I’d realized a while ago Mason liked to hear himself talk. It was somewhat off-putting, at first, but now…what could I say? I guess I’d grown used to it.
Heaving a sigh, I muttered, “My sister reminded me I have a date this Friday.”
Mason’s eyes widened, and he could not hide his shock, “A date? Another? I thought you said you don’t do dates.”
“I don’t.” I really didn’t, so the fact that I had another with Calum truly was something out of the ordinary. “It’s a makeup date, for how horrible the last one went.” I squirmed a bit, feeling weird talking about this with Mason. He stared at me a tad too intently for my liking, almost like…well, almost like he was jealous, like he himself wished he was the one going on the date with me.
That was stupid, a hormonal teenage fantasy that I had no idea why it popped into my head to begin with.
“Huh,” Mason spoke, though, for once, he didn’t say much besides that. He did not appear to be his usual, happy-go-lucky self.
“What?” I didn’t know why I asked, why I cared, but…damn it, I did. I did, even though I shouldn’t. In the last week and a half, somehow Mason had become a staple in my life. When I lied away in bed at night—when I wasn’t lost in my own head wondering how I could possibly cancel Friday’s date—he occasionally crossed my thoughts. His dimpled smile, his inviting eyes, the leanness of his body and his easygoing demeanor.
He shot me a smile. “It’s nothing.”
It certainly didn’t seem like nothing.
“I just…I was going to see if you wanted to get together Friday to work on the questionnaire.” He shrugged. “It’s fine, though. I know how much you love going on dates.” The dimples appeared in his cheeks, and whatever slight jealous undertone that had been in his voice before faded. “There’s always Saturday or Sunday—and then you can feel free to tell me how awful the date was.”
I knew he was joking, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “You think it’s going to be awful?” Silly how I looked for reassurance from him, like I wanted someone else’s opinion that it truly would be awful so I wouldn’t feel bad about canceling.
My mind was a strange place.
Mason grew serious. Class was set to start, and the last thing he told me was: “I think any guy who doesn’t treat you right the first time doesn’t deserve a second chance.”
The professor began to talk in the front of the class, which meant I couldn’t ask him exactly what he meant by that. But, you know, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. When he told me those words, when he spoke them so earnestly, I felt my cheeks flare up, and I had to look away. Suddenly it wasn’t just my hand holding onto the hot chocolate Mason bought me that was overheating. It was all of me.
How could he say those words and mean them? He didn’t know me. Before last Monday, he never even said one word to me in passing. Things didn’t change that fast. They couldn’t. I wasn’t the type of girl anyone fell head over heels for, so I knew better than to think he had some kind of crush on me.
I was afraid I was starting to feel for Mason. It was impossible not to let his personality rub off on me, especially when we spent so much time together.
Before class was over, I drank the entire hot chocolate Mason had bought for me, and as I finished it, I realized it’d been far too long since I’d drank any hot chocolate. Warm and sweet, it tasted good. Who said it was just for warming up your bones after a few hours spent outside in the snow, like my parents had told Michelle and me when we were growing up?
Hot chocolate was for any occasion.
Mason brought me yet another hot chocolate before Friday’s class, and this time I made no qualms about waiting to drink it. I’d spent my time trying to focus on Mason and his strangeness instead of my impending date, since Michelle had made it clear she would never forgive me if I canceled on Calum.
I was being forced to go on this date tonight, and I knew it would be yet another shitshow—only this time, Calum and I would be alone. No Kyle or Michelle to watch over us and keep us talking. We would drown in the awkwardness tonight, that’s for sure.
When class let out, Mason followed me in the hall, hurrying to walk beside me. “So,” he said, eyeing me up. “Still going on that date tonight?”
We headed down the stairwell. I wasn’t sure if he’d walk with me to my next class, or if he had someplace else to go, but judging from how intent he was on me, it looked like the former.
“My sister wouldn’t let me cancel, so yeah,” I said, squinting as I pushed outside. The sidewalks were jampacked with other students hurrying to and from class, but I took my time walking. Mason stuck by my side the entire time, never slowing or looking as if he wanted to leave. I tossed a curious glance at him. “Why?” He’d mentioned him and I getting together to work on the questionnaire, but surely he had something else he’d rather do on a Friday night?
His shoulders shrugged. “No reason. Just wondering.”
Seemed fake, but okay. I wasn’t sure why the hell he would just wonder anything about me. Then again…I had no idea
