Chapter 21
twenty-one
. . .
Stella
“Stella, you're going to wear a hole in the sidewalk,” Natalie says as she walks up to meet me. She grabs my arm to stop my pacing. “And your shoes are too cute to ruin.”
I convinced Natalie to join me tonight since Mason suggested I bring a friend, which I hated but am now very grateful for.
“I'm just excited,” I say. And I am. This is what I wished for. I had to set Mom up with tickets to that new musical just so I could have tonight free, but it'll be worth it if I can finally connect with Mason.
“Good excited or nervous excited?” Natalie asks as we head toward the entrance.
“Good excited, I think.”
The bar is packed when we walk in, a mix of young professionals and locals. The trivia setup takes up most of the back half of the space, with mismatched tables and chairs scattered around a small stage where someone's testing the sound system.
I scan the room and spot Mason immediately.
He's sitting at a corner booth with a large group of people, and my stomach drops when I realize that at least five of them are women.
Gorgeous women. Women with perfectly tousled beach hair, effortless makeup, and the confident body language that suggests they've never doubted their place in a room.
“There he is,” I whisper to Natalie, nodding toward the booth.
“The tall guy in the blue button-down?”
“That's him.”
“Oh, he's cute! Not quite Brandon hot, but I can see why you'd like him.”
I'm not sure how to take that comment, so I leave it alone.
She studies the table for a moment. “Okay, so there are a lot of people. That's good. Less pressure. We'll just introduce ourselves and play it by ear.”
Easy for her to say. She's not the one about to walk into what looks like a scene from a tech company's social media page, all beautiful people laughing at inside jokes while I stand here feeling like I'm about to crash a party I wasn't really invited to.
Mason notices me before I can lose my nerve completely. He waves me over with a genuine smile that makes my heart skip.
“Stella! You made it!” He stands to greet me, and I'm reminded again of how tall he is. “Everyone, this is Stella, the trivia ace I told you about.”
A chorus of hellos greets me, and I manage to smile and wave without tripping over my own feet.
Mason introduces everyone, but I only catch about half the names because I'm too busy trying not to stare at the woman sitting closest to him.
She's stunning in that effortless California way, with sun-streaked blonde hair and the kind of tan that suggests she spends her weekends hiking or surfing.
“This is Amy,” Mason says when he gets to her, and something about the way he says it feels deliberately casual. Too casual. Like he's working to make it sound unimportant. “We work on the same team.”
Amy smiles at me, and it seems genuine enough, but there's something in the way she looks at Mason that makes my chest tighten. The familiarity. The ease with which she touches his arm when she talks to him. And the way Mason doesn't seem to notice or mind.
“Stella, come sit next to me,” Mason says, patting the spot beside him. “I want our trivia ace right in the strategy zone.”
I slide into the booth next to him, trying to ignore how good he smells or how his thigh brushes against mine when he leans forward to grab his drink. Natalie settles in across from us, and I'm grateful that she's here because I can feel myself getting flustered by Mason's proximity.
My phone buzzes with a text.
Brandon
How's it going, sunshine? Knocking them dead with that Southern charm?
I glance around to make sure no one's watching before typing back.
Stella
I guess fine? I'm sitting next to him, which is good, but there's a girl that keeps touching his arm and I can't tell if there's something there. These women are all gorgeous and seem to know him really well.
Brandon
Breathe. You're not competing. You're just being yourself and seeing if there's a connection.
Stella
Easy for you to say. You don't see these women. They look like they stepped out of a magazine.
Brandon
So do you.
Brandon
Stop comparing and start connecting.
The trivia host calls for attention, and I put my phone away, trying to focus on the game instead of my spiraling thoughts.
The first few rounds go well enough. General knowledge, pop culture, sports.
Mason's team is clearly competitive, with everyone shouting out answers and debating the finer points of various topics.
I manage to contribute a few correct answers, including one about country music that earns me an impressed look from Mason.
“I didn't know you were into country,” he says during a break between rounds.
“Born and raised on it,” I say, then immediately worry that sounds too Southern, too unsophisticated for his crowd.
But he smiles. “That's cool. Very authentic.”
My phone buzzes again.
Brandon
Update?
Stella
He just complimented my country music knowledge, but nothing else yet.
The bubbles pop up and then disappear. It happens a few more times before he replies.
Brandon
Doesn't mean he's not interested in you. What's your gut telling you?
I glance at Mason, who's laughing at something the guy next to me said. My gut is telling me I'm in way over my head.
Stella
I don't know that I can trust my gut when it's about me.
Brandon
You predict every Love Island couple and navigate multi-million dollar deals and you can't read that room?
Before I can respond, another text comes through.
Brandon
Let me help you then. You're hot, funny, kind, and so many other amazing things. If he's not directing his total attention toward you, he's a fucking idiot.
Stella
You have to say that. You're my friend.
Brandon
I don't have to say anything. I could've just said try to stay open and not to read too much into anything.
I don't have a response to that. He's managed to completely take my breath away through a silly text.
Brandon
Don't sell yourself short. You're amazing.
Stella
Thank you.
I'm still staring at the phone when Natalie nudges me, pulling me out of my overanalyzing spiral.
“You okay?”
I can't deal with her teasing me about Brandon, so I lie.
“Yeah, just work stuff. Sorry about that.”
The next round is entertainment, and I actually do well, answering questions about Oscar winners and box office records. It's my wheelhouse, and for the first time all night, I feel confident.
“Damn, Stella,” Mason says after I correctly identify the highest-grossing film of 1997. “You really know your stuff. You must be incredible at your job.”
“Thanks,” I say, feeling a flush of pride. “I do love what I do.”
“I bet you know tons of famous people, right? Like, actual celebrities?” There's an eagerness in his voice that makes me slightly uncomfortable.
“Some, yeah. It comes with the territory.”
“That's so cool.” He leans forward slightly. “Do you get invited to all those exclusive events? Like premieres and after-parties?”
“Sometimes,” I admit. “Industry events are part of the job.”
“That must be incredible. I've always wondered what those parties are really like.” His smile widens. “Maybe you could bring me sometime? I'd love to see that world.”
There's something in the way he says it that makes me pause, but I force a smile. “Yeah, that could be fun.”
“I didn't realize you were so competitive,” Mason says with a grin.
“Well, when you're raised by a mother who insists you join cotillion and participate in tennis competitions, you learn to bring your A-game to everything,” I say with a laugh, then immediately worry that sounds too privileged or Southern.
But Mason looks intrigued. “Tennis competitions? That's cool. I've been trying to get better at tennis, actually. I play at the club near here on Saturday mornings, but I'm pretty terrible.”
My heart does a little flip. This is it. This is my opening.
“I could give you some pointers sometime,” I offer, trying to sound casual. “I mean, if you want.”
“Really? That would be awesome.”
He's pulled away into an animated discussion about risk versus reward when the trivia host announces the final round. Somehow, our table has climbed into second place, just three points behind the leaders.
“Okay, team,” Mason says, suddenly focused. “This is sudden death. One question, winner takes all.”
The energy at our table shifts, and everyone leans in as the host clears his throat.
“Your final question is about geography. What is the only country that is also a continent?”
“Australia!” I say immediately, without thinking.
The entire table erupts in cheers, and Mason grins at me across the table. “Stella for the win!”
The group toasts, and Mason reaches across to clink his glass against mine first. “I'm having way more fun tonight than I expected,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “Maybe next time, it can be just the two of us.”
My heart skips at the implication, but then he turns to toast the rest of the table. When he gets to Amy, his arm slides around her shoulders to pull her into the celebration, and something uncomfortable twists in my stomach.
As the excitement dies down and people settle their tabs, the crowd thins out. I'm digging through my purse for my wallet when Mason appears beside me.
“Hey,” he says, his voice quieter now that we're not competing anymore. “That was really fun. Thanks for helping us absolutely crush the competition.”
“It was fun,” I admit, surprised by how natural this conversation feels. “Your teammates are really nice.”
“They liked you, too. You'll have to come back soon.”
“Anytime,” I say, surprised by how natural this feels now.
He pulls out his phone. “Let me get your number. I'll text you about tennis.”
After we exchange numbers, he gives me a quick hug goodbye, and then he's gone, walking out with Amy and a few others from his group.
“So?” Natalie appears beside me as we head toward the door, her purse slung over her shoulder. “How was that? You looked like you actually had fun instead of analyzing everything.”
“It was good, I think. Great, actually.” I push open the door, and we step out into the cool night air. “He asked me to play tennis with him.”
“Mm-hmm.” There's something in her tone that makes me look at her sideways.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. I'm glad you had a good time.” But she's got that expression she gets when she's thinking something she's not ready to share yet.
For the first time in months, I actually had a normal conversation with Mason without completely embarrassing myself. I didn't freeze up, I contributed to the team, and I even made him laugh a couple of times. That has to count for something.
But then there was that whole thing about the premieres. I hope he's not one of those guys who's more interested in what I can do for him than who I am. But maybe I'm overthinking it. Maybe he was just making conversation.
Which is fine. It's progress. It's just different from what I imagined.