"I'm home!" Leigh-Anne said as she slipped off her shoes at the door. There was no answer. She dropped her bag on the floor and walked into the living room. Mark, her boyfriend of three years, was there, but he wasn't alone. He was with his 'mates' as he called them, which in reality was just 6 closest friends. They were focused intently on their sheet music.
Leigh-Anne sighed. Today was their third anniversary together. She quietly walked into the kitchen, and began to prepare dinner. She worked in a children's center, until around dinner time, but she enjoyed it a lot, and was only gone from about 1 PM. Yet, Mark was buried in his music, so it wouldn't really have mattered if she had gone for a longer time.
She made some popcorn, bringing it out to the boys, placing it on the table. Yugyeom looked up for a brief moment, silently thanking her, before turning back to his work. Leigh-Anne smiled slightly before disappearing back into the kitchen.
Half an hour later, she emerged. "Mark oppa. Dinner is ready if you want to eat."
"I'm busy." He said shortly, not turning away from his work.
"Okay then. I'm going to head out to Emma's then." Leigh-Anne said, but earned no answer. She let out a small sigh, as the boys sent her small pity glances. She was close to them, since they came over a lot. She sent them a small weak smile, before leaving.
She arrived at Emma's apartment, where she was welcomed with open arms. "Leigh! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Mark, celebrating?" Emma said, bumping her hip.
Leigh-Anne let out a small sigh, tears prickling her eyes. "He forgot." She whispered. "He's at home. He's working on his music again."
Emma turned to her, a little shocked, before wrapping her in a hug. It wasn't a surprise that she was shocked. They had been the 'it' couple in high school. After they graduated, which was only last year, they were still going strong, but Mark had slowly begun to drift. He found his passion in music, and began to slip away from Leigh-Anne's hold.
"Don't worry sweetie. Maybe he's just surprising you tonight." Emma winked at her. Leigh-Anne smiled a little.
"Maybe." She said, a little hope building up in her.
"But for now, we can just spoil ourselves." Emma said. "I bought tons of ice cream the other day, and a whole ton of new movies to watch."
~Two Hours Later~
"He's not answering any of my texts." Leigh-Anna said, staring worriedly at her phone.
"Maybe he's just preparing for the surprise?" Emma said, but it came out as more of a question than a statement.
"Maybe." Leigh-Anne answered halfheartedly. She sent a text to Yugyeom, who answered quickly that they went out to eat, and were going to head back later to work. Leigh-Anne stared at the phone, tears prickling in her eyes again. "I'm gonna head home now Emma." She said getting up from the couch.
"Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to drive you?" Emma asked, getting up as well.
Leigh-Anne smiled sadly. "I'll be fine. I'll text you when I get home. Thanks Em." Leigh-Anna said, wrapping her best friend in a tight hug.
"Be careful Leigh." Emma whispered as she let her go. Leigh-Anna smiled softly, before leaving.
Leigh-Anna reached home safely, and shot a quick text to Emma, before heading inside. The boys were still there, working hard. Leigh-Anna couldn't help but let a little tear trickle down her face. This was supposed to be their day. Their third anniversary. Each anniversary was something special to them. Celebrating another year of being together, of staying strong. But this year... Leigh-Anna paused in her thoughts, wiping the tears that were now trickling down her cheeks.
Quietly she slipped into the hall and into her bedroom. Their bedroom, which Mark often didn't sleep in. And when he did, he always came late at night, and left early in the morning. She changed out of her work outfit, and into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.
After changing, she walked to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Sitting on the counter, however, was the dinner she painstakingly made for Mark. His favourite food. Leigh-Anne stared at it, before hurrying back to the room, suppressing tears.
Sprawling herself out on the bed, she stared out the window, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. What had happened to them? Eventually, Leigh-Anne fell into a fitful sleep, waking up again at 3. Their anniversary was officially over. And Mark didn't even remember. Leigh-Anne sighed, turning over, expecting to feel Mark. But Mark still wasn't in bed. She got out of bed, moving to the living room, where Mark was still working. "Mark oppa?" She said softly, sitting down beside him on the couch.
He was sleeping, his head against the back of the couch. Leigh-Anne sighed, staring at him, running her hands softly through his hair. He groaned, and Leigh-Anne carefully laid his head down on her lap, covering him with the quilt, as she rested her head against the backrest as well.
~The Next Morning~
Leigh-Anne woke up, with a stiff neck. Mark was still sleeping peacefully in her lap. She groaned, rubbing her eyes. Her legs were numb. She looked at the clock that was sitting on the shelf. 10 AM.
"Oppa?" Leigh-Anne gently shook Mark. "Oppa it's time to get up." She whispered. Mark groaned and turned his head. Leigh-Anne sighed. Gently, she laid his head on the armrest as she got up. She went to the kitchen and prepared some breakfast. About half an hour later, she returned to the couch. "Mark oppa. I made breakfast." He opened his eyes, then quickly bolted up.
"What time is it?" He asked, quickly getting up.
"Around 10:30." She murmured.
"I'm late!" Mark shouted, running around and gathering his papers.
"It's okay. Just sit down and eat breakfast. I texted Yugyeom already. They know you're going to be late." Leigh-Anne said. "Just come eat first."
"Why would you text him?" Mark asked, narrowing his eyes at her. "This is my business, and I don't need you to go sticking your nose in it." Leigh-Anne stared at him.
"It should be my business. I'm your girlfriend." Leigh-Anne said firmly.
Mark sighed. "Let's not talk about this now. I have to go. I'm late."
"No we're talking about this now!" She shouted at him. "All you care about is your 'work'. Do you even remember when was the last time I actually ate with you? When was the last time we slept in the same bed and woke up at the same time? The last time we actually kissed?When..." Her voice cracked. "When was the last time you said that you love me?" Her eyes filled with tears.
"I'm late Leigh-Anne. I need to go. We'll talk about this later." Mark repeated.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Fine." She muttered, disappearing into the bedroom. Mark sighed, looking after her. Then he turned and left too.
Leigh-Anne crawled into her bed, pulling out her phone. "Hello? Emma here." A voice came from the other line.
"Em?" Leigh-Anna whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Leigh? What's wrong?" Emma asked, panicking.
"Everything." She answered. Leigh-Anne told Emma what happened.
"Why that little-!" Emma swore. "Maybe you two just need to take a break. How about we have that mass sleepover we were planning for."
Leigh-Anne relaxed a little. "That sounds nice."
"Pack up. I'll swing by later to pick you up okay? We'll drive wherever you want to go okay?" Emma said comfortingly.
"Thanks Em." Leigh-Anne whispered as she hung up. She got up, moving around the room quickly, shoving things into her duffel bag. One hour later, the doorbell rang. Leigh-Anne went quickly to open the door. Instead of Emma like she had expected, Yugyeom was standing there.
"Hey noona." He smiled.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working?" Leigh-Anne spat out the word like dirt.
"I took a break." He said as he invited himself into the house. Leigh-Anne turned back to the bedroom and continued packing her stuff. "Hey where are you going?"
"Vacation." She answered in a clipped tone.
"With Mark?" Yugyeom teased. Leigh-Anne froze.
"No, he's too busy to even eat with me now." Leigh-Anna said coldly.
"Who are you going with then?" Yugyeom frowned.
"Emma." She answered. The doorbell rang again. "That must be her." Leigh-Anne said as she zipped up her bag. "I'll see you around."
"Wait how long are you going for?" Yugyeom ran after her.
"I'm not sure yet. I'll text you okay?" Leigh-Anne held up her phone.
"Noona don't go. Are you leaving because of Mark? Don't go. I'm sure you two will work it out." Yugyeom said, holding her wrist.
Leigh-Anne's eyes filled up with tears. "I'm not quite sure if he wants to work it out anymore." Gently, she shook her wrist out of his hold. "I'll be back soon Yugyeomie." She kissed the top of his head in a sisterly manner. "Tell Mark... tell him I love him." She whispered as she left.
Emma and Leigh-Anne sat in the car in silence as Emma drove off. Finally Emma broke the silence. "Are you okay Leigh?" Emma asked carefully.
Leigh-Anne nodded, her face blank. "Was it right?" She whispered. "Was it right of me to leave without leaving a note? Am I just running from my problems?"
Emma sighed. "No Leigh. You're just taking a break. It'll be okay." She smiled. Leigh-Anne just nodded uncertainly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark reached home, only to find Yugyeom sitting on the couch alone, his head in his hands. He looked up when he heard the door, and almost launched himself at Mark. The only thing that stopped him were a pair of arms that suddenly wrapped around his body. "Yugyeom calm down." Jackson muttered.
Yugyeom growled. "Let me go! Leigh noona left because of him!" He shouted, struggling to get free.
Mark froze. "She left?"
"She said she was going on vacation." Yugyeom spat. "Because of you, her idiot boyfriend who couldn't be bothered to take care of her."
"We said we were going to talk it out tonight." Mark said, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "She said that we would talk about it." Jackson let go of Yugyeom, who had stopped struggling. He encased Mark in a hug.
"She'll be back." Jackson muttered. "Did she leave a note?" He asked Yugyeom, who shook his head.
"She said..." Yugyeom faltered. "She said to tell Mark that she loved him." Mark stared at him, as tears began rolling down his cheeks. "She said one more thing." Yugyeom muttered. Mark looked at him carefully. "She said... She said that she wasn't sure if you were fighting for them anymore."
Mark let out a scream, staggering away and punching the wall, leaving a hole. He collapsed onto the couch, holding his head in his hands. "It's my fault." He muttered, over and over again. Suddenly he shot up. "What day is it?"
"September 17." Jackson answered, after confirming the date on his phone.
"Oh gosh." Mark buried his head in his hands again. "That's why she's upset." He muttered. "I messed up. Really bad."
~Three Days Later~
Leigh-Anne stared at her phone. It was constantly ringing with messages from Mark. They weren't urging her to come home. They were just asking how her day was, if she had eaten breakfast, lunch or dinner, or if she had a good sleep. It was sweet, but she was still a little uncertain.
She and Emma had been pigging out, watching chick-flicks and eating ice cream for three days, but Leigh-Anne's smile still wasn't the same. It never reached her eyes. Despite their lack of contact, there was something comforting about having Mark around. Like knowing he was in the same house as she was comforted her.
"Em?" Leigh-Anne said, turning to her best friend who was engrossed in the movie they were currently watching.
"Yeah Leigh?" Emma said, looking at her for a brief second.
"Let's go home." She smiled. Emma's smile grew on her face.
"Okay." Emma answered, as they got up to grab Leigh-Anne's stuff.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why isn't she answering any of my texts?" Mark asked, frustrated, as he threw his phone onto the couch.
"Maybe she's giving you the silent treatment. It's only fair." Yugyeom shrugged. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that Mark had made Leigh-Anne leave.
"Or maybe she's just busy." Jackson cut in, glaring at Yugyeom. Quietly Leigh-Anne crept into the room, holding a finger over her lips. She tiptoed behind Mark, covering his eyes with her hands.
"Guess who?" She said in a singsong voice. Mark jumped up, nearly flipping the couch over, as he turned, pressing his lips against hers.
Jackson screeched, before covering Yugyeom's eyes. "Guys! Get a room! We have kids here!"
Leigh-Anne pulled away, a huge smile on her face. "Leigh noona!" Yugyeom said, jumping up and wrapping her in a bear hug.
"Hey Yugyeomie." She smiled, pecking his cheek. "Jackson." She nodded at him, and he wiggled his eyebrows in return.
"Hey give my girlfriend back." Mark whined, puffing out his cheeks. Leigh-Anne chuckled, pulling herself out of Yugyeom's hugs, and into Mark's open arms. Jackson and Yugyeom quietly left the room.
"I missed you." She whispered.
"I missed you too. I'm so sorry." He answered. "I love you so much. And I want to wake up beside you always. I want to eat with you. I want to kiss you whenever I want to. But I was such an idiot for ignoring you. I was caught up in music. But when you left, Leigh, I realized something." Leigh-Anne looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "You're my muse. Without you, I'm nothing." Mark whispered as he pressed his lips against hers again.
***So thanks for reading everyone! I typically don't do my author's notes at the end but I'm kinda too lazy to scroll all the way up to the top so it's just gonna be here ^.^
Unfortunately, there's only about three more one shots until this book is over. However, that doesn't mean the end of my one shots as a whole! Hopefully starting soon, depending on how busy school is, I'll start uploading weekly, on a different book.
The reason I want to start a new book is because I started this book maybe a couple years ago?? back when my writing super sucked, and plots weren't well developed and stuff, and now I feel like I can do much better.
So this book is gonna be full of cringey, old one shots, and the next one will be new, hopefully less cringey (but probably not) one shots. I just wanted two books to make a clear separation between the two. :D
If you wanna go to my profile to check that out, I would love you. :)
Thanks for reading!! Have an awesome day/night wherever you are.***