Escaping Duty

Chapter 20

"Well I wanted to"

"Well if you want to then I guess there's no problem with it. Only if you insist, but I have no shame in paying you back" she added quickly as he nodded. "Was this all?" she asked changing subjects.

"No, I was hoping that if it was alright with you, we could hang here a little," he said waiting to see how her reaction would be.

Valentina looked at his hopeful reaction and couldn't think of a reason to say no. She wasn't doing anything at home when he had asked to meet her and didn't see the harm in doing it. Plus, she could use this time to get to know more about him. She agreed, and Masons smiles made her stomach feel funny, but in something like a good way. Valentina held her new book tightly excited to read it later as they browsed the Barnes & Noble book aisle. She asked him if he liked to read and he mentioned he's only read a little. That is until she had suggested something for him.

"Then why did you want to meet here?" she asked surprised.

"Because I know you like books."

Trying not to let the comment cause her to overthink she took that opening.

"What do you like? Besides medicine?"

Mason thought about it a moment not having been asked that question before. What could he tell her? He liked the sense of freedom he had since he's left the pack? No, of course, he couldn't say that. Did he like helping people? No, it sounded like he was sucking up with that one.

"Didn't know it'd be a hard question" Valentina mused as he stayed quiet fingering the books on the shelves.

"I'm trying to think of the right thing to say"

"Don't think, go with the first thing that pops into your mind"

"I guess experiencing new things," Mason said shrugging.

"What do you mean by that?" Valentina asked picking up a book from the paranormal section and glancing at the blurb.

"I haven't experienced much and would like to," Mason said looking over her shoulder.

"Really? What haven't you done?"

"I believe most people my age go to parties, malls, movies, play games and stuff. But I haven't gotten to"

Valentina gave him a look she's never known anyone who hasn't done those things. "Well we should change that, I love experiencing new things myself after all"

Mason gave her a long look eyes widened, and Valentina realized what she said. Burying her face back in her book she covered up her tracks.

"When I say we, I don't mean you and I since I don't know who you'd want to do it with" she mumbled.

Mason didn't reply, and she figured she might've overstepped her boundaries. The book in her hand was some paranormal detective who worked alongside a fairy and werewolf, caught up in a love triangle with the two men. Did fairies exist too? Alana said plenty of supernatural could. Absorbed into her thoughts Valentina didn't realize Mason was talking to her and only heard the last half of what he said.

"– What do you want to do?"

"Do you think supernatural creatures could exist?" she blurted out seeing his expression turn confused and somewhat guarded.

"What?"

"Things like Vampires and werewolves, you think they could be real?" she repeated knowing Mason wouldn't laugh at her for something like that.

"That's a random topic. I'm open-minded and think there's a lot we don't know out there" was all he said not fully commenting on it, and looking at a book he picked up frowning at it.