Thanks so much to everyone who has commented on this story, and for those who threatened/begged me to continue. I am truly sorry for how slowly I produce these chapters, but thanks for sticking around!!
Please note: hardly any gay sex in this chapter, and a couple of brief straight scenes. Sorry if this offends anyone reading, but I thought it necessary for the story.
*
Mark stared at the PowerPoint slide. The first week back at college, and he was confined to a double lecture entirely based on the concept of theory versus actuality. The summary of the lecture seeming to be that things never, ever worked out exactly the way they were supposed to in theory. That theories were a guideline, a record of failure for what not to do next time. Mark had never been particularly fond of irony, and now even less so. Theoretically, his life should have reverted back to the way things had been two months ago. Theoretically, things between him and Deacon should have been normal, comfortable, familiar. In theory. In actuality? Marie was getting increasingly frustrated and upset by how distant he was being; his friends and family were clearly puzzled by his surliness, his aloofness. And Deacon...things with Deacon weren't normal, they weren't comfortable. And he couldn't stop thinking about how much more familiar they had been.
Mark glanced over at Deacon, sitting across the room, a few rows in front of Mark. Deacon was hunched over the desk with his chin in his hand, twirling a pen between his lips. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes not clearly focussed on anything. He and Mark used to always sit next to each other in their lectures; but when Deacon had arrived in the room today, he'd dropped down into the first free seat in the nearest isle, as he had in every class they shared for the last week. Mark saw it as a pretty self-explanatory gesture, and it stung today just as much as it did the first time.
Mark stifled a sigh and shook his head, returning his gaze to the lecture slides. He jotted down another of the many examples they were being fed of how the best theories from the most logical scientific minds had been proven false, and tried not to think of the consequences he would have to face if his and Deacon's theory turned out to be wrong as well.
**********************
"Okay, that's enough torture for one day," the lecturer concluded, shutting down the PowerPoint slides. The previously quiet room erupted with chatter, cell phone alerts and the shuffling of paper. "No assignment this week, just get started on working through those case studies," the lecturer called across the din as the students began vacating their seats. A thick textbook slipped out of a bag on the desk behind Deacon, and landed by his feet with a thump. Deacon started at the noise and looked around.
"Sorry," the tiny red-head girl behind him said, blushing. "Could you...?" She gestured to the book. Deacon leant down to pick it up and passed it back to her. "Thanks," she smiled. "Looks like you found that lecture really interesting," she said, nodding towards his folder. Deacon glanced down at his notes, which consisted of the date and a blank page. Deacon smiled ruefully at her.
"On another planet today, I guess," he shrugged.
"Well if you need the notes, you can copy mine next lecture, if you want," the girl offered as she shouldered her book bag. Deacon smiled again and nodded.
"Thanks, I might take you up on that." Deacon raised a hand in farewell as the girl left, then looked around the room. It was nearly empty, except for a few intellectuals up the front, pestering the lecturer. Mark was already gone.
Deacon fished his phone from his pocket and opened a new text message to Mark. He stared at the screen and tried to figure out what he should say. How he should explain the stupid, pointless fuck-up the last week had been.
The morning of his first day back, Deacon had overslept and was late for class. Still half asleep and frazzled, he slipped into the room and shrank down into the seat right next to the door. He meant to find Mark afterwards and explain, had promised himself he would; but by the time he finished signing up for labs and tutorials that he'd missed doing at the beginning of the class, Mark was gone. Deacon reasoned that if Mark had taken it the wrong way and thought Deacon was avoiding him, well, Deacon would just clear up the misunderstanding at their next lecture.
But since that first lecture, there always seemed to be something holding Deacon up; a missed alarm or a dropped folder that forced him to rush to class. He tried to tell himself that going straight for one of the closest seats was just because he was late, he should get in the room and sit down with minimal disruption. He tried to ignore the fact that other people were late and made their way to their 'usual' seats, with no one really worrying about the disturbance it caused. In the end, Deacon couldn't ignore the realisation that he seemed to be making himself late on purpose, to avoid having to confront what was going on.
And what was going on? When Deacon admitted to himself that he was avoiding Mark, he thought that maybe they needed a little space. Just for a little while, just until the memories faded a bit. It wasn't really working that well though - Deacon spent most of the lectures staring into space and thinking of Mark anyway. So what was he supposed to write to explain all of that? Deacon growled in frustration and snapped his phone shut. As the seats around him started filling up for the next lecture, Deacon stuffed his phone back in his pocket and hurriedly gathered his things, a funk settling over him again as he left the campus and headed to work.
**********************
Mark was deep in thought, thinking about everything but the case study he was holding and staring right through. A hand stroked the back of his neck, startling him out of his reverie.
"Hey baby," Marie purred into Mark's ear as she continued to caress his neck. Mark clenched his jaw and tried to swallow down the disappointment he felt rising up inside him.
"Hey."
Marie sat down next to him at the table. "I've been looking all over for you. How was your day?"
"Fine."
"Mine was pretty boring, still just a lot of intro waffle. You get any assignments yet?"
"No."
Marie sat quietly for a few seconds before leaning forward across the table. "Mark...what have I done?"
Mark looked up at his girlfriend blankly. "What?"
Marie shrugged. "I must have done something pretty bad to make you act like such a prick towards me lately. And I really don't have any idea what it is."
Mark swallowed and shook his head. "Nothing, you haven't done anything."
"Then why are you being like this?" Marie asked, reaching over the table and grasping Mark's free hand. Mark pulled his hand away and shrugged.
"I...I just feel like I need some space."
"Space?" Marie asked, stung. "I've been away for a month, you need more space than that?"
"It's just...you've been away for that long, I need to...readjust," Mark finished, hating the sound of the lies coming out of his mouth. Marie raised her eyebrows.
"Readjust. To having this...this burden back in your life?" She asked, incredulous.
"Marie..."
Marie pushed back her chair and grabbed her bag from the floor. "No, no it's fine. You take all the damn space you need, and call me when you manage to get your head out of your ass." Marie struggled to free her bag strap from the chair leg, yanking it until it came free, tipping the chair over as it did. Mark jumped up and clutched Marie's elbow as she turned to leave.
