Come To Life

"So she just told you that she couldn't marry you?" Zoey asked as she and Marc sat in her bed the next afternoon eating Chinese food.

"Yup," Marc nodded.

He was surprised that he was still with Zoey. He figured by the time he woke up he'd be ready to leave and go home, but he didn't. He stayed and she wanted him to stay.

"That's so cruel," Zoey sighed, looking at Marc. She liked him. She thought that he was a lot of fun. He needed to heal and come out of his shell again, but he was fun nonetheless.

"Sure was," Marc nodded once more. "And she left me for someone else. Went to him right away."

"No, she didn't!" Zoey gasped, gripping his arm.

"She did," Marc replied. "She basically left the church where we were supposed to have our wedding, got in his car and as far as I know she's in Vancouver with him."

"Did you family like her?" Zoey asked, resting her legs across his lap.

"My family loved her," Marc stated, laughing softly. He ran his hands up her legs and stared at them. Partly to keep his mind half distracted from the topic on deck, and because he just liked her legs. "I'm pretty sure if she could my mom would've traded me in for her."

"What did they say when she left?" Zoey asked.

"At first my mom looked like she wanted to defend her," Marc stated. "She looked like she wanted to find a reason, a deeper meaning, to her leaving, but she knew. We all knew there wasn't anything we could find, there was no other reason. She just didn't want me."

"I'm so sorry, Marc." Zoey sighed. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now."

"It's been a tough couple of months," Marc agreed.

"Do you think you could love again?"

There it was. The question Marc had been asking himself for months. Could he love again? A part of him knew that eventually he could love again, but right now it wasn't in the cards for him. He didn't want a relationship, he didn't really want anything. He was surprised he ended up with Zoey last night.

"I don't know," Marc replied, shaking his head. "I just don't know. I mean, what even is love?"

"That I can't tell you," Zoey sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't know the answer to that myself."

"Never been in love?" Marc asked.

"Never had time for it," Zoey smiled up at him. "All I've ever wanted to do was help people. I just want to make people's lives better. So I spend a lot of my time volunteering. I feel like it gives me more than any relationship ever could."

Marc would never admit out loud that he liked this girl. She was cute, fun- in more ways than one, and had a great personality that he just clung to and identified with. She was an awesome girl. Too bad she came into his life about five years too late.

"That's really awesome of you," Marc smiled at her. "The world is lucky to have people like you in it."

"Thank you, Marc. That's the nicest thing you've said to me in our brand new friendship," Zoey smiled.

"Friendship? I like that," Marc smiled. "I could use a friend like you."

Friendship. That was what Marc needed. He needed a new friend.

"Do we still get to have sex?" Zoey asked. Marc was taken back by her forwardness. He was used to girls who beat around the bush.

"I don't know about that one," Marc replied, laughing lightly. "I guess we'll just have to see where we go."

"I can deal with that," Zoey nodded. "I guess I'll just have to relive last night over and over again."

Zoey made Marc laugh and that was good. He hadn't laughed in a long time. He hoped that he could learn some things from Zoey. He hoped he could learn how to be independent again. He had become some dependent on others to help pick him up when he was feeling down. Marc knew it was time to start getting back to being himself again.

"Me, too." Marc laughed. "Because I don't really believe in that whole 'friends with benefits' things. I think it's stupid and people only get hurt and I'm in no position to be getting hurt."

"I wouldn't want to hurt you anyways," Zoey replied. "I don't hurt the people I'm friends with."

"I'm holding you to that," Marc smiled.

A few hours later Marc went 'home' to his apartment and looked at all the boxes that were still laying around. He smirked as a thought occurred to him. He pulled out his phone and opened up a new text message.

Hey, Zoey. Since we're friends, want to be a pal and help me unpack my stuff on wednesday?