Mason Walton
She looked at me panic visible in her eyes. "I... well... you..."
I raised an eyebrow amused "Yes? You're here because?"
"Mr. Williams sent me!" She said it so quickly that I knew she was lying. But why would she?
"James Williams sent you to New York?" She nodded "What for?"
The way she froze again made me chuckle. I loved seeing her all alarmed and bothered, she was so cute with her big brown hazel eyes and her curls framing her face. She wasn't good at hiding her emotions which made it easier for me to read her. She came here on her own will to see me but wouldn't admit it. It was obvious, but why would she come after pushing me so far away from her.
"So? Why did your boss send you all the way to Boston?"
"No, I actually came to visit my family, and then, Mr. Williams asked me to come by your office and..."
"And?" I should just pull her out of her misery but I just loved seeing her like that.
"Didn't he call you? He said he'll call and you'll know what to do."
"Is that so?" She nodded quickly. "Well, there's only one way to find out why he sent you to me." I pulled out my phone from my pocket just as the waiter brought our food. "Thank you," I told him and looked up at Kat "I'll just give him a call."
It only took her seconds to get up and snatch my phone from my hand. I looked at her with a frown "What are you doing Katrina? I just need to call your boss. Maybe he needs something important from me."
"No, he doesn't." she sat back in her chair and stared at her hands silently. "I have a week off, I really came to visit my parents. But I came to see you, no one sent me."
"And why not say so?"
"Because," She hid her face in her palm "look at you, you're already smirking and gloating!" She said annoyed.
I laughed shaking my head "I'm not gloating. I'm just happy you came to see me."
Katrina peeked at me from behind her fingers and slowly let her hands down showing a beautiful shy smile. I reached out for her hand and she gave it to me without hesitation. Progress. I stared into her eyes with hope, hope that one day she'll let me in.
"The night you came over and you were drunk... you said a lot of things. You also talked about Celine and how much she hurt you. I was about to send you the phone with my sister Scarlett but when I saw she called you, I just couldn't. I knew hearing from her might bring back bad memories, I mean you already got drunk because of her. And that's what I'm doing here. I just felt the need to be here with you in case you need a... shoulder to lean on. A friend."
I nodded "I thought so too you know. I thought seeing her or hearing her voice would send me back to square one, but it didn't. In fact, it showed me how much I moved on. I don't care about her anymore, she hurt me mentally more than anything else." I didn't want to mention the panic attacks or the self-doubt. There was no need for that.
"That's good." She smiled at me "I guess, seeing her gave you closure, but you didn't need to pretend to have a girlfriend Mason. Why did you do it?"
I scratched my stubble "My ego." I answered her honestly "But if you hadn't shown up I wouldn't have done it. Not because she knows Elsa, but because I wished for a second that I wasn't pretending." I paused and looked outside "I didn't get drunk that night because of Celine. I was trying to get you out of my mind, but it didn't work since I showed up at your place."
"Mason," She whispered softly "I'm sorry. I really am. I don't want you to think there's something wrong with you, it's just me and the way I think. And someday you'll understand where I come from."
I nodded "I hope I do. But I was wondering, now that we've been clear about everything. I like you. You like me but don't want to be with me and you care about me since you're here. So, I was thinking, why not be friends? I'm sure we'd be great friends if you let us."
She seemed taken aback by my proposition and maybe a little suspicious. "Just friends Kat, nothing more. I won't try to get you in bed or anything."
She laughed and nodded "Alright. Let's be friends." We took our glasses and drank to our new friendship. "And just a little reminder, friends don't kiss or hold hands like that."
I chuckled unwillingly retrieving my hand. I couldn't promise to not kiss her again, I'd be lying. I could be just her friend, at least for a little while, until I understood why she really didn't want us to be more. After that, lunch was filled with laughter and jokes and she told me more about herself.
Her sister Scarlett was a student at Princeton, she also got a scholarship like Kat. Scarlett always looked up at her sister and they were very close. She had a brother that I never heard of before, Noah. He was older than her and was an editor in one of the most important magazines in NY. Katrina looked so proud of him as she told me all about his three-part time jobs in order to get into college and how hard he worked after that to get where he is now. She was clearly attached to her family and spoke about them with so much love it warmed my heart.
"My mom is from Cape Town, South Africa. She came here for her studies and let me tell you, she struggled at first. She always tells me how hard it was for her to learn about a different culture and different ways of thinking. People weren't always welcoming due to her dark coloring" she smiled sadly "She even decided to leave and get back home where she wouldn't be objected to racism but a miracle happened." Kat smiled genuinely "She met my dad. He was just starting his job at an insurance company and was there for her as a friend all the time until he fell for her and one night... they had Noah, my older brother. That's when his family refused to speak to him anymore wanting nothing to do with him. My mom thought he was going to leave her and Noah, but he didn't. Instead, he started working two jobs to provide for them while she kept going to college. She's a math teacher now, and we are very happy. That's all thanks to him."
"What about your dad's family?"
"They don't know us, we don't know them. I remember seeing my grandpa once in a bookstore; he passed my dad as if he wasn't there. I was only ten by then, but that's when I decided I won't ever try to know them. Because trust me, there was a time when all I wanted was to meet them and be loved by them, but the way they hurt my dad, their only child, it just created a hatred inside me."
I let out a sigh "I don't understand how anyone could treat his child like that... he fell in love with an African woman so what? I don't see the problem with that. Aren't we all human beings?"
Kat smiled "I know, but you wouldn't believe just how much hatred there is in our world. I've applied to so many jobs and some of them had this information sheet you had to fill out before the interview, and in it they asked about your origins and ethnicity. Why is that relevant? Whenever I saw that sheet I just up and left without doing the interview."
"I totally understand that."
I got the check and we made our way out of the restaurant, I reached for her hand but she pulled it away with a smile reminding me of our agreement. I smiled sheepishly and opened her door silently. I was still thinking about everything she told me when she pulled me out of my thoughts when by asking me about Celine. I wasn't surprised she wanted to know about her and I didn't mind talking about it, but I wasn't ready to show her what an idiot I was to have her cheat under my nose without realizing it.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
I took a right turn getting back on the highway, trying to find a subtle way to explain it. But there wasn't any. Celine cheated with older guys, end of story. There was no way to embellish what happened. I was an idiot and she treated me like one. I gripped tighter on the steering wheel as I looked ahead of me.
"I'm sorry I asked."
I glanced at Kat and shrugged "It's okay, it's not your fault. I just remember everything and it puts me in a mood." I chuckled to lighten up the atmosphere "She cheated on me with older guys, numerous times. I was too blind to see it, and she was a good actress I guess." I paused a second letting out a sigh "That painting you have in your living room, the artist is my friend. She's the one that made me see it with my own eyes. And I'll be forever grateful."
"I can see how breaking that was. I mean, when my ex cheated on me a few years back, I was devastated. I couldn't focus, I couldn't stay in public for too long, I was always restless and it kind of screwed me up a little. So I understand completely how you felt. Giving trust to someone who doesn't deserve it is indeed heart-shattering."
"When did that happen?" I asked curiously as I parked in front of my building.
"That was after my college graduation, I was getting ready to take the bar." She looked out the window and up at the building "Where are we?"
"This is my building, I got the penthouse. I was wondering if you'd like to spend more time with me. It doesn't have to be here if you don't want to."
Kat looked up at the building again and back at me "Let's go to Central Park? I miss it."
With a smile, I nodded and pulled back driving away from my apartment building. "So, is that why you didn't pass the bar?"
"Yes, I guess I wasn't ready or in the right mind to go through it. But it's fine, I'm happy where I am. And thankfully, I had Pablo, he pulled me back from the depression and I'm doing okay thanks to him."
"Pablo..." I whispered and smiled "Now that we're friends, maybe you could be honest a bit with me right?" She nodded adjusting in her seat so she was facing me. I glanced at her with a smirk "Pablo is your best friend, not your boyfriend. Am I right?"
She bit her lower lip and burst into laughter before nodding "When you told me you were bringing someone to the party, I had to bring him. And I just wanted you to understand that it couldn't work between us."
"It could. You just don't want it to. But don't worry, I respect your wishes, and having you as a friend in my life is better than not having you at all."
"Thank you, Mason, for being so understanding with me."
"No worries. But I still don't understand why you won't try for the bar again." I parked the car and we both got out and walked toward the Shakespeare Garden. I always loved it there and assumed she did as well since she mentioned loving plants and flowers.
"Oh it's so beautiful here!" she spread her arms and made a swirl, her hair flying around with her.
"Yes, very beautiful..." I whispered looking at her with fondness as she kept swirling around while giggling. Someone called my name from behind.
"Mason?"