Mark pushed his plate aside and leaned forward. “I think you should date me.”
I started laughing out loud. “Seriously Mark, I don’t have time for your unfunny jokes.”
“I’m not joking.”
“I don’t understand where this is coming from?”
“I always liked you. We’ve been friends. You were always in a relationship. I never had a chance.”
“Had a chance. What does that mean?”
“I, I, wanted to ask you out in the beginning but you were always with someone. I’m single now and you’re single now.”
“This is weird.”
“No, not really. It’s sort of perfect. We like all the same things. We get along great.”
“Because I think of you as a friend. I tell you stuff.”
“I know. That’s why I think we would be great together.”
“When did you come to this conclusion? You’ve dated about thirty women since I’ve known you.”
“I really don’t think it was that many women. But you shouldn’t really hold that against me. I didn’t have a choice. You weren’t available.”
“It’s my fault you slept around?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m just saying you in relationships so I you were never available.”
“Available for what?”
“To date me.”
“Oh, brother.” I sighed. “When did you start dating anybody? You don’t date. You just screw around.”
“That’s the past.”
“Since when?” I leaned closer to look him dead straight in his lying blue eyes.
“Okay, look, I know this is a lot.”
“It is for damn sure. We’re coworkers and friends. I’m practically moved into your house. Now you’ve gone and made everything so awkward.”
“It doesn’t have to be awkward. You waste all this time on these losers. When we want the same things.”
“Like what things?”
“Marriage, kids, family.”
“Oh my God, Mark, since when did you ever want to be someone’s husband? You can’t even keep a girlfriend for three months straight.”
“I didn’t want to keep them. The woman I wanted has always been in a relationship.”
“Me, you wanted me?”
“Yes. Why is that so hard to believe?”
“Because I just don’t believe you.”
“When have I ever lied to you?”
Okay, so that was something for me to ponder. When? I couldn’t actually come up with anything concrete.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you. You have literally never, ever shown any interest in me. I have never been your type. Now that Brandon has returned, you just happen to want to date me. Sounds fishy.”
“Yeah, I’m sure this seems like it’s out of left field, but it’s not.”
“Okay fine. Just for kicks. When did you decide you wanted to date me? I’ve known you for years.”
“When I first saw you. My first day at the company, but I didn’t know if you dated white guys. You are out of my league. I knew that right away. I had a crush on you at first, but things are different now.”
“How so?”
“Don’t freak out.”
“Mark, don’t freak out about what?” I didn’t have any clue what would pop out of his mouth.
He looked at the window and then back at me. “I’m in love with you.”
My mouth fell open, but I didn’t have any words.
“I felt this way for quite some time.”
“Mark, c’mon. This is bullshit.” I looked down at the white tablecloth, then around the restaurant. There had to be a hidden camera somewhere.
“I promise you this isn’t bullshit. Look at me. I would never bullshit you. Tanya, you know that. I have never lied to you.”
I took a deep breath. I had a lot to think about and not enough time to think about it.
“You asked me to move in with you? I said yes, thinking this was something else all together. What did you think was going to happen?”
“I don’t know.”
“No, seriously? What? Was I supposed to hear this and just fall into bed with you? Was I supposed to just do like all the other women and just I don’t know?”
“You’re not other women. I hoped that maybe you would listen, believe me, and gave me a chance to show you we can do it.”
“Do it. Do what?”
“Be together.”
“Be together?” I didn’t know if I was playing stupid are just really stupid.
“We can live together and we can be a couple. We want the same things. I want to get married. I want to have kids. I want a family. I know you want the same things. We can have this together. It hurts me to see you trying to have a future with these assholes. You’re too good for them. We belong together. I just know you’re the one for me.”
His conviction was breaking me down. I just wasn’t sure where down started and stopped. I knew Mark was a good guy deep down. I felt like an idiot. I never considered him in any other role in my life then a guy friend. His eyes were burning with exciting and passion and I had never seen that spark in him.
Why was he springing this on me now? I’d known him for so long? Why did he believe we were meant to be?
“Mark.”
“Tanya.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Let’s go reserve the truck. This other stuff can wait.”
“Okay.”
Just reserve a truck and do what? Move into the house of my best male friend that just confessed to being in love with me.
***
Things were weird now, but there was this facade that everything was normal. I was all moved in. I had my own bedroom and bathroom. I had been living with Mark for a week and we never discussed what happened. Had he stopped liking me? I didn’t know. He treated me the same. I didn’t know if I should bring up the elephant in the room. It was kind of like the ball was in my court. I just didn’t know what kind of court I was playing on.
I felt courageous, so I went downstairs to the kitchen to see if I could have a deeper conversation than the surface ones we’d
