Love hurts ...

[msboy8]

Mark

Mark had fun shopping with Pia. He enjoyed just being with her. God how he had missed that. "I agree, I don't think I'll be needed a suit, let's wait on a blazer. I'm hungry my darlin', let's have lunch."

Mark led her into Applebee's (yet another shameless plug) and ordered Tekiaki steak and Coconut shrimp dinners for them both. He got them a nice Rose' to go with their dinners and enjoyed having lunch with his one and only love.

"Where shall we go now my darling?", Mark asked the lovely Pia.

OOC: I hope Pia is not a vegetarian.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Pia

OOC:

No .. Pia is definitely not vegetarian ... sounds yummy!

IC:

"I agree, I don't think I'll be needed a suit, let's wait on a blazer. I'm hungry my darlin', let's have lunch."

Pia nodded and flushed at the casual endearment. It were as if the past 18 months had never happened and everything was now as it was ... then ...

"Sure ... I'm ravenous too!"

Pia commented then giggled remembering how Mark always used to tease her because of her very unfashionable appetite. Steak and shrimp! She sat back as Mark ordered smiling as he selected the perfect wine. It really felt as if he had never been away. She ate with gusto, her eyes meeting his again and again, whilst they chatted and laughed teasing each other about just how much they had eaten.

"Where shall we go now my darling?"

Pia smiled as she watched Mark pay the check.

"Welll .... we should go for a brisk walk ... the park ... or the lake ..."

She told him with an impish smile.

"Although I'm fit to collapse on the sofa ... "

She didn't add that she hadn't slept well the night before.

"So.... what do you think ... shall we be good .... or just go home and relax...?"

The casual mention of "home" - "their home" sounded good on her lips, but she suspected Mark might want to go for a walk first.
Either way, she was content; the day had been perfect so far.

 

[msboy8]

Mark

Pia

"So.... what do you think ... shall we be good .... or just go home and relax...?"

Mark beamed with pleasure. His Pia had just called it 'Home', their home. Life was so good. He wanted nothing better than to return home, home with his lovely partner, but he had a responsibility to their health and knew they needed to remain fit.

"Why don't you drive us to the lake, darling. We can have a nice talk while we walk off this fabulous lunch." He left a large tip and they walked out to her car.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Pia

"Why don't you drive us to the lake, darling. We can have a nice talk while we walk off this fabulous lunch."

Pia stood up ... stretching and rubbing her tum with a laugh.
Tucking her arm in Mark's they walked out of the restaurant and sauntered back to the car.
They chatted about the clothes they'd bought that morning, teased about the food they'd eaten and finally arrived at the lake.

The day was sunny, yet fresh, ideal weather for a stroll.
Arm in arm they walked on in silence. Pia watched Mark looking around, remembering, reacquainting himself with the once familiar surroundings. She left him to his own thoughts undistrubed, until he seemed to shake himself and smiled down at her, the warmth in his eyes making her heart lurch and race on.

"Shall we sit here ...?"

Pia steered Mark to a nearby bench where they sat closely their eyes trained on the reflections of light on the lake.
Pia turned her head and smiled at him, knowing that they had to talk ... and thinking that this was probably a good place to do it.

 

[msboy8]

Mark

"Pia, we need to talk. I'm not going back entirely to the life I had before. I don't need or want to be a lawyer anymore. I have a healthy savings account and the partnership money from the firm I established will serve us well. I won't even have to set foot in a courtroom again."

He continued staring into Pia's beautiful, soulful eyes, "They can even use my name at the firm, I don't mind. All I want to do is to get close to you again. And once we are comfortable with each other, I want to bring you to meet Ma & Pa Johanson. It'll be a lovely trip and you will end up loving them as much as I do."

"I want to know what you expect from 'us'. What your goals are and how I will fit into your life." Mark took her hands and waited for Pia to speak.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Pia

Pia sat and listened as Mark told her how he did not intend to go back to his original job, that he did not want to re-enter a courtroom. She made no comment, uncertain if it was a "phase" he was going through or if he really meant it.

"All I want to do is to get close to you again. And once we are comfortable with each other, I want to bring you to meet Ma & Pa Johanson. It'll be a lovely trip and you will end up loving them as much as I do."

She wanted to be close, but she wasn't sure about going "back" and meeting the people he'd spent so much time with over the past year or so.

"I want to know what you expect from 'us'. What your goals are and how I will fit into your life."

Pia stared down at her hands as they remained in Mark's before raising troubled eyes to his.

"I ... just don't know Mark ... "

She shook her head finding it difficult to analyze her feelings, much less put them into words.

"You've ... been through a terrible experience ... but ... I don't know why that should make you give up on your job ... you worked hard to get where you were ... why would you give that up?"

She sighed heavily.

"Of course, I can understand why you'd want to keep in touch with people who were good to you ... but travelling back there ... and for me to visit them... ?!?"

She searched his eyes totally taken aback by what he had said.

"I thought you'd dumped me. It hurt like hell.
It destroyed me ... but once I'd stopped crying, I picked myself up and got on ... My life and job are here, Mark."

She paused and shrugged.

"And I don't know how you fit into that ... yet ... I ... I know I want you to ... but ... today was so good ... so much like old times ... but ... it can't be like that ... not quite like that again ... you've changed Mark ... and perhaps so have I ... I don't know how it would be to become "us" again, do you Mark?"

She asked, returning the question to him.