Lunch break

Mark had returned to his apartment and met with Rubes as they decided to go get something to eat. Rubes insisted on being his treat, which Mark didn't have any trouble with as his wallet was getting thin. He didn't speak with Lylah after realizing how they knew each other, but it wasn't like he didn't plan to make things up. Instead, he called a person he used to know through his family to make a special gift for Lylah.

That person luckily didn't really care about what happened to Mark and his family as long as Mark paid him for his work. And his work wasn't cheap, and because of the details of what he ordered, it raised the price a bit more. So he still should have some money left to make it through the month, but he had to be extra careful with how he spent his money, and free lunch now and then would help with that.

"So, how did your business go? You seemed to be in a hurry in the morning. "

Mark didn't mind Rubes' curiosity and told him why he went to the hospital. Of course, he didn't say about Lylah, but he mentioned the accident there. Rubes was curious to learn about it more, as apparently, it was on the news, as the car's owner was seemingly a well-known doctor.

But Mark told him he knew little as the police made them spread out, and he heard nothing more. He tried to be careful with his word, and Rubes didn't seem to pressure for details.

"So, did you meet any sexy nurses during your stay there? "

Mark almost spilled his drink as Rube said that.

"Oh… that look. You did meet someone, didn't you? You little devil, "Rubes said with a wide grin.

Mark didn't know how to respond, as it was confirmed that he had met Lylah, who was more than just good-looking. But to tell the truth, she wasn't really his type as he liked his women with bigger boo… heart. Not that Lylah's was of small size, but they hadn't reached the level of his dream girl.

"It isn't what you think. She was just an old encounter…. NOT a romantic one. It is just too complicated to explain. I just messed things up, and she is currently mad at me. But I am working on fixing things up" Mark tried to summarise the situation between him and Lylah briefly, without too much detail.

Weirdly, he didn't feel as awkward as he expected talking with Rubes for something like that. It wasn't like they were suddenly best friends, but he felt a little more open to him than he usually would. It was like how Rubes acted proved to Mark that he was a great person to be friends with just from those few encounters.

"It is ok if you don't want to talk about it. However, from my visits to that place, it is among my top five places to 'shop' from. "

A giggle followed the end of his sentences, making Mark feel creepiness passing through his spine for a second. Mark was still uncertain if his assumption about Rubes' taste was correct as he had noticed that he kept staring at many women on the way there. And he was confident that he wasn't staring at their purse, or shoes or dress, but focusing more on their back area.

It wasn't like Mark didn't do something similar now and then. Of course, he was still a man in the end, but he tried to not make it that apparent, which Rubes didn't seem to even try to do so. Fortunately, they didn't get in trouble as he did nothing other than stare and the occasional whistle.

"Oh, come on, don't be that surprised. You should know by now that I am a free spirit. As long as there is the approval, I am willing to do anything and anyone, "Rube started exclaiming and ending with another of his characteristics winks.

Mark needed time to process everything, but he now knew something fundamental about Rubes' character. He was a good man. After all, as he said, he would do anything and anyone, but only IF he had approval, meaning he wouldn't violate someone. In the circles of Mark's family, it wasn't unusual for people to swing that way, but they rarely cared about things like approval.

They just took what they wanted. In the end, they had the power to do so, and it was rare for someone to stand in their way to stop them. If someone did and it wasn't someone with greater influence than them, then that person would be as good as they had never existed.

If it was someone else in Mark's place, Rubes could have disgusted them, but with what Mark knew of those corrupt versions of Rubes, he considered him differently.

"Hehehe…. I knew it. You are different in the end. "

Mark's eyes got wide from surprise as Rubes said that. Did he somehow find out about Truck-kun?

"Anyone else would have started making excuses to leave or looking at me like I am the devil. But you barely changed the way you did. I even noticed a kind of relief in there. Were you afraid that I would tie you up or something? "

Mark let out an awkward smile as he didn't know what to say. It was true that he had some weird thoughts about Rubes' intentions, which he now regretted.

"You don't need to keep overthinking everything. Just talk. I am a grown person in the end. I can handle more than you think. "

"Yeah, I am certain about the latter part, "Mark said almost as a reflex.

It was a poor joke to do in this situation, but Mark joked about things, especially when he felt awkward. Luckily Rubes didn't seem to mind about the joke and even let out a small laugh from hearing it, which seemed genuine, at least to Mark.

"I must admit it is great meeting you, man. It is a rare sight to talk to someone freely without knowing them for years. Erinne seems like she was wrong in the end. "

"Miss Terret said something about me? "

Mark didn't know why he called her like that, but it felt somewhat award to call her by her first name. He didn't have that problem with Lylah, but he didn't know her surname in the end, as they never really exchanged names, even when he first met her. Although it would be easy for her to find out who he was back then, as everyone talked about him and how he recklessly jumped into the water for a commoner's jewel.

'Now that I think about it, why was Lylah on that ship? I remembered it wasn't cheap to get a ticket in it, and she didn't seem to be part of a wealthy family from those gossips about her back then.'

He remembered little of the gossip back then as he barely paid attention to them, and his current <Mind> didn't seem to help him remember these things. But all of them referred to Lylah as a commoner, meaning she wasn't part of an influential society family like the Ranacs or even the Terrets.

Maybe after he made things up with her, he could ask about that, but probably not right after he fixed their relationship, as it could just break again. Even if Mark didn't like Lylah on a romantic level, he felt bad about making her cry, and after seeing that she genuinely cared about him on some level, he didn't want to make her hate him.

"Well... 'Miss Terret 'considers you a spoiled brat, who had lost their backup and knows nothing of the world, so he would fear anything out of the norm. But it seems your background may have provided you with the tools to not get afraid of details like that. Am I wrong? "

Mark just nodded with a small smile, as it was pretty much as Rubes described it.

They had some more small talk and enjoyed their food. Rubes even tried to give Mark a few numbers of some personal 'friends 'that he could call to have a private party, but Mark didn't accept them. After all, he probably couldn't afford those parties and wouldn't be as free as one would think.

They didn't return to the apartment together, as it seemed like Rubes had to return to his office to take care of some paperwork.

As for Mark, he did something he wanted to do on the way back since he finished his first official trucking, but he kept postponing it.

Spending his <Truck Points>.