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“You’re not funny, Mason.”
“I thought that was witty.”
“You thought wrong.”
He laughed and stretched his hands above his head, making his t-shirt rise up and show a glimpse of his toned, tanned stomach.
That I was totally not looking at, okay?
Okay.
I yanked my gaze away and looked over at his house. The last thing I needed was for him to catch me ogling his goddamn stomach. There was no way of talking my way out of that one, was there?
Ugh.
Being a restrained woman was so much hard work.
Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. We just sat together, listening to the sound of crickets chirping in the bushes that lined the back of the yard, in the dark.
It was nice. Not the thing I’d imagined us doing, but I felt like that was somewhat better than what I had thought we’d do.
Argue.
There was something comfortable about being in Mason’s presence again. Just sitting here with him with nothing more than silence between us was more enjoyable than I expected.
There was comfort in familiarity, I guess.
Could he still be that familiar after six years?
The way it felt to sit here with him… Yes. He could. And he was.
And that was scary. To feel the way I did right now, where I felt like I didn’t want him to leave at all, was absolutely terrifying. I could sit here all night with him without saying a word and I knew it wouldn’t feel weird.
And it was a weird thing to not feel weird about.
It’d been so long since I’d felt this way about anyone.
Why did it have to be him? Why, after all this time, was it Mason who made me feel this way? Granted, it wasn’t like I’d dated a whole lot since I’d graduated. I didn’t really have a whole lot of time between Grandma and the store, and honestly… I hadn’t wanted to date.
I still didn’t really want to date.
Was it because of Mason? There hadn’t been closure and I still clearly harbored something for him, otherwise I wouldn’t feel this way.
I wouldn’t feel afraid to speak in case I broke the moment.
So I didn’t. I said nothing. I just sat, unmoving except for the rise and fall of my chest and the blinking of my eyes, staring at nothing in particular, while I felt almost everything.
It was equal parts exciting and terrifying to feel so much all at once.
Especially when, at the same time, it didn’t really feel like I was feeling anything at all.
It made no sense, and I knew that, but the point still remained. I felt everything and nothing and all the things in between.
I didn’t really know what to do with myself.
“I should get going,” Mason said after a few more minutes of silence. “I have to be at the office tomorrow at eight-thirty ready for a meeting.”
“Oh, of course. It’s late. Here, I’ll walk you through.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I need to lock up anyway. Grandma probably already went to bed.” I gathered my sketchbook and pencil and followed him into the house. I made sure the back door was locked and the porch lights were turned off before I walked to the front door.
Mason pulled it open and stepped onto the dimly-lit front porch, back out into the warm night air. I set my sketchbook and pencil on the side table that held the bowl for our keys and took a step outside with him.
It was a perfectly pleasant night, but I already knew that. I was just thinking about all the things I could so I didn’t have to think about the fact he was right next to me.
“Thank you for this enlightening experience, but I think I’ll be busy next week.” He grinned down at me. “And I definitely don’t want to be sitting on a knitting needle again.”
“Ah, in my defense, I did tell you to watch out for them.”
“You did.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I should have known something was up when you were all watching me like a hawk—or is that just their usual modus operandi?”
“Their usual M.O.,” I confirmed. “Little more because of the needles.”
“Figures.” His lips tugged to one side. “Anyway. Like I said. Gotta go.” He cocked a thumb toward his house. “I had fun tonight.”
I swallowed, glancing away before I met his eyes. “Me, too.”
He reached forward and pushed hair from my face, then before I could say a word, he dipped his head and brushed his lips over my cheek.
Blood rushed to my face, heating my skin to a volcanic level that he had to be able to feel, never mind see.
“Goodnight,” I said quickly, rushing back inside and slamming the door shut. I turned the key and slid the deadbolt across as if he were going to burst in after me.
Which, of course, he wasn’t.
