Waiting for a Prince (11 page)

been honest with you.”

Mark cleared his throat. “Look, I know you don’t want to talk about what’s going on

between you and Becky.” The words rushed out of him and he could have kicked himself as

Sam tensed up yet again. Mark persisted. “And while I can’t pretend to understand it, I just

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Sam tensed up yet again. Mark persisted. “And while I can’t pretend to understand it, I just

want to say one thing. If you ever need to talk, about
anything
, I’m here for you.”

Sam’s shoulders slumped forward and he pressed his palms to his eyes. “Thank you,” he

said at last, his voice shaking. “You don’t know what it means to me to hear you say that.” He

lowered his hands and looked Mark in the eye. “I could really use a friend right now.” Mark

grasped Sam’s hand tightly and Sam looked down at their joined hands with a smile. He lifted

his chin. “And for the record? I didn’t get into bed with you this morning so we could ma—

have sex.” Those cheeks were pink again. “I just wanted to be near you. But the impulse to kiss you was so strong, I couldn’t fight it.” He shook his head. “It…it won’t happen again.” His chin dropped to his chest.

“Sam.” Mark freed his hand and cupped Sam’s cheek, forcing Sam to look at him. “I

won’t deny it: if you were single, this morning would have ended
so
differently.”
God, yes
.

Mark forced himself not to imagine Sam in his arms, kissing him, touching him… He inhaled

sharply. “But you’re not. So yes, I’ll be your friend.” He gave Sam a wry smile. “I could use a friend right now, too.” He extended his hand and after staring at it blankly for a moment, Sam

took it. They shook hands, Sam’s grasp firm.

“Friends,” Sam repeated, more confidently this time.

Mark smiled. “Friends.” He was not a mean-spirited person, but in that moment, he

found himself wishing fervently that Sam had never laid eyes on Becky.

Because Mark wanted him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sonia smirked. “Uh-uh, but never mind. Concentrate on what you’re doing.” She

handed Mark another foil, her gaze focused on his hands as he applied the hair dye evenly and

folded the strands of hair into the foil, crimping the edges securely. “You’re doing a great job,”

she said in a low voice, and then leaned forward to whisper in her customer’s ear. “Isn’t he,

Kathy?”

The lady in the chair giggled. “Mark, you’re doing fine.”

Mark had to smile at that. He was hyper aware of Marie’s presence, which made it that

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Mark had to smile at that. He was hyper aware of Marie’s presence, which made it that

much more difficult to focus, but he took several deep breaths and pressed on. It was his first attempt in the salon at coloring hair. Sonia had definitely taken on the role of mentor, and

despite Marie’s obvious initial misgivings, his boss had let Sonia get on with it. What a

difference a month had made. It was now late September and Mark was finally beginning to

feel comfortable at work. Sonia’s decision to let Mark cut her hair had proved the catalyst. A lot of the girls had jumped on the bandwagon at the thought of a free haircut, and Mark had found

himself faced with demands that he do their hair too. He had risen to the challenge. When Marie finally offered him some dry words of praise, Mark knew he’d turned a corner. At last.

The last of the foils in place, Mark adjusted the timer and leaned forward with a bright

smile to address his customer. “That’s going to be about twenty minutes. Now, can I get you a

cup of tea or coffee?”

Kathy beamed. “Ooh, a coffee would be nice.” Mark gave her a grin. Kathy had been a

regular throughout his time at the salon, and it had been Sonia’s idea to leave Mark in charge

this time. Nevertheless, he’d been grateful for Sonia’s reassuring presence throughout. He gave Kathy’s shoulder a quick squeeze, and after handing her a selection of magazines, he headed for the kitchen. As he stood waiting for the kettle to boil, his phone chimed in his pocket. He

grinned when he saw the screen. Sam.

“I know that smile.” Sonia winked at him from the doorway. “What are you two up to

this weekend?”

Mark opened the message and frowned. “Nothing, apparently.” He puffed out his breath

in exasperation. “Becky says she has
plans
.” That would make the third Sunday in a row that Sam had canceled on him, and each time it had been something to do with Becky.

Sonia gave another smirk. “Hasn’t she worked out yet that there are
three
people in this relationship? That’s very inconsiderate of her.” Mark stared at her open-mouthed and she

laughed. “Oh, come on, Mark. You and Sam spend time together every Sunday and Monday,

not to mention meeting up on weekday evenings occasionally. You’re inseparable.” She winked.

“I think it’s kind of cute.”

“It’s not funny,” Mark groused. “She tells him they’re going to be doing something, and

then changes her mind at the last minute, only by then it’s too late for us to do anything.” If he didn’t know better, Mark would swear it was deliberate on Becky’s part. Sam promised him it

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didn’t know better, Mark would swear it was deliberate on Becky’s part. Sam promised him it

wasn’t. Mark poured boiling water over the instant coffee and stirred it briskly, trying not to let this new development spoil his good mood. “And we were going to go for a walk along the

coastal path near Whale Chine,” he said gloomily. Sam had suggested packing a picnic lunch if

the weather allowed. The western side of the island was less inhabited, and its beaches less

frequented. The plan had been to leave the car at the viewpoint above the theme park at

Blackgang Chine and walk along the path as far as Brook village, have their lunch on the beach

and then walk back. It would have taken up the major part of Sunday.

Sonia came fully into the kitchen and closed the door behind her. “Mark, I’ve been

wanting to say something for a few weeks now, but I’ve kept putting it off.” Mark’s forehead

furrowed. “Sweetie, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Mark stiffened and gave her an incredulous stare. “What do you mean?”

Sonia sighed. “The amount of time you two spend together. Now, don’t get me wrong,”

she said, holding up her hands as Mark took a step back. “I think it’s great that you have such a good friend.” She moved closer and took hold of his hand. “But sweetie, you talk about him
all
the time
. You should listen to yourself. It’s ‘Sam did this’ and ‘Sam said that,’ several times a day.” She gazed at him. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were in love with him.” She gave Mark a keen glance, finally falling silent.

Mark cringed.
Damn her
. He sucked in a deep breath, saying nothing, not trusting

himself.

Sonia placed her hand over her chest. “Oh hell. I hate being right all the time.” Her

voice was soft.

Mark shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean.” He ignored the sudden dry mouth and

the tingling in his stomach. Sonia leaned forward and grabbed his hands.

“Mark, this is me you’re talking to. You know, Sonia, the woman who sees right through

you?” Her eyes were kind. “You’re in love with him.”

Mark closed his eyes. “It doesn’t matter whether I am or I’m not. He has Becky.” His

chest felt as though an iron band had been tightened around it, limiting the flow of air into his lungs. A lump formed in his throat. He felt tears prick his eyelids as Sonia suddenly pulled him to her in a warm hug, her arms tight around him.

“It’ll be okay, sweetie,” she whispered into his ear. He rested his head against her

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“It’ll be okay, sweetie,” she whispered into his ear. He rested his head against her

shoulder, taking comfort from her solid presence. Tears slid down his cheeks and soaked into

her pink cotton blouse.

“I’m a fucking mess,” Mark whispered back. “I told myself I could do this. I could just

be his friend.” What he hadn’t counted on was Sam. The man was addictive. The more time

they spent together, the more strongly Mark felt himself drawn to him. A day didn’t go by

without some contact with him in one way or another. Phone calls. Facebook. Texts. Skype.

Sam was the last thing in his thoughts each night as he drifted off to sleep. He’d wake the

following morning to a smiley on his phone and a cheery
Morning
! Certainly nothing earth-shattering, but he looked forward to his morning texts with eagerness.

Sonia cradled him in her arms. “Is it serious, him and Becky? Because I have to ask

myself—if it’s doing this to
you
, how is Sam coping?”

Mark groaned. “I don’t
know
!” And that was the hardest part. He really didn’t.

Sonia reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled paper tissue. She handed it to

him and he wiped his eyes angrily. “You must think I’m such a basket case.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Sonia pulled away to look him in the eye. “Now, you need to listen. This

has to stop. It isn’t good for you.” Mark drew back from her, swallowing. “You know I’m right.

Okay, so Sam’s gay, but he’s got a girlfriend.” All of a sudden her head tilted and her eyes

widened. “Oh my God—she could just be a beard!” Mark gasped and Sonia’s eyes sparkled.

“What—you didn’t think I knew what a beard is? I told you, I have a few gay friends apart from

you.” She bit her lower lip. “Do you think Becky knows she’s just a cover?”

“I don’t give a
fuck
what Becky knows.” Mark spat out the words. “I only know she has

Sam and I don’t, and it’s killing me.” He hated the plaintive whine in his voice. “God, just
listen
to me. How sad am I—in love with my best friend.”

Sonia nodded, her eyes never leaving his. “And that’s why you need to pull the plug,

sweetie. Before you get in any deeper.”

Mark snorted. “I think I’m in as deep as it gets.” He gave himself a mental shake.

“Anyway, I have to take Kathy her coffee.” He reached for the cup but Sonia stopped him,

laying a hand on his arm.

“Let me do that. You pull yourself together in here for a sec.” She gave him a tight smile

and walked out of the kitchen with the coffee. Mark wiped his eyes once more and blew his

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and walked out of the kitchen with the coffee. Mark wiped his eyes once more and blew his

nose. He knew Sonia was right, of course. This was doing him no good at all. But the thought

of walking away from Sam wrenched at his heart.
I don’t think I can do it
.

Only thing was, he couldn’t see any other way out of this mess. Someone’s heart was

bound to get broken in the process—and Mark could lay money on it being his.

* * * * * * * * * *

containing hair curlers and assorted brushes. The salon was looking tidy once more, ready for

Monday morning.

“And I think you might have company for that drink,” Sonia murmured next to him.

Mark gave her a puzzled glance. “Take a look out the window.”

He straightened and looked toward the window—and froze. Sam waited across the

street, leaning against the whitewashed wall, his eyes trained on the salon. Mark couldn’t help his reaction. Warmth radiated throughout his body and he was suddenly conscious of his racing

heartbeat. Then he looked more closely. What the hell?

Sam had a blackened right eye.

“Has he been in a fight?” Sonia had obviously noticed, too.

“If he was, he hasn’t said.” There’d been no mention of it in Sam’s earlier texts that day.

Mark gave a cursory glance at the wall clock. Five minutes to go. He hurried into the little staff room to collect his jacket, thoughts colliding in his head. Sam hadn’t been to the salon since the day Mark had laid eyes on him seven or eight weeks ago. His gaze was drawn continually to the

tall, lean figure dressed in a plain sky blue shirt and tight, dark blue jeans.

“Seeing as you seem to have a friend waiting for you, and you’ve finished your work,

you can leave, Mark.”

Mark jerked his head back. Marie stood behind him, watching the scene. She smiled.

“Really?” He cursed himself silently for his reaction. Fortunately for him, Marie

appeared to be in a good mood.

“Yes, off you go. I’ll see you Tuesday morning.”

Mark grinned impulsively. “Thanks, Marie.” To his amazement she returned his grin.

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Mark grinned impulsively. “Thanks, Marie.” To his amazement she returned his grin.

Mark dashed over to Sonia and gave her a quick impulsive peck on the cheek before diving out

the door. He watched Sam’s eyes light up when he caught sight of Mark. Sam crossed the

narrow street, smiling widely. Mark knew his face wore a sappy grin, but he didn’t care.

“I thought, seeing as we can’t have our walk tomorrow, you might like to go for a

drink,” Sam suggested.

Mark snorted. “You are a mind reader. I swear, one minute I’m thinking how much I

need a drink and the next? I look up to see you standing there.” He grinned. “Lead on.” They

walked along the street and turned the corner onto Union Street. Wetherspoons stood on the left hand side of the street, and already the seats in the window area were filling up. As they crossed the street, Mark gave Sam a sideways glance. “So you gonna tell me what happened?” He

gestured toward Sam’s eye.

Sam shrugged. “Got up at some ungodly hour this morning to go to the bathroom and

walked into the door.” He lifted his hand to touch the area around his eye gingerly, and winced.