Chapter 32
The movie has been playing for nearly half an hour, and I haven't absorbed a single second of it.
Mostly because Mason is beside me.
One arm stretched along the back of my couch behind me, long legs taking up entirely too much space while Ava sleeps quietly in her portable crib near the TV.
Every few minutes, I catch myself looking at him again.
And every single time
He catches me.
"You're staring," he says calmly without taking his eyes off the screen.
Heat creeps instantly into my cheeks.
"I am not."
"You are."
"I'm watching the movie."
"Baby," he says dryly, "the movie's been paused for six minutes."
I look toward the TV.
Right.
Oops.
Mason finally glances over at me then, amusement flickering across his face.
God.
That should honestly be illegal.
I don't understand how one man can look that good sitting on a secondhand couch in grey sweatpants.
"You thinking hard over there?" he asks quietly.
Unfortunately
yes.
Because Liam's comments earlier have been replaying in my head all night.
Your girl.
Girlfriend.
The way Mason never corrected him once.
The terrifying thing is...
I liked hearing it.
Probably too much.
I twist slightly toward him.
"Mason?"
"Hm?"
I hesitate immediately.
His attention sharpens subtly.
"What is it?"
I tug nervously at the sleeve of my hoodie.
"Earlier... when Liam kept calling me your girlfriend..."
Mason looks mildly confused for exactly half a second.
Then, I completely relaxed again.
"Yeah?"
I blink at him.
"Yeah?"
His eyebrows pull together slightly now.
"You're gonna have to help me out here, baby."
My stomach flips at the nickname.
"You never actually asked me."
Silence.
Then Mason stares at me for one long second before huffing a quiet laugh.
I narrow my eyes immediately.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because," he says slowly, "I genuinely thought we were already there."
My mouth falls open.
"Mason!"
"What?" He looks completely unbothered. "I practically live here now."
"That is not the point!"
"You fall asleep on my chest three nights a week."
Heat floods my entire body instantly.
"Mason"
"You kiss me like you mean it."
The words hit embarrassingly hard.
Because I do.
I stare at him speechless.
Mason watches my face carefully for a moment before his expression softens slightly.
"Unless you don't want to be."
The confidence is still there.
But quieter now.
Real.
My chest tightens painfully.
Because no one has ever looked at me the way Mason does.
Like I matter.
Like I'm wanted.
Like I'm safe.
I swallow hard.
"You still didn't ask."
His eyes darken slightly.
Then suddenly he's leaning toward me.
One hand sliding gently along the side of my neck.
"Fair point," he murmurs.
And then he kisses me.
Slow at first.
Warm.
His mouth moves against mine carefully enough that my entire body melts instantly toward him.
I barely get a breath before he kisses me again, deeper this time.
The hand on my neck tightening slightly.
Possessive.
Safe.
My fingers tangle in the front of his shirt automatically.
"Mason," I whisper breathlessly against his mouth.
"Hm?"
"You're distracting me."
"That's intentional."
I laugh softly.
His forehead rests briefly against mine before he kisses me again.
Then between kisses
"Be my girlfriend."
Another kiss.
"Officially."
Another.
"Please."
My heart actually aches.
I smile helplessly against his mouth.
"Yes."
Mason immediately kisses me harder.
Like he expected the answer, but still needed to hear it anyway.
One arm wraps firmly around my waist, pulling me fully into his lap on the couch.
Warm.
Solid.
Mine.
The thought hits suddenly enough to steal my breath for a second.
Mason brushes his nose lightly against mine.
"There she is," he murmurs.
I don't even know what he means.
But somehow it makes my chest feel too full.
The movie stays forgotten after that.
We stay curled together on the couch while Ava sleeps nearby, talking quietly between kisses.
Mason absentmindedly rubbing slow circles against my back.
Me tracing lazy patterns along his arm.
Comfortable.
Easy.
At some point, my head ends up tucked against his chest while he holds me close enough that I can hear his heartbeat beneath my ear.
And for once, the future doesn't feel terrifying.
Later, when Ava starts fussing softly in her crib, Mason stands up automatically first.
"I got her," he murmurs.
I watch him cross the apartment quietly and lift her carefully against his chest.
The sight hits me so hard it almost hurts.
Too soft.
Too domestic.
Too much like something I could get used to.
Mason glances back toward me over Ava's head.
"You tired, baby?"
I nod slowly.
His expression softens immediately.
"C'mere."
I go without hesitation.
And when he pulls me into bed beside him later that night, with Ava sleeping safely nearby and Mason's arm wrapped securely around my waist, I realize somewhere along the way, this apartment stopped feeling temporary.
It feels like home now.