Amara's POV:
"What?" I say breathlessly, I heard it. I'm sure I did. I couldn't have heard it, right? It's Mason we're talking about—of course I didn't hear it.
"I've never said that to anybody before," he mutters quietly. "Not once."
He did. He said it.
"I-" I stutter, why the hell can't I get the words out? I was going to tell him, I've tried telling him—I've known it for weeks.
"Amara?" he almost whimpers, snapping me back to reality. I think I was in shock, some weird state of shock.
"I love you too, so—so much." I ramble, my heart feeling full and my head reeling.
"Really?" he asks, and I can almost hear the child like tone in his voice—seeking reassurance, it makes my heart ache slightly for the little boy who yearned for his family.
"Yes, Mason. Of course I do. I love you more than anything." I smile as the words escape and bite my lip.
I hear him sigh in relief, "I didn't think I'd be able to say it." he mumbles.
"Neither did I." I chuckle.
"I do mean it though," he says under his breath, "I really do."
"I know."
Mason telling me he loved me was anything but what I expected from that phone call. It was more than I could've ever imagined and hearing the words come from his mouth was more special than I ever thought possible.
"I opened your gift." he tells me, confirming my thoughts.
"Did you like it?"
"I loved it, it was amazing, Amara." he says softly, taking a weight from my shoulders.
"I'm glad, I didn't know if it would be too much." I admit.
"It was perfect." he tells me and I can tell it's sincere.
"Amara-" he begins, his voice sheepish and I wonder what he's going to say.
"It's not easy for me to say that," he mumbles, "I've never said it to anyone. I do mean it, more than the fucking world but I'm bad at saying it. It's going to take time." he admits and I admire his honesty.
"That's okay—you took a step, a few months ago you would never have expected to even have a girlfriend; or hold hands with someone, or show affection, or tell me even some of the things you've told me. You'll get there." I tell him softly.
"All I want to do is say it, though. I just can't." he sighs frustratedly.
"How about this..," I begin, "You squeeze my hand three times—any time you want to say it. And any time you do it, it simply means 'I love you'. Nobody has to know besides us." I suggest and hear him chuckle lightly on the other end.
"That's perfect," he says kindly. "It can be our secret code."
"Deal."
We end the call and I finish getting ready for tonight's dinner, Mason's admission definitely helped me get into a better mood—I feel as though I'm floating with happiness. Hopefully it's not short lived when Luke arrives.
————— 3 hours later —————
"Late, he's not making a good first impression." Mason smirks sarcastically.
My mom left over half an hour ago to pick up Luke, but there was a delay at the bar. So, I'm currently perched on my kitchen counter with Mason standing in front of me trying to calm my nerves—why did I agree to this?
"Are you okay?" he asks, snapping me out of my daze.
"Yeah." I sigh, lying.
He raises his brow with total 'I don't believe you' written all over his face.
He pulls my legs apart slightly and stands in between them, picking my chin up with his index finger. "It'll be fine, okay? We just have to get through this shitty dinner." he tells me as calmly as possible.
"I know." I roll my eyes, laying my head on his chest as his arms lace around my back, rubbing it in slow circular motions—soothing me.
"Maybe he won't be so bad." he mumbles into my hair.
"Maybe." I groan as he kisses my head. I know he's just saying that to make me feel better, Mason is extremely opinionated and until this man changes his mind—he will continue to be defensive. He's extremely protective and I hope for both of our sakes that Luke isn't a total ass.
Just at that, the front door clicks open and my mom and Luke walk inside.
"Are we interrupting something?" he chuckles cheerfully, clearly trying to break the ice.
"Nope." Mason replies dryly. My head remains on Mason's chest as I watch Luke walk into the room, I feel Mason kiss the top of my head once more before helping me down.
"Nice to formally meet you, Amara—I've heard so much about you." Luke introduces himself; extending a hand for me to shake. As soon as he is in close proximity of me the smell of alcohol fills my senses, making my heart drop slightly. I know it's his job, but it makes me uneasy.
"You too." I finally reply. Mason makes his way behind me and wraps an arm around my waist, clearly noticing how uncomfortable I am. Like I said, protective.
"And you must be Mason." he smiles, reaching out his hand for Mason and I cringe—knowing he isn't going to get a handshake if his life depended on it.
"Let's sit down." I interrupt the awkward silence that filled the room.
"That's a great idea, I'll get the food." my mom follows along, also noticing the uneasiness in the room.
The three of us sit down at the table; Mason and I on one side, and Luke on the other as my mom hands us all plates of her homemade casserole—something she never cooks.
"This looks nice." Luke chimes as my mom joins us at the table.
"It looks great, Dawn." Mason adds and I laugh under my breath. I can read Mason like a book, and I know the only reason for his comment is to suck up to my mom, and make Luke uncomfortable by being overly nice.
I take a mouthful of food to try and ignore the weird silence that seems to have filled the room again.
"So, Amara," Luke begins, "What are you studying? What do you want to do?" he makes an attempt at conversation.
"I want to be a nurse, I've always wanted to be a nurse." I tell him honestly.
"That's hard work, are you sure you're ready for that?" he asks and I can almost feel the vibe of the room change.
"Of course she is. She's smart, and she's selfless —so she's perfect for the job." Mason butts in before I can speak. He's in total defensive mode.
"I didn't mean any harm, I just worded that wrong. Good for you, Amara. That's a great job." he tells us awkwardly with a smile and I can tell he's just as uncomfortable as me.
"So, how was your night away?" my mom asks, her eyes flickering between Mason and I and we both almost choke on our vegetables.
"Uhm, it was good." I mumble. Flashbacks of last nights events fighting into my mind and making my heart pound.
"Oh, It was a lovely dinner." Mason interrupts, his signature grin plastered on his face as the heat rises in my cheeks. He knows exactly what he's doing.
"Where did you guys go?" Luke asks.
"We went to the Luna Plaza hotel." I tell him and watch his eyes widen.
"That place is expensive, how-" he stops himself, something tells me he's also someone who's mouth runs away with words.
"I'm glad you both had a nice night." he corrects himself, shovelling more food into his mouth.
"Uh-huh." Mason mumbles.
"Anyone for wine?" Luke asks awkwardly, pausing as all of our faces drop. "I'm joking, that was a joke. It was supposed to be funny-" he adds, stuttering.
"It wasn't." Mason grunts.
I have never taken the phrase 'you could cut the tension with a knife' so literally until now, the air is almost thicker than Luke's accent.
"How long have you two been together?" he asks, motioning to Mason and I.
We both look at each other and furrow our brows, that is a complicated question.
"We've only been official for around a month. We were together for a few months before then, it was just..."
"Complicated." Mason finishes my sentence.
"Yeah, complicated." I repeat.
"That's nice, you two seem like a lovely couple." he smiles and I can't tell if he's being sincere, I watch as his eyes trace Mason's tattoos that cover his exposed arms below his short sleeved shirt. I can't tell if it's judgemental, or just simply curious.
I take Mason's hand in mine under the table and rest them on my lap, partially for Mason's comfort, but mostly for my own.
"Do you have a job?" Luke asks as he places his fork down. The conversation is extremely forced and things are tense.
"I don't, I haven't really had time to look for one." I shrug.
"Shouldn't you have one at this age?" he asks. The judgement is becoming clearer and clearer and the air gets increasingly thicker.
"Is it any of your business?" Mason snaps, his guards are up and it's easy to see his anger towards Luke's comment about my job.
"I don't know." I answer quietly, I'm noticing a lot of things that I don't like about him—I'm disappointed. I really wanted to like him, for my mom to have someone besides me and for me to have someone besides her—another parental role. I look down at the table, unsure of what to say next as silence fills the room once more.
Just at that, I feel Mason squeeze my hand—three times. I lift my gaze to him and he gives me a small smile, making me smile in return.
"I better get cleared up." my mom coughs, standing to her feet.
"Excuse me," I say softly, walking to the bathroom. I hear footsteps behind me and turn to find Mason—looking at me with a confusing expression, it's a combination of frustration and pity.
"Are you okay?" he asks.
"Yes," I lie, "I don't think I like Luke." I laugh weakly.
"I don't think I like Luke, either." Mason raises his brow and plants a small kiss on my forehead.
"Do you really need the bathroom?" he asks, furrowing his brow.
"Nope, I just wanted to breathe for a second."
He nods understandingly and waits with me until I'm ready to head back in.
"Amara, can I talk to you?" Luke chimes, a worried look on his face.
I notice Mason's jaw clench, "Sure," I shrug.
We make our way into the hallway and I wait patiently for Luke to talk.
"I wanted to apologise," he begins. "I was really, really nervous for tonight and I tend to say the wrong thing when I'm nervous. I've never met someone's family before and to say I'm on edge is an understatement." he chuckles, his accent is so strong it takes me a second to catch up.
"I felt the need to keep the conversation going and every time I asked a dumb question I wanted to slap myself. Just know I didn't mean to come off as rude, I really like your mom and I want things to work out with us. You included." he smiles and I nod. As much as I'm still wary of him, he seems to be a little like Mason in that sense—says the wrong thing around the wrong people.
"It's okay. I understand." I reply simply, giving him a knowing smile.
"Great, I really didn't want to come off as a total arse." he laughs, his accent and pronunciation of the word making me laugh along.
My mom makes her way over to us, signalling it's time for her to drive him home, "It was lovely to meet you, Amara." he shakes my hand once more.
Mason follows closely behind as they make their way outside, closing the door.
"What the hell did he have to say?" he groans.
"He apologised, he was just really nervous." I chuckle.
"I don't trust it," he furrows his brow. "He seems like a dick."
"You think everyone is a dick." I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
"Whatever." he retorts.
"Guess what?" his lips tug into a smirk.
"What?" I ask impatiently.
"I took the job." he mumbles.
"You took the job?!" I gape, "That's amazing, Mase!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm stuck with Jake it's not that amazing." he rolls his eyes. We discuss the details and he tells me it's pretty good pay with decent hours, I'm so happy for him—this is exactly what he needs. I kiss him goodbye and send him home to get a decent nights sleep before he starts his new job tomorrow morning, despite his arguments.
I pick up my phone and notice a text from an unusual number. I slide to unlock it and read the message;
*Is this Amara?*
I stare at the number and try to think who it could be, but nobody comes to mind.
*Yes. Who is this?* I reply.
After only a few seconds another message comes through:
*Amara Woods?*
I furrow my brow and rack my brain to think who I've given my number to, the last person I gave my phone number to was Mason all those months ago.
*Yes.. Amara woods. Who are you? Are you looking for something?*
I send in an attempt to figure out who this is.
*Nothing. Not yet. Have a good night, Amara.*
"What the hell?" I mumble to myself, this isn't the first time I've had fake texts and calls—probably some kids at a slumber party trying to entertain themselves.
I make my way to my room, throwing my phone onto the pillow and getting ready for bed. Showering off the weird feeling I have in my gut with the steamy water that cascades down my body.
{a/n: Thank you all for 5k reads!! It means the world to me.
instagram: downfallwrites }