CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
MASON
I should’ve stepped away after that.
That would’ve been the smart move.
Instead I stayed exactly where I was.
Because Rowan was still looking at me.
And for once, it didn’t feel like she was trying to win something.
She just looked… unsettled.
Same as me.
The rooftop noise kept crashing around us. Music shaking the floor beneath our feet, people shouting over each other, glasses clinking somewhere near the bar.
But none of it reached properly.
Not with her standing this close.
“You’re staring again,” Rowan said quietly.
“You noticed.”
“That’s not a denial.”
I almost smiled.
Almost.
“You always want answers,” I said.
“You always avoid them.”
“Maybe because you ask dangerous questions.”
That got a reaction.
Small shift in her expression.
But real.
“Dangerous?” she repeated.
I looked at her for a second too long.
“Yeah.”
The word landed heavier than it should’ve.
ROWAN
He was different tonight.
Still controlled.
Still careful.
But thinner somehow.
Like the walls were there, just not reinforced properly anymore.
And that was somehow worse than if he’d just lost control completely.
Because now every honest thing felt accidental.
Which meant real.
A burst of laughter exploded somewhere behind us.
Someone nearly tripped into the couch before their friend caught them.
The party was getting sloppier by the minute.
Mason still hadn’t moved.
Neither had I.
That was becoming its own problem.
“You know what’s annoying?” I asked.
“That could mean literally anything.”
“You act like you’re the only one affected by this.”
That hit.
Immediately.
I saw it in the way his jaw tightened slightly.
Not angry.
Just caught off guard.
“I never said that.”
“You don’t have to.”
Silence stretched between us again.
Thicker this time.
Then he said quietly:
“You hide it better.”
That was not what I expected him to say.
MASON
She blinked once.
Like I’d knocked something loose accidentally.
Good.
Because she’d been doing that to me all night.
“You think I’m hiding?” she asked.
“I think you’re careful.”
“So are you.”
“Not tonight.”
That slipped out before I could stop it.
And judging by the way Rowan’s expression shifted—
she noticed that too.
“What changed tonight?” she asked softly.
You.
That answer came way too fast in my head.
I didn’t say it.
Obviously.
Instead I looked away briefly toward the skyline.
“Too many variables,” I muttered.
That made her laugh unexpectedly.
Actually laugh.
Not the small controlled version.
Real.
I looked back at her immediately.
And there it was again—
that stupid feeling in my chest every time she forgot to guard herself for half a second.
ROWAN
He looked genuinely distracted by my laugh.
Which was… interesting.
“You are unbelievably weird,” I told him.
“I’ve been informed.”
“By who?”
“Everyone.”
“That feels accurate.”
He huffed a quiet laugh through his nose.
Tiny.
Barely there.
Still counted.
And suddenly the tension felt different.
Not gone.
Never gone.
But looser around the edges.
That scared me more than the fighting did.
Because it felt easy.
Not Luca-and-Tessa easy.
Different.
More dangerous.
Like slipping without realising it.
Mason leaned slightly closer so he could hear me over the music.
That movement was small.
Still enough to shift everything.
“You’re quieter when you’re actually relaxed,” he said.
“I am relaxed.”
“That’s a lie too.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You really enjoy calling me out.”
“You make it easy.”
“That sounded arrogant.”
“It probably was.”
At least he was self-aware.
LUCA
Tessa had one hand shoved inside my jacket while we stood near the dance floor.
Which was distracting in a very productive way.
Still—
I glanced toward Rowan again out of curiosity.
Basketball guy was smiling now.
Tiny.
But definitely smiling.
Tessa followed my gaze.
“Oh my God,” she said dramatically. “They’re flirting through psychological warfare.”
I laughed instantly.
“That’s exactly what it is.”
“They need to either kiss or fight.”
“Maybe both.”
“Preferably both.”
Fair.
TESSA
The sexual tension over there was honestly becoming community property.
I’d never seen two people act so emotionally married while clearly not being together.
The girl looked less tense now though.
Which was interesting.
The guy too.
Still intense.
Still built like he could punch through walls for fun.
But softer around her suddenly.
Dangerous combination.
Very hot.
ROWAN
Someone changed the music again.
Slower this time.
Not fully slow.
Just enough that people started moving differently.
Closer.
More touching.
The rooftop shifted with it.
Couples pulling together naturally.
Bodies leaning into each other instead of just moving around.
I noticed Mason notice it too.
His eyes flicked toward the crowd once before coming back to me.
That awareness hit instantly.
“You look concerned,” I said.
“I am.”
“Why.”
“Because this party keeps getting worse.”
I laughed softly.
“No,” I said. “You’re just losing your ability to control it.”
That landed directly.
His gaze sharpened immediately.
Not angry.
Focused.
“Maybe,” he admitted.
That word shouldn’t have affected me the way it did.
Mason never admitted uncertainty.
And tonight he kept doing it.
Again and again.
Like exhaustion had finally cracked something open.
MASON
She looked warmer now.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
More open around the edges.
That was becoming dangerous territory fast.
Because every second this conversation continued, it got harder to pretend I wasn’t affected by her.
And Rowan?
She was starting to realise it too.
The crowd shifted suddenly beside us.
Someone dancing backwards slammed into Rowan hard enough that she stumbled sideways.
Straight into me.
Instinct took over before thought.
Hands catching her automatically.
One at her waist.
One against her arm.
Full contact this time.
Not accidental brushing.
Not brief correction.
Actual contact.
Rowan froze immediately.
So did I.
The world didn’t stop.
But my brain absolutely did.
Because she was pressed against me just enough that I could feel her breathing hitch once.
And fuck—
that was bad.
Very bad.
ROWAN
Oh.
That was infinitely worse than the first touch.
Because now there was no pretending it was nothing.
Mason’s hand was firm against my waist.
My arm caught against his chest.
Solid heat.
Solid muscle.
And for one horrifying second—
neither of us moved.
The music felt distant suddenly.
Muted behind the sound of my own pulse.
Mason looked down at me slowly.
Too slowly.
Like he was aware of every inch of space between us.
Which currently wasn’t much.
His grip tightened instinctively for half a second before loosening again.
And that tiny movement?
That was the thing that ruined me.
Because it felt unconscious.
Real.
Not controlled.
Then Mason stepped back abruptly.
Like he’d remembered himself all at once.
And the air between us snapped painfully cold.