Author's Note – The story is coming to a close soon…I hope…I'm ready for this to be over. The girl described is representing me and one of the experiences I had while I was in San Francisco. Sisternese is sister language…you know…strange hand motions, mouthing words, what not. And yes, my mother is a homophobe…terrible isn't it?

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Roger

I could tell that Mark didn't believe my bug story. If he had, he would have been having a panic attack. But he was acting completely calm, cool, and collected…totally unMark in any situation.

Involuntarily, my head began to spin and my chest started to ache. The virus was taking hold…I could feel it in my bones…

As Mark and I walked up the hill hand in hand, we both simultaneously caught sight of a family of five walking down the hill towards us. A tall, curvy brunette who looked about seventeen was in the front of the group and rapidly moving farther away from them. Her hair sat on her shoulders and her arms were crossed in front of her. By her body language and facial expression, it was understandable that she was trying to get away from the yelling family behind her. The girl had been looking at her feet and when she looked up, she smiled warmly at Mark and I.

The grumpy looking woman who was obviously her mother caught up to her. When she caught the girl looking at us, she said, "Don't look at them, Alexandra."

The girl, whose name was evidently Alexandra, changed expressions from a sweet smile to an angry stare. Her eyebrows knit together and her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Why?" she almost snarled.

The mother rolled her eyes, unhappy that her daughter had put her in this awkward position. "Because…they're…different from us…that's all."

Mark started to blush…the hurt boiling to the surface of his face.

The girl's eyes flamed with anger, but she quickly rolled her eyes and the anger disappeared a bit. She looked like she would explode if she didn't take drastic measures.

"Alex!" A smaller girl from the family called. I guessed that they were sisters.

Alexandra whirled her head around to look behind her. Her sister said something in Sisternese and stuck her head out at her mother's back. Alexandra snickered, smiled at Mark and I once more, and then went on her way, still ahead of the now screaming family.

Mark

In those last three minutes, I had changed. Because of that girl who had defiantly stood against her mother, I, for some reason, became more comfortable with Roger. I tightened my grip on his hand, which seemed to please him.

We walked along for a while, exchanging small talk while I quietly gathered my courage. After about five minutes, I stopped walking. Roger stopped as well, looking lost all the while. I took in a big breath and stretched up on my tiptoes and kissed Roger deeply on the lips.

When I pulled away, Roger stared at me, astonished. "You…just kis…in publ…" He trailed off…his mouth hanging half open.

"Yeah…I did…"

He pulled me into a backbreaking hug and just stood there.

"Can't…breathe," I gasped.

"Oh…sorry Marky."

"Ah, that's okay. I love ya anyway."

"Thank you, Dr. Seuss."

Roger

When we got back to the hotel, Mark was in bed almost instantly. Right before I climbed in next to him, I could have sworn I heard him whisper, "Thanks, Alexandra."

I smiled, kissed his forehead, and when he didn't move, I knew he was asleep.

I got into the bed, spooning Mark. I wrapped my arm around his torso, closed my eyes, and muttered, "Thanks, Alexandra."

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Sorry for the corny ending…it was 2 am and I wanted to finish the chapter!