My Middle School Crush (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 42

Chapter 42: You Missed a Spot

Jasmine had a little evil grin on her face as she drove Mason back to his place. They had a fun day out today. It wasn't anything fancy, just getting some coffees then walking through a nice park downtown. Mason really enjoyed feeling like a fancy rich person who went to expensive art galleries and museums. They would stop around interesting-looking plants and comment on how the color and shape made different statements about the human condition, super fun stuff.

Since it was only Mason, Gabe, and Jasmine there today, Jasmine got an uninterrupted view of the dynamic between Gabe and Mason. In typical Jasmine fashion, she would make many suggestive expressions behind Gabe's back, looks which only got worse when Gabe threw his arms around Mason or was flirting a little bit. Mason knew that was normal for Gabe but Jasmine wasn't around them enough to get used to it.

Therefore, Mason wasn't surprised when Jasmine brought it up on their way back home.

"So how are things going with Mr. Surfer?" Jasmine asked.

Mason rolled his eyes at the teasing tilt in her voice. She knew that he felt a bit embarrassed talking about these things and just had to rub it in. Yet even as Mason saw her raise her eyebrows cheekily from the driver's seat, he still wanted to tell her.

"Okay, first off, he doesn't even surf. I think that's just his aesthetic." Mason corrected her, using excessive amounts of sass. "And two, things aren't going anywhere. We're just friends, I promise."

Mason let out a small chuckle, trying to ease up the mood. Jasmine didn't even smile. From the way she looked over at Mason with her analytical gaze, trying to decipher his motives, he knew that she didn't believe him. In fact, she was trying to understand why he was lying to her.

"Please don't tell me you're holding off because of Mark." She finally sighed, grinding her teeth in annoyance. "You're the one who told me that things aren't meant to be between you guys."

Mason sucked in a sharp breath to keep himself calm. He'd meant every word when he said he and Gabe were just friends but she continued to talk as if he was lying. Maybe the way in which they acted was suspicious to some, but Mason truly valued Gabe's friendship and friendship alone. But Mason had to wonder what he would do if that wasn't the case. If he, for example, did actually like Gabe, would he go for it? Would he pursue it or hold back because of Mark?

His heart tightened a bit thinking about moving on. It was an uncomfortable thought because he'd liked Mark for so long and now knew that Mark was at least attracted to him. He felt like he was this close to having something real with him. Therefore, finding someone else almost felt like cheating.

One day, he might. Mason knew he couldn't do this forever, basing his life off of a person he wasn't with. Some day he had to stop closing himself off to people so he could always be ready for Mark. He had to stop going after people who didn't care about him so their feelings wouldn't be hurt when he eventually broke things off. He had to stop being upset when Mark got close to someone new when Mark had no obligations to him.

Right now, it was still too fresh and too raw. He would never be able to dive headfirst into a new relationship when he was still trying to mend his friendship with Mark. Their relationship was in an odd limbo, it appeared cold and distant yet wasn't nonexistent. Many days Mason wondered if the confusion was worse than a total break. Every time they met Mason wanted to reach across the divide and reconnect, talk, see how Mark's been, but he always feels like he can't.

The situation stressed him out and distracted him. If he started to date, it would be obvious that Mark wasn't just a friend to him. And if Mason wanted to date someone else, he had to learn how to be friends with Mark without wanting him. Mason would have to, once and for all, finally move on. It won't be today, and probably won't be within the next few months. But one day, Mason will do it.