Heart Breakers

ten.

Tickle Torture

"We still going to get some food?" I asked Mason as I exited the change room, sparing him and myself the embarrassment of bringing up what had just happened between us. Hanging up the dresses, I walked towards the cashiers with a friendly smile, "Because I could eat a small horse."

"If you want, we can grab some Chipotle?" Mason suggested, pushing my hand back lightly as I tried to pay for the dress, handing a fancy looking card to the cashier with a grin, entering a pin into the machine as she packeted the dress and handed it to me. 

"I could've paid, you know that right?" I noted, peering at the packets contents with excitement. 

"I know," Mason replied with a smile, taking the packet from me and carrying it at his side as we headed towards the Chipotle counter opposite the Forever 21 store. He seemed tense, moving away whenever the back of our swinging hands brushed against one another. I'm assuming the strange behavior is because of what had just occurred in the change room, but I refused to bring it up. How had I been so stupid as to think that I could treat him as one of the girls, especially with my rising feelings. 

I swallowed, looking at my feet as we walked until we reached the counter and had to place our order. "You want to eat it here, or take it back to your place?" Mason asked me once he had paid, swinging the dress packet slightly back and forth. 

"What ever suits you," I offered with a hesitant smile, shrugging as he sighed and received the brown paper packet from the cashier. 

"Home it is then," he replied, leading off towards the parking lot without another word. The drive home was awkward, as was entering the quiet house and sitting down on the couch to eat our Chipotle. 

I was a few bites away from finishing my meal, when Mason decided to speak. "Enjoying your food?"

"Yes thank you," I mumbled, looking down at my plate without looking at him. My cheeks flushed red, thinking about the change room and how he must not want to be my friend anymore. Swallowing the last bite, I stood up from the couch, pointing towards the stairs. "I'm going to head up and take a shower, you don't have to stay here tonight if you don't want to, I should be fine alone."

I wanted him to leave me alone with my thoughts, but he shook his head. "I'm not leaving you alone and defenseless."

"I won't be defenseless," I argued, looking for a way to get him to go home, "Your mom is probably missing you and wants you home."

"Not really," he shrugged, swinging his legs up onto the couch and placing his arms behind his head, "My mom sent me a message suggesting I stay here with you anyways, and invited us there for breakfast tomorrow morning too."

Sighing, I turned away from him and walked up the stairs without another look back at him. The shower warmed up quickly, steaming up the bathroom as I stepped into the hot spray. I tried to focus on the water and how my mother must've been doing, but my thoughts kept on reverting back to Mason sitting downstairs, how close his lips had been to mine. 

"What the hell are you doing, Sky," I whispered to myself, leaning my back against the shower wall, "Falling for a guy you barely know." A guy who hardly speaks about himself and avoids my questions. My fingers touched my lips softly, wondering how they might feel on Mason's, was he a good kisser? Did his torso feel as good as it looked under a shirt?

I shook my head of those thoughts as I wrapped a towel around my body outside the shower, we had to remain friends. Well, I might've even ruined that chance; why had he freaked out like that? Did he think I was ugly or fat? Did he not like me the way I liked him?