Augusta Again (Completed)

9- AA Birthday Part 2

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     "Surprise!"

     Caroline jumped back and bumped into Mason with a scream. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her and whispered in her ear, "Surprise."

     "Oh my goodness," Caroline said, still shaking with her hand over her chest and looking around the room to see everyone.

     Lexi, Megan, Chris, Jill, and John. Wait. John. He wasn't supposed to be in until the next day. This could get awkward.

     "All of you have been fooling me so I wouldn't know," Caroline said as she looked at the five. "Especially you. How did my own roommate keep this from me?" she smirked at Lexi and gave her a hug.

     "Hey, I want a piece of that action," John pouted and pulled Caroline to himself for a hug that lasted too long for Caroline's comfort. "I missed you," he whispered in her ear. Caroline glanced over at Lexi with a look that said "help."

     Lexi jumped in, "So, Caroline, How was it visiting your house and school?"

     "It was wonderful! Kind of surreal, seeing them." Caroline gushed pulling herself away from John and smiling at Lexi with a silent "thank you" as she proceeded to tell them all about her afternoon. She was sure to give Mason plenty of praise. He really deserved it considering all of the effort he had put into the day. While she was going through the events of the day, Mason had come up behind her and was rubbing her arm. It sent a warmth through her body but left her puzzled. They had not had a conversation about where their relationship was headed, so she wondered what was going through Mason's mind. Did he consider the two of them together tonight?

     "Wow! It sounds like you really outdid yourself, Mason," Lexi said with an impressed look.

     "She's amazing and deserves it. I was just glad to be able to watch her experience seeing them again," Mason responded while looking down at Caroline and holding her gaze.

     John cleared his throat and grabbed her hand from the other side, "Yeah, she is amazing. Watching her all summer at the internship, that became pretty clear." He smiled at Caroline and then pulled her to the kitchen island. "How about some sushi?"

     Mason looked back and forth between John and Caroline with confusion on his face. Noticing his discomfort, Caroline tried to involve him in the conversation.

     "Somehow again you've discovered one of my favorite foods, Mason. I'm beginning to think you're a stalker," Caroline laughed then added, "Seriously though, this all looks delicious. What are the different types?"

     This seemed to perk Mason up as he animatedly described the sushi. "This one is the Augusta roll and it has spicy tuna, eel, tempura crunch, shrimp, and avocado. This one is their special and it has spicy crabmeat and avocado on top of a lobster tempura roll. That one is the spider roll with soft shell crab, avocado, and cucumber. The rest you are probably familiar with. The rainbow, dynamite, and caterpillar." As he pointed to the last three Caroline nodded in response. "And of course we have lots of seaweed salad because I heard that was a favorite of yours," he winked.

     "Mmm. This looks great. Thank you," Caroline smiled and began filling her plate.

     As she walked over to the dining table, Mason rested a hand on her back and guided her to sit at the head of the table. He followed by sitting on her left. Of course, John was on their heels and sat down on her right. Caroline mentally groaned and looked at Lexi who silently commiserated with her. Chris, Megan, and Jill all seemed to become aware of the tension as they anxiously watched Mason, John, and Caroline. Caroline was debating if she should pull John aside and say something to him about her decision to only be friends, but was worried that that would create a different kind of awkward tension so she held her tongue.