'Dad, would you be proud of me now?'
Lost in the clouds of his mind, all Mark felt was the touch of her delicate lips. Passion had long melted the surrounding reality and left him in a wondrous daze.
His burning heart ardently pumped, perhaps due to the enlightening sense of fulfillment, or the surprise and shock of it all.
For a moment, or perhaps for a few, he felt as if he were at the top of the world. A flame burned away everything bad- his worries, regrets, concerns, and struggles equally dissolving in the heat of the moment.
After a few seconds- maybe minutes, the fervent fire in his mind faded away, condemned to the fate of an ephemeral memory.
They reluctantly pulled away before the kiss fully lost its charm. Still locked in an embrace, they looked at each other with a tantalizing gaze, a newly shining splendor in their eyes.
As conciousness returned to Mark, he felt like a new world has been suddenly pried into his sight. How beautifully unexplored it was, the possibilities lying ahead were inexplicably bountiful.
He caressed her cheek.
"Feeling better now?"
The brunette closed her eyes and shook her head. Caramel hair brushed against his arms.
"Hold me more."
Mark warmly obliged, pulling her unusually loose body closer in his embrace.
She was more vulnerable now than ever before, even being drunk or unconscious couldn't compare to how weak she seemed when burying herself against his body. The sight was remarkable in a guilty way, as if it were too great a privilege or sin to see her in such a state.
He wanted to hold her like this for the rest of all time.
"Ahem."
His attention was drawn by the sudden cough of an old man who was trying to make himself more pronounced in the room. Looking over, he realized Jack was sitting there. The poor guy was probably rattled by the sudden actions of his daughter but knew better than to spoil the moment.
Mark felt his body heat up once more- embarrassment taking the place of passion and fully dragging him from his reverie.
"A-ahaha, sorry if this took you by surprise…"
He looked at the brunette in his arms. His annoyance died down when faced against her seemingly helpless self.
With careful movement, Mark slowly led her to sit down on the couch. He loosened his hold on her but she refused to let him go, instead tightening her arms around his back.
She truly seemed like a desperate heroine.
He pried his gaze and refocused on Jack, who had returned his calm. The old man had a smile on his face.
"I had been expecting this for a while after having seen the two of you together for the past months. Yet, it never fully went through my head- that the man who brought my daughter home drunk in the dead of night would be the one."
Mark chuckled.
"Life is full of all sorts of random surprises. Im just thankful to have been blessed with the best one."
He heard and felt the brunette giggle on his shoulder. She seemed to have suddenly become an infectious bundle of joy, as her laughter soon spread to everone in the room.
Jack regained his poise and, having forgotten the worries that plagued him just minutes ago, smiled with the crookedness of a man who usually keeps a stern face.
He addresses the brunette amusedly.
"It's good that you finally have someone to love. I thought you were going to live without ever experiencing the joy of having a man to share your heart with."
'Wait, what?'
The brunette slowly rose from her embrace and sat by Mark's side, keeping one arm hooked around his back while cozying up to his side.
She answered with feigned exasperation.
"What do you mean by 'never'? I always had been keeping my eyes open."
Mark broke from his stupor. He looked at the brunette in shock.
"You haven't been in a relationship? Even a small one?"
She shook her head
"Not even a small one."
Even as she said that, it was hard to believe such an answer.
Her looks alone would have made her a beauty amongst others, let alone the aura of utter joy that she radiated. No, she had to have been pursued by a great number of men… but they were probably rejected.
'Heh.'
This wasn't the first time Mark had asked himself this question, but now it felt more urgent than before.
How was he able to be with such an angel? Is this blessing not unworthy of his modest self?
A simple bartender now turned jobless was accompanying a peerless woman who was not only supporting him, but would be better described as his one and only lifeline.
Guilt rid Mark with holes, the same way that carabine had mercilessly punctured his shoulder. Every time he thought of his standing it felt like another bullet pierced into his body.
Insecurity was truly something.
"Oh, the food is here."
Jack gestured to the area behind Mark's sight.
"It seems my beloved daughter has finally made up her mind and settled for someone."
Mark watched as the brunette's mother, Melissa, brought a couple of trays to the large coffee table between the couches. There was an assortment of food, but a lot of bread- the most common staple on the ration sheet.
After that, she strode with the grace of a gazelle, sat down next to Jack, and gently accepted the hand he had offered.
The two generational couples sat across from each other on the luxuriously comforting couches.
Having been with the family for a while, Mark had eventually gotten used to the brunette's mother. Perhaps he had warmed up to her after some time, or had just started to forget the constant threat of his own mother.
Melissa's blue eyes twinkled like the surface of a resplendent lake.
"Thank you for keeping her safe. It must have been hard for her to have been chased around in such a familiar fashion."
The mother seemed to have accidentally said the last part, as afterwards Mark could see her eyes widen ever-so slightly.
'A familiar fashion?'
As much as he didn't want to prove, a subtle nosiness took over his Mark's mind. A totally new side to the brunette had just been turned over, and for some reason, he really wanted to know more.
He tilted his head.
"What do you mean by that?"