AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Mom is downstairs doing laundry, and dad went to get gas for the lawnmower." Wow, my parents sound so domestic for once, and yet I can’t shake the feeling that the other shoe is about to drop. I pull Elio in for a hug before asking, “Is everything going okay?”
“Yes, Gigi. I’m okay.” I scrub my hand over the top of his hair before heading towards Mason and calling out over my shoulder, "I'll be home for dinner. Tell mom to make her spaghetti." Elio starts walking back to the front door and calls out, "Okay, but if you're not back in time, I can't make any promises that there will be any left for you."
Once I reach Mason, I stand up on my tippy toes to plant a kiss on his perfectly plump lips. He leans in to give me more access and runs his hands up from my hips to either side of my face before pulling back to look at me. The man's eyes are as blue as the ocean. He is just so pretty, the kind of beautiful you can get lost in. He breaks my focus with a smile before saying, "What are you thinking about?" I smirk and say, "You don't need to know everything that goes on inside my head." He pushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "That's debatable." The next thing I know, he's taking my hand and pulling me towards the car.
"Come on. I have somewhere I want to take you. That's kind of the whole reason I came out here today."
Finally,wemakeitto our destination, which happens to be in the middle of nowhere.
"You know this seems like a good place to hide a body. Maybe I'll just stay in the car." Mason tosses a smile my way before saying, "Now, why would I want to murder my favorite person?"
He pops the trunk and climbs out. I get out of the car and meet him around back. In his trunk are a hiking pack and two water bottles. He hands me a bottle. "Ready?" I eye him suspiciously before taking the water bottle and nodding.
We've been hiking for at least twenty minutes when I say, "I'm not trying to be high maintenance, but are we almost there? I didn't exactly wear the right shoes for this."
He looks down at my feet and smiles. "Your shoes are fine, princess. The spot is right around the bend up here."
A few more paces and my mouth drops open before I can protest anymore. "Wow, you can see for miles up here. This is beautiful."
I'm standing in awe as I look out over the Missouri River and the trees that are starting to bloom with flowers now that Spring is officially in full swing. If I look close enough, I can even see some blue herons along the banks of the river. The valley below is straight out of a painting.
When I look back at Mason, he has laid out a blanket to sit on and motions for me to join him. Joining him, we sit in silence, just taking in the serene view for what feels like forever.
I can't tell you the last time my mind felt so relaxed, and I could just breathe. Mason puts his arm around my shoulder and kisses my temple before saying, "I was hiking last week and stumbled upon this spot and thought of you. I knew I wanted to bring you here the moment I found it. Being up here helped me escape the noise, and I wanted to give that to you."
I lay my head on his shoulder and let his words sink in. He wanted to help me escape the noise like he always does. When I think about our relationship over the years, he's always been my sanctuary. Every time I felt defeated, let down by my parents, or bullied at school, he was there. I mean, Vivian was there as my best friend, but somewhere along the line, Mason was there too, helping calm the storm inside of me. Things between us have always been easy, natural, and comfortable. We always chose each other even back then, and now here we are today, still choosing each other. My stomach starts to growl, and I immediately feel terrible. I'm nowhere near ready to leave. We just got here.
"I almost forgot I brought food." Mason reaches into his hiking pack and pulls out salads from Bread Co. I sigh in relief.
"Seriously, stop being so damn perfect! You make the rest of us feel inadequate." He passes me a salad, and we eat in silence for a few minutes before he asks, "Are you ready to tell me about last night?" I sigh, setting down my salad.
"Honestly, I don't even know where to start. Let me just preface this with I'm sorry, and I need you to listen to the entire story even when it gets hard."
Setting down his salad, he looks at me with a furrowed brow before looking out over the river and setting his jaw. It's like he knows what I'm about to say before I even say it. As if he already knows I'm going to hurt him, which makes me hate myself more than I already do. Am I really the shittiest kind of predictable? What sucks is none of this was in my cards a few weeks ago. My focus was on making money, planning for school, and getting away from my parents. Now my love life is taking center stage and I’m not sure how to get everything back on course.
No longer wanting to delay the inevitable I blow out a breath and brace myself for the hate I know is coming my way. In the end, I have no one to blame but myself. I made my bed and now I must lay in it.
"When we got to the club Ashton and I made a v-line to the bar, ordering a round of beers for the guys. While we were waiting for the bucket, Bryce came up behind me and said, " I'm glad you could make it out tonight." He was standing behind me, speaking in my ear, when my phone vibrated. I pulled my phone out to read the text, and it was from August. It read, "You better tell the guy you're with to take his hands off you." Risking a glance at Mason before continuing, I notice he's rubbing his jaw in annoyance, but I keep going.
"I answered the text basically telling him to fuck off."
"I put my phone back in my purse because I didn't have anything more to say to him after that. Bryce wasn't doing anything inappropriate, and August had no right to tell me who could touch me. I didn't see him when I looked around, so I thought he could have just been messing with me. Ashton and I decided to head out to the dance floor, where after a few songs TJ and Aiden came out. Aiden went to put his hands on my hips and was immediately pushed back. That's when I realized August was there at the club. The next thing I knew, he was threatening Aiden. August told him not to look at me, to not even breathe in my direction, or he would break his nose. Aiden glanced at me, and just like that, August broke his nose no faster than he could blink. I couldn't believe what was happening. I tried pulling August off the dance floor in hopes of diffusing the situation, but he wouldn't budge. I asked Aiden if he was ok, and that's when August said, "I warned you not to touch what is mine. Do it again, and I'll ruin you."
Mason gets up off the blanket and starts pacing. I look up at him with concern written all over my face. I start to get up to go to him, but he says, "Gianna stay down and finish the fucking story."
The disgust in his voice and fury in his eyes has me second-guessing how much of what happened next I should divulge. Then, taking a deep breath, I read his face and decide he needs to know the truth even if it hurts.
"After August was convinced, Aiden understood he let me guide him off the dance floor. I wanted to confront him in private and not make a bigger scene in front of everyone. I wanted him to know that he couldn't treat me or my friends that way. I wanted to tell him I'm not his girl, which he had made clear the day before." Mason cuts in. "Hold on, what do you mean he said you weren't his girl the day before?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. It wasn't a big deal. In fact, it was a relief. He threatened me to drop what I was doing on Friday and meet him at Grinders for lunch. When I got there, he said he was sorry for how he acted last week, and that Friday was a mistake, and it wouldn't happen again." Mason already knew about our date Friday night. He was there for the announcement. What he doesn't know is how the night ended.
"Wait a minute, he threatened you? Gianna, what the hell is going on? Do you think I wouldn't stand up for you?"
Looking down, I shake my head, not wanting to meet his gaze. I don't want him to see the discomfort in my eyes. He would have my back in a heartbeat. He always has. How do I tell him I don't want his help because whatever this is between August and me is impossibly wrong, but I crave it? Not to mention I'm done running to Mason with my problems. I don't want to be a burden on him anymore. I want him to like me because I'm strong, assured, independent and stable, not the guarded, apprehensive, self-loathing, insecure girl I've been.
"Mason, you need to let me finish the story before you decide if you want to be my knight in shining armor." His blue eyes catch mine briefly, and I see his worry. I quickly look away before starting again, not wanting to see the pain.
"We entered a storage room, and I asked him, "What the hell are you doing here?" He didn't respond, just stepped in closer to me, and then I demanded, "Answer me." But instead of using his words, he used his mouth and kissed me, and I kissed him back. I kissed him back Mason, and I wanted to so bad at that moment." Finally, Mason stops pacing and runs his fingers through his hair. He's standing too close to the cliff's edge, and it's making me uncomfortable.
