17.
MASON
I lied. It was cute. Watching her, entirely flustered and trying to come up with an excuse as to who this reoccurring nuisance of a man was extremely adorable. It was almost enough to deter my mood from the sourness it had become at the sight I encountered walking towards her apartment.
That shitty mood and sinking feeling until a weight hit the pit of my stomach only worsened at her words.
"Why does it bother you so much? We aren't dating. I could do whatever I want as can you."
She might as well have slapped me in the face. I tried to play off the shock rippling throughout me, hoping all she could see was a mask of indifference.
She wasn't wrong, which is probably what pissed me off the most. Here I was, standing at her door, flowers in hand, questioning her about another man as if she was mine.
Despite the reality, I couldn't help myself from growing angrier as the memory of them together plays in my mind.
Yet, I knew that was my problem, not hers.
"You're right."
"Wait, what?"
"You're right. We aren't dating."
She stared at me in apprehension. As if she was waiting for me to say a punch line or make a comment.
"Okay?"
"I'd like to make one thing clear." I said, as I stepped closer, placing myself between her legs. I watched with interest as her hands gripped the edges of the counter tighter at our position.
She hummed in response and looked up at me when I placed my hands on her soft thighs.
"I don't fuck around. So, when we make this official, I expect you not to fuck around either." I slide my hand underneath her thighs and pulled her close to me. Her small gasp was enough to send me over the edge. "Is that clear?"
Gently directing her chin upwards so her gaze was fixed solely on me, I bent down to place a small, soft kiss on her swollen lips. As I leaned back, I was content to see the dazed expression coating her beautiful face.
"I'll be waiting by the door."
She nodded her head, almost robotically. I made my way out of the washroom and pulled out my phone as I waited for her.
She may have been right but that didn't mean I was going to stand by and do nothing. I was intrigued by her and I planned on finding out exactly what I had missed all this time. She was mine. She just didn't know it yet.
Pressing on the familiar contact name, I brought the phone up to my ear. The phone rang for several seconds before the line picked up.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Mason?"
"I want information on every Kyle in the city. Mid twenties to mid thirties. Blonde hair."
"I'm doing great, bud! How are you?"
"EOD."
"This is an expen-"
I turned from the doorway as I heard the sound of heels approaching.
"Money's not a question. EOD." I hung up and slide the phone into my inner jacket pocket. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, I just need my coat. Is everything okay?"
Intercepting the coat from her hands, I held it out so she could slide her arms into it.
"Yes, everything is fine."
"So, where are we going?"
"It's a surprise."
"I thought this was a date."
"It is."
"So, why are we at work?"
"You'll see."
I led her towards the elevator, scanning my card to get to my floor. Despite the lack of people running amuck, she maintained a professional amount of space between us. It amused me the lengths she was going to act as if we were solely employee and boss. As if we weren't kissing almost an hour ago.
We stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the closing elevator door.
I looked over at her out of the corner of my eye, as her gaze was pinned forward.
I thought of pushing her up against the wall, but thought otherwise when I saw it looked as though she was having trouble breathing.
I didn't miss the small gasp of air when the door finally opened.
With my hand on the small of her back, I led her towards the emergency exit at the far end of the hall. We climbed the small staircase before reaching the last door.
"What are you-Woah."
She stepped forward out onto the rooftop, leaving me in the doorway.
The clash of sounds that made up New York drifted away into peaceful silence as I watched her take in the city.
The sun was starting to set. The sky could have been painted by Van Gogh himself, but there was no greater beauty than her.
She stood there, smile bright and wide as she pointed things out to me. The wind blew her waves gently and her eyes sparkled as she walked back and forth along the rooftop, taking it all in.
As if sensing I did not follow her, she turned to me.
"What are you doing there? Come here!" She laughed as I continued to admire her with a smile of my own. She waved me over before turning to admire the view once more.
"Do you like it?"
"I love it. Do you come here often?"
"I used to. When we first moved into the building, I would come here all the time."
"And now?"
"I guess, now, it's just when I need a break."
She hummed, lost in thought. "Don't you think that cloud looks like a bunny playing a guitar?" She asked, pointing towards a random blob of clouds.
"What?" I guffawed.
"Yeah, look! I'm serious! Stop laughing." She elbowed me softly as I continued to laugh.
"I don't see it."
"I swear it's a bunny playing a guitar. Come on, lie down with me you'll see it better."
I would literally rather die than lie down on this rooftop. My refusal was on the tip of my tongue and normally I wouldn't hesitate to say no but the sight of her laying on the ground, her hair sprawled messily around her head and her wide inviting smile was hard to refuse.
Despite myself, I lied down next to her and watched as she pointed to several clouds and described them.
I noticed quickly that she wasn't very good at comparing what the clouds looked like.
I joined in from time to time, but I was preoccupied with admiring her.
From the way her lips moved effortlessly between talking and smiling to the way she tried to draw the clouds with her pointed manicured finger.
The sky was starting to get dark and with it, the clouds less visible.
"Thank you for bringing me here." She said softly, as she turned her head to meet my gaze.
"Anytime.", I whispered. Her hand inched towards mine as she returned her gaze to the darkening sky above us. Painstakingly slow, I reached for her hand hesitatingly. When our fingers intertwined, I watched as a small smile embraced her lips.
We were going to be late. I had made dinner reservations and planned an activity for us to do afterwards.
I hadn't planned that we would stay here this long.
Yet, as we lay there hand in hand, I found myself reluctant to interrupt this moment.
It somewhat dumbfounded me as I realized I would rather be laying on a dirty rooftop watching the sunset into a starry sky instead of in a clean, cozy restaurant drinking top tier wine and Michelin star food.
My thoughts were going haywire. Thoughts of what this meant for myself and whether my fight or flight instincts were going to kick in soon were all simply silenced as she she squeezed my hand.
I am so so sorry about the late chapter update! I've been trying to catch up with assignments and studying. It's not a huge chapter but it's finally a full POV for Mason!
Also, I'm amazed at how many readers this story has gathered. Our top three countries are the US, South Africa and the UK! Drop where you guys are from down in the comments as well as if you liked the chapter. I'd love to get to know you guys more!
Suggestions are always welcomed too :)
I hope you have a good read and see you next Thursday for chapter 18!