ﾟ✧ closed, @lovetique .
marcus wholly understood the importance of these events. government funding wasn't anywhere near what it used to be for museums and money had to come from somewhere. at $2500 a ticket, these black-tie affairs helped keep doors open and exhibitions moving. in the same vein, it helped his boss' restoration studio with the work the museum not only contracted, but also referred their way. it all worked in a perfect symbiosis. but even if marcus was fully aware of all of the moving parts and particulars of why these fundraisers mattered so much, he still loathed that he had an obligation to come to them. but, tonight, marcus had brought along a much needed reprieve. for the first time, he brought a plus one. from the moment that they had walked through the door, marcus could feel the room's eyes move with them. she was radiant, wearing the glow of an event like this one much better than he ever could. marcus could feel the envy of nearly every other man in the room — she had clung to him all night, always touching him in some capacity, whispering witty remarks about the other partygoers in his ear. they were, and looked the part of, a full-blown couple. recently, he could feel something inside of him stir again. it had been four long months since mila had pulled marcus out of that bar and into an abandoned alleyway, and things between them had completely metamorphosed.
the night moved at a methodical efficiency. the museum's director allowed everyone enough time to get a few drinks in their system before they began their persuasive begging, then a lull. the curator comes to say a few words, another lull. more persuasive begging follows. trays of champagne and tiny foods moving throughout the room perpetually. admittedly, he wasn't having a terrible time. having mila at his side made this move faster and easier. once they announce they have live entertainment this year, marcus notes that most have made it to the halfway point of the night. but when the ' live entertainment ' walked onto the stage, his heart practically fell out of his open mouth and onto the floor. this could not be happening. suddenly, he was acutely aware mila's presence next to him, of his arm snaked around her waist, how her body was pressed against his own. and of course, because fate and the universe persistently colluded against his happiness, elena's eyes immediately picked marcus out in the large crowd. her eye contact transports him to that night in a room much different from this one, but her the performer and him the spectator all the same. knew that she was given a strict list of boring songs to stick to, that there was almost no chance of him having to hear her croon a love song that he could falsely assign meaning to, but marcus couldn't do it. he refused to sit through this again. as if she were finely attuned to his racing heart, mila asked if he was all alright. marcus brushes her off, lying that he needed to find his boss and that he would be back, and she presses a small kiss against his mouth as a temporary goodbye. he leaves her directly after this, treading opposite of the large crowd that seems to be completely focused on the stage. when he can hear elena's voice start to seep through the speakers behind him, he doesn't even turn around.
marcus stands outside of the main hall, the closed doors that separated them doing little to muffle the sound of elena's voice. he holds up a wall next to a supply closet as he's still reeling. seeing her has him completely shaken, and his mind revolves around two thoughts. the first thought: the last time he saw elena, he was admitting that he was in love with her. she was kissing him like never before, and telling him that he was in her heart, too. he couldn't stop thinking about the note he had left her, saying that he was grateful for everything, but maybe she had been right to ask for distance. marcus wrote that he loved her, and she knew where to find him if she needed him. he pressed a kiss into her hair before he left, taking the sight of her perfect face as she slept. and the second thought: how eaten with guilt he had been that mila would never know that he spent the night with elena on the same night that he had met her. marcus felt disgusting that he had used her as a rebound, even if now he could feel his heart begin to thaw from her warmth. so wrapped up in his thoughts that he doesn't hear when elena stops singing. instead, he only notices that she's materialized in front of him, walking toward marcus with a purpose. eyes are wide as he straightens up, his nerves set alight. he has only one question: "why are you here?"