License to Choose

Chapter 24.

Mason pressed the white napkin to his nose, tilting his head back upon instruction with a wince as Vanessa flustered over the pair.
After Lucas had thrown the first punch, the entire group had stood up in defence. Naturally, Mason had participated, and though he was paying for it physically, he didn't regret his actions. Moreover, it couldn't erase the feeling that his best friend had come to his aid. That surely had to have meant something...right?

Spencer had intervened the moment he'd heard Lucas' war cry and sent the men packing with the threat of calling the police should they return. Most of the diners had left too, but thankfully the restaurant had been quiet at the time, so not many had been disrupted. Still, it hadn't been fair for the business to have been affected, and that was the only remorse Mason felt.

Only Mason, Lucas and Vanessa remained, Spencer, having gone to the police to file a racial abuse report. Mason had insisted that it didn't matter, but Spencer had been just as hurt. Being one of the few families of African origin in the town, the Sinclair's had fought hard for their place of acceptance. He wasn't going to allow it to go down the drain after one group of people decided it was their right to share their awful views.

"In all my years," Vanessa sighed, shaking her head as Lucas muttered an 'ouch'. Her eyes caught his, preventing any further complaint as she pressed a bag of ice to his jaw where purple had begun to bloom under the skin. "I can not believe this has happened. A fight! In my diner, just what were you two thinking?"

Her thoughts hadn't mirrored her husband at all. Whilst Spencer had understood and accepted the matter, Mason knew they would hear her opinion whether they wanted to or not.

"They deserved it," Mason defended, gaining a dirty look as she once more shook her head. "They did!"

"I know they did!" Vanessa agreed, "but that doesn't mean you two start picking fights,"

"It won't happen again," Lucas promised, and she nodded, collecting the wrappers of the used bandages and clearing the first aid utilities from the table before she departed with a look of scorn.
The expression followed by the slight waddle the short woman had as she walked away gained a chuckle, and Mason relaxed as Lucas chorused his humour.

It was only when their eyes met, however, did an air of awkwardness suffocate them, making it difficult to breathe as they turned away, without any words to fill the void.
Despite still mentally referring to Lucas as his best friend, Mason hadn't earned the right to call him that until he apologised.

"I was an arse," he confessed as Lucas met his eyes.

"So was I," Lucas nodded in agreement, with apology marred into his expression.

"I shouldn't have spoken to you like that though, I am sorry," Mason expressed. "I should have just told you the truth,"

"You should have," Lucas acknowledged, "any normal person would have, yet you just cut us out. I had to hear from Taylor that your mum was sick,"

Taylor's mum worked as a nurse on one of the wards, and had Mason used any insight; he would have known his mother's hospitalisation would have spread through the town. He had been so out of it, though, he hadn't even realised Lucas was potentially aware.

"I am sorry," Mason apologised once more, removing the napkin with another wince and scrunching it up into a ball in his fist.

"I know," Lucas sighed, "I'm sorry too," And just like that, things were back to normal. There was no anger or hate, Lucas just understood him, and this is why it was integral Mason kept him in his life. Even though he was moving away in less than a year, he would always be his best friend. Distance and time wouldn't ever change that, and he would work hard to keep things that way.