Forty-Six
In the days that followed, Nadia barely got to see the real Mason; the Mason that had quickly become her closest friend. Instead of the Mason who was usually full of life and always happy around her, he was now just a shell; the only thing resembling him being his outward appearance.
She was now in the mall, shopping with Mandy on the weekend. And as they moved from store to store, she found herself thinking about Mason more and more. Mandy's voice sounded far away as she tried to think of how she could help him as he mourned the death of his father.
If she was him, what would she need from a friend?
She was forced to look at Mandy as her voice was suddenly loud.
"Is anyone at home?" Mandy whispered in her ear as she gently knocked on the side of her head as if it was a door. Nadia held her wrist as she tried to hit her head again.
"Sorry, did you say something?" she asked, still distracted by her thoughts.
Mandy stood up straight as she continued to look at her.
"You've been distracted the whole time. Is something wrong?" Mandy asked, a worried expression painted over her face. Nadia sighed.
"No, I just can't stop worrying about Mason," she told Mandy. Mandy's lips curved into a small smile.
"I really want to help him out but I don't know what to do."
"I don't know what it's like being him but I can tell that he really likes it when you're around him and I think staying by his side as he goes through this is the best thing you can do," Mandy said.
"Why do you say that?" Nadia asked.
"When you guys weren't talking for a while, I noticed that he barely smiled or laughed. But after you started talking again, I saw how his face would light up when you were around. I have to admit it's pretty cute seeing that you have that effect on him."
Nadia couldn't hold back the smile that took over her lips as she heard Mandy's words. She had to admit that she felt flattered to hear that she had noticed how Mason acted around her. With her thoughts came the memory of him confessing his feelings for her during the Christmas party and she wondered if he still felt the same wayk.
After spending some time trying to decipher how she felt about him, she came to the conclusion that she had feelings for him too. And after speaking with Mrs Cooper at the memorial service, she was now ready to move on from Jackson. But after what Mason had just gone through, she didn't think that now was the best time. And she was okay with that--she was willing to wait until he felt ready.
They were passing a Build-A-Bear Workshop when Mandy stopped.
"Don't tell me that you suddenly want to build a bear," Nadia said, hoping that she would say no because they were too old for that. Mandy simply smiled at her.
"Yeah but not for me," Mandy replied as she walked to stand behind Nadia and holding on to the push handles and pushing her into the store, "for Mason."
---
The next morning at school, Nadia was at her locker when she noticed Mason walking over to his locker. Her lips turned into a small smile as she watched him open his locker. He reached inside and took out the teddy bear that she had built for him, removing the small envelope that she had attached to it.
He opened it and pulled out the card before reading it.
She closed her locker and pushed herself towards him, remembering the words that she had written in the card:
Hey Mason,
you probably know who this is from so I won't put my name in this. I just wanted you to know that even though you're going through a hard time, remember that you're not going through it alone because I won't let you. I'll be right beside you like a piece of gum stuck to your shoe. So whenever you feel like breaking down, I'll be waiting with my shoulder for you to lean on.
-a friend
When she was close enough to him, he turned around with the teddy bear in one hand and the card in the other and smiled at her.
"You really didn't have to do this Nadia," he said. She smiled.
"I know but I thought you needed a reminder that you have me as your friend."
He chuckled, causing Nadia's smile to widen as she realized that that was the first time she had heard him laugh since the memorial service.
"And of all the bears you could've built, it had to be a Captain America bear?"
"I know how much you're obsessed with the Avengers and he's your favorite. And, I was hoping we could see the new movie together because that's what friends are for."
He breathed a laugh as he took a few steps towards her before wrapping his arms around her in a hug.
"What are you doing?" she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious, worried that someone might see them.
"I'm just hugging my friend and it's a yes to seeing the movie," he whispered near her ear. And as she felt his breath touch her ear, she shivered. She attempted to ignore that feeling as she wrapped her arms around him to return the hug, smiling at the fact that he had agreed to see the movie with her.
"Thank you Nadia--really," he whispered once again before pulling away from her.
"W-we should probably get to class," she told him. He smiled at her as he nodded his head.
"Let me grab my stuff and I'll meet you in class."
"Okay."
She turned herself around and made her way towards her class. And as she pushed herself, she couldn't ignore how fast her heart was beating as she remembered how close she had been to Mason.
And as she remembered the way that he had smiled at her, she felt a warm feeling surround her.
---
The rest of the week was painfully slow as Nadia looked forward to seeing the movie with Mason. But now, as she was getting ready, she began to regret asking him to go.
When she had asked, she had intended for it to be a friendly thing, as a distraction from what he was currently going through, but now as she was getting ready she wasn't sure if Mason saw it the same way.
Was it possible that he thought they were going on a date?
She released a frustrated sigh as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, wondering if what she was wearing was okay.
The door to her room opened to reveal her mother as she walked in with a smile.
"You look great, sweetie," she told her, bending down to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"You think so?" Nadia asked and her mother smiled.
"Mason just came and he's waiting in the living room for you. And yes I think you really look great, and I'm not just saying that because you're my daughter," her mother winked at her as she spoke, causing Nadia to chuckle.
"Okay, if you say so."
"You don't need to worry about how you look Nadia; the only person that you should dress for is yourself and if you're comfortable and happy with what you're wearing then that's all that matters."
Nadia nodded her head with a small smile at her mothers words.
"Thanks mom," she said to her as she reached out for a hug. Her mother hugged her back.
"Anytime sweetheart."
After pulling away from her mother, she took one last look in the mirror before picking up her bag and pushing herself to the living room. And as she got closer, she felt her heart racing more and more; she had seen Mason and been to different places with him in the past without her heart racing so why did it feel different this time?
Was it because she had finally acknowledged her feelings for him?
"Hey," Mason said when she entered.
"Hey, ready to go?" she asked, trying to keep her nervousness at bay.
"Y-yeah, let's go," he said with a smile.
"You two have fun with that three hour movie," her mother said, laughing slightly.
Three hours, Nadia thought to herself, hopefully everything would be okay.
* * *
A/N:
Hello dear readers! Thank you for checking out another chapter of this story. I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't very exciting because it was more of a filler chapter but the next one will be more exciting! Regardless, I hope you still enjoyed it! Please let me know your thoughts/comments/concerns about the story!
Also, are there any Avengers fans?! If anyone hasn't seen the movie (Avengers: Endgame) then I highly recommend it. The three hours were worth it!
Thanks again for reading and see you in the next chapter!
~candysweet101