"Knock, Knock," someone spoke, knocking on my door.
"Oh hey," I smiled, realising it was Mike in the doorway.
"Just wanted to check in, see how things are going in your life," he shrugged.
"Alright, what's going on? Cause I know that's not the reason why you're here," I stated.
"You caught me, whoops!" He laughed.
"Mike, tell me."
"Mason and I aren't the closest, but anyone could see that he's hurt. What's being happening between you two?" He asked, taking a seat next to me on my bed.
"Why do you think I had something to do with this?" I asked, furrowing my brows.
"Because you and him were inseparable in the beginning of this trip, and two days before we leave, all you say to Mason is "can you pass me the salt" at dinner. Something isn't right."
"People drift apart,"I said, almost whispering.
"Not that fast," he frowned. "He went out to the beach, you might want to make things right. Or when everyone goes back to Minnesota, things won't be the same as they were before you and him left. And you know it too," he stated, shrugging his shoulders then walking away.
Looking out my window towards the beach, I saw Mason walking along the beach, kicking sand next to the crystal, blue water.
Something inside me urged me to stay in my room and wait for him to come to me, but I couldn't live with myself if we were to stop talking when we got back to Minnesota. To know that I could've done something about the situation instead of just sitting in my room.
So, here I am, walking out the from door towards the guy who was there for me at the festival and made me feel welcomed.
As I got closer to Mason's figure, I questioned if I was doing the right thing. Maybe he didn't want to talk to me after he blew up on our conversation.
In fact, what if I'm making it worse by even being near him? But right when these thoughts came into my head, I immediately crossed them out. He could be on a plane back to Minnesota right now but he's not, and that gives me hope.
"My mother used to tell me, "maybe it won't work out, but maybe seeing if it does will be the best adventure ever," I would say that phrase every time I went to bed, making sure I know, making sure I know things come and go. And yet, when things do go by, I get crushed and I break. When I said those things under the bridge, I knew I was risking a lot. Why? Because I was afraid you would be the thing to go, and I walked away, leaving you under the bridge alone. Like all the words my mother used to say to me, meant nothing anymore," he spoke, not even looking at me as if he was expecting my presence.
"You can't be living your life afraid to disappoint your mother," I replied.
"That's the thing. I already disappointed her. I disappointed her the moment she looked around and noticed one of her children were missing. What breaks me even more is what she must've been thinking. She was there for me whenever I needed her but I wasn't there for her. I disappointed her."
"No Mason you didn't disappoint her. If anything, you were there more than your siblings were. Maybe not the day she died, but when you found out she passed, she felt your pain. She was an amazing mother from the sound of it, and she wouldn't want you feeling guilty. I can bet my life that she's looking down at you from up there and she's proud of the man you have become. Stop blaming yourself and start living your life like she would want you to," I said, trying to convince him and make him feel better.
"Why did you come here?" He asked, changing the subject completely.
"Like you said, I can't let this friendship go by. It would hurt us both I much," I said, my voice cracking a little.
"Something's wrong with you, tell me," he insisted, changing the subject, again.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Don't do this, what happened. Your voice cracked at least seven times since you came over here, your eyes are bloodshot like you haven't gotten any sleep, and you're not acting like your active self," he explained.
"It's kind of hard not to be this way when your father is dying," I mumbled, looking at the ground.
"Joe's dying? What?" His eyes widened.
"Apparently, He has Huntington's Disease," I whimpered, holding back the tears that were building up.
"Isabella, I'm so sorry," he frowned, wrapping me in a hug. Letting my arms fall over his shoulders and my head buried into his neck.
"You don't deserve this," he whispered, running his hand through my hair.
"It's happening for a reason, I just don't know why," I replied.
"I can't believe you were going through this and I wasn't there for you. I'm such a jerk," he said, hugging me tighter.
"You didn't know," I spoke softly, breaking loose from the hug.
"How could I when I shut you out," he said, sitting down on the soft sand. "How did you find out?" He asked.
"My fathers hidden diary, he doesn't know that I found out," I explained, sitting down next to him.
"Are you planning to confront him?"
"I want to see how long he can lie to me. I mean, he's already lied to me this long, what's another two weeks?"
"Are sure about this? Maybe it would too late in two weeks."
"We'll just have to see."
After a few moments of silence, mason spoke.
"Cece has a boyfriend."
"She wouldn't have a boyfriend if she loved you," I replied, feeling terrible for Mason, I can't imagine what he's feeling.
"I know, it just hurts. She never even apologised to you for all the things she did to you," he replied, not knowing she actually did. But I'm not about to tell him that.
"She left you remember that." I said.
"Yeah, she did and she did it without effort."
"It was probably hard for her to leave, she just doesn't want you to know how much it pained her to do so."
"I don't know," he shrugged.
"Did you actually mean what you said under the bridge?" I asked, biting my lip.
"What part," he replied, looking at me.
"The part about you having feeling for me,"
"Yes, but it wasn't meant to come out that way," he admitted.
"Mason-"
"I know Isabella, believe me, I know. We're best friends and we don't want to ruin our friendship. You and Jake are a better match," he sighed.
"But remember, he was the one who let you walk away at the festival, he was the one who drove of leaving you without a ride. He was the one who dated the person who bought your father back and he is the one who is afraid to admit his feelings," he rabbles. "I know I put you on the spot that day, and it was totally unfair of me to do. But I needed you to know the truth and if breaking our friendship was the consequence; I would rather tell you my feelings, than hold them in. Like Jake does," he explained, staring right at me, waiting for my response.
"I appreciate your honesty and maybe if you told me your feeling earlier, things would be different, but they aren't. I'm not saying that I like Jake, but I can't let my feelings get in the way of all our friendships. It just isn't the time to tell me all these things."
"Shish-ka-bob, don't worry so much! I'm not hurt, I was more hurt when we weren't talking than I am now. You aren't ruining everything. You've made our friendships stronger. We've been through a lot. One little outburst, won't be the causing if our falling out. Nothing will. Now that we've got all the mushy gushy stuff out the way, can we please get something to eat? I'm dying of starvation. Being all emotional makes my stomach empty," he joked, holding his stomach.
"Oh thank god, I though you'd never ask," I laughed and linked arms with my best friend, as we walked towards the house.
Everything was right in the world. Well, for now...