Summary: This chapter takes place two weeks after the previous one. Marcus and Abby finally have a conversation and Vera, well let’s just say that she likes to meddle :D
“I think it was you who taught me that staring at people was considered rude mother”, Marcus points out without lifting his eyes from the book he’s reading.
“Who said I was staring?”, Vera quips back with a small smile on her face, causing him to look up with a raised eyebrow.
“I could feel your eyes burning into my head”, he smirks and his mother rolls her eyes in response.
“Okay, so maybe I was, but I don’t understand why you’re sitting next to me with a book when Abby’s over there”, she sighs, a note of exasperation present in her voice.
“I’m not here for her, I’m here to spend some time with my mother”, Marcus replies, his tone the epitome of innocence but Vera isn’t fooled by it.
“And I can do backflips”, she dryly retorts, smiling when his facade breaks and he lets out a chuckle.
“Really? You must show me some time”
Vera opens her mouth to give her son another witty reply but when she notices Abby’s coming over, she decides to change tactics.
“Marcus, would you mind taking my place for a minute?”
“You okay?”
"Yes dear. I just have to take my pills and go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back”, she reassures him while getting up from behind her desk so he can take her place.
Marcus is barely seated when a shadow falls over the desk. Looking up he starts,
“What can I-”, only to stop when he comes face to face with the woman, Abby, from two weeks ago. He might have thought that she was pretty from afar, but it’s not compared with how beautiful she is up close.
She’s looking at him with a warm and friendly smile. “Hi”
“Oh, hello”, he stammers, inwardly kicking himself for sounding like an idiot.
“Is there something wrong with Vera?”, she asks and Marcus can the concern in her voice, which makes him like her even more.
“She just needed to stretch her legs for a minute”, he reassures her, noticing how her posture fractionally relaxes at his reply.
“Oh, okay”, Abby answers, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear while giving him another smile.
“Can I help you with something?”, Marcus asks after a couple of seconds.
“Ah yes, I'd like to check this book out please"
"Leaving so early?”, he blurts out.
“I’m sorry?"
Feeling his cheeks flush from embarrassment, he quickly elaborates, "I’m sorry. It’s just, my mother mentioned that you usually stay until closing time and it’s barely 1 pm”
“Your mother?”, Abby frowns, still looking slightly confused and even though he would never admit it in his life, Marcus thinks she looks absolutely adorable.
“Yes, Vera’s my mother”, he smiles.
“Oh, so you're Marcus?”, she laughs, “Vera has mentioned you a couple of times. So nice to finally meet you. I’m Abby by the way, but I’ve got a feeling that you already knew that”, she adds cheerfully with a smile.
And was she flirting with him? No, he must be imagining things.
“My mother might have mentioned your name yes”, he teases back with a grin, his voice coming out lower than he intended but he doesn’t miss the way her eyes briefly flicker to his mouth or how her tongue quickly darts out to wet her lips, causing his own eyes to darken slightly.
“So just this book?”, he murmurs, pointing to the book in her hands.
“Yes, please”, she replies with a slight blush on her cheeks as she hands both the book and her card.
“Ah, Pride and Prejudice, a classic”, Marcus comments when he notices the title.
“Maybe it’s that I find it hard to forgive the follies and vices of others or their offences against me. My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever”, he quietly recites.
When he looks up, Abby’s staring at him with a slightly stunned look in her eyes and he can feel himself starting to fidget under her gaze.
“You’ve read Pride and Prejudice?”
Trying to shrug it off, he explains, “When your mother’s a librarian you quickly develop an interest in a vast amount of genres and Jane Austen has always been one of my favourites”
“She’s one of my favourites too”, Abby admits with a smile.
He gives her a smile of his own before swiftly scanning her book.
“My daughter’s coming home from university for the holiday by the way. That’s why I’m leaving early today”, she clarifies as he hands her back both the book and her card.
“That’s nice. My son has decided to stay at his dorm because most of his friends are staying as too and the break is only a week so”
“Ah, yes Bellamy wasn’t it? And your daughter’s name was Octavia?”
“Yes”, Marcus answers, an affectionate smile gracing his lips.
“It seems like my mother has told you quite a lot”, he adds, marvelling at the colour that appears on her cheeks. “Your daughter’s name was Clarke right?”
“Yes”, Abby nods as she puts the book in her bag. “Well, I must be off. Give your mother my love and tell her I’ll see her next week”
“I will. Have fun with your daughter”
“Thank you”, she smiles, turning to leave only to halt and turn back, “I’ll see you around? Perhaps we would talk some more about Austen?”, she wonders, looking at him from beneath her lashes, appearing nervous all of a sudden.
“Yes, I’d like that”, he agrees, feeling something flutter in his chest when she gives him a broad smile.
“Great”, she brightly exclaims, nearly bouncing on her heels, “I’ll see you soon then Marcus. Have a great day”
“Thanks, you too”, he responds, watching her leave with a smile on his face.
Abby’s barely gone for a minute when suddenly his mother reappears with a big smile on her face. Watching her through narrowed eyes, Marcus comments, “What a convenient timing mother”
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about Marcus”
“Of course you haven’t”, he sighs while moving from behind the desk so Vera can sit down again.
Marcus reclaims his former chair, deliberately ignoring the look his mother’s giving him and opens his book again.
After a couple of seconds, Vera can’t stand the silence anymore, “Well? What did you two talk about?”
With a grin, Marcus closes the book again and looks up, “So you admit that you left on purpose?”
“No, I really had to take my pills. The fact that I noticed Abby coming over was simply beneficial”, Vera grins.
“So?”, she presses when he just continues to smile at her.
“We exchanged some niceties mother, that’s all”
“Well, did you at least get her phone number?”
“Mom”
“What? That’s a perfectly reasonable question”, she defends, causing him to roll his eyes.
“We barely talked for five minutes, that’s hardly enough time for me to ask for her number don’t you think? Besides, you seem to have taking it upon you to play the part of messenger without us even knowing it”, Marcus admonishes with a twinkle his eye, chuckling when his mother at least has the decency to blush a little.
“Somebody had to do something”, she quietly mutters under her breath.
“Well, perhaps I’ll drop by next week as well”, Marcus suggests, “But I make no promises”, he adds quickly.
“Whatever you say Marcus, whatever you say”
“Mmm”, he hums as he checks his watch. Noticing the time he swiftly begins to gather his things.
“Is it time already?”
“Yes, O.’s class is nearly done. I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch?”, he asks while leaning down and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“You will. Give Octavia my love”, she replies as she watches him leave.
“I will”, he calls over his shoulder, missing the mischievous look Vera’s giving him.
Looks like her plan has finally been set into motion.
Kabby. 3x09. So many things to say...so little time. Just don't let me go already, hold me stronger, love me without saying a word. Just like this. Breath in my breath. #kabby #abbygriffin #marcuskane #kabbysquad #kabbykiss #kabbyiscanon
This episode is still one of my favourite so much angst and so much love in his eyes...#kabby #kabbysquad #the100 #mountweather #abbygriffin #marcuskane
