After what seemed like eternity for the both of them, the kiss broke off. Mark didn’t know who broke the kiss first, but he was glad. He inhaled gulps of breath after that and he was welling inside with pride. Haha… after all those kissing, it should happen, shouldn’t it? He was also proud to notice that Kirsten was fighting for her own breath.

“That was amazing,” Mark found himself saying.

Kirsten nodded. “I’d never met a man who could kiss like that,” she added quickly although somewhat shyly.

Mark smiled. He’d obviously made her very happy. After all, it wasn’t everyday that he got to kiss such a beautiful woman – what more to say kissing the daughter of Norway’s Prime Minister? He just couldn’t believe that she said he’s the best kisser, out of all the men who ever kissed her before him. He knew of her records and he could vaguely count how many men she’d slept with. She had one husband, one man whom she had a secret affair with and countless other random men whom she brought home to sleep with after the death of her own husband.

Kirsten’s husband died in a car accident several years ago. It took her many years to recover from her grief and when she did, she found Fjellmen. Mark knew all of these through the information that Simon had provided him and Ben with. Mark knew everything about Kirsten – her brother, Christian, her parents, her best friend and her close friends, her past schools, the people she usually hang out with when she wasn’t with her friends, her medical records and even her past boyfriends. If he’d taken the time to pore over the records, Mark was sure that he could’ve known how many men Kirsten had slept with – how many one-night-stands she’d had. He hadn’t a single fucking idea how Simon got his hands on those information. But Mark respected her rights and he respected her freedom. It’s her own business that she slept with so many others. He knew he wouldn’t be looking over her information anytime soon. 

“Call me,” Kirsten said all of the sudden.

Mark was taken aback. He was just about to ask for her telephone number.

Kirsten put out her hand while Mark stood there and stared at her.

“I need your cell phone, Mark,” she said.

Automatically, Mark reached into his jeans’ pocket and took out his mobile and placed it on her open palm. He watched her as she deftly pressed the necessary keys and handed the mobile back to him soon after.

“I’ve gotta run, Mark,” she said. “Remember my number.” She smiled at him coyly, picked up the jar of coffee and walked to the counter to pay.

Her voice rang in his head. “Remember my number, remember my number, remember my number, remember my number…”

Mark smiled for the whole day that day. Even after he’d paid for all the food and spent over half of his day buying clothes for himself, he’s still able to hear her voice that kept reminding him to call her. Well, he was sure that he wouldn’t and couldn’t turn down such an interesting offer.

When he got back home later that day at about seven, he debated whether he should call her now or later. He cradled the phone in his hands, weighing and going over the pros and cons.

“There aren’t any pros and cons in this sort of thing, Mark!” he scolded himself silently. “It’s just a simple phone call. You’d made more than a hundred phone calls to hundreds of ladies before and you slept with nearly half of them. What makes this next phone call this difficult?!”

He took several deep breaths and count to ten before dialling the number saved in his mobile. The phone rang twice before it was picked up.

“Hello?” a female voice said.

“Hi, it’s Mark,” Mark said nervously.

“Hi Mark!” Kirsten said, her voice immediately brighter. “I’ve been waiting all day for you to call!”

“So… sorry, couldn’t make it any sooner,” Mark lied. In fact, he’d been beating himself inside over the fact that he didn’t dare to call her. He shouldn’t have any problem with her… a few kisses and woos about her and everything that could and should impress her and she’ll be putty in his hands. He didn’t see any hard facts in all these.

“... Come over for dinner,” he heard Kirsten said. Oh God, he’d been thinking about so many things about her that he’d forgotten that she was still speaking at the other end of the line.

“Wh… what?” he asked stupidly. God, he could’ve kicked himself for being so daft!

“You weren’t paying any attention, were you?” Kirsten laughed. He could hear the teasing edge in her voice. “I said, I’m gonna cook dinner soon so why don’t you come over for dinner? We can talk after that.”

“You sure you won’t mind then?” Mark asked.

“Nah, it’ll be fun,” Kirsten confirmed. “Come on, one meal with me won’t kill you. I can tell you all about myself.”

“You sure you don’t mind me listening to all your saucy stuffs?” Mark asked, smiling despite himself.

“Just get your butt over here, alright?” she said laughing heartily.

“Okay, okay… just gimme your address and I’ll be right over.”

And she did just that.

After scribbling down her address, he hung up and went to his bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. He got himself a white long-sleeves tee and plain dark blue jeans. He wanted to appear casual and not too formal-like. He’d considered shirt and slacks and jacket but decided it was too much for a first “date” with Kirsten.

Mark wanted to make her his and he vowed that she’ll be his soon. He knew she liked him too. There was this chemistry flowing between them that morning when they’d kissed and he knew that this was the girl he was going to be with for the rest of his life. He’d found the love of his life.

 

~~ecaf~~

 

He soon arrived at her house in no time. There weren’t traffic at this sort of time in the area where she lived. He was impressed by her house. Although it wasn’t as large as Ben’s family mansion back in Essex, nevertheless, it was marvellous and grand. The house was actually painted sea white and there were closely cropped bushes in the front yard with a kind of wild tangy smell. He had no idea what those plants were but he sure liked the smell.

He parked his car somewhere nearby and walked up the steps to her house. There were some potted plants at the porch and near the door. Parked in the porch was an elegant black Mercedes Kompressor – small and stylish which was actually screaming its elegance and expensiveness.

Mark pressed on the button for the doorbell and waited. Soon, Kirsten opened the door and bounded into the porch to grabbed Mark by his hand and pulled him into the living room.

“Why are you standing out there in the cold, young man?” Kirsten asked. “You could’ve caught a cold.”

“Young man?” Mark inquired. “I believe I’m older than you.”

Kirsten grinned. “I know you are but I was just imitating the way my mother would scold my twin if he’d stayed outside in the porch while the servants carried his bags into his room.”

“Servants?” Mark asked again. Although he knew that she was the daughter of the Prime Minister of Norway and it was only fair for her to have servants, he shouldn’t let her know that he actually knew so much about her. Or else, she would’ve suspected something.

“Yes, servants.” Kirsten didn’t let on more information. She dragged him to the kitchen and sat him down on a chair while she busied herself with the salad. “Dinner will be served soon.”

Mark just nodded to show that he understood. He twisted and fidgeted around in his seat, trying to find out whether she had any servants living under the same roof as her in that house.

“What are you looking for, Mark?” she asked suddenly.

Mark nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her asked that question. “Nothing, I was just wondering whether you have any servants in this house. After all, you said you have servants.”

Kirsten laughed again as she set down a large plate of cheese macaroni on the light brown table and handed him a spoon and a fork and placed a knife nearby. “We’re gonna have roast chicken.” She then placed the same cutlery at the other end of the small rectangular table.

“Yay,” Mark said with faked enthusiasm.

She smiled when she heard Mark. Then, she said, “I have no servants here, Mark. But I do have servants back home.”

“You need a hand over there?” Mark asked, feeling a little stupid for not doing anything while she ran around the kitchen, preparing dinner.

Just then, the microwave dinged.

“Oh good, the chicken’s done,” Kirsten said. “Get that, would you? Thanks.”

Mark obediently got up from his seat.

“Use this,” she said, throwing him one of those glove-like thingies. (a/n: I obviously don’t know much about these things… haha!!!)

Nearly fifteen minutes later, both of them settled down and stared at the steaming food in front of them.

“Er… how exactly are we gonna do this?” Mark asked, unsure whether he should start eating or should he wait for her to start. After all, as the saying goes: ladies first.

“Back home, I don’t get to do this…” Kirsten smiled. “But since there’s just you and me, I suggest you and I do this.” And with that she started scooping some macaroni into her plate and got herself a chicken wing and a drumstick.

Mark laughed. “You don’t get to do this?” He’d already expected the answer but it really wouldn’t kill him to ask again. After all, he’d never had such strict family rules. In fact, he didn’t even spend any time with his family after his brother and mother left.

“Yeah, well, you know, rules.” She carried the chicken wing to a height that’s rather near her face and bit into it, contemplating whether she should tell Mark about everyone in her family. “Mark.”

“Yep?” Mark asked, looking straight at Kirsten.

She lowered down the chicken wing. “I have something very important to tell you.”

“Go on, then.”

“I don’t know whether you’ll be happy to hear this or not…”

“If you hadn’t told me anything, how am I supposed to know whether I’ll be happy or not?” Mark asked gently.

“Well… I dunno how I should start this.” Kirsten looked down and fixed her green eyes at the plate.

“How about yourself? Tell me about yourself,” Mark suggested.

“Alright then. My full name is actually Kirsten Ingebrigtsen, born in 25^th January 1977…”

Mark felt stupid. This introduction was so bloody formal!!! He knew everything about her!! So, why was he asking her to repeat all those facts about herself again? He knew that she wouldn’t tell him anything too personal, like the time when she broke her wrist while wrestling with her twin brother, or the men that she’s slept with since she’s 17 years old.

As her voice went on and on, telling him about her brother, her parents, the servants in her house, her school life, her loves and whatnot, Mark nearly wanted to stand up and tell her to stop; to tell her that he actually knew all those things about her; that he knew her real identity and her real self; that he was the one who murdered her lover a few weeks back.

“…what about you?”

Mark snapped out of his thoughts. Had she finished? Mark nearly sighed in relief. He thought that if she’s still got loads to tell him, he’d seriously consider banging his head in despair on the table or even better, on the nearby concrete wall.

“Huh?”

Kirsten laughed. “You weren’t listening to half the things I just said, did you?”

Mark looked at her. He felt guilty about it but noooooo, he’s soooo not going to admit that.

Mark decided not to answer that question. Kirsten knew Mark was hiding something, but that’s his life; his business. It’s certainly got nothing to do with her. She rephrased her question.

“Oh… me? You wanna know about me?” Mark asked.

“Duh!” Kirsten laughed. “I told you everything about myself! I won’t let you off that easily!”

Mark fidgeted in his seat as his mind raced ahead of him. What will he tell her about his past? Where and whom had he lived with after he lost his brother and mother? What if she asks why had his mother and brother ran? If he said that his whole family died in the car accident, whom had he stayed with? How had he survived out here, all alone and without help from anyone? And he’d just been a teenager trying to get through school when his remaining family members ran away.

Mark sighed. He’d just have to make it all up then… or maybe just the last bit. What happened after his father and Gary died in the accident… yeah, just that.

 

 

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