A week passed by without seeing so much as a hair from Mark's head. He had called using Angela's house phone, while she was sleeping, to let me know she'd taken his cell phone. But he was alright, that's what mattered. Hearing his voice, though, just wasn't enough.
     I was jumpy and fidgety, reacting quickly to the pings of my phone. Finn left on his business trip. Em was busy trying to patch her relationship with Angela, in hopes of bringing sense to the situation, ending Mark's house arrest. 
     I was on my porch enjoying a grape popsicle when Em strode up the steps, swagger in each movement.
     "I guess your mission was successful." I remarked.
     "Yes. She's easily swayed by wedding plans. I asked her to visit a florist with me this weekend."
     "Is she going to go with you? How's Mark?"
     "She was of course flattered that I cared about her opinion. However, she politely declined, no doubt because she doesn't want to leave him alone. His spirit is dashed, but he's otherwise unharmed."
     I simply nodded. She sat next to me on the porch swing. 
     "The power of suggestion is a funny thing," Em chuckled, "Because she asked me if I thought Mark likes you over her."
     "What did you tell her?"
     "I told her that if she wanted a straight answer, she needed to ask him."
     "You're not wrong. Your opinion is one thing, and the truth could very well be another. Although, we're privileged to the information that they're the same," I sighed, "I'm afraid of how she'd react, though."
     "I'm hoping it prompts her to action, that will set him free."
     "You hope for an awful lot, Em. But without hope, we don't have a leg to stand on."
     "I think so, is not good enough. His life is already far less than ideal. We've all been taking risks. But we all thought they were worth it for one reason or another. I want to know what has made them worth it for you?"
     "The more I know of him, the more I like what I see. We're similar in a lot of ways. I know it's shallow, but he's not bad to look at," I laughed.
     "My relationship with Finn is the result of just that. I thought he was handsome, and that kept me hooked for several dates. The more his personality showed itself, the more I liked him. Before I knew it, I loved him," she twisted the ring around her finger.
     "I can't say I've reached that point yet. All I know is my brain, heart, and gut have the same opinion on someone for once."
     Em nodded, "You and I have gotten too old to mess around. That's why I'm glad Finn is a serious man, who knows what he wants, and is willing to commit to it. A relationship is like a seed, you can't stick it in the dirt with no light or water and expect an extravagant plant. Not even a cactus would grow in those conditions."
     "Relationships don't need forcing, they need nurturing. It's just such a shame you compare it to a plant, when I've nearly killed all of mine. Even my houseplants!"
     Em laughed, "We will work on your green thumb later. I think being engaged has made me a lot more sentimental, so I wanted to make sure the connection you two have was real. But it cannot argue with your brain, heart, and gut. They're reputable, peer reviewed sources."
     I ignored her dry-as-the-Sahara humor, "I feel so anxious not seeing him. It seems I can't sit still unless I am working or eating something."
     "I don't think there is much we can do about that right now."
     "I'm so stupid. Why did I have to open my big mouth like that?"
     "There was no good way to tell her and we both know that."
     "What if she's already asked him how he feels about me, and he's told her what she wants to hear?"
     "Then I would have to say I'd think less of him. At the end of the day, how you feel about him would still be up to you," she pulled herself up onto the porch swing, "But I don't see him doing that. I see him being silent."