Secrets (Open to first person to reply)

[ladyoffiction]

((My thought is that Heather's father--the one night stand from years before--comes back into the picture. Passion is rekindled, they have a bad case of puppy love, and of course there's the fact that they have a kid together. Go ahead and reply. If there's more than one person interested I'll make a separate thread.))



"Heather? Are you ready to go?"

"I can't find my lucky hat!"

Jo Moss sighed as she finished washing the dishes. Breakfast had been particularly messy this morning for some reason. It might have been because Jo let her five year old daughter pour her own syrup. Never again. Jo dried her hands and made her way to her daughter's room, tripping over a pile of blocks. She sighed and kicked them aside, shaking her head. "Baby, I told you to clean up your toys!"

"I can't find my lucky hat!" was all Heather said. Jo sighed and poked her head into her daughter's room. It looked like a tornado had hit the pink, princess themed room. Toys, books, and clothes were scattered everywhere. The bed that Jo had just made was undone and everything that was in the closet was now on the floor.

"Heather!" Jo said, putting her hands on her hips.

Heather crawled out from under her bed, holding an old doll. She pouted. "I can't find my lucky hat!"

Jo rubbed her forehead. She hated messes. She went through great lengths to keep the house clean with a five year old in the house, but she just couldn't win. She wondered if Heather would ever pick up her cleaning habits. She probably got her messiness from her father. Jo felt a dull pain in her heart. Heather's father was out of the picture. It had been her fault; she didn't try to contact him when she found out about Heather. They were young and Jo didn't want to ruin the boy's life. Besides, Jo didn't need anyone to help her with Heather; she was a good mother. Jo cleared her throat, forcing her thoughts to return to the problem at hand. "Heather, you know I don't like it when you make your room dirty."

"But--"

"Your lucky hat is in the bathroom," Jo said patiently. Heather gasped in realization and ran out of the room, giggling. Jo looked at the room and sighed. "As soon as we get home, we're cleaning up this room!" she said, trying to be as forceful as possible. But, really, she couldn't be angry with her precious gem. No matter what the girl did. She left the room and went to the living room, picking up her camera bag. "Come on, baby. We're going to be late." Heather hopped in front of her mother and grinned, a worn pink hat covering her brown locks.

"I found it!" she said cheerfully. Jo smiled and knelt down, kissing her daughter's forehead.

"Come on, let's go." Jo took Heather's hand and they left their flat. It was sunny morning, but cool. The streets were partially crowded, making the five block walk rather easy. Their destination was Heather's preschool, a small place where Heather could 'express herself through different means'. Jo was always a fan of the arts. Saying good bye to Heather was one of the hardest parts of her day. She never wanted to let the girl out of her sight. But she was a growing girl and she needed to interact with kids her age. "I'll be back at two."

"That's when the little hand is on the 2 and the big hand is on the 12," Heather said, adjusting her hat.

"That's right." Giving Heather a quick kiss, she let the teacher take her inside the school. Jo sighed and stood outside the building for a moment, hugging her camera bag to her chest. "Two o'clock," she whispered.

Jo sighed and made her way to the park, a small place with plenty of flowers and thick green grass. She didn't have anything to that day, so she decided on taking some pictures for her portfolio. She took out her camera, put on her lense and started to take pictures. Mostly of flowers, and some of the people in the park.

 

[ladyoffiction]

((Bump))

 

[Gentle_Incubus]

What a sorry sight this was, a man thought to himself as he appraised his reflection in the mirror. He stared at the man in the mirror, who looked back with blue eyes that had to belong to someone older. Someone who didn't achieve success as soon as he graduated High School and skyrocketed through the world of advertising.
Such empty, tired eyes. What was missing?

Mark Talbot sighed, finished washing his hands and picked up his briefcase. Not ten minutes ago, he had just finished making a pitch for a new advertising campaign for some soda company. Because that's what Mark Talbot did.
Since university, he was scooped up by his firm to represent them, because Mark had what they called "charisma." His job was to work with aspiring or established artists and musicians to develop advertising campaigns for companies in need of one.
It was good money, and Mark had always been close to the arts. Back when he was a kid, he was going to "make it big" playing in some band that broke up shortly after it's formation. Silly dreams of a young man.

But, as Mark was riding the escalator down to the main floor of a lifeless building, he felt that he was missing something.
All he did was work, even when he wasn't working. He bought his penthouse not because he liked it, but because he felt his clients could feel comfortable with the decor. He used to love dancing, but now all he sees are the hotspots in the club where a poster could go, or if the live band would be interested in making a jingle.
Mark, also, was very much single. Despite being in his prime and fitting the "tall, dark and handsome" archetype to a Tee, he could never hang onto a girl for very long. He would just... lose interest.

Mark left the executive building, and out into the mad world of downtown. He ordered a hot dog from a vendor and started walking down the street.

Before long though, the wistful Mark found himself lost. He must have taken a turn somewhere, and now he was in an area of town he didn't recognize.
...It was small and quiet. At the heart of it was a park, green and beautiful. Mark could hardly believe it and felt called towards it. When was the last time he just laid on the grass and looked up at the clouds?

And so he wandered in, letting his whimsy take him away from his life of work and explored the little park.

In the very heart of the park, surrounded by flowers and green grass, Mark felt... at peace. He sat at the nearest bench and smiled quietly to himself, watching people just walk on by like he wasn't there.

A strange sound, as quiet as it was, managed to reach Mark's ears, however unlikely as it could have been. A camera shutter. It pulled Mark by the ear so that he could find the source of the sound. He was almost like a puppy in that way, perking up his ears at interesting sounds.

What he saw was... "Jo?" This was a woman who charmed him so that she and Mark shared one fateful night together. A darling girl that Mark, realizing as he admired her today, was still beautiful to him. But he was leaving town the next day to go to University, and she never called him back...
God, that must have been at least five years ago. "Jo!" He called out, trying to get her attention. Mark didn't bother to wait, as he rose from his seat and approached the woman. When he stood before her, however, he lost his words momentarily. Instead, he chuckled sheepishly to himself and tussled his thick, brown hair. "Small world, huh?" You idiot, it's been five or six years. "Uh... do you happen to remember me at all?"

 

[ladyoffiction]

The nature photos were getting old and fast. How many flowers did she have in her portfolio? How many couples holding hands, how many birds taking off or in mid-flight? She sighed slightly as she snapped a photo of a squirrel with an acorn in hand. It was a good shot--the lighting was perfect and the squirrel had even looked in her direction. But it was...well, it just wasn't right. Jo couldn't even explain it to herself, but she knew that the picture just wasn't good. The perfectionist in her demanded that she delete the picture immediately, but she remembered her father saying keep every picture, no matter how terrible. Being an experienced photographer himself, she had listened to the advice.

Jo was just deciding to try a different location when she heard someone call her name. She blinked. No...it couldn't be. That voice. She refused to believe it. Absolutely refused to believe that it was his voice. But as she looked up from her camera, her heart fell and fluttered at the same time. Mark.

She was speechless. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She gazed into his eyes, the same sharp blue eyes that Heather had. God, they looked so much alike. They had the same eyes, the same nose, the same chin. It was uncanny. It was him. It was Heather's father. Her brain processed his question a few moments after it left his lips, but she was still in shock. She shook her head, trying to get her mind to work. "Of..." her mouth was unbelievably dry. She swallowed and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry... Of course I remember you. Mark." Saying his name out loud for the first time in five years almost made her sick. "It's good to see you!" Her voice was slightly shaky, but she was regaining her composure. "How are you?"

 

[Gentle_Incubus]

The way Jo looked up at him was... surprising. Behind the shock, Mark thought he could see terror, which took him aback. But she quickly confirmed that she remembered him, which made Mark smile nonetheless.

"It's good to see you too... You're still so beautiful." Mark replied, remembering just how pretty this girl was... She was even more beautiful now, as a fully grown woman. Mark had to give pause to admire his former lover.

"I'm, uh..." Back to reality, Mark. She didn't call you, remember? Probably won't appreciate you ogling her. He smiled and scratched the top of his head. he had that roguish, lopsided smirk that always told people around him that he felt awkward, nervous or at a disadvantage.

"I'm doing okay. Mostly working... I, uh, see that you're still doing photography!" Mark's smile broadened, remembering the lovely pieces she showed him in her scrapbook years ago. "That's great. You've always had such a talent."
His brain tried to goad him into recruiting her, but another part... a part that's been hidden away... begged him not to.

 

[ladyoffiction]

Now that Jo was over her initial shock, she studied him. He was still as handsome as ever. She shivered slightly, remembering the night they had together 5 years ago. It was a night to remember, not only because she had conceived a child, but because it was one hell of a night. It had been passionate, wild, rough. Jo had woken up the next morning sore, but satisfied. She had woken up before him, so she took the opportunity to sneak out. She had his number, she would call him. It wasn't as if she wanted a relationship or anything, but few more nights like that were in order.

She didn't call him. Jo had found out she was pregnant several weeks after the encounter. Why she hadn't called him with the news, she didn't really know. She told herself that it was because they were so young; she couldn't tie down Mark to a child in the prime of his life. She snapped back to the present, smoothing her face so it wouldn't convey any fears. This was just a simple run-in with an old fling. He would be on his way in no time. He didn't have to know about Heather.

She nodded. "I am," she said, gesturing to her camera. She smiled a bit at the compliment. She remembered showing him her scrapbook filled with amateur photos arranged in weird ways to create a bigger picture. "Thank you." She stood their awkwardly for a moment, biting her lip. "Listen, Mark... I'm sorry I didn't call you." She dropped her gaze to her feet. "It was a...strange time for me."

 

[Gentle_Incubus]

"Well, hey, don't worry about it." Mark dismissed her apology with a quick smile. She didn't have to know about the nights where he'd sit on the edge of his bed looking at his phone... No, she didn't need to know about that. He'd made his peace with that long ago.
"It was a weird time for everyone, I think." He gave a reassuring nod to the lovely woman before him.

And she was lovely, wasn't she? It wasn't his choice for his eyes to smile affectionately, but they did nonetheless. He wasn't seeing anyone at the moment and he had just happened to run into the girl who... Well, a girl he remembered vividly.
"But if you're really sorry, how about we go out for coffee? You know, catch up."

Mark's hand reached out and gently grabbed Jo's, cradling it like one holds a small bird. He half-expected her hand to flutter out his grasp like a bird too. After all, she's the one who didn't call him, right? But still, Mark felt he had to take this chance. "I'd love to get to know you again, Jo Moss. If, you know, you don't find me too repulsive." He winked, a small think easily missed unless you were looking for it. A wink that didn't promise anything lewd, just maybe fun and cheeky company.

 

[ladyoffiction]

His offer was like a smack in the face for Jo. What could she possibly say to that? It was just coffee, but where would it lead? Their first night together had started out with a few drinks. The drinks led to dancing, the dancing led back to his place, more specifically in his bed... Jo could just see herself falling back into his bed with him on top of her. And that would have been great if it weren't for Heather. Jo couldn't get involved with him. It would make things far too complicated. So far, Heather hadn't asked much about her father. It was only a matter of time before she started getting curious, but she wasn't ready for that now.

Jo felt his hand slipping into hers and her heart fluttered. She bit her lip, looking up at him. He really was a sweet guy. Handsome too. How could she possibly say no? They could be friends. Getting sexually involved with him would complicate things, but being friends would be simple enough. She caught his wink and chuckled, feeling an odd feeling of deja vu. Except in a park, they in his apartment. Sighing slightly, she smiled. "You are anything but repulsive, Mark Talbot. Coffee sounds great." She squeezed his hand.