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“I don’t know if I should feel insulted or not, Mr Carter!” I chuckled.
Mason grinned widely, picked me up around the middle and swung me around. “Trust me, Miss Barlow. Friends is way better!”
I squealed and giggled as he swung me, finally putting me down and I gave him a huge hug.
“Thanks for being so amazing, friend,” I said.
“Right back at you, friend,” he replied, giving me one more squeeze before he let me go and we joined back in on the game.
In what was quite possibly the exact opposite of irony, it seemed Mason Carter was my…Carter…after all.
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I was walking home from the bus on Friday afternoon, listening to my music and feeling pretty good, when a rumble of a car pulled me from my song.
I looked up to see Roman’s ute coming towards me. He didn’t slow. In fact, I would have bet that he sped up as he got closer. I moved closer to the shoulder of the road and looked down, fully intending to avoid eye contact with him.
But, my eyes had other plans.
Before he’d gone past, I looked up quickly and our eyes met for the briefest of seconds.
Like some corny movie moment, it felt like time slowed and it hit me just what impact that Roman-shaped hole had on my life.
No more walking home together and him singing me Katy Perry to cheer me up.
No more Roman raking his hand through his hair as neither of us are sure if he’s just insulted me or complimented me.
No more of those sarcastic comments.
No more of him just being honest about thinking I was hot.
No more of him accepting Piper Barlow had issues.
No more Roman falling off his board to make me laugh.
No more watching him skipping stones and realising there was more to him.
No more being told to stay out of my box.
No more seeing his expressions of delighted surprise as I let go of that prudish exterior.
No more watching him with Maddy.
No more of that uncharacteristic, adorable, uncomfortable shifting where he looked at me through his hair.
No more teasing each other.
No more pink beanies.
No more tension eased just because he was there.
No more ‘5, 6, 7, 8’.
No more passion.
No more protection.
No more…whatever made us…us.
