Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.
Chapter 7
"What's wrong Mark? You have been tossing for the past two hours or so," Glenn sat up in bed and turned on the light.
"It's nothing, I just can't get to sleep," Mark fluffed up his pillow and settled down once again.
Glenn checked his watch which read half past two in the morning. He rubbed his face wearily as he said, "Don't lie to me. Tell me what's bothering you, and then, we can all get some sleep."
He waited for Mark to say something but he remained quiet. When Mark came back from the gym earlier on, he had tried to get him to talk about what happened at the party but he refused to discuss it.
Glenn sighed. "Okay, just remember that I'm here if you need to talk," and he turned off the light and settled down to sleep.
Minutes ticked by and Mark suddenly spoke up in the dark. "Ever get the feeling that you're stuck in one place and you don't know which direction to go?"
Glenn sat back up and turned back on the light. He gave his brother a perplexed look. "Has this got anything to do with what happened at the party? Tell me what happened."
"I don't want to talk about the party, not now, not ever! So, stop asking me about it!" Mark snapped at him as he sat up.
"I'm just trying to help, so don't take it out on me!" Glenn gave him a crossed look.
Mark mumbled an apology. He looked so lost that Glenn reached out and patted him on the leg. "What's really troubling you?"
Mark looked up at him. "I don't understand why this is happening to me now. For the past thirty-odd years, I know who I was but I don't know who I am anymore. I'm trying to figure out at which point in my life I took a wrong turn. Everything was perfect, until …" he stopped suddenly.
"Go on," Glenn encouraged him to go on. He wanted him to get everything off his chest.
Mark spoke quietly. "I knew who I was until I broke up with Sable. I've never told anyone this, but she was the one who initiated the break-up, she was unhappy."
Glenn maintained his silence. No one knew what happened to cause the break-up. Neither Mark nor Sable said anything about it to anyone. They just went their separate ways. And now, he was going to find out the reasons from Mark.
"I thought things were fine between us, but apparently it wasn't," Mark continued. "I did all I could to make her happy, I never denied her anything, but it still wasn't good enough for her. Out of the blue, she told me that I've changed, that things were different between us. I had no idea what she was talking about. I admit we had our differences, nothing too major. She likes to talk about what she did the whole day, from A to Z, whilst I'm not much of a talker. She likes to go out all the time but I prefer to stay in and have a quiet evening. But, I'd always given in and took her out wherever she wanted. I don't know, maybe we made the mistake of falling into the routine of an old married couple. She suggested that we take some time off away from each other. I was against it but she insisted, saying she needs to do some self-evaluation. We never did get back together. She knew it was over before I did."
"It's for the best, Mark, at least both of you realized you weren't meant for each other before you actually tied the knot," Glenn said.
"Maybe you're right but I can't help feeling that the problem lies with me. I'm starting to have doubts about myself. I don't know, maybe it's just a middle-age phase that I'm going through. I tried to look at what I've done in the past objectively but I still can't figure out where I went wrong with Sable."
"I think I understand how you feel; you think it's your fault that things didn't work out. Maybe Sable decided that something's missing in the relationship and made the call to get out. You have to respect her decision but it doesn't mean that you or she is at fault. Just accept it for what it is and move on."
"I know but it makes me apprehensive to start anything with anyone. I really want to, but what if the same thing happens again?"
"But what if it doesn't? No one can guarantee that nothing will go wrong in a relationship. All you can do is to try to make it work. You have always been one to worry too much, Mark, just go with the flow and stop over thinking everything!"
Glenn decided to ask him there and then.
"I'm curious; you've never shown any interest in anyone since Sable, until lately. Want to tell me what's going on between you and Jeff?"
"Nothing's going on between us, we're just working colleagues," Mark said, albeit a little too quickly.
Glenn gave him a look of disapproval. "I'm your brother and I would appreciate it if you can be at least honest with me. Frankly, your actions do not indicate that you're just colleagues, but whatever it is, I seriously hope you can be more than friends with him." He settled down to sleep while Mark sat there and gave him a disconcerted look.
"And what makes you think I want a relationship with him?" Mark asked, wondering just how much Glenn knew.
Glenn turned to face him. "Stop trying to deceive me! It's pretty obvious that you are mighty interested in him and vice versa. I believe it all began when you invited him and Matt out for drinks, remember? And then, there was the beach incident where Terri went ape-shit because you were spending time with him instead of her, and let's not forget the dinner incident where you wanted to throttle Jericho because he kissed your boy. Do you want me to continue?" he smirked at him.
Mark recalled his predicament came about that night Shawn followed him to the washroom and highlighted the possibility that he might be gay, and that he was probably looking at the wrong gender for love. That had led him to seriously question his own sexual orientation. He couldn't deny that Jeff had been intruding into his thoughts lately.
"Tell me honestly, do you think I'm gay, and would it bother you at all if I'm actually gay?" Mark asked.
Glenn shook his head. "I don't know Mark, I'm in no position to say, you should know better than me. Bothered? I wouldn't be encouraging you to go after the kid if I had minded. Gay or not, you're still my stubborn, tough sob of a brother that I love. Now, tell me the truth, are you close to finding out your sexual preferences?"
Mark leaned back with a weary sigh. "I don't know. I could be bisexual, I'm still not sure. It would be easier if people stop putting me in situations which makes it difficult for me to figure things out."
"What situations are you talking about?" Glenn gave him puzzled look.
"Nothing," Mark said quickly, realizing he almost gave himself away.
Glenn stared at him for a while, knowing Mark was hiding something from him, but he decided not to pursue the subject since Mark was obviously unwilling to tell.
"You should try to look at it from a different perspective. I know our friends are pretty nosey but they are just trying to help. Need I point out that they are doing it because they care about you?"
Mark grunted. "You call it concern, I call it meddling!" and he lay back down, indicating an end to the discussion.
Glenn shook his head and turned off the light. He was trying to pave the way for Mark and Ric to make up, but under the circumstances, he decided it was best not to mention to Mark that Ric would be coming over tomorrow. Ric had called him earlier to ask about Mark. It was obvious he was worried about him. Glenn had assured him that Mark would eventually calm down that he just needed to blow off steam. He asked Ric if he knew why Mark hit him. Ric evaded answering him, saying it was late and that he would come over tomorrow and settle things over with Mark.
Feeling better after talking things over with Glenn, Mark settled down to getting some sleep. It wasn't Sable that plagued his thoughts, but the image of a bashful green-eye, blonde smiling at him. He couldn't help wondering if it was foolish to hold back, what if Chris moved in before him? The thought of breaking his word crept into his thoughts but he didn't want to end up hurting Jeff. Still half-minded about what he should do, he finally fell asleep.
-ooo—
Mark wasn't the only one who didn't sleep well that night. Ric and Shawn didn't look too spritely the following morning. Ric because he knew he had to face Mark and it was going to be awkward. He knew he owed him an apology. As for Shawn, he had found out from Ric what exactly happened at the close-door party and he knew right then his days were numbered. He had no idea that Ric had acquired the services of porn stars for their purpose. Ric didn't exactly spell out all the details to him and he didn't ask, trusting his friend to have a well-oiled plan in place. All he knew was that Mark would be presented with choices. Well, the plan backfired and he was going to face the Deadman's wrath.
"Are you going to tell him about my involvement? Please don't!" Shawn pleaded with him. He had gone over to Ric's early in the morning with a purpose, to dissuade him from telling Mark that he was the one who roped him in to help.
Ric sighed. "Shawn, I told you yesterday, I won't if I don't have to but if Mark forces my hand, I would have to tell him. I'm sorry but you know Mark, he would know if I was lying to him."
Shawn slumped dejectedly back in his seat. "I'm a walking Deadman," he said in a wretched tone.
Hunter put his arm around him to console him, "I'm not letting you face Mark by yourself, I will be right beside you. You know I would take the punches for you."
"You're the best, Hunt," Shawn patted him on the cheek.
"There's no avoiding Mark but I think I should call Glenn to find out what kind of mood Mark is in before we head over to talk to him," Ric said
"We?" Shawn laughed uneasily. "Are you suggesting that we come along? I don't think so. You go ahead and let us know how it goes with Mark that is, if you make it out alive to tell us."
"Mark is not going to do anything!" Ric scolded. "Well, I don't think he can do any worse than punching me again. Anyways, I have to go and apologize to him. I won't force you to come along with me if you don't want to." Both Shawn and Hunter were relieved to hear him say that. They waited as Ric called Glenn.
"How is he?" Ric got to the point.
"Restless like a caged animal, he didn't sleep well last night. If you wish to talk to him, you better come over now because I don't know if his mood is going to get any better, it might get worse," Glenn warned.
"I'll be right there, don't let him leave" and Ric hung up and started pulling on his shoes.
"You are really going to see him now? Mark is never a morning person, maybe you should wait," Shawn pointed out.
"I just want to get it over with," Ric said as he headed for the door. "I don't want this hanging over my head. Mark and I have been friends far too long to let our friendship end this way. Are you guys coming or not?" he looked at them.
Shawn and Hunter looked at each other. "It's your call, I'll go if you decide to go," Hunter said.
"Okay, we might as well," Shawn said reluctantly. He would have Hunter for protection and Mark's anger would mainly be directed at Ric. "I asked for your help, the least I could do is to accompany you," he spoke to Ric.
Glenn was about to get the door but Mark beat him to it. He scowled at them. But before he could say anything, Ric cut in. "Before you start kicking my ass all over the place, I just came to say I'm sorry for what happened last night. I have taken it a bit too far and for that, I sincerely apologize. I hope we can be friends again."
Mark glared at him. "So, you admit you set the whole thing up."
Ric gave him an apologetic look. "I swear I was just trying to help, I didn't mean to cause you any embarrassment whatsoever, and that's the truth."
Mark glanced over his shoulders at Shawn, who immediately hid behind Hunter. "Hey," Shawn gave him a small wave and a weak grin.
"Let me guess, did Shawn put you up to it? If he did, I'm going to wring his scrawny little neck!" Mark growled.
Shawn hid completely behind Hunter, praying for the best.
"Don't blame Shawn. He did ask me for help but I was the one who set up the whole thing. He didn't know what I had planned. I didn't provide him with the details. No one knew about it except for me and Ricardo … and the cast." Ric couldn't help himself, grinning at the last part.
"You think this is funny? You made me a laughing stock, Ric! Everyone will be talking about it! Do you have any idea the damage you have caused me?" Mark bellowed.
"I swear to you Mark, no one else knows. No one will find out," Ric tried to reassure him.
"Well, someone knew and spread the word! Jeff knew I was at the party, he asked me about it last night!"
"You were with Jeff last night?" Glenn spoke up from behind him, looking surprised.
"Don't change the subject!" Mark barked at him and turned back to the others. "Jeff knew which means someone has been talking!" He glared at Shawn who was peeking at him from behind Hunter. "You!" he pointed at him. "Did you mention the party to anyone?"
Hunter looked uneasy. He knew that Shawn told Dwayne and Kurt about it and knowing Dwayne, who just couldn't keep his big mouth shut, he must have spread the news.
"Well?" Mark waited for a response from Shawn.
"I might have said something," Shawn admitted reluctantly.
Mark pushed Ric out of the way and lunged at him. Shawn squeaked with fright but Hunter stood his ground and barred Mark's way.
"Easy there Mark," he put his hands out to stay him. "Shawn didn't know it will come to this. You have to understand that he was only trying to help, just like Ric was. None of us meant you any harm."
Mark pointed a finger at Shawn and growled out, "This is the last time I'm telling you to stay out of my business!"
"We won't meddle anymore," Ric assured him. "I promise that not a word will get out about last night from here on. We will get out of your way now," he ushered Shawn and Hunter away quickly.
After they left, Glenn's inquisitiveness got the better of him. "What actually happened at the party? What's the big secret?"
"Don't ask!" Mark went about preparing to leave.
"Another thing, I thought you went to the gym last night. When did you see Jeff?"
Mark glared at him. "That's none of your business!"
He collected his wallet and cardkey and walked out. Glenn followed him, a sheepish grin on his face. So, his dear brother had been seeing the kid secretly. He wondered what else Mark had been hiding from him?
-ooo-
Jeff didn't sleep well at all, he had waited up for Matt but he never came back. He wasn't too worried about him though, knowing Matt probably spent the night at Torrie's. He slept fitfully until day broke, and Matt still hadn't returned. Jeff continued to wait in his room until eight before finally deciding to go out and look for him. He stopped first at the front desk to check on Torrie's room number before making his way there. He knocked and waited. Trish answered the door a minute later.
"Jeff?" she was surprised to see him. Her disheveled hair told him he had gotten her out of bed.
"Sorry for waking you up Trish but I'm looking for Matty. Is he here?"
"No, why would you think he would be here?" Trish asked.
"I thought he would be staying with Torrie. Can I speak to her?"
"She didn't come back last night. I thought she might be staying with your brother. Do you think something happen to them?" she asked anxiously.
Jeff had the same thought. Where could his brother be?
Seeing his anxiety, Trish said quickly, "They probably book a room somewhere to have some privacy," she gave an awkward laugh.
"You may be right. Thanks Trish, I'm sorry for waking you up."
Jeff left, unsure where else to look. He decided to wait in the lobby, hoping to catch sight of Matt. Jeff didn't have any money on him and if he ate and charged it to their room, Matt would get angry with him. Whilst he was waiting, Chris came upon him on his way to the gym. Chris was glad to see him. "Hey, what's with the frown, Jeffro?" Jeff blushed prettily at the term. Only Matt called him Jeffro and Chris had addressed him the same and he really liked that.
"I can't find Matty, he didn't come back last night. I'm hoping to catch him when he gets in," Jeff informed him.
"He's a grown man. He knows his way back. Don't forget, we have to fly out this afternoon to Denver. He'll be back before then," Chris assured him.
"I forgot that we have to leave this afternoon," Jeff said sheepishly as he got up. "I might as well go up and packed."
"Wait …" Chris suddenly remembered that Matt controlled the purse strings, "have you had breakfast yet?"
"I'm not that hungry …" Jeff started to say.
"You have to start the day right by eating right. Come with me, I don't want any arguments. He held his hand and led him to the breakfast room, deciding that spending quality time with Jeff was definitely more favorable than toiling in the gym. And who, but Mark and Glenn saw them walked in.
"Chris seems to be spending a lot of time with Jeff," Glenn said with a grin.
Mark fumed quietly. Why must his day always start that way? His mood was completely ruined!
Chris noticed him first and smirked at him. "Hey Jeff, the Deadman is here and he's watching us." He couldn't help noticing that Jeff's face lit up at the news. Jeff found Mark and smiled at him and Glenn. He was about to suggest they joined them when he remembered that Chris and Mark didn't get along.
"Let's sit over there," Chris led him towards a table, some three tables away from Mark's but in a position where Mark had a good view of them.
"He's trying to taunt you, I hope you're not going to respond to it," Glenn grinned at his brother.
Before Mark could retort, his cell phone rang. Glenn's phone rang at the same time as well. Both pulled out their phones and read the text message. It was from Vince informing them that the show in Denver had been cancelled due to a tornado alert there. They were advised to stay put pending further notice.
"Everyone should have gotten the message by now," Glenn said as he put his phone away when Mark stood up. "Where are you going? I'm not finished here."
"I'm just letting Jeff know in case he didn't get the message," Mark said.
"Right," Glenn watched with amusement as Mark made his way to the other table to relay the message.
"We know," Chris said in a cocky tone when Mark told them.
"Thanks for taking the trouble to tell us," Jeff flushed with pleasure. The fact that Mark came over sent his heart racing. He wanted to believe that Mark was paying him attention but he was almost afraid to hope.
"You're welcome," Mark smiled down at him, ignoring Chris. "Since we are stuck here for a while, maybe you would like to go to the race meet with me at Ferguson this afternoon."
Jeff nodded eagerly, "I would love to! What time should we meet?"
Chris scowled furiously as Mark threw him a quick smug look before responding to Jeff. "I'll meet you in the lobby at one. See you then" and he left with a smirk on his face.
Jeff noticed that Chris didn't look too happy. "Would you like to come with us, Chris?" he asked.
"I wasn't invited but I might pop over if I have nothing else to do."
Chris already had the intention to do just that. He was actually surprised that Mark asked Jeff out. He had grown extremely fond of Jeff and as much as he hated to admit it, he was jealous of Mark. Moreover, he was anxious about Mark's intentions. Mark was at a crossroad at the moment and Chris didn't want him trifling with Jeff's feelings until he sorted out his sexuality issues.
Glenn stopped eating when Mark sat down, obviously in a good mood for a change. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked, "What happened? You're grinning like a Cheshire cat."
"I'm taking Jeff to the grand prix this afternoon," Mark said cheerfully.
Glenn cleared his throat. "Is this a date thing or can I tag along?"
Mark thought for a moment and finally said, "You can come along but just make yourself scarce when we get there."
Glenn looked at him seriously. He was all for Mark taking a step forward but he thought he should remind him again. "I'm happy that you're socializing again, but until you have sorted out your personal issues, don't hurt the boy's feelings."
"I'm just taking him out to get to know him better. You don't need to worry, I won't do anything stupid."
"I hope so," Glenn muttered under his breath but Mark heard him.
"I know what I'm doing!" he said with deliberate emphasis. "Are you done yet?"
"Yes, but why are you in such a hurry?" Glenn asked as he followed Mark out.
"I need a hair-cut and I want to get a new jacket," Mark responded.
"What's wrong with the one you have now?" Glenn asked.
Mark stopped and turned to him, "What's with all these questions today?" he gave him a vexed look.
"I'm just curious that's all. You don't usually go shopping unless Christmas is around the corner."
Mark shook his head and continued his way. "I just need to get a new one, and stop asking me any more questions!"
"Can I come along?" Glenn asked, grinning impishly. "What?" he gave him an innocent look when Mark glared at him.
Mark didn't say anything and Glenn just tagged along. Mark got everything done after almost two and a half hours. He even bought a new pair of boots. They headed back to shower and change.
"I've decided to take the bike, you can take the car," Mark tossed him the car key once he was dressed. He had put on his new leather jacket and boots with white shirt and black jeans.
"Doesn't it make more sense to take the car? There are three of us," Glenn pointed out.
"I want to take the bike out for a ride," Mark said pointedly, putting an end to the discussion.
"Which means I'm supposed to go by myself," Glenn muttered.
Mark ignored him and prepared to leave. "I'll see you," he said and closed the door behind him.
Glenn decided to leave in another half an hour and settled down to watch some tv.
-ooo-
Jeff parted ways with Chris after breakfast and spent the entire time going through his wardrobe to look for something decent to wear on his date with Mark. He had abandoned the idea of waiting on his brother in favor of looking his best. He wasn't sure if it was a date but he wanted to think it was. He showered again and washed his hair and let it dry naturally, brushing it till it shone. Pleased with the result, he turned his attention to the pile of clothes he had unloaded from the closet, sorting through them and finally selected a white top and tight blue jeans. He dressed and eyed himself critically in the mirror. Bright face slightly flushed with excitement stared back at him.
"I look … dull," he decided, looking at his reflection. The thought of putting on some eyeliner occurred to him. He had been experimenting with make-up and had even bought a kohl pencil and some eye colors. Matt had no idea what he was up to. He went to his carrier and dug out the kohl pencil he had hidden at the bottom and started lining his eyes in soft black. He stood back and stared at his reflection, breaking into a smile. "That's better." And then, he heard the door opening.
"What's going on?" Matt looked at the pile of clothes thrown haphazardly on the bed.
"I'm going to the races with Mark, he invited me," Jeff informed him as he quickly put back the pencil into his carrier. "Can I have some money?" he asked, averting his face while praying fervently that Matt won't look too closely.
"I told you before, that we shouldn't spend money like water," Matt scolded and let out a big yawn the next moment. "I'm exhausted! I'm going to grab a shower and get some sleep. I didn't sleep at all last night," he said as he headed to the closet to grab a fresh change of drawers from his bag.
"Where were you last night?" Jeff asked curiously.
"You don't need to know, let's just say your brother made his girlfriend a very happy woman last night," Matt said cockily.
Jeff screwed up his face in distaste, "Eww… spare me the details. Please Matty, just ten dollars? I have to eat."
Matt relented. "Take it out from my wallet, and don't come back too late." He disappeared into the bathroom without a backward glance.
Jeff pocketed the money happily and checked his watch, another half an hour before his meeting with Mark. He brushed his hair again. Satisfied, he decided to head out before Matt came out and really got a good look at him. To his surprise and delight, Mark was already waiting for him.
"We're going on my bike," Mark informed him, giving him an appreciative look before leading the way out. "You look nice," he complimented him.
Jeff was on top of the world. "Thank you, you look nice too," he returned the compliment somewhat awkwardly. His heart was racing a minute a mile and he felt a little giddy with excitement and happiness.
"We're early so I thought we might as well grab some lunch first before we head to the races. Is that alright with you?" Mark asked.
Jeff nodded, he was afraid to speak, in case his voice cracked with excitement. He wanted Mark to look at him as a potential mate and not just a giddy kid infatuated with him.
"Dudes," Rob came up from behind them, clapping a hand on each of their shoulders. "Where are you off to? Can I come along? With this last minute cancellation, we have plenty of time on our hands."
"We're going to the grand prix at Ferguson. I'm going on my bike but you can hitch a ride with Glenn, he's taking the car. Call him and arrange it with him," Mark said and gave him their room number.
"Cool, I'll see you guys there," Rob said as he went to the front desk to call Glenn. While waiting for him to come down, Dwayne and Kurt walked by and saw him.
"What's up Rob?" Dwayne greeted him with a high five.
"Waiting on Glenn, we're going to the races. Mark and Jeff have already left."
"I've never been to one, can we come too? There's nothing much to do here," Dwayne said just as Glenn joined them.
"Well, if it isn't Larry and Moe," Glenn smirked at them.
Kurt scowled. "Don't call us that. He's the Rock, the people's champ and I'm the Olympic hero," he reminded him.
Glenn snorted with laughter but Rob tried to diffuse the situation before things went out of control.
"Chill guys, let's not get into an argument here. Let's get going," he urged them to leave.
While Glenn drove, Rob was burning with curiosity. "Can I ask you something, dude?" and at a nod from Glenn, he posed his question. "Is Mark dating Jeff?"
"Why would you think that?" Glenn asked cautiously.
"Well, they left together and I thought maybe because they want to be alone," Rob said.
"I told you!" Dwayne said excitedly as he nudged Kurt in the ribs. He leaned forward eagerly in the backseat. "Shawn was right after all! He told us that Mark couldn't keep his eyes off the kid. Man oh man, I wish the Deadman had looked at me instead. I can teach him a thing or two but I can see why he chose the kid, he wants to be the dominant alpha male," he snickered.
Glenn couldn't help himself but grinned, Dwayne had a point. He couldn't see Mark in any lesser role.
"Okay guys, let's not jump to conclusions here. Mark and Jeff are just going to the races together, nothing more." Glenn thought he should stop tongues wagging before the news spread like wildfire. It might discourage Mark from moving forward.
"Then, why didn't they just ride with us instead of going off by themselves?" Rob asked.
Glenn kept silent. He didn't have an answer for that. As much as he would like to help Mark, there was only so much damage control he could do.
"Guys, a piece of advice from me, don't mention this to anyone. I'm not saying that they're dating but Mark doesn't like people discussing his business. I'm sure you don't want him on your back," Glenn warned.
"I understand," Rob nodded. "Our lips are sealed, right guys?" he turned to Dwayne and Kurt who nodded.
"I don't have a death wish, so my lips are sealed. It's Dwayne you have to worry about," Kurt said as he shot a side-long anxious look at his room-mate. Dwayne just couldn't keep secrets.
"I won't say anything," Dwayne assured them before leaning over quickly to Kurt to whisper, "Stop me if I do. This is on your head!" Kurt gave him a baffled look.
Glenn relaxed visibly. He could do without having to worry about Mark killing someone before the day was through. He glanced over at Rob.
"I heard about that Zen thing you do every day. It helps you to relax. How does it work?"
Rob started to explain the principles behind it. Glenn was intrigued and so were Dwayne and Kurt.
"So, what you're saying is that it brings about self-realization or enlightenment as you call it, through meditation and you become one with your surroundings. That's an interesting concept," Glenn said.
"It helps you to stay calm in moments of crisis and you will learn how to deal with anger and frustrations more effectively, not through physical action but by using mind over matter," Rob said. "You are all welcome to join me in my sessions if you want to." Rob recruited three enthusiastic students that day.
-ooo—
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