*Lily’s POV*
Mason loves someone. Mason loves someone? But didn’t he say he’ll probably stay single? But could his feelings have already been rejected? Wait… what kind of person will even reject Mason? He’s sweet, kind, cute, friendly, annoying but fun to be around, really talkative… handsome?
I stop stabbing the pie on my plate and steal a quick glance at Mason who’s next to me. I guess… yeah. He’s fairly handsome. But who on earth does he love that when explaining love, he looked like he was on cloud nine, a smile I had never seen before formed on his face, and it makes me wonder how love can change someone, how it can change their habits or even the things they say. Maybe I’ll get to know what love feels like one day. Maybe.
“...Are you okay?” Mason whispers in my ear. I look up at him, my heart racing.
“Yeah,” I reply. Actually… why am I… getting all these weird feelings? I’ve read romance books from time to time, listen to romantic songs and audiobooks occasionally, and watch romantic movies with Mason when we’re bored, which does help me learn a few things about love but… how will I know when my love will come? Or… will it ever come? Will it… be Mason?
“Seriously, what are you thinking so hard about?” I feel Mason whisper in my ear, his breath lingering on my neck, my heart fluttering at the feeling.
“…Do you want me to be honest?”
His eyebrows raise, an amused smile forming on his face afterwards. “Definitely.”
My gaze meets those annoying but beautiful grey eyes of his, my finger tapping my lap in a rhythm as I try not to follow my heart and accidentally say something stupid. “I was thinking of when my love will come and… you.”
“…Huh?”
“...Do you want me to repeat the first part or-”
“The last part.”
“...I was thinking about you?”
Mason’s eyes widen and he flushes red, immediately facing forward, his gaze on his plate. For someone who tries to tease me a lot and fails most of the time, he easily gets embarrassed, and I don’t mind it though since he’s so cute and-
“Did you know that the longest word in English is a freaking disease?”
Everyone turns to a panicked Mason, his gaze still on his plate.
“Really?” my mom says in amazement, clasping her hands. “I never knew that, but of course my darling son would since he’s so intelligent.” …He’s not your son though.
My dad laughs, covering his mouth as he eats his apple pie. “It’s like you sometimes forget that Lily can get jealous over you praising Mason. I mean… Mason is smart but-”
“You’re contradicting yourself dad,” I interrupt, stuffing a spoonful of the delicious apple pie in my mouth. He was right that I do sometimes get jealous but I’m used to it and it’s not like they’re wrong about what they say about Mason or anything. Mason is in fact smart but… he can be straight up dumb at times, or maybe he’s just partially blind?
“Anyway, Mason darling,” Mom says, dropping her fork on her plate with a menacing smile, her eyes closed. “Who hurt you?”
Mason hangs his head low, hesitantly reaching for my hand underneath the table. I feel my heart pound in my chest and I look away, taking his hand in mine. He squeezes my hand gently, letting out a sigh.
“It doesn’t matter. I… started a fight so it’s my fault I got hurt, not the person I fought with.”
Mom’s gaze softens and she leans on the back of the chair, crossing her arms, “Even then, they must have done something to make you start it, didn’t they?”
Mason and I both flinch at mom’s sharp tone, Mason’s hand slightly squeezing mine.
“It’s fine, honey,” Dad says, fiddling with his dark brown hair. “Give Mason some space. But to be honest… I am jealous he opened up to you more than he did to me.”
“It’s because I’m the better parent!” Mom announces proudly, making sure to flip her blonde hair and place her hand on her chest. “I practically raised him, and still give him lots of delicious treats. Of course he’d open up to me more.”
Dad immediately looks at Mason in horror, his mouth agape. “Is that true? After everything I’ve done for you?”
“I mean…” Mason begins. “I do like the delicious treats mom makes but-”
“But…?” my parents say in unison.
“...Dad does make pizza with me which is fun.”
“See!” Dad exclaims with a grin. “Mason thinks I’m a cool dad.” …It’s just pizza!
As they ramble, I glance at Mason who’s now trying to hold his laugh, squeezing my hand every now and then. He’s such a troublemaker.
“Actually…” Mom says after a minute or two of them rambling. “…we shouldn’t argue in front of Mason. What if it causes him to feel stressed or it decreases his intelligence?”
“You’re right!” Dad agrees and soon, everywhere is quiet, the only noise coming from our cutleries tinkling on our plates. I guess he’s the favorite child.
For the rest of the meal, Mason will occasionally check on me or play with my hand with a childlike smile as we eat. Soon, we’re done eating and mom and dad head up to their room, leaving me and Mason alone as we wash the dishes in the sink.
“...Your parents are nice,” Mason says out of nowhere with a faint smile.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“...I know. They always treat you that way,” I reply, my gaze returning to the plate I’m washing.
“I didn’t… I mean they’re really nice compared to my parents. It makes me feel like I have a good family, you know?”
I immediately stop scrubbing the plate in my hand and peer at him, his gaze fixated on the sink. I had a feeling his family’s situation wasn’t good but… I guess it really wasn’t. Mason lets out a sigh, his eyes meeting mine.
“Sorry. I just felt like telling you and-”
“It’s fine,” I reassure him, interlocking our hands. It took 11 years, 11 years for him to open up to me, even if it was a little information about his family, and it’s even been the second time today he’s done so.
He jitters, rubbing my hand with his thumb. Wait… why does it seem… romantic? Now that I think about it, we keep holding each other’s hand like some kind of couple and we’ve done it more than three times today! We even found the song ‘At My Worst’ relatable. Is Mason doing it on purpose to tease me? Doing it for personal reasons or does he… like me? Actually… what is there to like about me? My awkwardness? That I have no friends other than him? There’s seriously no reason to-
“What are you thinking-”
I almost jump, tightening my grip on his hands. “Why are you-” I pause, when my eyes meet his, noticing that he’s only inches away, my gaze then moving to his lips. Why is he… so close? Is he going to-
“Cute.”
“...What?”
“Nothing.”
I frown at his words, looking into his eyes, his soft gaze meeting mine. I didn’t mishear him, did I? And why is… why do I feel my heart racing? Do I… really like Mason? I mean… I get jealous when I see other girls around him, love him when he’s around, love the way he smiles, the way his presence comforts me, the way he says my name like it’s something beautiful, the way he’s annoyingly cute, the way… he makes my heart race without trying. Wait… I… actually like Mason… How long has it been since I’ve had feelings for him?
“Why’s your face red?” Mason asks, bringing me back from my train of thoughts. “Are you… thinking about me?”
I flush red and look away, Mason chuckling at my reaction. “Anyway, is it fine if I have a night trip here?”
“...A night trip?”
“Yeah. I’ll stay over and leave before midnight. How does that sound?”
My eyebrow raise, my gaze moving to the sink as I continue to wash the dishes. “It… doesn’t sound bad.”
Mason smiles, nudging me on the shoulder, resuming to wash the dishes with me. “Can’t wait.”
Soon, we’re done washing the dishes and Mason is sitting on the couch in the living room, covered in a blanket as I head over to him with cookies and cream snacks.
I sit next to him and he covers me with the blanket as he scooches closer to me. Maybe too close. Mason then turns on the tv, playing a short horror movie afterwards. Is he… trying to tell me something? Trying to see if I get scared? If he is, then how dare he? I just found out that I’ve liked him for like 2 months without knowing. Maybe I’m even falling in love.
The movie finishes in a blur, none of us getting scared or flinching throughout the movie. Once we’re done, Mason and I head to my room and he plops on my bed, his focus on my window.
“Do you want to head to the rooftop?” he asks, reaching out his hand towards me. I can’t help but smile, placing my hand in his as he leads me to the ridge of the roof. We sit there, gazing at the sky above.
It’s like the night is a curtain and when it is pulled back after sunset, it reveals polar-white stars filling the velvet sky like scattered moondust, shimmering and flickering beautifully. They’re like street lamps of nature, mysterious yet alive in raw energy. I watch as Mason smiles, the wind blowing through our hair and tousling it. My gaze lingers on him, noticing things I never did before. His shirt is a bit rumpled, his hair ruffled but somehow, he looks comely, his eyes shining brightly that it makes me not take my eyes off of him. That it makes my stupid heart race.
“What do you value the most in a friendship?” Mason asks randomly after a long while, his voice almost a whisper. He leans towards me and turns his head to face me, his hand placed on the ridge of the roof.
“Why do you ask?”
“...I’m just curious. But it will help me to be a better friend.”
I chuckle, crossing my ankles. “Well… maybe that they actually want to be around me. That they want to be my friend because they enjoy having me around, they are loyal and trust me as much as I trust them.”
“That’s… a lot,” Mason says as a serious expression forms on his face, seeming to go deep into thought. He’s… taking it so seriously. How nice of him.
We sit there in silence, his gaze still on me but… why does he have to stare at me? Is my face stained with apple pie? He lets out a sigh, looking at me with a sweet smile.
“I’ll be working on myself then. Before you know it, I’ll be bestest friend you’ll ever have!”
I laugh at his childishness, turning to face him with a bright smile as I curl into a ball; my arms wrapped around my legs. “I can’t wait.”
Mason then stares at me with a nonchalant look, the wind whistling as it passes by us. Suddenly, he flushes red and looks away, covering his face with one hand. What did I do to make him go so red?
“Lily… are you doing it on purpose?” he asks and I look at him quizzically.
“…Doing what on purpose?” I question and watch as he opens his mouth to say something before shutting it, his face somehow getting redder.
“It’s nothing,” Mason answers after a second or two. I give him a suspicious look, his face still flushed.
“Seriously, don’t worry about it,” he reassures. “I mean… after all… you are the most stunning person I’ve ever met. Wait… I mean spectacular! …Or is the right word incredible?”
…Huh? What does he mean by that and why does he keep saying the most random thing out of nowhere? And is he saying I’m impressive or attractive?
Mason giggles at what I think is my expression, raising his hand slowly as he reaches from something beside my ear, his smile warm. “But what I mean is Lily, I’m glad I met. It’s an honor to be your friend and the fact I’m your best friend is the best thing that’s happened to me.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear, looking at me sweetly, “And I’m glad you’re my first… never mind.”
He stands up, shoving his hands in his pockets. I’m his first what? What could have he hesitated to say? That I’m his first friend? First close friend? First best friend? First… love? Yeah, it’s the only thing that he could have hesitated to say. Actually… what if I’m not his first love? Then what is it?
“…I’ll be going home now,” Mason says. “It was a nice night trip even though it felt quite short.”
I nod and after that, we leave the rooftop, heading to my front door. Mason abruptly turns around, later rubbing the back of his neck.
“Um…” he began, his gaze avoiding mine. “…I might have been more straightforward than usual today and I’m really sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”
I frown, ignoring the flutter in my stomach. He… cares about how I feel. Why does that make me happy?
“...I mean… you are most of the time straightforward,” I decide to say and he gasps, placing a hand on his chin.
“Does that mean I mostly make you feel uncomfortable? Or am I really annoying?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I say softly. “You are a bit annoying but that’s what makes you you and I’m fine with that. Just… make sure to not skip classes tomorrow, okay?”
Mason smiles sweetly, warmth filling his eyes. “I will try.”
He then takes the moment to open my front door and leave. As he walks back to his house which is opposite mine, he looks back at me, a big smile growing on his face as he waves his hand high in the air. “See you!”
I smile back and wave, closing my front door once he enters his house. I let out a sigh, going to my room and lying on my bed, my heart pounding. I can’t believe so many things happened today, and I even realised that I like Mason. Well… that I’ve liked him for a while.
Smiling, I feel my eyes go heavy, sleep overcoming me. I’m glad… today went well.
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Lily's Playlist
• Windy Day by Helios Relaxing Space
• Melancholy by Helios Relaxing Space
• Dandelions by Ruth B
• The Other Side by Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron
• At My Worst by Pink Sweat$ feat. Kehlani
• N/A
Mason's Playlist
• The Other Side by Hugh Jackman and Zac
Efron
• At My Worst by Pink Sweat$ feat. Kehlani
• N/A