The walk back home was a little awkward. Jack couldn't bring himself to say anything. He couldn't even look at Mark. He kept his eyes low and tried to take deep breaths as he walked. On occasion, he glanced back to see Mark following him with a small smile on his face. His hands stuffed inside his jacket pockets. Reaching the door, Jack fished out his keys and dropped them. His hand was shaking so bad that he tried to hide it by mumbling aloud. "Cold tonight, isn't it?" Bracing his shoulder against the wall, Mark snarkily replied. "Is it? I hadn't noticed." Blushing a deeper red, Jack struggled to unlock the door. His mind was racing. What would they do inside? How did dates usually end? Opening the door, he gestured for Mark to go in first. He was suddenly nervous to have him behind him. Making his way inside, Mark coolly told him. "Did you have fun?" Falling back against the door as he closed it, Jack could only manage a nod. Which prompted a chuckle from Mark.

Hanging up his jacket, Mark faced him, asking coolly. "Are you tired?" Jack shrugged meekly. He wasn't sure if he was. His body didn't know what to focus on. Mark stepped closer and Jack instinctively straightened up against the door. He was so close that he could smell his cologne. His breathing slowed to a stop as he held his breath. Yet, he blushed harder as his cock strained against the front of his pants. Did he want this? Or was his body just anticipating what Mark wanted to do with him? Closing his eyes, he turned away as Mark brought his lips closer to him. He felt the heat as Mark rested his arm over his shoulder. He inhaled deeply as Mark's other hand touched his hip, practically pinning him to the door. When he spoke, Mark's warm breath mixed with his deep voice made Jack shiver upon saying. "Did you uncover what you were looking for?" Jack gulped, unable to answer or move. Had he been searching for something? He couldn't remember. His brain was short circuiting with Mark so close.

A soft chuckle came from Mark, before he eased away saying genuinely charming. "Good night, little clover." Jack barely assessed that Mark had only leaned in to pry off his shoes. Allowing him to kick them free as he walked off toward his room. In that moment, Jack's gut twisted. He was leaving? No kiss goodnight? No offer of going to bed together? It stung that he didn't even ask of another date! Had he done something wrong? Stepping away from the door, Jack uttered out in a mousy voice with hurt. "Mark...? Did... Did you have fun?" Standing beside his door, Mark casually answered. "Ya. Wasn't bad." Mark reached for the handle of his door and Jack blurted out a little more hurt. "Did I do something wrong?" Glancing at him, Mark chuckled out. "Why would you think that? Are you alright?" Jack opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. He was so torn between saying what he felt and withholding it. What he felt scared him. His body wanted something that he emotionally didn't think he could handle because it meant that... he was interested in him.

Reading his distress plainly, Mark slowly moved back over to him. Prompting Jack to take a nervous step or two back. Yet, Mark didn't seem bothered by it. Instead, he crossed his arms and asked playfully. "You're giving me mixed signals, Jack. How did you see this night ending?" Jack avoided his eyes and shrugged. His voice felt muted. While his body stood on the border of running or stepping closer to him. Unable to think fast enough, Mark slipped an arm around his waist and practically pulled him against him before guiding him back against the wall beside his room. Letting his arm uncoil from around his waist, Mark's let his palm stroke along the curve of his ass cheek, while trying to meet his eyes. Tiny whimpers and shuddering breaths left Jack, but he didn't push him away. Instead, his hands just rested on his broad shoulders. Gently pressing his forehead to his, Mark whispered to him in a deep playful tone. "Jack...? Look at me." Swallowing, Jack found his eyes looking into Mark's.

Catching Mark's gorgeous smile, when he whispered to him so wholesomely. "I've made it a rule for some time now that I don't sleep together on the first date. It never leads to anything lasting." Closing his eyes, Mark gently rubbed his forehead against his, when he added with a slight reluctance. "I try not to touch on the first date... but I struggle with that rule..." Jack inhaled quietly as Mark's hand stroked his ass with more obvious attention. Then Mark's voice turned breathless as he slowly brought his lips to Jack's throat, before saying a bit strained. "I'd like to save kissing for the second date... Just leave you with a small kiss on the cheek... but I struggle with that too." Jack tilted his head up, rising on his toes a bit as Mark's lips ghosted over his throat so lightly that it almost tickled. Mark's voice became deeper and more lustful when he growled out. "You've done nothing wrong, Jack. The problem rests with me. I know what I want... but I'm not sure what YOU want."

Jack shivered and blushed. Mark surely felt that. He must have felt his cock straining against his pants and digging into Mark's thigh. Yet, with a light exhale, Mark stepped back. His hand lifting off his ass to touch Jack's chin when he told him in a more casual tone of voice. "I'm gonna be good. I'm gonna walk away... but... if you're up to it. I would like to kiss you goodnight. And if you still feel... confused. I'd gladly do this again another night. Does that work for you?" Jack eagerly nodded, easing in to kiss him before Mark could. Mark's fingers brushed across his chin and stroked his neck as they shared a gentle kiss without tongue. It was a kiss of innocent passion. Of light desire. Even as Jack's arms wrapped around Mark's shoulders to hold him closer against his chest. With greater strength than he had, Mark stepped back from the kiss and told him with a burning blush of his own. "Good night, Jack." Unable to move, Jack watched Mark walk away into his room.

After a breath or two, he managed to go to his own room. Stripping himself down, Jack dropped on his bed and masturbated to Mark's poster with an unbridled need. He couldn't help it. Mark had gotten him so hard that it was too painful to ignore the ache. Muffling his orgasm into his pillow, he fell on the bed weakly and passed out from the overwhelming exhaustion that hit him. In the morning, he showered and dressed. He made himself coffee and was about to see if Mark was up, when he saw the score panel. It sat a solid eighty! He was so stunned by it that he almost was late for class. He didn't see Mark until their first class together. Mark was frowning as he looked over a paper the teacher was casually handing out. Slipping into his seat, he accepted the little flier as the teacher announced. "Here is your class project. You and your partner will work together over the summer. This will show us how you handle pressure and teamwork. The job must be chosen from the list on the back. These are businesses that ALLOW you to work there. Should they fire you. You fail. Think of this like a summer job."

Mark raised his hand, but without even looking, the teacher answered it as she said aloud. "If you already have a job. You are NOT exempt from this. You will either quit your other job or find a way to work around it." Mark looked pissed as he dropped his hand. The teacher moved back to the front, finishing off. "You have an hour. Discuss with your partner. There are limited openings in each job. So, you better get your answers in before the end of class. Pick your top three." Getting up, Jack moved over to kneel by Mark's desk as he asked curiously. "What are you thinking? I can... do just about anything if it helps work around your schedule." Mark rolled his eyes, but didn't seem upset with him. Pointing to the jobs and the schedules, Mark informed him softly. "These three are the only ones I can do. Otherwise... I'm in trouble." Sean looked them over briefly. One looked like a clothing sale job. Another was a café and the last was bartender job. He didn't bother to look them up like others were doing with their phones.

Setting the papers down, he quickly checked off the three and quickly rushed them to the teacher. The teacher looked perplexed by how fast he'd done it but took the papers to look them over and jotted them down on the empty clipboard for each job listing. They were the first to submit and it was likely they'd be one of the first ones to get into one of those three. As he walked back to Mark, he grinned as others began to rush and argue. All of them must have realized that too. As he stopped beside Mark, Mark smirked out. "You didn't even look at what those were. Or how much they pay." Shrugging, Jack told him with a smile. "I don't care. You can do them. The rest we'll figure out. It's a team project after all." Jack started to move to his desk, but Mark suddenly grabbed him around the waist. Pulling him down onto his lap, Mark kissed his cheek and whispered to him. "Thank you." A few classmates brought attention to them, but Jack ignored them to tell Mark serenely. "You're welcome."

When the teacher rose to say something, Mark swatted his ass, which encouraged him to get up off him. The second he was up, the teacher sat back down. Public affection was alright, but sexualized public affection was discouraged for reasons neither of them understood. It made no sense, but rubbing his ass, Jack took his proper seat. While the class whispered about them. For the first time, Jack hoped the news reached Chad. He wanted him to know that Mark wasn't his to mess with. Even as he thought it, Jack winced internally. When had he started thinking Mark was HIS?  To Be Continued...