Chapter Thirteen Mason （In Daphne’s Body） #2
Daphne taps my forehead. “Earth to Mason.”
I look up at her and wipe beneath my eyes. “Sorry. Did I mess up your makeup?”
She uses the tip of her finger and runs it under my lashes. “Nope. Just a little smudged. But it’ll be fine.”
Someone bangs on the door loudly, and I recognize Chet’s singing voice. “Ooh. Mason and Daphne banging in a room. B-A-N-G-I-N-G.”
Daphne’s eyes widen. Honestly, I’m amazed it’s taken them this long to start making jokes, given how much time Daphne and I have been spending together.
Daphne and I stay quiet, and we hear his footsteps trail away from her room before I break the silence.
“I’m going to kill him.”
She laughs at my comment. “I just might help you.”
“Aww. Look at us bonding.” I smirk at her, and she rolls her eyes and walks toward the door.
She’s trying to hide it. But it’s too late. I could spot her blushing from a mile away.
Four hours later, half the team has gone home happy and full, and the other half are so drunk that they’re cozied up in the living room, watching a movie called She’s All That .
Maeve walks into the kitchen, where I’m filling up my water bottle.
“Hi, pookieee. Have fun tonight?” Her words are slurred together with a smile, and her eyes are happily glossed over.
I grin. “A great time actually. You? Seems like it’s going well with Jackson.”
Her eyes darken, and her jaw drops. “Girl, this man is insatiable. Like, you have no idea. Round after round. He doesn’t tire.”
“Oh God, please stop!” I groan and plug my ears with my fingers, every cell in my body cringing at hearing my sister say that to me with such vigor.
Her jaw unhinges, and her brows pinch together. “Why?”
“I’m just … jealous, is all.” The words fight every step of the way. “Good. For. You.”
She cocks her head to the side with a smirk. “I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at Mason again. Are you sure you two haven’t been secretly hooking up and you’re just too scared to tell me yet?”
I rub the back of my neck. “Why would I be scared?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Because you know I will kill Mason if he hurts you again.”
“Well, good thing you don’t have to worry because we’re definitely not sleeping together.”
The thought of us doing that in these bodies brings a chilling shiver down my spine.
Nope . Nothing is going inside of me, especially not my own dick.
“Okay, fiiiine.” She seems to accept my answer—although doubtfully. “But can we at least talk about how much time you’ve been spending together?” She pauses and lowers her voice. “Are you doing okay with him here? Because I will kick him out tomorrow if you need.”
Okay. That’s fucked up.
“No, it’s fine, seriously.” I smile. “I like having her—I mean, him here.”
Thankfully, she’s a bit intoxicated, and her attention to detail is off. “I love you, Daph. I just want you to be happy. You deserve the world.”
I’ve always envied their relationship, especially since Daphne and I have been apart.
I miss the closeness with Daphne that I used to have, the ability to read her mind with a simple look. But her defense system has been up for a while now, and unless she wants me to see past it, there’s no way around it.
“I love you too, Maeve,” I say genuinely because I mean it.
“I have to pee so bad.” She spins on her heel and walks away, heading toward the bathroom, dancing side to side.
It takes me a moment to recover from the whiplash of that conversation. My gaze wanders through the room before looking through the window and landing on the swing outside.
Daphne’s on the porch, swinging slowly, and I think it’s high time that I join her. I told her I was just running to the bathroom, which I was, but I got a bit distracted with the mess in here and with Maeve.
I can feel the buzz from the White Claw—the only gluten-free drink we had—as I walk back outside, snagging a throw blanket and tossing it over my shoulder. I tuck my hands in my hoodie pocket as a shiver runs through me. There’s a bit of a cool breeze tonight, but I think the weather is perfect.
Daphne grins at me as I approach. “There must’ve been a line.”
“Wrapped around the whole house.” I smile, dropping down on the bench seat next to her, my feet dangling above the porch.
Fluffing the blanket up, I drape it over us. “Thought we might be able to use this.”
She snuggles beneath it instantly, scooting closer to me, and my heart rate spikes.
“Perfect. I was getting a little cold.”
“Glad I could help.” I fight the urge to put my arm around her shoulders— for many reasons .
We swing in silence for the next couple of minutes, watching the sky and lake. Her leg bumps into mine, and goose bumps erupt from the contact. I expect her to pull away, but she doesn’t. If anything, she scoots even closer.
A tension builds between us, our bodies drifting closer together until there’s no space and we’re pressed against one another.
She continues to rock us back and forth with her feet on the ground as music hums through the house from inside.
“Tell me something,” she murmurs softly, not looking away from the calm lake.
“What do you want to know?” I ask, prepared to tell her anything.
“What’s something that scares you?” she asks, tucking her legs up into her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
A thousand things come to mind, but there’s one answer above the rest. “That when this is over, you’ll never talk to me again.”
“ Mason .” She exhales my name painfully, her eyes falling shut.
I shrug. “That’s not a crazy assumption, Daph.” I pause, taking a shaky breath. “And I couldn’t exactly blame you for it if you did.”
She tightens her arms and looks down at me. “I-I don’t know what I want.”
My heart skips a beat at the glimmer of hope she just gave me, and I have to physically fight the smile from trying to take over my face. That’s progress, and I’ll take it.
“I know what I want.” My voice is soft but firm. “I’ve always known.”
“You say that,” she groans and looks ahead, tearing her gaze from mine. “But you don’t mean it.”
“I do.” My words leave my lips breathlessly.
“You don’t. Or you wouldn’t have left before.” Her voice is barely audible, but her words sound like an explosion going off in my mind.
“I’m sorry for leaving the way I did, Daph. Fuck, I regret that every damn day since that night. I …” I trail off, gathering the strength to tell her the truth for the first time. “I was fucking terrified of loving you.”
Her head turns my way, and I mimic her movement, finding her eyes upturned and teary.
Maybe it’s the alcohol that seems to have taken over my system in the last few minutes or a burst of bravery, but I open my mouth and tell her everything.
“I turned to you when I needed you most. When my future was up in the air and I had no idea where I was going to end up, you were the constant that I needed.” I take a shaky breath.
“And then I left you because I was a fucking coward, Daphne. I was an idiotic kid who should’ve stayed and fought for the girl I was falling in love with.
You deserved better. You deserve better. ”
Her lips are parted, and her breath is shallow. “Mason.”
“Look, don’t freak out, okay? I didn’t unload all of that just to scare you away. That’s the last thing I want. I just figured it was about time that I gave you an answer.” I look out at the lake, watching a duck paddle across the flat, star-decorated water.
Her bottom lip trembles, and my heart breaks.
“I appreciate it, genuinely. I just … I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything.” I reach for her hand and stroke the back of it with my thumb. “You don’t need to say anything. It’s a beautiful night. Let’s just enjoy the moment. No expectations. No pressure. Just us.”
She smiles softly, a mix of sadness and hope in her gaze. “Deal.”
We both face forward, and she rests her head down on top of mine. Ever so slightly, I slip my fingers down her palm, intertwining them with hers.
We stay that way for what feels like forever and a second all at once. But any amount of time would never be enough with her.