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Mason just shakes his head. “It was building up for a while.”
My eyes narrow, because he’s not looking at either of us when he says it.
Mason’s always been a shit liar, ever since we were kids. He’s got tells louder than his angry fists.
I just can’t figure outwhyhe’s lying. It’s not like saying it’s ’cause of Izzy would be anything new and groundbreaking. We already know that was definitely part of it, if not a huge fucking chunk.
Which means…
Whatever finally sent him over the edge didn’t have to do with her.
Fuck, was it my fault?
“Point is,” Mason goes on with a little huff, “we gotta talk about this shit. We can’t pretend any of this is easy, because the fucking second we let down our guards, is the moment temptation will strike and we won’t be strong enough to say no.” He gulps and looks away, somewhere off in the distance. “We gotta rely on each other, and trust that we’ll keep each other standing.”
Shawn nods, tossing the cigarette butt to the ground, and stubbing it with his boot. “Now more than ever.”
I look at him, then Mason, hearing what we’re all probably thinking.
Because here in LA, all we have is each other.
Following Shawn’s lead, I drop what’s left of my cigarette, and ground out the cherry with my shoe.
“You’re not gonna make us relapse, Way,” Mason says gently. “Trust me, we’re already thinking about it. Our heads are already there. You can talk to us, and… and we’ll talk to you. We just… we weren’t sure whereyourhead’s been at, so we wanted to give you a chance to bring it up yourself first.”
Nodding, I swallow thickly and finally manage to say, “I get that.” A beat, then: “Thank you.”
Mason gives me a funny look and I just shake my head, shrug, not really sure where that came from, or what it means.
He rolls his eyes, steps forward, and throws an arm over my shoulders.
I try to shake him off, but he just squeezes me to him tighter. “No one’s hitting up any bars, or slapping hands with some random fucker on the street,” he says with a low chuckle. “We’ve got you, man. Whatever you need.”
“It’s a bad night,” I utter. I still want to drink. I still want Will more than anything else. But I guess I don’t feel as… alone or pathetic about it all.
“Yeah. It is.”
“But tomorrow should be better,” Shawn says quietly, voice heavy with some unnamed… something.
I feel my face bunch.Will it though?He sounds far too certain for my liking.
My gaze meets his, and something there gives me pause. But he’s too quick to look away for me to try and figure out what it is.
“Definitely gonna be a better weekend,” Mason says in a sly voice, yanking me out of my thoughts when he messes up my hair.
I side-eye him with a glare as I finally manage to shove him off. “Shut up.”
I pat down my hair just as the rain starts to pick up.
“Fuck, we’re gonna get soaked,” Mason says, not sounding too put out about it. He starts walking in the direction of the hotel we’re staying at. It’s only a couple blocks, but…
“We can Uber,” I suggest, jogging to catch up with him.Please say no, please say no.
He cuts me a look over his shoulder just as Shawn and I reach him. “Why would we do that?”
Shawn and I share a glance and a shrug.
“We’re in Cali, baby!” Mason yells out suddenly at the top of his lungs. He tips his head back and howls. Spreading his arms out, he lets the rain beat down on his heaving chest. Soaking through his thin white shirt.
