I’d be as alone as I could possibly be.
I turned off the bathroom light before stepping out. Didn’t do a very good job at drying myself before throwing on my clothes—they stuck to me in places they shouldn’t, but I didn’t care. The hall was quiet and empty, as dark as a hall could be in the early night. Not a sound came from my parents’ room further down the hall, and I stood there, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness before I walked.
Instead of going to my room and throwing myself onto my bed, I decided to head downstairs into the kitchen, to get some water. My head was already starting to hurt from all of my crying, and truly, there was nothing worse than a pounding brain inside your skull.
All the lights in the kitchen stayed off, the house eerily silent until I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it up with the faucet. Once the water was off, I took a long swig from the glass. A window sat just above the sink, and I stared out of it. From it, you could see the side of our yard, and a bit further away, our neighbor’s house.
This was my life. I had to suck it up. Pretend to smile and be happy, at least make everyone else happy. Who cared if I wasn’t?
While I was lost in my head, car lights flashed in the windows in the front of the house, like someone was pulling up. I left my place near the sink, my fingers hardening their hold on the glass as I went to the living room to peer out.
A car sat in the driveway, and through the moonlight, I recognized it. What the hell was Mason doing here?
My heart skipped a beat in my chest, and I glanced up the stairs, hearing not a peep from my parents. Before I thought better of it, I unlocked the front door and went out, still holding onto that glass, still a mess from my emotional shower. I hadn’t even brushed my hair afterward. If anyone looked like a ragamuffin, it was me, in that moment.
The porch creaked under my bare feet, and I shivered in the nighttime air. I didn’t put on a jacket, and I was dripping wet. Not the best way to step out into a late fall night.
Mason turned his car off before getting out, and I watched, my eyebrows furrowing, as he came up to me, looking just as cute as ever—only a hell of a lot more concerned. For me? His brown hair was almost black under the moonlight, his dark eyes even darker as he studied me. “Bree, are you alright? What’s going on?”
I ignored his questions, instead asking my own, “What are you doing here?” I was thankful for the night air, because at least it helped to hide my puffy face.
He moved to stand less than two feet in front of me, at the base of the porch. “Your sister texted me on your phone, saying you needed me.”
My phone? Ugh, Michelle must’ve turned it on and talked to Mason while I was in the shower, before she hightailed it and went out with Kyle. Great. This was just what I did not need.
“I don’t,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
Mason didn’t take the hint, didn’t turn to leave. He only stepped closer to me, moving up the few steps on the porch and staring at me with that knowing expression. “Let’s go inside.” He reached for me, rubbing my arms up and down; he must’ve thought I was cold.
I was, but that didn’t matter.
Jerking away from him, I nearly dropped the glass onto the ground. “No.”
“Fine,” he said, starting to take off his hoodie. “Then take my jacket, because you’re freezing.”
“I don’t want it.”
“I don’t care. You’re going to take it.” Mason was never pushy, but he sounded exactly that as he tore the glass out of my fingers and set it on the step he stood on, returning his attention to me as he helped me into the hoodie. He wore nothing but a t-shirt under it, though he didn’t shiver or anything as he looked at me.
Again, I muttered, “I don’t want it.” Too late now, since it was already around me, warming me up immediately with his heat.
“What’s going on, Bree?” Mason asked, pleading. “Michelle wouldn’t tell me anything.”
I met his eyes, wondering, if I told him the truth, what he’d do. Maybe I could cut ties with both of them tonight, kill two birds with one stone, and be free of them. I’d hate myself forever, but at the same time, it was best to let these things go early.
My eyes threatened to burst again. I had to turn my face away and close my eyes before I whispered, “I’m not seeing Calum anymore.” I nearly said I broke up with him, but he’d never asked me to be his girlfriend, so I stopped myself. The words still felt wrong on my tongue, but that did not change the fact that it was true.
No more Calum.
A silent tear escaped, curving down my cheek as it went. Mason must’ve seen it, for the next thing I knew, his arms were around me, and he was pulling me into his chest, holding me there, refusing to let go.
“What happened?” he asked, his chest humming with the words, and for a moment, I lost myself to the sound.
“His ex…” I could say no more, my shoulders once again starting to shake as I let my emotions take control of me. I didn’t want Mason to
