AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Jeremy.” He says my name, but all I hear ishers.
God, I should’ve never agreed to this trip.
I drop my gaze. “Come on,” I mumble. This time, he doesn’t stop me when I tear myself away. I know it kills him too, the second he remembers the eyes he’s staring into aren’t the ones he wants them to be. I’m not surprised in the least that he lets me go.
If only we could remember this feeling always. Maybe then we’d be able to stop torturing ourselves and leave our friendship in the past where it should remain. By all accounts that would be the smart thing to do. But, unfortunately, when it comes to Mason, I’ve never been that smart. Maybe leaving the country will finally do the trick.
The plan was to avoid him until I came back from Europe next winter, but I don’t head out for another month and a half, and saying no to this weekend all because of my hang-ups over a boy felt pathetic. And wrong. I always hoped for the day I’d get to share something like this with him, with my friends from my life in Shiloh.
Hell, up until this last year, I never even thought it would be something we’d do together. I figured it would only be something reserved for the life I have while I’m away at college.
How could I possibly have turned this down?
We’re silent as we weave our way through the crowd to catch up with the others. I’m not surprised to discover that Will’s the one carrying Phoebe on his shoulders. Next to him, Ivy sits on Waylon’s shoulders, arms spread out, head tipped back, black hair cascading down her back. Shawn keeps pace next to them, darting glares at anybody who dares to get too close. I don’t even think he realizes he does it.
“Look,” Mason murmurs just loud enough for me to hear. Again, he’s standing so close his elbow brushes mine. I spare him a fleeting glance before following the direction of his gaze.
My lip curves up, my turmoil over the guy standing next to me fading to the background, if only for a moment.
Because Waylon’s holding Will’s hand.
And that’s a pretty fucking big deal.
If this was one of my comic books, this would be the final scene. The final block. It would show me reaching out and taking Mason’s fingers in mine, lacing them together. It would be simple. Easy. Just like it’s always been for us.
There’s just one glaring issue. A plot hole in our narrative I just can’t seem to claw my way out of.
Mason Wyatt was never mine to have.
5
MASON WYATT
I fucked up.
I know this—I’ve known it for some time now—and yet the harder I try to unfuck things, the more fucked it all gets.
Damned if I do, damned if I don’t…Just slap that on my headstone when I’m good and gone, and call it a day. No amount of angsty ballads could explain my life any better if I tried.
A throat clears, followed by a dragged out, “Soooo.”
My head snaps up, and I frown when I find my sister aiming an arched look down at my plate. Following her gaze, I grimace, and quickly remove my fingers from the mess I made, ketchup and mashed fries clinging to my digits.
Fuck, how long was I spacing for?
Feels like I’ve been wading through a heavy fog since the parade ended, and that was hours ago.
I pull out a wad of napkins from the dispenser, quickly cleaning my hand. My gaze flits to Shawn, and I’m not surprised to find him watching me over his drink. If anyone else looked at him right now—took in that deep-set, furrowed brow, the tension in his jaw, and the hard glint to his brown eyes—they’d probably think he was annoyed or pissed off.
But I know him better than that.
His intensity speaks to how much he cares. You just have to know how to read him, and pray you never end up on the wrong side of that tightly-coiled restraint.
A glance at their plates shows they’ve already finished. A glance to mine confirms I’ve been zoned out for longer than I thought.
My burger has a single bite taken out. I barely even remember doing that. Once we sat down, ordered, and Phoebe started showing Shawn something on her phone, my mind drifted.
Clearly to another galaxy.
