Page 37

37

MASON

WE STAYED ANOTHER NIGHT. It was a blur of inhaling the same breath, her lips on mine, our bodies entwined. In the bed, on the floor, in the shower. Over and over, every fantasy we’d dreamed about doing with each other, we did.

We stopped every now and then to refuel with food and water, managing to break out of our lust-filled haze to go for a walk downtown and get coffee, but we’d end up back in bed within the hour. When our limbs are tangled together, our bodies closer than I thought physically possible, everything else is background noise. Life, and all its problems, doesn’t exist.

But now we’re back, and the reality of everything that happened slaps us in the face with brutal force. The house feels cold and empty when we walk inside, and the guilt I’ve been avoiding plagues me with a sickening pressure.

‘He’s not here, is he?’ she asks quietly.

‘I very much doubt it.’

Pulling her to me, I wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head. She slides her arms around my waist, and we stay like that for a few moments.

‘Maybe you should call him,’ she suggests. ‘Since he is speaking to you.’

Nodding, I withdraw my phone from my pocket and dial my best friend’s number. When it connects, I immediately tap the speaker and hold the phone between us, so Anya can hear as well.

‘Yo,’ Zayden answers. There is significant background noise, which makes it hard to hear him. But from that one word alone, I can tell he isn’t sober. He’s either at a party or some sort of event.

‘Zayden,’ I say. ‘We just got home. Where are you?’

‘The carnival. You should come.’

We exchange glances. ‘Who are you with?’

‘The team.’

‘I’m worried about you, man.’

‘I’m fine,’ he deadpans.

‘Yeah. You sound like it,’ I say, and notice Anya growing more concerned by the moment as her brows knit together and her teeth sink into her bottom lip.

‘Well, I’m at the carnival. I’ll see you, or I won’t.’ With that, he hangs up, and Anya and I wordlessly stare at the phone.

‘What do you think?’ she asks.

‘Looks like we’re going to the carnival.’

It’s dark by the time we get there, and the car park is packed. Cars are circling the perimeter, trying to find last-minute spots, and we manage to find one after two laps. Since most people are already inside, the line isn’t too long, and within a few minutes, we are walking down the aisles of the carnival. It’s a complete sensory overload here. People are laughing, talking, and bright lights are flashing before our eyes. I want nothing more than to capture Anya’s hand in mine and keep her close, but I need to find Zayden. We need to talk, despite the bad timing. The night air is brisk, nipping at my exposed skin. People bump into me left and right, and I mutter under my breath, growing frustrated.

Anya is furiously picking at her nails, and I rest a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes dart to mine, and I lean forward, kissing her temple.

‘It’s okay. We’ll find him.’

‘Finding him is what I’m anxious about,’ she admits.

‘He sounded like he’s been drinking, so let’s try the bar.’

Steering Anya in the direction of the bar, we both scan all the faces we pass, trying to find someone we recognise. It’s so busy in here, it feels hopeless trying to find him. The neon lights splash across Anya’s face, and my heart warms, despite everything that’s happening around us.

‘I’m so glad we figured it out,’ I murmur.

‘Hmm?’ she says, turning to face me.

‘Me and you. I’m so glad it worked out, and we’re back to us.’

She smiles. ‘Me too.’

‘He will accept this,’ I say, trying to convince myself just as much as her. ‘He can’t not.’

‘I hope you’re right.’

Anya’s phone rings, filling us both with dread. We stare at the unknown number.

‘Let me answer,’ I demand.

‘No,’ she argues. ‘He’ll tire eventually.’ Declining the call, she releases a huff. Her phone pings, and we both look at the message. She clicks on it, and an image of us appears. I lean in close, my heart hitting the ground at my feet. It’s a zoomed-in photo of us in the pool: my arms are around her, and our mouths are pressed together. There’s a timestamp with the date in the corner.

‘What the ...’ I trail off, my eyes widening. ‘He’s stalking us? How the hell did he even take that picture?’ My stomach churns uncomfortably at the thought of him spying on us. Especially Anya.

‘What the hell is he doing?’ she exclaims, furious. ‘What is his game?’

I shrug helplessly. ‘I really don’t know. Is he threatening to tell Zayden? Wouldn’t he assume Zayden already knows, since we led Dylan to believe we’re dating publicly?’

‘Unless he’s calling our bluff,’ she whispers.

Running my tongue across my teeth, I try to slow my racing mind so I can think clearly. The phone starts ringing. Yanking it from her hand as fast as a whip, I punch my finger into the screen and accept the call. ‘Listen here, you low-life fuck, if you harass my girlfriend one more time, I’m going to fucking bury you.’

‘Hey, Mason.’ Pinpricks of ice spear my veins at the sound of Dylan’s voice. My insides curl when I hear the background carnival noise through the phone. ‘Good to see you again. I’m just here with my friends. You don’t happen to think Zayden is here, do you?’

‘What the fuck do you want?’ I seethe, gripping the phone so tightly I wouldn’t be surprised if I cracked the screen.

‘I want Zayden to know what pieces of shit you both are.’

‘Fuck you.’

‘And I think it would be an enlightening chat for everyone. You stab my back, I stab yours.’

‘I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.’

‘I know you and Anya were together when I was with her.’

‘I’m not sure how that’s possible, since I was travelling, you moron.’

‘I saw your text!’ He hisses, and I can almost feel the anger pouring out of him with each word.

‘One text, in a moment of weakness, when I didn’t even know you were together,’ I argue, thinking back to the night I got roaring drunk and was looking at old photos of me and Anya. Texting her one of my favourite pictures of us, saying I miss this , seemed harmless at the time. I just wanted to hear from her. ‘She didn’t fucking respond.’

He scoffs. ‘Right. I’m supposed to believe that.’

‘What purpose does this even serve you?’ I snarl. ‘You did this. You broke her heart. You don’t get a second chance.’

‘Like you did, you mean?’

My heart bangs violently in my chest.

‘You hurt her, worse than me, and yet you got a second chance. You walked back into her life like you never even left. You always get everything you want, don’t you? Best on the team, king of the school, date the prettiest girls ...’

‘Are you on drugs?’ I bark into the phone. ‘You’ve got to be fucking delusional if you think my life is picture perfect.’

‘It sure looks like it.’

‘You don’t know shit,’ I seethe, hissing through my teeth.

‘Right. Okay.’ He says in a huff of disbelief, making me even angrier. ‘See you soon, Mason.’

The call disconnects. I pull the phone away from my ear and blink down at it. ‘We need to find Zayden. Now .’

Clutching Anya’s arm, I guide her through the crowd, eyes flitting between each cluster of people. I’m losing track of time, and we seem to be going in circles. I release a sharp breath of relief when I recognise the back of Zayden’s dirty blond hair. Nudging Anya, I point at him, recognising a few of the other footy guys lingering nearby in line for the Ferris wheel. A wave of trepidation rolls through me as we draw closer to him. He turns, his gaze landing heavily on us, and a lopsided grin takes over his face. I internally cringe, noticing his dishevelled appearance and bloodshot eyes. Holding his hands in a wide arc, he strolls unhurriedly towards us.

‘There you both are,’ he says. ‘The group is complete again.’

Dark circles underline his eyes, and a five o’clock shadow covers his jaw. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he stumbles over his feet as he approaches us.

‘Zay,’ Anya says cautiously, looking hesitant to step closer to him. ‘Are you okay?’

‘ Yes ,’ he hisses the word at her. ‘I’m fine .’

Her lips part, and it looks as if she wants to say something to him, but she swallows her words down, nodding. This is not the time or the place to have any of the discussions we need to. He isn’t okay and he isn’t in the right headspace.

‘Okay,’ she says meekly. ‘Maybe you should head home.’

‘Home?’ he echoes, barking out a dry laugh. ‘Why would I want to go home? We’re having fun. Aren’t you having fun?’

‘No, not really. I’m worried about you.’

Leaning forward, he grips her shoulders and shakes her lightly. ‘I won’t tell you again that I’m fine. Lighten up. Enjoy yourself.’

Her lower lip trembles, and Zayden releases her abruptly, huffing with impatience.

‘Whatever. I need a drink,’ he mutters, turning away from us.

‘Hey there, Zayden.’

Hearing Dylan’s voice forces a shudder through my body, making my stomach cramp with anxiety. With everything else going on, this is the last thing anyone needs right now.

‘What the fuck are you doing here?’ Zayden growls, taking a threatening step towards him.

‘Just wanted to check in, see all my favourite people.’

‘Right. Okay. If you want your face to not be rearranged, I’d suggest you keep moving.’

‘Sure.’ Dylan smiles, shrugging. Dressed in a casual hoodie and jeans that look two sizes too small, he looks like a total douche. A smug smirk settles on his lips as he glances at Anya, to me, then back to Zayden. ‘Just wanted to congratulate the happy couple.’

Zayden’s brows rise. ‘I don’t know what you’re on about, but I honestly don’t care. Run along now.’

‘Oh, I thought you knew?’ Dylan continues, the smirk broadening. ‘Anya and Mason have been fucking for a while now. Didn’t realise it was behind your back.’

My heart drops to my stomach. All the colour seeps out of Anya’s face. Heat splashes up my neck as anger uncurls in my chest. The smirk on Dylan’s face is cold and cruel. He’s enjoying this. He’s angry at Anya for walking away. Convinced we were somehow seeing each other when they were together. Furious that I got a second chance when he didn’t. It’s unclear at this point whether his aim is to hurt me or her. Or perhaps both.

‘What the hell are you talking about?’ Zayden snaps, jaw tense.

More than happy to supply evidence, Dylan pulls out his phone and shoves it under Zayden’s nose. My best friend glances down at it, and whirls around to face me, his narrowed stare hitting me like a bullet.

My jaw flexes. ‘Zay ...’

‘What. The. Fuck .’

‘I need you to take a breath and stay calm.’

‘Stay calm?’ Zayden laughs, cold and humourless. ‘I’m as calm as they fucking come, friend . What the hell is he talking about, and what the hell is that photo?’

My skin feels hot, but everything inside feels ice-cold. The anxiety is pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. My hand reaches for him, but I pause, and it falls back to my side.

‘Well?’ he demands, his glare bouncing to Anya. She looks incredibly small right now. Her wide, round eyes are filled with tears as she stares at her brother.

‘They’ve been fucking for years, Zayden,’ Dylan interjects when I fail to get words out. ‘Didn’t you know? They used to have secret dates. Little meet-ups. They fucked the night of her eighteenth birthday.’

Jesus. This is going from bad to worse.

Sweat beads across my forehead, and I feel it drip down the back of my neck. My heart thumps painfully. I can barely even hear the words being exchanged around me.

‘He better be lying right now, Mason, I swear to God.’

Gritting my teeth, I stare at the ground.

‘Fuck ...’ Zayden chokes out. ‘Mase ... tell me this isn’t true. That you haven’t been lying to me for years about how you feel about her.’

Drawing in a ragged breath, I lift my eyes. ‘I’m so sorry, Zay.’

His lips part as his face crumples, the shock causing him to stumble back.

‘I’m so happy for you guys, truly,’ Dylan continues, wearing a sadistic smile as he looks around the group. ‘Like, I’m all for second chances and all, but Anya, like, I’m surprised you took him back after he left so suddenly.’

Anya gapes at Dylan, paper white. My heart hurts to see that pained expression on her face.

‘Just go, Dylan,’ she sobs, her voice barely audible.

‘It’s amazing, really,’ Dylan continues, ignoring her. ‘It’s good to see that you’ve healed, since losing the baby and all.’

My head snaps to Anya’s at the same time Zayden’s does. She’s shaking as she covers her face.

‘Baby?’ Zayden asks, jaw slack.

‘Mason and Anya’s baby.’ He smiles. ‘Phoebe told me all about it. How they slept together, then he left. She found out she was pregnant, but he wasn’t returning her calls. It was ... tragic, honestly. The whole thing.’ Shrugging, he places his hands behind his back, a wicked gleam to his eyes revealing how much he is enjoying this. ‘She lost it, but hey, Mason’s back and they’re together. Like a happy couple again.’

Out of nowhere, Anya’s words flash through my mind, as if a memory is just resurfacing.

You don’t know everything, and it’s okay.

‘Did I step into some alternate universe?’ Zayden snaps. ‘None of this better be true, or I’m going to fucking kill you, Mason.’

The sharp bite to his tone has me flinching. There is no oxygen. There is no air. I can’t inhale anything. Panic and nausea grip me like a vice, suffocating me until there is nothing left inside me.