CHAPTER 12
They rode over the plains of Texas for a couple of hours, stopping here and there until they came to a lake that seemed like it was hidden away from the rest of the world. Like it was put there just for them to find it. " Ready for lunch?" Mark asked, holding up a blanket he had taken out of his saddle bag.
"Yup." She helped him pull the food out and set up a picnic on the edge of the lake, the image in front of them blocking out all else in the world but them. Courtney sat between Marks legs and they ate together, laughing and enjoying eachothers company like a couple would, each one questioning the other to get to know them better.
" So baby girl, you gonna get anymore tattoos?" He asked.
"Probably, its kinda an addiction." She replied.
"Uh. Yea i know." He said as he wrapped his large, ink covered arms around her shoulders.
" I know you know." she said with a smile as she turned to look up into his face. " its kinda obvious."
"kinda huh."
"speaking of tattoos." she said slightly hesitantly, not knowing if the question she was dying to ask would upset him.
" Ya wanna know about this one" he asked, raising his arm and pointing to his throat.
"Yeah. I mean...only if you wanna tell me.I mean you dont have to." She responded quickly, hoping he wouldn't be angry with her for prying.
"Baby girl, after everything you've told me it's the least i could do to tell you a little something about myself." He said smiling at her nervousness but at the same time he felt a twinge of pain that she would think he would be angry.
"Okay." She said, blushing slightly with embarrassment for her uncertianty.
He took a deep breath to calm himself and choose his words." I'm sure you know Sara was my wife and I thought she was happy that way. I thought she could handle my life the way it was and that she would be able to accept it. I guess my being away all the time took more of a toll on her and our relationship the i imagined it would. I came home early on my birthday. Took the time off to surprise her because i wanted to be with her. Anyway i walked in and there was no one there so i went upstairs and heard water running and she was in the shower with the next door neighbor. She said she had fallen in love with him and that she never meant for it to happen this way. Needless to say we filed for divorce mutually and she married the neighbor. I still loved her for a long time after that." He said,staring at the water in thought.
"And now?"
"Now i realize that i wasn't as happy as i thought i was and i'm glad it turned out the way it did even if it did hurt."
"So why do you still have the tattoo?"
"I dont know, i guess i just never had anything to replace it with and it was just so natural for me to have there that i didn't think anything of it."mark said. "Now since i spilled my heartache to you, mind if i ask ya somethin?"
"Shoot." She said looking at his face over her shoulder.
"How old were you when that guy...?" He wasn't able to finish the question, he didn't have the heart to say the word.
"Raped me? The first time it happened was when i was thirteen and it wasn't that guy, it was those guys." She said slightly bitterly.
"Were you..." Again he froze up. His questions had to be answered but he couldn't even bring himself to finish them.
" A virgin?"
" Yea, were you?"
"Yea i was."
"How many?"
"How many what?" Her blood was starting to boil at his evasiveness.
"How many times did they do it?"
"Dammit mark just say it. They raped me. Just have the fucking balls to say it." she yelled, her temper taking control of her.
" I can't" he whispered.
" Why the fuck not?"
" I don't know." She pulled away from him and climbed to her feet. " Where are you goin?"
"Walk, I'll be back."
"Courtney"
"What." She asked, clearly annoyed.
"Please just..."
"I need to walk it off mark. Just let me go."
"Okay." He said in a feeble whisper, feeling like he'd lost her already. She left him sitting alone by the lake.
okay then...read and review please. i'll try to update soon. just been busy lately and shit. Later.