Jason and You Makes Two

A/N: In a big rush today. Hope you like it and see you next time!

Thanx go to Lisa for proofing.

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Chapter 4

Simon eyed Mark carefully across the table as the slim redhead took a seat and looked up with those big, shy, emerald green eyes. He was a very attractive man and Simon had guessed him to be somewhere around 24 or 25 years old, only a few years younger than his own 29 years. It was really hard to tell because Mark’s skin was nearly perfect beneath the garish red and yellow hat that was part of his uniform. Most of Simon’s assumption was based on the level of maturity the other man seemed to possess. The day they’d met, Mark had showed real concern and had taken responsibility for his carelessness.

Given a similar situation, Simon knew from experience that a lot of people would try to blame the victim, glaring hatefully at the one they’d wronged, as if they’d brought problems onto themselves by being on the other side of that door. Simon had even seen some go so far as to outright yell at someone else and act like complete bastards when they had been the ones at fault the entire time. On more than one occasion Simon had interceded on behalf of the one being mistreated so it had been like a breath of fresh air to meet someone like Mark.

He wanted to get to know the redhead better, even if it could never be anything more than friendship. That’s why Simon had lied to the other man earlier. He really had been flirting with him and had come to ask him out, but had backpedaled quickly when he found out that the other man was already involved. Simon just wasn’t the type to invade on another man’s territory, no matter how tempting it might be, much less break up a happy relationship. Heaven only knew that Simon had been searching for something stable and committed like that for nearly four years.

“Thanks for joining me,” Simon said cheerfully as he tried to break the ice and dispel the awkwardness Mark was obviously feeling.

“No problem,” Mark replied as he popped the plastic lid from his salad and began pouring dressing over the top. “So, how much do I owe you?” he asked bluntly, not even bothering to look up from his tray as he did so.

It was almost like the redhead was annoyed with him for showing up and that really bothered Simon. He wasn’t used to being disliked for no reason, especially since they’d seemed to hit it off so well when they’d met, and he certainly wasn’t used to being ignored. “My injury related bills came to one thousand dollars,” Simon said with a straight face. It was cruel, but he just wanted Mark to look at him instead of acting like his salad was the most interesting thing since sliced bread. It worked, too, because the other man immediately let out a horrified gasp and swung his fearful eyes up to Simon.

“Please tell me you’re joking,” Mark stammered in a panic before Simon could retract his earlier statement.

He hadn’t expected THAT much of a response and felt a little guilty for freaking Mark out that way. With a chuckle, Simon let the poor guy off the hook. “I’m sorry. That was totally uncalled for. I honestly don’t know what the bill will be, but I did put it on my health insurance, so it shouldn’t run over thirty bucks. I just came by to give you a heads-up that I’d be hitting you up for cash soon,” Simon lied slyly to cover his tracks.

“So, you don’t need the money today?” Mark asked hopefully, his eyes leaving Simon for a moment to scan idly around the room behind him before returning again. Simon didn’t think much of it because he was once again feeling guilty for even pressing the issue. The redhead couldn’t have much free money working at McDoogle’s and Simon had honestly had no intentions of collecting. Still, the price of a standard doctor’s office visit wasn’t a staggering amount, so Mark’s extreme relief seemed a bit exaggerated.

“Tell you what,” Simon offered, after a short pause to finish off his sandwich and wash it down with a drink of tea. “The bill won’t be all that much, so how about I just take care of it and we forget the whole thing ever happened?”

Mark sat there for a moment like he was seriously considering taking Simon up on his offer. Then he shook his head firmly and said, “No. It was my fault that you were hurt, so it wouldn’t be right. Just let me know when the bill arrives and I’ll make sure that the money’s ready.”

“If you insist,” Simon replied. “How about we exchange numbers now and I’ll let you know when I find out the exact amount. Then you can call me when you’ve managed to scrape up the cash. When you do, I’ll come by and pick it up and then we can put all of this behind us. How does that sound?”

Once again, Mark broke eye contact to scan the area over Simon’s shoulder and this time it made him a little uncomfortable. Uncomfortable enough, in fact, that he turned around to take a quick glance and see what Mark was looking at. He didn’t see anything unusual but when he turned to look at Mark again, the redhead had a dark blush of embarrassment on his cheeks. Rather than put the other man on the spot, Simon pulled the lid from his side salad and then opened the dressing packet with his teeth. When he glanced back up he found Mark’s eyes riveted to his lips and gave him a knowing grin before squirting the thick, white condiment onto his lettuce and then slowly licking a small drop of dressing from his thumb.

Simon thought he heard a small sound, somewhere between a sigh and a groan, and barely held back a grin when Mark forced his eyes downward to once again give his own food his full attention as he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. “How long have you worked here?” Simon asked conversationally. In part he just wanted his attractive companion to relax and let his guard down a little. Another part of him was truly interested and wanted to know more.

After chewing the bite in his mouth, Mark turned his attention back to Simon with a friendly smile. Then he sent one more cautious look around the dining area before visibly relaxing and leaning one elbow on the table. “I’ve worked here since I had to drop out of college five years ago. It’s not the best job, but I get forty hours a week now and they’ve even hinted that I might be up for a promotion soon. Where do you work?”

Simon was so shocked by Mark’s sudden change in demeanor that he faltered for a second. “Umm… I work for a construction company in town. My dad owns it and I’m the foreman.” No sooner were the words out, Mark got this ‘Ahah’ look on his face and Simon, already used to that reaction, rushed to explain, “I know how that sounds, but I really did earn the position. Anyone who knows my dad also knows that he’s harder on me than anyone else. It all worked out for the best, though.”

“I bet you have to put up with a lot of teasing from the people you work with,” Mark observed, real interest suddenly lighting up his eyes. Simon was happy with the unexpected turn of events and was beginning to have real hope that they had very compatible personalities. As if to confirm Simon’s suspicions, Mark seemed to loosen up even more and they passed stories back and forth easily as they laughed and got to know one another better. Within a few minutes it was as if they’d been friends for years.

Mark told Simon about his dreams of becoming an architect and how his parents had cut him off when they’d found out about his sexual orientation. As a result he’d been forced to drop out of college and hoped to someday save up enough money to go back. Simon on the other hand had been lucky and his family had grudgingly accepted his preferences after only a few months of estrangement. They’d never cut him off financially, though, and he’d finished college with a degree and had immediately begun working at a fairly good job.

Despite their easy camaraderie, they really didn’t have all that much in common. Simon had come from an upper-middle class background and had grown up locally in Denver, Colorado. Mark had grown up further east in a lower-middle class family from Illinois. Still, they seemed to hit it off and Simon couldn’t have been more pleased. He had several gay friends living nearby, but many of them were still a bit on the wild side. One more was always welcome, especially when that one more was so mature, attractive, and seemed so settled. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and less than half an hour had gone by when Mark glanced down at his watch and frowned.

“I’m sorry, but I have to get back now. If you’ll leave me your number I’ll be sure to get back with you. Here,” he said, pulling a pen from the pocket of his uniform shirt. “Since there are two Marks who work here, I’ll give you my full name so that you can call me here and leave a message when you get the bill in. Just be sure to call after 3 pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays so that my friend, Chandra, will be the one who takes the call.”

“You don’t have a phone?” Simon asked in surprise as he accepted the slip of paper with Mark’s full name on it and motioned for him to loan him the pen so that he could scribble his cell number on a clean napkin. When he’d finished, Simon realized that Mark had never answered and looked up to find his new friend’s cheeks flushed red again and his eyes focused on the floor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mark murmured, meeting Simon’s apologetic gaze with a reassuring one of his own. “No offense taken. It’s just that… Well… I really do have a phone, but I also have a jealous boyfriend. The thing is, if you were to call my house he’d probably freak out.”

Immediately Simon’s hackles rose as the puzzle pieces began to lock into place and a lot of Mark’s odd behavior from earlier began to make perfect sense. “If he’s abusive then you should leave him and find someone who’ll treat you right.” The firm, no-nonsense tone of Simon’s voice left no doubt that he was serious.

“He’s not,” Mark rushed to reassure him, a pleasant smile spreading across his lips. “I’d never put up with that kind of thing. It’s just that he’s insecure, and if he suspects that you and I are…” Mark paused suddenly, tongue-tied as he searched for a better explanation. Finally he shrugged and took the number from Simon’s still-outstretched hand with a sigh. “It’s really not your problem. Let’s just say that it’s not worth the drama it would cause to let you call the house. I’m sorry.”

Simon nodded his understanding and did his best to hide his disappointment at Mark’s words. He had serious doubts as to how valid Mark’s claims were that his boyfriend wasn’t abusive. Even if the guy never laid a hand on Mark, there were other types of abuse and Simon could see that Mark was slowly being worn down by something. The redhead had seemed nervous and on edge earlier and Simon had assumed it was because of him. Now he knew that it wasn’t. Well, not completely. Still, there wasn’t a whole lot that he could do about the situation. Until Mark was ready to admit that he was in a dysfunctional relationship and took steps to take his life back, there was nothing that ANYONE could do.

With a sigh of disappointment, Simon stood from his seat and reached out his hand for a shake. Mark took it with a relieved smile before saying his farewells, gathering up his tray, and heading back to work. Simon watched him go with a frown, trying not to stare openly at the perfectly round bubble butt so beautifully displayed in Mark’s uniform pants. He’d hoped that they could make some sort of connection, and in reality they had, but he could see that his interference in Mark’s life would cause the redhead more harm than good. Still, how could he just walk away now? Moving in and breaking up a happy relationship was one thing. This was something totally different. Mark didn’t seem very happy at all, and Simon could already tell that they’d be much better suited for one another than whoever Mark was with now.

After gathering up his mess, Simon tucked the slip of paper with Mark’s name on it into his pocket and made his way to the garbage receptacles near the door. In all honesty, he’d had no intentions of collecting from the attractive redhead when the medical bill came due. Mark didn’t need to know that, though. After all, that was his only real connection with Mark for now. They hadn’t exchanged addresses and he didn’t know Mark’s boyfriend’s name and therefore probably wouldn’t be able to find Mark in the phone book.

The long and the short of it was that the medical expenses were his only excuse to see Mark again and Simon planned to use that to his full advantage. He knew before he stepped out the door into the night that he’d be back soon. No way was he going to waste a chance to see Mark face-to-face again by making a phone call. Next time they met, Simon would spend some time trying to pull a few more details about Mark’s current relationship out into the light and try to help Mark see that things didn’t have to be that way.
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