writing chap 5 of puppy love but i can't stop thinking about how good of a listener mr. alt!mark grayson is!!
he's so sweet and comforting. he doesn't chime in or interrupt because he's actually listening to understand, not to respond.
he clings onto your every word, eye contact and all, and the attention makes you jittery. it makes your heart warm and your stomach does summersaults whenever his eyes stray down to your lips just to watch them move.
he's an amazing listener.
at least that's what he wants you to believe.
in reality, mark is waiting until you've dropped something juicy. something dark and defining. something that's molded you into the person you are today. for better or for worse.
you almost say it.
an off-handed comment. something that's not you. a sentence tinged with self-loathing, invisible to anyone who isn't watching closely.
but mark is.
he can spot it in the way your lower lip wobbles. in the way your eyes glaze over, that far off look, the gleam of your tears before you look away and awkwardly change the topic in an attempt to regain your composure.
the closer the two of you get, the more comfortable you become. mark shows up at your front door with a box of liquor and a triumphant smile, disarming you just enough to get you loose and talkative.
he lets you spill your guts, your drunken/tipsy slurring makes his heart race.
and finally, he catches something useful, something that makes his eyes light up.
you aren't sure if it's concern or pity.
it's none of those.
it's triumph.
because now he has something he can hang over your head and use against you in an argument. or whenever you find out who he really is and why you should keep him far, far away from you.
he'll use your trauma to keep you there with him.
you're damaged goods.
you think anyone will love you?
you have no one else but me.
but for now, he's just putting it in his back pocket for the perfect moment 🫶🏾🫶🏾
