❥𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 • 𝐌𝐉 || ➽─❥ 𝑀𝑂𝐷𝐸𝑅𝑁 𝐴𝑈 • /𝑶𝒏𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈/•

➽─Part Forty Two─❥

"Thank you," you flashed the waitress a sheepish smile as she set down the two beverages that you and Mason had ordered for yourselves.

"No problem," she nodded at the both of you before she walked away.

The corner-street cafe was empty, but it was the only one that ran on a twenty-four hour basis. Then again, it wasn't as though the cafe wasn't pleasant.

"So you actually saw Michael again?" Mason began quietly as soon as the waitress had walked away.

"Yep," you nodded. "I was there when he walked into the room," you grimaced.

"Did you guys speak? What happened?" he gawked.

"No...we just....we just stood there," you bit your lip. "God, it all happened so quickly, half of me still doesn't know what happened. I never expected him to have been linked to Helena,"

"Damn," Mason blinked, just as bewildered as you. "Are they...together?" he asked nervously, hoping not to hurt your feelings.

"Probably," you shrugged, feeling your heart sink. "Not that it matters anyway,"

There were a few moments of silence as he reached out to place his hand over yours.

"Do you think she knew about you from the start?" he quizzed again.

"I don't think-" you stopped, your eyes shooting back up to him as a realization dawned upon you. "Hold on," you grabbed your phone from the spot you'd placed it in beside you.

"What?" Mason perked up, curious at your sudden burst of energy.

"Remember..." you trailed off casually as you opened up the social media site that you remembered from a few months prior. "Remember that picture that circulated after Michael first left?" you scrolled through your feed, hoping to find it in your app history. "The one with that woman?"

"Yeah...?" he frowned as he attempted to recall, only to widen his eyes when he remembered. "Oh yeah, they were in a real intimate position, right?"

"Mhm," you nodded as you scrolled along, skipping past picture after picture until you finally got hold of that picture again. "I knew it!" you exclaimed, using your fingers to zoom in on the image. "It's her!" you turned your phone screen toward him. "The lady he was with is Helena!"

"Oh my God," Mason squinted, bringing his face closer to your phone screen. "I can't believe it,"

"So they must be together," you brought the screen back to face you, your wide-eyed expression now turning a little sullen. "They must be together," you repeated, your shoulders falling as you stared at the picture.

"Awe, (Y/N)," Mason gazed at you sadly. "If....it's any consolation, she doesn't even begin to compare to you. Michael really took a downgrade on that one,"

At the unexpected set of words, you burst into a fit of giggles as he kept a straight face.

"I'm dead serious - he's a good teacher, but not the best judge of character," he raised his eyebrows, moving to take a sip of his coffee. "Clearly,"

Placing your phone down, you rested your elbows on the table, giving Mason a genuine smile of gratitude. "Thank you for being there for me....even after everything that's happened. You're a really great friend,"

"I hope to be your brother one day," he smirked, watching your jaw fall open.

"Seriously? You guys are getting married?!" you referred to his relationship with Luisa.

"No, not any time soon, but...I have a good feeling about her," he grinned.

"Aah!" you squealed, immediately feeling your spirits brighten.

Luisa was like a sister to you, and you couldn't have imagined anyone else, being your brother-in-law.

"So you-"

You'd begun to speak when Mason's cell-phone began to ring, putting an abrupt pause on your conversation. A cheeky smirk graced your face upon initially assuming that it was Luisa that was calling him.

However, that assumption was quickly debunked when you saw Mason's face pale slightly. He answered the phone as you watched, now more concerned.

"Yes, this is he," Mason spoke into the phone, listening to whomever was speaking on the other end. "What for?"

You continued to study him as he exchanged a few more words.

"Alright, thanks," he finished off the call with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?" you leaned forward.

"It's the precinct..." he replied. "They say Charles has escaped,"

His eyes moved back to meet yours, a blank gaze in them.

"Oh God," you straightened up.

"They want to speak with me," he rose to his feet, making you do the same. "I'll drop you back to your-"

"Yeah, it's real cute that you think I'm not coming with you," you grabbed your things. "Come on, we're going together,"

Mason was in no state to put up an argument, and even if he had, there was no doubt about the fact that he needed a friend by his side at that point in time. He nodded as you moved to lead the way out, stating that you would drive.

The pair of you stepped out onto the pavement, proceeding to make your way to his car, the vehicle having been parked nearby. Mason walked toward the front passenger door, but right as you reached the driver's side, you noticed movement from your peripheral vision again.

With a sense of paranoia, you snapped your head in the direction of the bushes behind you, knowing that something or someone had taken cover within the tall shrubs.

"What the actual-"

"(Y/N)," Mason spoke up from his side, becoming aware of your momentary distraction.

Your eyes lingered on the tall shrubs for a few more seconds before you turned back to face Mason, shaking off your thoughts. "Y-Yeah, sorry," you opened the car door, making him do the same on his end. "Let's go,"

But even after you were both encased in the safety of the car, you couldn't help but feel as if something wasn't quite right. Right up until the moment you had placed your hands on the steering wheel, there was a certain feeling you couldn't shake off.

The feeling that you were being watched.

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