Chapter 5

Kristen returned, still in a silent daze, with Kayla, who shot him a curious look.

Mark smiled and drove to his house.

Once there, Kayla said, "See that computer? It's a nice computer. I think I can be fascinated by it for a few hours, at least. But home by 11, guys."

Mark grinned, glancing at Kristen to remind her that she still needed to talk to Kayla. He was also wondering if she told Kayla.

Kristen blinked. "Um. Right. I do have real homework, too."

"I'll work on the computer till you're done then, Kristen," he said.

"Can you help me with my math, Kayla?"

"Sure, hon. C'mon."

The girls retreated to the kitchen table. Mark busied himself on the computer, keeping an ear cocked.

mumble mumble

laugh

"What?! Grrrr!"

affirmative mumble

embarrassed silence

whisper whisper whispersniffsob

Mark listened more closely. As far as he could tell, both of them seemed to be apologizing to each other. They were also both crying.

He got up and walked to the doorway, looking puzzled. The girls had pushed back from the table and Kayla was hugging Kristen. They really were both crying.

Kayla noticed him in the doorway and shot him an angry glare before pointedly ignoring him.

"Ah, I don't want to intrude, but is something wrong?"

Kristen froze. Kayla sighed, "Just some miscommunication. Go 'way."

Mark looked at the tears on their faces with concern, trying to decide whether Kristen wanted him to go or stay.

Kristen sniffed. "S'okay. We're just talking."

"O-kay. I'll just be in the other room then." Mark retreated, but kept his ear cocked.

really quiet whisperingsniffsniff

giggle

silence

footsteps away just a bitgigglesilence

He didn't hear anything after they apparently went into the living room. Mark wondered what was going on, but controlled his curiosity.

loud gasp, quickly muffled

Mark raised an eyebrow, and very quietly went to make sure they were okay. They were on the couch together. Kissing. Hands under each other's shirts.

He raised an eyebrow, then turned and went back in the other room. They knew where he was if they needed him.

"Ah! Mmmmm..."

pitter patter pitter patter

tap tap on the door frame.

Mark turned his head. "Hm?

Kristen peeked around the doorway. "Mark? Can you come in here a minute?" Just her head was showing.

He stood. "Sure."

She darted back the to the living room.

Mark walked to the living room, finding that the girls had folded the couch out into a bed. They were both completely topless.

He stared. "Bwah?"

Kristen pointed to the chair beside the couch. "Sit there."

Mark nodded, and sat. "Uh..."

Kayla blushed and pretended fascination with the weave of the arm of the couch, but a wicked gleam was in her eyes.

"May I ask what's going on here?" Mark said. "Not that I'm not enjoying the view, but..."

Kristen raised an eyebrow.

"What? You want me to lie?" Mark grinned.

"No, I just thought a man with two Ph.D's could recognize sex when he saw it."

"You know what I meant, love."

"You have to stay in the chair, but you can watch. That's what we decided for now. You hurt Kayla's feelings, and I did, too. And that's what she wants."

"Wait. How did I hurt your feelings, Kayla?"

Kayla sighed. "S'okay. You didn't mean to." She'd taken her glasses off and, for the first time he could recall, her hair down. There was quite a bit more of it than you would have thought, a mass of tight curls, rich mahogany in color. She looked like almost a different person. And those baggy clothes hid more than he would have thought, too. "You didn't have all the necessary information."

"Because I didn't take you seriously?"

Kayla shrugged. "You didn't know there was any reason to. And I had not meant to say that out loud, anyway. But you should have at least thought of the possibility that I might have been, anyway."

Mark sighed. "Kayla, I'm sorry. It never occurred to me you could be serious. I mean, it's surprising enough to me that one of you is interested; I'd never have dreamed that both of you would be. Will you do something for me, so that I can make it up to you?"

"Just because one girl isn't insecure, doesn't mean that most of us aren't. No way I was going to admit to such a thing. And no way I was going to do so after the two of you got together, especially. I wasn't going to hurt Kristen for that. But you told her and made her think about it, so she got hurt anyway. That's why I'm mad at you."

"Did she tell you why I told her?"

"Yep. Doesn't excuse it. She thought I might be serious.

"Ask me again."

"Uh-uh."

Mark nodded. "Please. I want you to hear what my answer would have been if I'd known you were serious. And I want Kristen to hear it, as well."

"Hmm. I'll ask you to tell me that answer, but I won't ask a question that isn't true right now. Good enough?"

Mark considered. "Good enough."

"Okay, what would you have answered if you'd thought I was serious, then?"

"Kayla, I'm very flattered, and I won't deny that I'm interested, but I'm not going to do anything that might hurt Kristen. I don't know how she would feel about it, and I won't risk hurting her." He paused.

"That's what I would have said last night. It's not true any longer; I do know how Kristen would feel about it. It would hurt her, so I won't do it. It's not because you aren't attractive, or because I don't like you, but because I've made a commitment to Kristen, and I won't break that."

Kayla sighed again. "Yeah, that would have got you some bonus points."

"It's the truth, Kayla." Mark said, "I'm sorry I hurt you. It honestly never occurred to me that you could possibly be attracted to me."

Kayla shrugged. "Everyone sees me as asexual, it's not particularly surprising."

Mark's lips quirked. "I don't think you understand, Kayla. It's not that I think you are asexual."

She snorted. "Sure."

Mark said, quietly, "I didn't think you would be attracted to me."

"Half the girls in the school have a crush on you. Some of them have to take a towel to class to wipe up the drool. You can notice Todd asleep under his hair in the back row but you don't notice how many girls are making puppy dog eyes at you?"

"That's what I said," Kristen muttered.

Mark shrugged. "It's true. Ask Kristen how shocked I was when she told me about the girls having a crush. I honestly had no clue. Maybe it's a blind spot."

"I mean, there's not been a day this week when you couldn't tell that Karen's bra and panties matched," Kayla said, shaking her head.

Mark had the grace to look embarrassed. "I wasn't looking at Karen's bra and panties."

"How? I mean, they've been right in your face all week." Kristen asked.

"I was looking for yours."

"Karen's are bigger. Easier to spot," Kristen said.

Kayla snickered. "Poorer quality, though."

Mark smirked. "That's the truth. Yours are much better, love." He glanced at Kayla. "Yours aren't bad either."

Kayla looked at her breasts in a rather fond way. "Yeah, I'm actually kinda happy with them. They draw too much attention if I show em off, though." Her breasts were about C-cup, quite large for someone of her age and size, especially as her body was the thin, wiry-muscled type.

"Will you please believe me that I didn't mean to hurt you, and that I'm very flattered?" Mark looked at Kristen, wondering if she told Kayla yet.

"I said from the beginning that you didn't mean to hurt me. S'okay. Really it is."

"And do you understand why I didn't realize it might hurt Kristen?"

"Um, no, honestly. Even if you thought it was a joke, you couldn't be certain she wouldn't think it was serious."