A Moment in Time

by Danielle - imaginary_diva7@hotmail.com

 

Mark stood waiting anxiously on the edge of the stage for the cue to begin the next song. This song was especially special to him since it was his one last chance to try and win his girlfriend back. Three weeks ago, Mark and his girlfriend Michelle had been fighting about their current living situation. Michelle had been touring with them for a year and she was getting tired of moving from different hotel rooms. Although she enjoyed hanging out with the guys and partying all night, she also wanted to settle down and buy a house with Mark in the country.

Mark shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot as he waited for the rest of the boys to finish getting dressed. He knew that Michelle was watching the concert and since she wouldn’t return any of his messages, he had decided that this was the best way to get her attention.

In the background, Mark could here the stage manager yelling out instructions. "Ok boys, its time to get on stage."

Mark’s hands got clammy and he could hardly breathe as he stepped onto the stage. The rest of the lads knew of his plan and had promised to support his decisions. He could here Shane’s introduction in the background and soon it would be his turn to speak. As Shane finished his speech, Mark took a small step forward and faced the audience. He began to speak. "Umm…Michelle, if you’re out there, I - I just want to let you know that I will always love you and I miss you so much. This song is for you."

Mark finished his speech and stepped back to join the others. He felt lightheaded and had to lean on the backdrop to keep his body up. His stomach was turning and his head was spinning in circles. He knew that Shane had started the song already, and he struggled to focus on the lyrics so that he would know when to join in. A few seconds later, he began to sing:

I don't wanna feel
The way that I do
I just wanna be
Right here with you
I don't wanna see
See us apart
I just wanna say it straight from my heart
I miss you...

By the end of the song, most of the audience was in tears, and Mark slowly backed off of the stage and into the dressing rooms. There were tears stinging his eyes as he struggled to find the couch. All he wanted to do was lie down and pretend that his whole world wasn’t falling apart. He knew the guys needed him on stage but he just couldn’t go on when he was feeling like this.

The concert was finally over and he could hear the guys coming down the hallway talking very loudly. As they entered the room, Mark knew he was in trouble.

"Mark!!" Bryan screamed, "What the hell were you thinking, just leaving us out there. You can’t just do that!!

"Yea Mark," Shane agreed, "We supported you this whole time and now you think you can just quit like this?? Like you can just walk off the stage and we’re going to cover for you?"

Mark got up from the couch and walked over to them. "Does anyone ever think about how I feel? I miss her so much that I can’t even sing anymore. I mean, singing is my life and now I just feel lost and helpless. What is happening to me?"

Nicky looked at him and sighed. " We’re really sorry Mark. We know how much she means to you and we want to help, but right now there’s nothing we can do."

"Yea, sorry man. It’s just that we can’t have you just walking off the stage. It gives a bad impression." Shane replied.

Mark walked across the room and started gathering his stuff. "I don’t need your sympathy, guys. I have to deal with this on my own. I’m going back to the hotel. I just want to be alone."

Mark walked out the door and down the long hallway to get to his car. He pulled his keys from his pocket and fumbled with the lock for a minute. When he finally got the door open, he threw his things onto the seat and slammed the door shut. Tears filled his eyes once again and he was unable to start the car. He had been crying for about ten minutes when his phone rang.

"Damn Phone!" He muttered to himself. He hesitated for a minute before picking up the phone and putting it up to his ear. "Hello??" He said into the phone.

He heard a soft voice on the other end say his name.

"Michelle??" He was shocked to hear her voice on the other end and he just had to check again.

"Yea Mark, it’s me. Umm… I saw your concert on TV and I thought that the least I could do was call you. Are you ok?"

Mark was gripping the phone so tightly that his hands were turning white. "I’m fine, Mich. Umm…are you in town or are you staying with your parents?"

"Actually Mark, I flew in this morning and I was going to come to your concert, but I just couldn’t do it. I’m staying at a friends house down the street from the arena."

Mark took a deep breath and built up the courage to ask the next question. "Mich, do you think that maybe I could pick you up and we could go someplace to talk. I think we need to settle some things."

There was a long pause on the other end before Michelle responded. "Yea, Mark. I think that’s a good idea. We really do need to talk. Can you be here in twenty minutes? The address is 32 Maple St."

Mark looked at his watch and replied, "Ok, I’ll be there soon," and with that, he hung up the phone.

He opened the door to his car and got out. He decided that taking the limo would be better because he could focus on Michelle and he wouldn’t have to worry about driving. He ran over to where their limo was parked and hopped in. He gave the address to their driver Louis, and then sat back in his seat and prepared for the reunion. He was both excited and nervous at the same time, as the thought of seeing Michelle again seemed overwhelming. He tried to decide what to say to her when they met up again, but he couldn’t think of anything that made sense. It seemed like forever until they got to the house, and as Louis pulled into the driveway, Mark was growing more and more impatient. When the limo came to a stop, Mark opened the door and jumped out. He could see Michelle’s figure through the door and he grew nervous all over again.

As the front door opened, Mark held his breath and watched Michelle step out onto the porch. She slowly walked down the driveway and stood in front of Mark for a moment, just looking into his eyes. Suddenly, she walked right up to him and gave him a big hug. Mark was in shock. He had never expected Michelle to react this way. After all, she was the one who had packed up all her things and left for New York. She was the one who wouldn’t return any of his messages, and he would have never expected that she would make the first move.

As Michelle slowly pulled away, she said, "Sorry if I scared you Mark. It’s just that now that I’m seeing you in front of me, I realized how much I missed you."

Without responding, Mark opened the door to the limo, and motioned for her to get in. As he got in and shut the door, he couldn’t help but feel anger towards her. Although he had missed her the whole time they were apart, he realized that she was the one who had left him and that she would have to earn his trust once again. Looking across limo at her, Mark felt his heart break at the thought that he loved this beautiful woman, but they couldn’t be together because she didn’t feel the same way.

They rode in silence until they pulled into the parking lot of the arena once again. Michelle looked at Mark suspiciously, "Uhhh Mark, what are we doing here? I thought we were going somewhere to talk."

"I just wanted you to see the guys again. They’ve missed you almost as much as I have and I’m sure they want to see you too," Mark replied.

Michelle looked at her feet. "That’s very sweet Mark," she started, "But I don’t think I’m ready to see them yet."

"Well, that’s just too bad because you’re coming in with me. I have to pick up some papers," Mark answered. He grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the car and into the building. They made their way down the hallway quickly, and Mark wasn’t sure how the guys would react at seeing Michelle again. He knew she was nervous, and he could hear her breathing heavily as they raced to the change room. He opened the door and gently pushed Michelle into the room. He could hear the boys react to her presence with loud gasps and a high-pitched scream from Bryan. He stepped into the room behind her and watched as the boys got up to hug her and ask her question after question.

"Michelle, where have you been?"

"How did you get here?"

"Are you and Mark back together?"

Mark couldn’t bear to listen to them talk about absolutely nothing, so he stepped back into the hallway and waited for their little celebration to come to an end. He could hear them laughing and screaming, and he knew that the boys were happy to see her again.

A while later, Michelle stepped into the hallway and sat on the floor next to Mark. "Mark, are you still mad at me?" she asked, "I thought you were happy to see me, but you just left the room without saying anything."

Mark turned his head to look at her. " I didn’t want to ruin your little party. You seemed to be doing fine without me," he scowled.

"Mark, I think I want to go home now. I wanted to spend time with you, but not when you’re like this. Can you please just take me home?" Michelle rose to her feet and waited for Mark to do the same.

Mark finally got up and walked with Michelle to the limo, and they both climbed in. They rode in silence the whole trip, unable to make eye contact. The ride felt like eternity to Mark, as he couldn’t bring himself to apologize to her. As Michelle was getting out of the limo, she paused in front of Mark and whispered, "If you still feel like talking, I’ll be in town for three more days. Just give me a call."

Mark watched her walk up the driveway and into the house. He still couldn’t believe that she had just been there with him, and he had blown his big chance. Feeling defeated and alone, he decided to go back to his hotel room and sleep away his problems.

 

The next morning, Mark awoke to the sound of Bryan and Nicky playing playstation in his room. He got out of his bed and yawned loudly to get their attention.

"Oh, sorry man. Were we being too loud??" Bryan asked.

Nicky laughed, "Sorry Mark, we didn’t think you were really asleep. We didn’t mean to wake you up."

Mark yawned loudly again and threw a pillow at Nicky’s head. "It’s okay guys. I was only sleeping to try and forget all about Michelle. But I gotta admit, it didn’t work very well."

Bryan looked up at him, "Uhh, Mark?? We wanted to talk to you about that." His glance shifted nervously to Nicky.

Nicky began to speak, "Mark, we thought it would be cool if we invited Michelle to tour with us again. We all discussed it and we thought it would be good for all of us."

"Well, you thought wrong, Nicky," Mark began, "There is no way I’m inviting her back again. I don’t want to. And even if I did want to, there’s no way that she would come back here after our big fight. It’s just impossible."

Bryan turned off the game and looked back at Mark. "Actually, it’s not that impossible, Mark. Shane called Michelle last night after you got back and explained everything to her. She agreed to try it out for a while, so we’re picking her up today on our way out of town."

Mark’s face turned bright red and he looked furious. "Thanks a lot guys! I thought you were on my side! This is never going to work out. I mean, what about all our commitments? What about that big party we have tonight? We can’t just have her tagging along."

"The invitation said that we can bring a guest, and since none of us have a date right now, there’s plenty of room for her," Bryan answered.

Feeling defeated once again, Mark grabbed his clothes and stormed into the bathroom to get ready for their trip.

Several hours later, the boys were standing outside the hotel waiting for the bus driver to finish loading their luggage. They had decided that Michelle would stay with Nicky and Mark on one bus, while the rest of the boys would be on the other bus. As they were boarding their bus, Mark couldn’t help but feel excited that Michelle would be joining them. He would have many chances to talk to her, and maybe things could go back to the way they used to be.

Once again, they pulled into the driveway of her house, and Mark watched her walk down the driveway and onto the bus. She looked calm and collected, the exact opposite of what he was feeling. She smiled at them and said, "Good morning guys. Thanks for inviting me to come with you. I’m really looking forward to it."

Mark couldn’t tell if she was lying or not, but he decided to play along. "Mich, you know you’re welcome here anytime. Please, make yourself at home. You can have the top bunk, and me and Nicky will sleep on the bottom bunks. I hope you had a good sleep because we have a big party tonight and it’s going to be a late night."

Michelle knew he was being sarcastic, so she simply rolled her eyes and walked toward the back of the bus until she could no longer be seen.

Nicky looked over at Mark. "Smooth move, man. I thought you wanted to win her back, not make her go crazy."

"I can’t help it. She’s acting so nice to me after everything that happened," Mark replied.

Nicky got up from his seat and started to walk away. "You have to get your act together, Mark. You’re never going to get anywhere with this attitude, and you’re definitely not going to earn her trust again."

Mark sat there for a long time, thinking about what Nicky had said. Nicky was absolutely right. He was never going to get Michelle to take him seriously if he was acting like a complete baby. His thoughts were interrupted by the loud ring of his phone. He picked it up and waited for the person on the other end to start talking. "Hey Mark, it’s Bry. I just wanted to tell you guys to start getting ready because we’re going to be at the hall in about an hour."

"Okay thanks, Bry. We’ll see you there, bye," Mark replied.

He walked towards the back of the bus where Michelle and Nicky were watching TV and announced that they should start getting ready because they were getting close to the hall. They both agreed and Mark headed over to his bunk to find his suit that was buried in his suitcase.

Half an hour later, everyone was dressed and ready to go. Mark looked at Michelle, who was wearing a sleeveless white blouse, a black skirt and a sparkly belt. Mark thought she looked gorgeous and he knew she would fit right in at this party. They pulled into the parking lot of the hall, and everyone got out of the bus and walked to the entrance. When they entered the hall, everyone began going their separate ways. Michelle wasn’t ready to be alone with Mark yet, so she stayed with Bryan and Nicky for the first half of the night.

Several hours later, they were seated for dinner at the table nearest to the dance floor. They had a wonderful meal, with everything from pasta to chicken to an amazing ice cream dessert. Sensing the tension between Michelle and Mark, the rest of the boys tried to maintain a steady conversation throughout the whole meal, so that there would never be an awkward silence.

After dinner, everyone was full and ready to party. Bryan got up from his seat, holding his stomach, "Ohhh, I’m so full. I’ll be right back."

Shane was the next to leave. "Oh look, there’s my buddy, Jeff. I’m going over to say hi."

Kian and Nicky stood up together and announced that they were going to the bar to pick up some more drinks, and they left the table. Mark and Michelle were left there all alone to sort things over. Mark knew that they had done it on purpose, but he would have never expected what was coming next. He looked over to the stage and noticed that his four band mates were standing there holding microphones. Shane spoke first. "We’re up here to help out two friends who need a push in the right direction."

"Yea, because my boy needs major help," Bryan laughed.

"So we’re dedicating this song to Mark and Michelle," Kian continued.

"Come on guys, you have to get up and dance. This song is for you," Nicky finished.

Mark looked across the table at Michelle, and knew that she felt the same way he did. Being the good sport that he was, he got up from his seat and walked over to her. He reached out his hand, and she accepted, so they both made their way to the dance floor. At first, they felt a little embarrassed being the only ones dancing, but after awhile they became used to it. Mark was the first to speak. "Sorry about this, Michelle. I’m going to kill those guys when I see them."

Michelle looked up at him and laughed. "It’s okay, Mark. I don’t mind dancing with you. It’s just like it used to be."

Those words hit him hard. He wanted it to be like it used to be, but he knew it wasn’t. Michelle knew what he was thinking, and she lay her head on his shoulder to make him feel better.

When the song was over, Michelle let go of his hand and walked back to the table on her own, while Mark went over to where Shane and Bryan were standing. As they were talking about what had just happened, Mark noticed how lonely Michelle looked at their table. He excused himself and went back to the table to sit down. "Hey Mich, having fun?"

She turned to face him. "Yea, I guess. I mean, the dancing was fun," she laughed. But I’m kind of tired. Are we sleeping on the bus tonight?"

Mark looked into her sad eyes and frowned. "Yea, we’re staying on the bus because we have to be in L.A. by tomorrow afternoon. But don’t worry the beds are comfortable. You remember, don’t you?"

Michelle was about to answer when her phone suddenly rang. She got up from the table and went outside to answer it. After a while, she came back into the room and sat at the table. Mark noticed that she looked extremely tired and weak. He knew that the phone call must have upset her because she was spaced out and very quiet. He tried to talk to her, but she would barely respond, and kept looking down at her feet. He wondered what the phone call could have been about to make her act this way.

When it was time to leave, the boys went around the room to say goodbye, and then they boarded the bus. On the bus, Michelle headed straight to the back to change into her pajamas. A few minutes later, came out wearing shorts and a tank top. She walked over to Mark. "Mark do you have a sweatshirt that I can borrow? I didn’t think it would be this cold in here," she asked.

Mark took her over to his dresser and picked out a sweatshirt for her to wear to sleep. As she lifted her arms to put the sweatshirt on, Mark noticed a large bruise on her stomach. "Michelle," he said suspiciously, "Where did you get that bruise? It looks very painful."

Michelle looked down and answered, "When I was staying at my friends house, she opened the door while I was standing behind it, and the doorknob hit me in the stomach."

Before Mark could ask her any more questions, she hurried to her bunk and closed the curtains. Mark stood near his dresser, thinking about the answer she had given him. He knew she was lying, but he didn’t know what could have caused a bruise that large. A few minutes later, Michelle came out from her bunk to get a glass of water. Mark went over to her to apologize. "Look Michelle, I’m sorry I stepped in. I’m just concerned about you."

"I understand, Mark. But really, it’s nothing. I swear."

Mark said goodnight and went to hug her. As his hand touched her back, he saw that she winced in pain and he immediately let go. "What is it?" He asked. "Did I hurt you?"

Michelle looked down at her feet again. "Um, no. M-My back’s been hurting for a few days. I’m sure it will be better soon. I just need a good sleep."

She kissed Mark on the cheek and disappeared into her bunk again. Normally, Mark and Nicky would stay up late and watch TV, but tonight they were both tired and just wanted to go to sleep, so they did.

Mark lay in bed for hours wondering about Michelle, and why she was acting so strange. He wanted to ask he about it, but he was sure that she would get mad and tell him to mind his own business. At about 4:00am, Mark thought he heard Nicky get up and go to the washroom. He realized that he needed to talk to Nicky about his problem, so he rolled over and got out of his bed. It was dark in the bus, and Mark stumbled across the floor until he bumped into something. Thinking it was Nicky, he reached over and opened the lamp beside him. In the light he could see Michelle standing in front of him, wiping furiously at her eyes. It was obvious that she had been crying because her eyes were red and she was shaking.

Mark tried to touch her arm, but she immediately pulled away and tried to get past him. He stepped in front of her and said. "Michelle, I know there’s something going on with you. I just wish you would stop lying to me and tell me what’s really happening."

She wiped her eyes and looked at him. "I can’t, Mark. You wouldn’t understand."

Mark knew how upset she was, so he decided not to hassle her anymore tonight. He would ask her about it again in the morning. He walked her back to the bunks and they both went back to sleep.

When Mark got up the next morning, Michelle and Nicky were already sitting at the table drinking coffee. "Morning Mark," Nicky called across the bus.

"Morning," Mark shouted back at him. He quickly changed into his jeans and a t-shirt, and went over to where they were sitting. Nicky looked up from his mug and said, "Bry called and said that we’re going to be in L.A. in about half an hour. First, we’re going to the hotel to check in, and then we have to go to the arena for the sound check.

Mark smiled and said, "Sounds like a busy day." He looked at Michelle. "What are you going to do while we’re rehearsing?"

"Well, I was going to go shopping this afternoon, but I’m coming to the show tonight," she answered.

Mark was still smiling. "That’s good. You haven’t been to a show in so long. It will be good to have you there."

Half an hour later, they got off the bus and entered the hotel. The boys discussed the sleeping arrangements and decided that Kian, Mark and Bryan would stay together in one room, and Shane and Nicky would stay in the other room, while Michelle would have her own room. It was getting late, so the boys went off to rehearsal and Michelle went shopping in town. She had agreed to meet them at the arena before the concert, but she was looking forward to spending time on her own.

After several hours, she had bought so many things that she had to go back to the hotel to drop off her packages. Looking at her watch, she realized that the boys would probably be waiting for her, so she headed to the arena in the bus.

When she got there, she flashed her backstage pass at the security guard, and went to where the change rooms were. She could hear the loud music blasting in the background and was disappointed that the boys were already on stage. The room was freezing and she was only wearing a thin tank top. She spotted Mark’s jacket on the couch and put it on over her top. She turned on the TV and huddled on the couch to try to get warm. The jacket smelled like Mark’s cologne and she snuggled it against her body while she waited for the concert to finish.

Two hours later, Michelle awoke to find Bryan and Shane sitting on the couch across from her.

"Wakey, wakey," Bryan teased.

"Wow, you must have been tired. You slept for two hours," Shane laughed

Michelle was feeling groggy and dizzy, but she tried to get up from the couch anyway. "Yea, I guess I was tired. I haven’t slept that well in such a long time," she said to them.

Shane gave her a skeptical look. "Well, Mark’s been worried about you. I told him that you were fine, but he just doesn’t believe me. I think you should go to his change room and tell him that you’re okay before he has a heart attack."

"Thanks Shane," she laughed.

She practically ran into the hallway and opened the door to Mark’s change room. When he saw her, he stopped what he was doing and said, "I’ve been worried about you. You were supposed to meet us before the show. What happened?"

"Well, my shopping got a little carried away and I had to bring my stuff back to the hotel," she answered.

Mark was about to question her about the night before, but her phone rang and she excused herself from the room and went outside to answer it. Mark couldn’t hear what she was saying but her could hear the panic in her voice when she hung up the phone. He went into the hall to see what was going on. When he opened the door, he saw Michelle sitting on the floor with her head in her hands. She was shaking violently and there were tears streaming down her cheeks. Mark gently lifted her from the floor and guided her into his change room. They sat on the couch and Mark wrapped his arms around her and held her until she began to calm down.

"Mark," Michelle managed between sobs, "There’s something I have to tell you."

Mark wiped the tears from her face with his fingers and hugged her tightly. "You can tell me anything. I’ll do whatever I can to help you."

Michelle sat up straight and tried her best to stop her tears. "Well, I’ve actually been living here for two weeks. After I left you, I met this guy at a party and we started going out. One night he got very drunk and he grabbed my shirt and pushed me out of my apartment and into the hall, where I landed on my back. When I tried to get back in, he slammed the door and the doorknob hit my stomach, causing the bruise. I had to get away that night, so I bought a plane ticket and came here. I left everything behind, and I thought that he would leave me alone."

Mark interrupted her. "Oh my God, he was the person on the phone!"

"Yes Mark," she continued, "He knows that I’m with you and now he wants to come and get me. I’m so scared that he’s going to do something to me."

Mark took her hand and held it. "Don’t worry Michelle, I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. Me and the boys will be with you all the time. I’m calling the police right away, and we’re going to make sure that this guy is put where he belongs."

"I feel so much better now. I should have told you sooner. I’m so sorry," she replied.

Michelle leaned her head on his shoulder and they sat there for several hours, until Kian announced that it was time to go back to the hotel. They all got into the limo and drove back to the hotel, where they went back to their separate rooms. Since Michelle didn’t want to stay on her own, Mark and Kian invited her to stay in their room.

The next morning, they all went downstairs to the restaurant to have breakfast. Michelle had told everyone about her problem, and they agreed to stay with her and make sure that she was okay. After breakfast, they went back up to their rooms to gather their luggage and prepared to load their bus. Mark helped Michelle prepare her bags and set them by the door. He looked at her and said, "I still have some stuff to do up here. Why don’t you bring your bags downstairs and I’ll meet you there in a few minutes."

"I don’t want to go downstairs by myself. I’m scared. Can’t I wait for you?" She asked.

Mark looked past her, into the hallway. "Michelle, it’s faster if we do it this way. Don’t worry, Bryan and Shane are already downstairs, and I’ll be down in a few minutes. Nothing is going to happen to you."

Okay Mark, I’ll go," she agreed. She picked up her bags and headed towards the elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, a pair of hands grabbed the doors and pulled them open. Michelle tried to scream as she saw her ex-boyfriend Sam stepping into the elevator, but he quickly placed a hand over her mouth. "Shut up Michelle, I’m not going to hurt you. I just want you to come home with me," he said.

Michelle struggled to get his hand away from her mouth, but he was just too strong. When the elevator opened, Sam pushed her out and told her to stay quiet or she would be sorry. In the lobby, she could see Bryan and Shane standing at the door, but she was out of their sight, and there was no way that they would be able to hear her. She realized that Sam was dragging her towards the back exit, and she knew she had to do something. With a sudden burst of strength, she punched Sam in the stomach so hard that he let go of her and fell to the floor. She ran as fast as she could toward the front door and grabbed Bryan’s arm. "Bryan, that’s him," she managed to say, "Please do something! He wants to take me away."

Bryan quickly stepped in front of her and watched as the security guards grabbed Sam and brought him to the squad car. At this point, Michelle was crying so hard that she could hardly breathe. Bryan and Shane stayed with her, trying to calm her down. Moments later, Mark appeared in the lobby and rushed over to see what had happened. Michelle took one look at him and screamed, "This is all your fault, Mark! If you had stayed with me, I would have been fine. You said you were going to protect me, but you left alone and he almost got me."

Mark knew she was right. He had promised to take care of her, and he had almost lost her forever. "I’m so sorry, Michelle," was all he could say.

They decided that it would be best if they just boarded the bus and continued their trip. They spent the whole day on the bus, and Michelle wouldn’t even look at Mark. At 9:00, Michelle said goodnight and went to her bunk. Mark and Nicky could hear her crying, but they decided that it would be best if they just left her alone.

It was 4:00am, but neither Nicky or Mark could fall asleep. They were worried about Michelle because she had cried for hours before she fell asleep. Mark turned over in his bed and tried to block out the day’s events. Just as he was dozing off, he heard Michelle scream loudly from her bunk. He leapt out of bed and opened the curtains to find her crying hysterically and struggling to breathe. He ordered Nicky to get her a glass of water, while he covered her with the blanket and held her tightly.

"What happened, Michelle?" He whispered.

She continued crying. "I don’t know, Mark. I had a dream about Sam, and he was coming after me. I guess I just panicked. It seemed so real. I’m sorry I woke you guys."

"Don’t worry about that. I just want to make sure you’re okay," Mark said.

Nicky returned with the water, and after he heard the whole story, he went back to sleep. Michelle was wide-awake and Mark knew that she didn’t want to go back to sleep because she was scared of having another nightmare, so he offered to stay awake with her. They went to the back of the bus and turned on the TV.

"Look Michelle," Mark started, "I’m really sorry I made you go downstairs alone. I just never thought that Sam would actually come after you. But you don’t have to worry now because he’s in jail and he’s going to be there for a while."

Michelle looked up at Mark. "I know, Mark. I didn’t think he would come after me either. I was just scared, and I over-reacted. I’m sorry I screamed at you."

"So, do you think that we could try to work things out? I really want things to go back to the way they used to be, with us being together," Mark asked.

Michelle smiled at him. "I would love that, Mark."

They were finally both calm and happy, so they wrapped the blanket around themselves and went to sleep.

 

The end