More Than a Game | Mason Mount

Forty Eight

Music filled the stadium once more, along with the content chatter of fans after the thumping we'd just handed Grimsby Town. I stood alongside Mason and Abby cheering for my teammates as they left the pitch, smiles on the faces of every one of them. Despite the smiles we also wore, I knew the sting of disappointment at being uninvolved in a six-nil win must have been rife in Mason and Abby, too. 

"Look how stoked Kyle is," Abby teased, motioning to the striker. 

He stood in front of a journalist, a smug smile on his face as he puffed out his chest. A tap in, fantastic volley, and a pen in the last minutes meant the match ball was his. Whether it was Grimsby Town or Liverpool, a hattrick was a hattrick, and I had a feeling he'd be wearing a silent smirk for the next weeks. 

"He's lucky Fran had gone off already when we got the pen," Mason added. "Imagine the scenes if she'd taken it away from him." 

"And she definitely would have," I said. 

"I even would have if I was playing," Abby said. "Just to see how upset he'd get." 

Mason laughed at my side. I turned to catch his chuckle and an involuntary grin spread across my face. For the first time that night, though, nerves clutched at my stomach. The end of the game left me without a real excuse to keep hanging out with Mason. And I wanted to keep hanging out with him – desperately. For the last quarter of the game I'd wracked my brain trying to think of an innocent way to bring it up, but nothing had come to mind. Now, the idea of us going our separate ways sent a strange panic to my chest. 

"I need the toilet before we go," Pippa said from the other side of Mason. 

"Okay, I'll wait here," Mason replied. 

Pippa squeezed past us and, as Abby pulled out her phone and sat back down, my nerves hung in the air between me and Mason. I faced him, arms crossed over my chest. 

"So, Pippa have anything more planned for you tonight?" I asked. 

"God, I hope not." Mason grinned and shook his head. "But knowing her, I wouldn't rule it out." 

"I heard Piccadilly Circus at night is something special." 

"Don't even joke about it," Mason laughed. "My parents made me promise she'd do some work while she's here, so maybe I'll force her to do that." 

"I would pay to see you try and discipline Pippa," I teased. 

"It's all about a reward system." I raised an eyebrow as he nodded once. "No brownies for her until she does an hour of work." 

"Well, you seem to have it all worked out." Mason's lips flickered with the hint of a grin and I smiled up at him, my stomach doing flips. "They better be damn good brownies." 

"Oh, trust me, they are." His face lit up as he raised a hand to fix his hair. "Lauren made some for us yesterday. Best brownies you'll ever have." 

My heart fluttered in my chest. Was that some kind of hint? Was this my chance at an in? A flush hit my cheeks. I uncrossed my arms and jammed my hands in my jacket pockets. 

"I'll have to try them some day," I said quietly. 

Something flashed across Mason's eyes. He rolled his lips into his mouth for a second before nodding. 

"Yeah, I'll save you one." 

"Let's hope Pippa doesn't do too much work then." 

"I doubt we have to worry about that." 

My heart sunk. How much clearer did I need to make my hint? Although, maybe he had gotten it and decided he didn't want to spend any more time with me. I swallowed as we lapsed into silence. Awkwardness stiffened my shoulders. After a few seconds, Mason cleared his throat.