Friday it was that time again. Mark was visiting again. John had cooked fish fingers with potatoes because he hadn't had much time, but Mark didn't seem to mind. They talked for a while until Flora's English lesson started again. But this time it didn't go as well as the last time. Flora didn't understand the topic. And that made her frustrated. Mark tried to think of all sorts of ways to explain it to her, but she just couldn't understand. At some point she started to cry in despair. John was downstairs in the record shop and so Mark was left alone with a seven-year-old girl. The teacher was more than overwhelmed. Flora cried and cried and angrily pushed her English book away. Mark quickly jumped up and got a tissue for her. He knelt on the floor next to her and gently stroked her thigh.

"Come on, love. Calm down. English is no reason to cry." He said gently. But Flora didn't calm down. Mark gently rubbed her back.

"I just don't understand!" She exclaimed angrily.

"I know. But that's not your fault, honey. That's because I didn't explain it properly." Mark hummed. "It's not your fault, okay? Come on. Calm down." Mark gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his handkerchief. He looked at his watch. It was already 8 p.m. Very late for the little girl. "You know what? It's already very late. Maybe it was all just too much for you at once." Mark gently stroked her cheek. "Come on. Let's put you to bed." Mark gently lifted her up in his arms. Flora immediately snuggled into his neck and enjoyed the smell of his cologne. Mark smiled as he carried the girl into the bathroom. Flora brushed her teeth and combed her hair. Mark watched her do this before gently stroking her head. "Better?"

"Mhm." She hummed with the toothbrush in her mouth. When she was finished, Mark lifted her into his arms again. "You are very strong, Mr Knopfler." Flora said, fascinated, stroking his tense biceps. Mark's cheeks turned red.

"Er...Thanks, Flo. Where's your room?" And so they set off. Mark turned on the light and then put the girl up on the loft bed. Flora pulled the blanket over her body and yawned. Mark watched her, smiling. "Good night, little one. Sleep well."

"Good night, Mr Knopfler." The girl yawned and held her stuffed animal closer to him. Mark smiled as he left the room and closed the door quietly behind him. Mark went back to the kitchen and tidied up a bit before getting his things and going down the stairs to the shop. "John!?" He called into the empty shop. There was a rustling sound for a while before the taller man came out of the warehouse. He looked at Mark in surprise before smiling.

"Are you finished yet? That didn't take very long." Mark put his bag on the floor and smiled at John.

"Nah. Flora got frustrated because she didn't understand my explanations. So she started crying. I'm afraid it was all a bit too much at once. I put her to bed." John smiled.

"Oh. Yes, she got up very early this morning. Maybe it really was too much."

"I've cleaned up the dishes and I'm going now." Mark said. "Thanks for dinner, John."

"You want to go already?" The taller man asked in surprise. Mark shrugged.

"You must be tired too and..."

"No! Not at all! Come on! Stay a little longer. You're home alone and so am I. So why don't we talk for a while. Do you want a coffee?" John went to his coffee machine. Mark nodded, giggling. And so the two men found themselves about ten minutes later, sitting cross-legged between two long shelves. They were sitting on the floor, as the whole store was covered with a red carpet. John had turned on the record player and Johnny Cash was playing quietly in the background. Mark leaned his back against a shelf and stretched a little. "How are you?" John asked. Mark smiled gently.

"Good. And you?"

"Not too bad either." Mark nodded in agreement. "Mark, I... I think we need to talk." John said tensely.

"Talk? In what way? We're talking right now." The smaller man teased.

"Mark." John sighed. "I know that you... that you have feelings for me. Otherwise you wouldn't make so much effort with Flora. Damn... you took me on a date." Mark bit his lower lip and held his breath. "I think we should talk about our feelings. Things can't go on like this..." Mark swallowed hard. "I...I like you very much." John said. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest. He could even hear his heartbeat in his ears. John slowly stretched out his hand to the smaller man.

"John, I...I don't know..." Mark took a shaky breath. "I really like you too." His cheeks turned pink. "But..."

"But?"

"I...I don't know if I...if I should do this with you."

"Why not?" John asked quietly.

"I..." Mark took a deep breath. "My past is catching up with me. I'm not as perfect as I may look to others on the outside. I..." Mark took a breath to calm himself down. "Damn it, I don't have to pretend to you. You've...you've seen it." Mark waved weakly at his wrist, which was hidden under the light blue shirt fabric he was wearing today. "I..." John reached out and gently placed his hand around Mark's left wrist. He stroked the blue fabric with his thumb.

"That's not important to me, Mark." He said softly. "Your past...whatever happened that made you feel like you had to do this...it's not important to me, you know? I live in the here and now? And when I look at you, all I see is a young, attractive man who has never gotten the love he deserves in his life." Mark swallowed hard and looked down at the floor. Suddenly the carpet seemed very interesting. "Mark, you have to tell me how you feel."

"It doesn't matter how I feel." Mark said quietly. "It...it's not possible." He swallowed hard. "I'm going to be bad for you and your daughter sooner or later. She's still so young and you're...you're wonderful, John. You deserve better than me. I don't want to ruin your little family and besides, I'm Flora's teacher and..."

"Stop it." John said sternly. Mark raised his head weakly and looked at him. "Stop saying things like that. Mark, we were only on one date. I don't know much about you. But I know that you think very little of yourself. But that's wrong. You're a special man. Do you think I fall in love with every man that comes along? At first it was just your eyes. Because damn, they are beautiful and breathtaking. But then...then I saw how loving you are. I don't know any teacher who is missed by his students when he's in the hospital. Flora loves you. She told me that she wanted you as her second father and I...I would like to have you by my side too." Mark felt tears in his eyes and quickly looked back down at the floor so as not to show it.

"John, you don't understand." Mark squeaked quietly. "I...I'm broken. I'm...when I'm home alone, I'm anything but happy and...that's a facade, John." Mark pointed weakly at himself. "That's not me." John swallowed hard and gently stroked Mark's wrist.

"Then show me who you really are, Mark."

"Then you wouldn't want me anymore." The younger one whispered.

"Mark, nothing you tell me could change my feelings." Mark swallowed. There was silence between the two for a while.

"You're in love with me?" Mark asked quietly when he had finally processed John's words. John's cheeks turned dark red and he looked down at the floor for a moment. "John?"

"YES!" John simply exclaimed. His heart was pounding like crazy in his chest as he stared into Mark's opal blue eyes. "Yes, I love you." Mark's eyes were huge as he leaned against the record shelf behind him with a gasp. "I was in love with you from the moment I first saw you at office hours." John took a deep breath. "I know this is all a bit sudden because...well, I met you about half a year ago and we've been on a date, but...but we don't really know each other." Mark took a deep breath and slowly took John's hand in his.

"John, I...I feel the same way." He said quietly. "But I...I don't know how this is supposed to work."

"What do you mean?" John asked quietly.

"I'm Flora's teacher." Mark sighed. "I'm...I'm at work all the time. I leave my apartment at six in the morning and sometimes don't get back until 10 p.m. I work two jobs and barely have any time for myself. You'll feel neglected in no time and..." John put his index finger on Mark's lips.

"Sh. Don't say anything more." He said quietly. "Mark, all I want is a chance." John carefully took Mark's left hand and pressed it to his chest. Mark's eyes widened as he felt John's heartbeat under his fingers. "All I want is for you to give us a chance. I know it would hurt if it didn't work out, but...please...let's try. Nobody has to know about our relationship. We don't even have to tell Flora. We can...we can try it out first and...if it doesn't work out, then..."

"John." Mark breathed softly.

"Sh." John whispered. "I...I love you. With all your faults. And you'll see that I have faults too. But please give us a chance." Mark swallowed hard. "It doesn't matter that you're Flora's teacher. Teachers are allowed to fall in love too, you know?" John teased. Mark giggled a little. John carefully reached out his hand and stroked Mark's flaxen hair. Mark closed his eyes for a moment. "It's up to you, handsome." John whispered. There was silence between the two for a while before Mark nodded silently.

"Okay." He whispered.

"What did you say?" John asked.

"Okay. Yes, let's try." Mark nodded. John smiled gently at him and stroked Mark's wrist again. "Let's try."

"Can I... kiss you?" John asked quietly. Mark bit his lower lip. John's eyes were fixed on Mark's plump lips. God, he had longed for those lips for so long. Mark nodded silently. John smiled as he put his right hand on Mark's neck and gently stroked the soft skin there before closing his eyes and slowly leaning forward. John's heart was beating wildly in his chest. The moment their lips were only separated by a few millimetres, they suddenly heard a high voice:

"Dad!" The two men immediately pulled apart. And not a second too soon, because at that moment Flora came around the corner. She held her stuffed kangaroo in her hand and rubbed her tired eyes. "Dad, why are you sitting on the floor with Mr Knopfler?" She asked sleepily. John quickly jumped up and ran towards his daughter.

"Why are you awake, honey? You should be sleeping." He put a hand on her shoulder.

"I had a nightmare." She murmured sadly, holding her stuffed animal closer to her chest.

"Oh poor girl. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked gently, leading her away from the shelf. Mark quickly picked up his bag and coat and waved to John before walking out of the shop. John lifted his daughter onto his hip and turned to smile apologetically at Mark through the shop window. Mark smiled and raised his hand to his ear in a phone gesture. John nodded quickly and gave him a thumbs up before smiling and putting his daughter back to bed.