Mariana | Denny's

[Aliana Rice]

_{( www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=60479538 )}

Aliana rubbed her hands together as her hands were still pretty cold despite the fact that she was wearing gloves -- they were fingerless, so it didn't exactly help to keep her totally warm. She sat in a booth at Denny's, waiting for Mark, having ordered coffee for the both of them. She hadn't seen him in quite some time, only on certain occasions when she came over to visit Mia and such, which wasn't as often as she used to... and even then, she didn't get to spend too much time with him, or enough to at least catch up.

She tapped on her mug as the waitress came over and dropped off both drinks, and stared out the window. It was pretty late at night, or really early in the morning, yet she didn't feel very tired, having suffered from insomnia for quite some time now.

[alex]

( www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=60480643 )

It was rather odd how Mark hadn't been sleeping much these past days. He usually fell asleep like nobodies business once his head touched the pillow. It was difficult - being an actor and not to mention taking care of a child, actually now, two children. He wasn't as, how do you say, eager to do such tasks or challenges as he had been say, five years ago.

When he walked inside of the restaurant, Mark was greeted by the hostess and she asked him if he wanted a table but he told her that he was meeting someone therefore she let him pass through. "Hey!" he said with a chipper tone before taking a seat. He looked to the two coffee cups and said, "Oh thanks. It's like you read my mind." he smiled brightly. "Cold night huh?" It had been quite a while since he had the opportunity to hang out with Aliana. She was always an interesting person to talk to.

[Aliana Rice]

Aliana smiled when Mark came into view, then nodded, "It's freezing. Been living in New York for almost eight years now and I'm still used to California weather -- it's never this cold over there." she shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee, savoring the warmth it brought to her body. Aliana always looked forward to talking to Mark -- but that's the thing, just talking. Anything more than that had just been, well, weird; despite that, she was glad that they'd stayed friends, especially since that experience pretty much proved that's all they could be.

"How've you been?" she asked, leaning forward on the table and raising an eyebrow, "Judging by your Twitter, life seems pretty interesting," she half-laughed.

[alex]

Mark didn't think that anything else was weird. It was as one would say different, but he didn't think it was odd at all. He began fixing his coffee while listening to her speak. He nodded with a closed smile and said, "I love California. I love it more than I do New York." he nodded while pulling on the lid of the cream before pouring it into his coffee. "The first time I went to California, there was an earthquake. It was scary, it typically doesn't happen here... But everything else was fun." he said.

While he was with Aliana, everything seemed to be very simple and simple was good. They treated each other like friends and they each had their own thing. Independent of one another. He enjoyed it when his partner had independence because it was usually more interesting now that they could talk about two things at once. "Oh! That, ah... Well, it has been interesting. I'm in a television show and well, that's going well and then my girlfriend well, she's had a hard time and- yeah." he paused before looking to her, "But enough about me, what about you? Surely you've gone through some interesting times these past months. Any new tattoos?" Mark asked her before taking a sip of his coffee after placing the spoon on top of the napkin.

[Aliana Rice]

"I'd give anything to move back," Aliana shrugged, stirring her coffee around for a second before lifting it up to take a sip, "but then again, as wonderful as it is, my life is here." She recalled how lost she felt living back there -- life may have been good, but New York gave her that special feeling she couldn't get anywhere else.

Raising an eyebrow, she smiled, "Television? I wouldn't have guessed," she set her coffee down, "Always thought you'd end up being the President." Sliding her gloves off and putting them to the side before rubbing her hands together again, she leaned back, "Hm," she pursed her lips as she thought, "I recently had a shoot with one of the guys from LMFAO; funny though, I used to hate their music," she shook her head, "Oh! I got a new heart tattoo on my chest," her hands moved down over to the collar of her sweater, pulling it down to reveal the heart shaped Earth tattoo that seeped into her cleavage -- then immediately covering herself again when she realized how inappropriate it must have looked with her practically flashing Mark that way.

Aliana laughed, "It's supposed to represent love and unity," she explained, "you should let me tat you one of these days."

[alex]

Mark set his cup of coffee down and looked to her, he rose an eyebrow before smiling faintly. "I wish I could live in California. That's where I planned on going during high school." Right now, just at this moment, it hit him. What would have life been like if he had stayed with Aliana. He figured it be just as he had wanted it to be during high school. Maybe that's what he actually wanted.

"What city in California did you stay in?" Mark asked her, putting his arms on the table and looking to her. He then opened his mouth slightly when she recalled his dreams of becoming president. Was Aliana disappointed? "I studied pre-law in Harvard... Then, I guess I just resorted for the easier career — acting." Was he disappointed? Mark shifted his eyes to the side, this is what he liked about talking to Aliana. She gave him time time to think.

"It's really nice! And clever." He smiled to the side, " But doesn't it hurt, like that's a tender place." Mark touched above his chest before shaking his head. "It must be because I'm a chicken." He then rose an eyebrow, "A tattoo on me?" He laughed before shrugging his shoulders slightly, "I wouldn't know where or what." He smiled gushingly before blinking and looking forward in thought.

[Aliana Rice]

"Oceanside," Aliana tucked a hair behind her ear, "I was one of the only Asian girls there, but I still managed to rule the place after some time," she giggled, thinking back to the days where she found herself trying so hard to climb up the social ladder... it didn't even mean or do much for her other than boost her confidence. She had been so superficial then, that it all seemed so silly to her nowadays.

Scrunching her eyebrows, then sitting up again, she looked at Mark, "Well, you could always pull a Ronald Reagan," she half-smiled, "after you win a few Oscars or something." Aliana always believed in that big dream of his, encouraging it; the girl really believed you could achieve anything as long as you continued working at it, being quite the persevere-er.

Glancing down to her chest, she shook her head, "It's not as bad as the ones I have on my stomach," she giggled slightly, "what with how ticklish I am." Leaning forward on the table again, she eyed Mark's chest, reaching over and placing her finger on the left side of his chest, "You should get one here," she nodded, "In script. Have it say 'Aliana's bitch'." she winked at him, jokingly.

[alex]

"You lived in San Diego then? It must have been very hot there, isn't San Diego close to the desert?" Mark asked before looking to the menu and then he rose both eyebrows. "You managed to rule Oceanside? Well, you must have had quite the time there. That's amazing. See, I had no clue why you didn't rule Foxhurst — you were the only girl I felt had their head screwed on right." He rose an eyebrow as he spoke a bit lighter.

"The amount of followers I have on twitter is amazing. Although I must say that I need to be much more careful of what I put up there. I wouldn't want to dissapoint those who have a moral impression of me." Mark sighed before looking through the menu once again. "The show has gotten a little raunchy." He scratched his arm while squinting his eyes. "Just this week I was dry humped by my on-screen girlfriend and I figure she was having a blast." Mark had never felt so awkward in his life. "It was strange." He rolled his eyes and moved his jaw to the side.

"I might quit in a few months. Maybe go back to school and finish my law studies. Maybe work at the White House, too. As a representative for now." He nodded before laughing, he did remember her being ticklish. Mark shifted his eyes down to her finger then said, "I am not going to be your cow, Aliana." With a straight face before smiling softly, "I'd like something discreet but meaningful, like a quote or code... Bitches ain't shit and they ain't saying nothing straight across my chest so people know what life means to me." He nodded, looking very serious.

[Aliana Rice]

Aliana shrugged, "Social matters are much different there," cocking her head to the side, "maybe it's an East Coast-West Coast type of a thing?" she wasn't sure, "My dad brought me up well, I definitely wasn't going to end up like all the other girls there." she nodded, "Where'd you grow up?"

She nearly choked on her coffee as she laughed as she imagined Mark getting dry-humped by someone, scrunching her eyebrows together, then looking at him, "Is she at least attractive?" she inquired, "All your fangirls must be jealous."

"That's good," she let out a breath, suddenly wondering if she could be doing anything better with her life. Tattoos have been her world, but it couldn't possibly be her whole life... though, she never did think too far as to what she would do if she hadn't been successful with it. Folding her arms now and leaning on the table, she smiled at Mark's suggestion even if she knew he was kidding, "That's beautiful, really," she giggled, "or," she said, getting slightly serious now, "I could always do a portrait of Mia somewhere, like on your shoulder or something-- if that's something you'd be into."

[alex]

Mark nodded, "Most likely. When I went to California, the girls were less, eager to get a guy alone - somewhere. It was usually either a group outing or an outing somewhere more public. Which I had always found more formal when dating." he nodded lightly. "Remember when we used to date and we always went out somewhere, any place and it was different. A bunch of variety, we hardly ever were alone." Mark had to admit that he had the most fun then. Either they went ice skating, to the harbor sometimes even to the falls. It was just a great time.

He caught himself reminiscing for a second before looking to her and smiling softly, shifting his eyes to the side and tilting his head as well. "She's attractive but I was hoping the show would be more toward humor and not well, sex. That was not in the contract, as far as I remember." he bit down his lip while knitting his eyebrow. "Most of my fan girls just say 'That bitch is so lucky' and I'm just sitting here, trying to respond in a kind fashion and tell them they're not missing out on much." Mark laughed, he was just acting and maybe he was okay looking but that was thanks to his parents. Without them, he wouldn't look the way he did.

"I think I know where I'd like one, maybe on my rib so it isn't exposed to anyone, especially while going to interviews." Mark had been to a few and the people who had tattoos or piercings, or maybe not the wanted haircut were always released as soon as they walked through the door. It was a sad thing to see, really. "What about her name? I think that'd be nice." Mark nodded before looking to her and smiling brightly, "What are you gonna order?"

[Aliana Rice]

Aliana nodded, glancing down into her coffee, "Never a dull moment!" she recalled all the fun dates they went on -- looking back at it with fondness. Pulling down on the sleeves of her sweater, she leaned back again, looking out the window, then back to Mark, "We had a lot of fun didn't we?" she pouted her lips out for a second before smiling again.

"Well, just let me know whenever you want to do it -- if you want to," opening up her menu, she scanned the page, "I could use some breakfast," she nodded, "I think I'll get a Grand Slam," half-laughing, she shrugged, "I could stand cheating on my vegetarianism for another day. How about you?"

[alex]

Mark always made sure that Aliana wasn't bored or anything but also that she felt an equal. Of course, he was a Democrat and such, he was more feminist than anything. He just believed that women could do anything men could do - even weight lifting. Maybe not donate sperm or anything biologically masculine but other than those exceptions they could do anything. "We did." he said with a gentle smile as he looked to her but quickly averted his eyes down to the menu.

"I think I'm having the banana foster french toast skillet." Mark liked sweet foods to go along with his coffee. He then rose both eyebrows, "Cheating isn't always bad, when it comes to food." Cheating isn't always bad. Mark knitted his eyebrows in thought before looking to her and tilting his head to the side, "Do you remember why we broke up?" Well, he did but he just wanted to know if she remembered. It had been an awful long time.

[Aliana Rice]

"I..." Aliana scrunched her eyebrows, trying to think of all the possible reasons why they could have broken up. Things with her and Mark have always gone so well, it was hard to believe they would have ended their relationship. Did they ever even argue? Sure, Aliana was easily irritated, but Mark never did anything to bother her, did he?

"Do you even remember breaking up?" she half-laughed, it felt so long ago. Shaking her head, she shrugged, "Maybe we... wasn't it after our first time?" she scrunched her eyebrows, leaning her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her palm, letting out a short sigh, a little frustrated that she couldn't quite put her finger on the reason why. "There was someone else," she presumed, "wasn't there?"

[alex]

"What? No, no of course not. It was only you, it always was." Mark was rather baffled with her accusation. He knitted his eyebrows before looking to her, "Why, did you have someone else?" he squinted his eyes before folding his arms and placing them on them table. He tilted his head to the side as he rose both eyebrows, waiting for her answer.

"I actually do remember, it was during our senior year. I don't exactly remember the motives behind it but I do remember that we broke because as far as I'm concerned we sure aren't together." he sounded like a grumpy child at the moment but he just needed to get this thing cleared up.

[Aliana Rice]

"I was kidding!" Aliana put her hands up in defense, crossing her arms for a second, "Of course there wasn't anyone else on my part," she tilted her head to the side, "come on, now." She shook her head, "You know I would never do that to you," she insisted, biting the corner of her lip. Why did that even come to her mind? Of course Mark would never have cheated on her! Right? No, look at how upset he is at even being accused -- he couldn't.

Sighing, she placed a hand on the table, "I know you wouldn't do that to me either," she pursed her lips, clenching her hand into a fist, anxiously, "I'm sorry?" She tried to smile at him, though she knew he was still upset -- she never did know how to apologize properly.