Chapter 14
Not everyone sleeps around like it’s their full-time job
On Friday afternoon, I left my last class early to go on a run to get rid of the angst that had been swirling inside me since the previous night.
Focusing had been a challenge all day, with last night’s date playing on repeat like a movie in my head.
Dressed in black leggings and a mint-green fleece over a white tank top, I jogged toward the quad before turning left and heading into the small neighborhood located on the east side of campus.
Unable to silence my ruminating thoughts, I pressed pause on the playlist I was listening to, and looking through my phone, I searched for a contact I hadn’t opened in months.
Me
Hey, I hope this is still your number. If so, I need your address.
Oh, it’s Mel in case you don’t have my number saved anymore. Not that I would blame you, btw. Anyway, if you could send me your address, that would be appreciated.
Thanks
My eyes were trained on the screen so I wouldn’t miss a notification. It took about five minutes before it came through.
Craig
1624-B, Starlight Circle
In case you’re wondering, he’s home for the next forty minutes or so. We have football practice at four. Studying now. Or he’s supposed to be. Upstairs, second door on your left. Make yourself at home.
I hated the fact that Craig could read my intentions, but to hell with that.
There were things I needed to talk to Mason about, and they couldn’t wait because they had already been taking up too much space inside my head since last night.
I wouldn’t be a coward and would deal with it once and for all.
In my mind, I imagined Paige giving me a thumbs-up. Yeah, she would be proud that I was standing my ground in front of Mason instead of shying away from confrontation like I used to.
I resumed my run, turned right on Silvester Avenue before cutting through Boreal Park, where Jett and I had stopped to admire the star after our first date.
I knew Mason’s neighborhood because Cassidy and I had attended a few parties on Sunset Row at the beginning of the semester.
I stopped in front of the townhouse, admiring it from the sidewalk for a beat. Charcoal siding, white shutters, it didn’t look at all like a place where college guys would live. It would fit much better on a street with young families instead.
From where I stood, I could tell it looked quite recent and seemed well-maintained. The lawn had been mowed, and the flowerbeds weren’t filled with weeds. I wondered if they had someone coming over to take care of the house or if Mason and his roommates were the ones tending to the property.
I shouldn’t care about flowerbeds and weeds and should focus on my mission instead.
Shaking the thought away, I firmed my back and walked toward the front door with determined steps.
My finger hovered over the doorbell, and I debated whether to press it or not.
If I did, it would take away the surprise effect.
Grabbing my phone, I reread Craig’s and my text exchange.
Make yourself at home. He didn’t expect me to ring the doorbell or call ahead to announce my visit.
Deciding to be brave, I sucked in a breath, tipped my chin up, and turned the knob without knocking first.
The house was oddly silent and smelled fresh, as if someone had just cleaned up the entire place, leaving an enjoyable scent of pine behind. It reminded me a bit of Mason’s aftershave.
I perused my surroundings, noting the small living room and the patch of grass through the patio door Mason had told me counted as a backyard, and smiled at the sight.
The kitchen was on the left, the open floor plan and high ceilings making the house look bigger than it was.
For a fraction of a second, I doubted whether I should be here, but then, last night’s events flashed back in my mind, and I decided giving Mason a piece of my mind was exactly what I should do.
Following his brother’s directions, I climbed the smoke-gray carpeted stairs and reached the second floor. The door I assumed was Mason’s was ajar, and I heard low music drifting through the opening.
It appeared nobody else was home except him.
Fishing every particle of courage from within me, I pushed the door open. Mason sat on his bed with his back to me, absorbed in the open textbook resting in his lap. He was tapping a rhythm on the mattress with a pencil, engrossed in his reading.
I cleared my throat and knocked on the doorframe with my knuckles. It took him an instant to register the distraction, pivot on the bed, and catch my gaze.
A slow grin traced his lips, and he blinked slowly. Once. Twice. Three times. As if he couldn’t quite believe his eyes. Then, realizing I was real, his face lit up, and he jumped to his feet, tossing the textbook aside. “Mel.” He neared me in three strides.
I looked away, breaking the daze I was sure I would fall into before it could capture me. Remembering why I came over, I straightened my posture and poked his chest with my finger, forcing him to step further back into his bedroom.
“Tell me the truth, Mase. Have you been following me? Are you spying on me?”
“No. Why would you say that? You’re the one standing in my bedroom right now, aren’t you?”
My fists found my hips. I was determined not to let him play mind games with me. “Don’t change the topic. I’m not in the mood.”
He scanned the length of me. “Are you here to ask Coach Pierce to train you once again? Gimme a sec. I’ll get changed, and we can go. I have practice later, though, so we have about twenty minutes.”
“MASE.” He was messing with me. There was no way he didn’t know why I was angry at him. “STOP.” I lowered my tone, trying to keep my annoyance at bay. “You’re not listening to me. I’m here because I’m mad at you. Super extra mad.”
His cockiness dissolved, and he became the Mason I used to know, his jock suit gone. He held out his hand for mine, but I stayed put, refusing to give in.
“Talk,” he said.
“Why were you at Henri’s last night? How did you know I’d be there?”
He glanced down and tapped his foot against the hardwood floor. “I’m a resourceful man and a lot of things, Mel, but I’m not a creep. I have my ways, but I would never be a sly fucker just to trick you. You know better. You know me better than that.”
I stood still, trying to process his words. “You are telling me you had no idea I’d be at Henri’s last night, then?”
He quirked one brow. “That’s not what I said.”
I pointed an accusing finger at him. “So, you admit it was all a setup.”
Mason pinched his lips together and shook his head. “I won’t admit to that because it’s not exactly true. I may have heard things. That’s all I’m willing to admit.”
“I don’t care. All the same to me.”
“Nope, it’s not.”
I flung my arms above my head. “You’re impossible. Stay out of my business from now on.” I wished I could look menacing, but I probably didn’t pull it off, so I forced a more serious expression onto my face. “I’m warning you.”
“Or what?
“Arghhhh. You know you are infuriating, right? Anyway, don’t get involved.”
Before he could add another smart-ass comment, I whirled around and rushed down the stairs, heading outside.
Only to realize it had started raining by the time I reached the driveway.
Great. Just what I needed: crappy weather and no car.
I eyed the sky, silently begging Mother Nature for a break, when the clouds opened, and rain poured down, drenching every layer I was wearing.
She must have been kidding me. How could the weather have switched so fast? Now it was as sour as my mood.
The front door opened and slammed shut behind me, and seconds later, Mason stood in front of me, the rain soaking him. “I didn’t spy on you, okay?” He shoved his hands inside the front pocket of his red hoodie. “I asked around… People were happy to provide me with the information I needed.”
I blinked, the drops of water hanging onto my eyelashes blurring my vision. Mason tugged at my arm and walked me toward the side of the house, shielding us from the downpour.
“Spying. Asking questions to people I know. Following me. Whatever, it’s all similar. Stalker isn’t a good look on you, Mase. It’s a new low.”
“I’m no stalker. I just wanna make sure you’re safe and sound.
It’s not a crime. I did nothing wrong. Last night, I proved to you Jett was way more interested in my football stats than dating you.
As I already said, I saved you from wasting valuable time with the dickhead, and you should be thankful. ”
“I. Am. Not.” I breathed in. “Thankful, I mean.”
He shrugged. “Craig and I were due for a sibling bonding night. It turned out our restaurant of choice was the same as yours on the same night. It could just be a coincidence after all. This town is small. I always bump into people I know wherever I go. Anyway, I’m not sorry I ended up at Henri’s.”
“Well, you should be. It was wrong of you. And for the record, Jett isn’t a dickhead.”
“Are you telling me you would have gone on another date with him?” He studied my reaction.
I bit my tongue, tempted to lie to him, but knowing he would call me out on my bullshit. “No. But it doesn’t mean he’s a jerk. I was just done with him because I thought he was my type, and he’s not.”
He bobbed his head once. “Okay. Good.”
“Okay? Good? That’s all you’re going to say about it? No flippant or I-told-you-so reply?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “Let me drive you home. You’re soaked.”
“I spend half my waking hours in a pool, Mase. I’m not scared of some rain.”
“Geez. I don’t want you to catch pneumonia. Better?”
I sighed. “Watch it. I’m really not in the mood for your concern right now. Are we done?”
“You tell me. You’re the one who barged in here, looking for a fight, interrupting my study session. Not that I’m complaining, though.”
“Jesus, Mase. Can you be more aggravating?”
A slow smile spread across his lips. “I can try.”