I know that the life I built there will always be only a sky away. I won't miss it because it will always be apart of me and it still exists even within the distance." Mark was radiant with light. He embodied the vision of peace and I couldn't help but smile at his realization. "I hope you can come to feel the same way." He glanced at me quickly before returning his attention to the road. 

"Where are we headed, Mark?" I was curious about our endless driving without a set destination. Mark always had a plan, so why did he not seem to have a purpose while driving further away by each minute? "The question is where should we go first." He was delighted by the thought of endless adventure. He had been stuck in one place all his life and was finally able to roam without a second thought. Mark had enough money to last both of us lifetimes. I knew anything I wanted was at arms reach of me. Nothing felt far away from my grasps, but I didn't long for anything. I only desired the man next to me. "I've followed you around since the first day I laid eyes on you. I'll go with you anywhere, no matter the destination." I said and Mark grazed my hand lightly with his thumb. "I guess we will go wherever life takes us then." He pressed his foot harder on the gas and I squealed at how fast we going. With the sun setting on the horizon I leaned back into my seat. 

"This feels eternal." My arms rose above my head as I closed my eyes, letting the wind rush by me. Mark released his hand from mine and placed it on my thigh. I smiled at the endless possibilities of this new profound life of ours. A life with no end or beginning. I was out of my head. Hopelessly dreaming of my future devoted to Mark. I had always believed that all bad came with good; that everything in your life happened for a reason. Seeing all the bad Mark and I had endured together made me believe this was the good that came with it. The feeling of bliss experienced together under the same sky we shared. As if all the bad memories slipped away from my grasp, I brightly smiled. The sky we shared, once clouded and dark, became blue again. I turned to Mark and time began to go by so slow. With his face beaming in the sunlight and his hand gripped on my thigh, I sighed in pure ecstasy. Our eyes met for a brief moment, making me feel strong and untouchable.  At that exact moment, I knew this was it. My worries and fears slipped away and became unreachable as I finally realized this was our forever.