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Honestly, my brain was so tired from all of the life changes I’d been making today that I could barely come up with a reply. Mason seemed frustrated by my silence. He moved toward me, until my back was pressed against the car. His jaw muscles tightened and released as his gaze took in my entire face, his hand still cupping my chin.
“What Polly and I have is a friendship,” he said in a low and determined voice. “It’s true, we’ve known each other for a long time. My cancer and her dad’s illness brought us together during the hardest parts of our lives. And yes, we dated, but when I moved here it took us about a minute to realize we were better off as friends. It took me just as long to realize that what I felt for you was something I’d never experienced before. Which is why I promised to help you weld that statue of yours, even when I had no clue what I was doing.”
He tenderly moved his hand to brush the curls away from the side of my face. The light touch of his fingertips along my cheek was so electrifying it felt like I should’ve seen sparks fly off into the darkness. The sensation caused me to inhale sharply. Mason’s gaze immediately darted to my mouth. He wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue, his breathing growing heavier. Heat immediately burst to life in my gut. I had a hard time keeping my shaky legs from collapsing.
“You’re not with Polly?” I looked up into his eyes, realizing for the first time that maybe, just maybe, I hadn’t screwed everything up. That once again, the flag hadn’t been raised on this battle.
He shook his head and tucked a hair behind my ear, causing a shiver to run clear down my spine. “No.”
“But I hurt you. How can you forgive me for that?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m pretty tough.” He leaned his forehead against mine with a low chuckle. “And you’re worth all of that and more.”
I closed my eyes, feeling a sudden burst of hope inside my ribcage. My hands found their way to his chest and I could feel the fluttering of his heart beneath my palms. He sighed and ran his hand down the side of my neck.
“I’ve got something for you.” He reached back into the side pocket of his backpack and pulled out a crumpled and folded piece of paper. Smoothing it out, he held it up in the poor lighting. “I wrote this right before Savannah’s party. I was going to give it to you there, but never got the chance.”
I winced at the memory of our failed kiss and eventual public embarrassment.
He cleared his throat and stared down at the paper. “Dear Trina. I like your beautiful green eyes and the way they light up when you smile. I like how you notice people and see the good in everyone. I like how you call me on my crabby attitude and make me laugh, even when I don’t want to. I like the way you always smell like flowers and sunshine. And I like the way I feel when I’m around you.”
He glanced up at me, as if to make sure I was still listening. I was, but my heart was beating madly and threatening to drown him out. This was a love letter to end all love letters. And it was all for me! I could hardly contain my happiness.
“The truth is,” he continued, looking down again, “if I tried to write down all the things I like about you, I don’t think I’d have enough paper. But I wanted you to know that I do notice you. I can’t help noticing you. You’re like no one else I’ve ever met. And I only think about you.”
He folded the paper back up and gave me a look so full of longing that it made warmth explode in my gut.
“I’m going to ask one last time, Trina.” He cleared his throat. Twice. “I’m pretty sure I’ve made myself more than clear, but you’ve got to tell me. What do you want?”
Emotions swirled inside my head like a vibrant kaleidoscope of colors. I wanted to capture them, to put them into the perfect response to tell Mason just how much I needed him. But instead, I found myself speechless, unable to find the words.
And as I struggled, a few moments of silence passed between us. Finally, Mason sighed and pulled away just far enough to look me in the eyes. He wore a pleading expression, one that told me he’d really put his heart on the line this time. There was no going back. He was totally exposed.
“If this isn’t what you want...” He winced, scrubbing his face with his hand. “If I’m overstepping here, just tell me to back off. And I’ll leave you alone. I won’t even look at you again. I’ll disappear. Heck, I’ll transfer schools if that’s what you want—”
I silenced him by throwing my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his. Maybe the words wouldn’t come to me, but I could definitely show him exactly what I wanted. It didn’t take him long to forget his speech and get on the same page. With a low groan into my mouth, he wrapped his left arm tight around my waist and pressed me hard into my car door. His right hand cradled my cheek as he kissed me, his thumb leaving fiery trails along my jawline.
Our first kiss had been hurried and desperate. This one was slow and deliberate. He took his time exploring my mouth, his tenderness nearly bringing tears to my eyes. This kiss was everything. It was a cascade of colors and shapes behind my closed eyelids. My senses overtook me as my hands explored the carved-out planes of his upper arms and his back. The hurt and pain of the last week was quickly washed away with the salty and sweet taste of his soft lips.
It wasn’t until he began to shiver beneath my hands that I pushed him slightly away and looked up into his eyes with concern. “We should go inside. You’ll freeze in that jersey.”
He smirked and his eyes flashed with a smoldering expression that made my knees tremble. “Trust me. I’m not shivering because of the cold.”
My mouth fell open into an O as my cheeks burned hot. Now that I thought about it, the cold night was hardly affecting me, either. That kiss had warmed me to my very toes. I could’ve stayed like that forever, wrapped up in Mason’s arms.
“In case none of that was clear,” I said, laying my head on his hard chest, “I want you. Only you.”
He chuckled and ran a hand over my head. “Thanks for that. I was confused. Next time, I’ll ask you to paint a picture. That might save me the headache of waiting for a clear answer.”
I grinned and then planted a quick peck on his lips. He ran his hands up and down my back, his eyes never leaving my face. The expression in them was so warm, I would never feel cold again.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” he said, his lips curling into one of those rare and beautiful smiles that I loved. “Between you, beating Silver Lake, and the news from the hospital, I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again. Let’s do something crazy tonight. Let’s stay up all night and watch the sunrise. You might not be surprised to find out that I can’t remember the last time I was up in time to see it.”
I splayed my hand on his chest and blinked at him. Did he say what I thought he just said?
“News? What news?”
His brow wrinkled with disbelief. “You
