*Lily’s POV*
I watch as Mason packs his clothes into his luggages as I sit on his bed. His room is decorated with brown and white palettes and vintage furnitures which reminds me of one in a 5 star hotel, his white bed that is fluffy and low-profile consists of navy blue pillows arranged nicely on it, two white nightstands and his wardrobe and walls decorated in different shades of brown.
Too tired of looking around, I let my back gently fall on his bed as I stare at the ceiling, a dejected feeling overcoming me at the thought of not seeing Mason for a week. And somehow, it makes me wonder why he told me to ‘find it out on my own without trying to find out what it is’ and letting it be at the back of my mind.
“831…” I mutter.
Mason turns to me, smirking as he lets his hands drop in between his legs. “I told you not to ponder about it.”
I glance at him before continuing to stare at the ceiling. “I guess you can say I’m curious about what it means.”
He hums cheekily, proceeding to pack his clothes again. “It has the same meaning as 143.”
“...Huh?”
“831 has the same meaning as 143,” he informs. “And I’ll give you no other hint.”
Scowling, I huff, tapping my hand against the bed. Well, at least I know it means three words and it’s similar to the code he said before: 9143. But what could it be that he had to say it in some code?
I decide to roll to my side, continuing to wish he could stay for at least one more day. Even though we had fun for the past 4 days and I got to see Mason hang out with his new friends which made me glad, it seems… I’ll miss him a lot.
“Are you asleep?” he asks. My eyes follow him as he moves to his wardrobe to grab some more items, seeming to contemplate on what to take with him for the trip.
“No,” I reply and he pauses, turning to face me afterwards.
“…I just wanna say that you should take care of yourself while I’m gone, okay?” he says, his voice a bit low. “And I’ll check on you as much as I can.”
“I’ll be fine, and it’s not like this is the first time you’re leaving like this.”
“I’m just reminding you,” he informs as he picks up some clothes from his closet and stuff them into his luggage.
“Anyway, you really shouldn’t worry about me. Just go have fun with your friends, bond while I have my alone time.”
“...Why do you suddenly sound like mom?”
“I’m not Parasite.”
He chuckles at my words before he looks me up and down. “True. Anyway, you do look nice.”
I blush, looking at the outfit I’m wearing due to our bet. To be honest, his style consists of comfy outfits so it wasn’t hard to find clothes to wear. Adjusting the plaid fennel shirt on my shoulders I’m wearing as a jacket, I look at its light paige color and my oversized white shirt underneath and smile. Mason… likes it.
“Thanks,” I reply after a while, kicking off my white converse onto the floor, putting my legs on his bed afterwards.
“Anyway, what do you wanna do before I leave?” he asks and I shrug, bringing my knees up as I wrap my hand around them.
“What do you wanna do with me before you leave?” I throw the question back.
All I can hear are clothes being arranged before everywhere falls silent. After a while, he sits on the bed beside my legs.
“Maybe I can visit your parents’ flower shop? It’s been weeks since I’ve been there,” Mason suggests, his eyes softening.
“Why do you wanna go there though?” I question, sitting up. “Because you’re everyone’s favorite?”
Mason laughs, looking at me with a beautiful smile that makes my heart race. “I guess.”
His hand outstretched, he pats me softly on the head as he smiles cheekily and rests his palm on it.
“You don’t need to be jealous. After all, you’re my favorite.”
My face burns red, my hands instinctively moving to cover his eyes. Freezing, he gently holds my hand that is on his face. “What is it?”
“You just… why do you say whatever’s on your mind so randomly?”
“I do that all the time though,” he bluntly admits.
I let out a sigh, trying to calm my stupid heart. Why… is it so weak to compliments from Mason? Once my heart is beating normally again, I slowly remove my hand from his eyes, his dazzling grey eyes meeting mine. Wow… since when do eyes shimmer like his does?
Suddenly his lips curl up and he stands up, stretching his hand in the air. “Are we still going or not?”
“We are,” I say.
Mason then walks up to his wardrobe, opening it and pulling out a messenger bag that was hidden really well behind the clothes. He checks the content inside before jumping over his luggages instead of just… walking around it like a normal person would to his bedroom door, turning around and gesturing for me to come along.
Deep down, I know what might be in that bag, and I choose to not pry, heading over to him. Afterwards, we head to my parents’ shop - the ‘White’s Flowers’.
•••
Immediately we walk into my parents’ shop, Mason’s eyes roam around the room. From the salmon colored walls to the white concrete floor and obviously to the beautiful flowers placed neatly around the shop that makes the shop look more appealing, a small smile forms on his face wherever his eyes land on. He hasn’t been here for 2 weeks but it’s quite surprising that he seems glad to be back- like this place is his home.
Hearing the shop’s door open, two employees working come out, smiling brightly once they see Mason, rushing over to him and bombarding him with questions.
“Why haven’t you come over?”
“Exactly! Did you two have a lovers’ quarrel?”
At that, my face heats up, my heart beating so loudly that it is all I hear. Wait… Mason doesn’t like me so I’m probably overreacting. Yeah… overreacting.
I sneak a glance at Mason, my brows shooting up in shock as he rubs the back of his neck. Why… are his ears red? Since when did he get embarrassed about such things? Maybe he hid his feelings in the past well?
He waves his hand in a refusal gesture as he tells them he just didn’t come over. Fortunately, they don’t pry and get back to work, leaving me and Mason alone.
“Are there any requests we can help your mom with?” he asks as I ponder the thought. My mom is sometimes left with requests by customers; writes some down on paper and leaves them in a drawer in my father’s office due to the fact that the deadlines for them aren’t close by.
Shrugging, I look over to my father’s office. “We can take a look.”
He nods and we enter my dad’s office, glancing at some Neon Pothos plants at each corner of the office as I head over to his wooden office desk, looking at some papers on it. Dad should really take frequent breaks from work. He keeps stressing himself, working full time which my mom most of the time scolds him for. Well, with a good love story, it’s not surprising that my father tries his best, working as the shop’s business manager as he initially studied business in school before he met my mom. When he found out my mom wished to own a flower shop, he helped her wish come true and named the shop our surname. At least they’re going on a date today, getting their minds off work for the meantime.
Opening the desk drawer, I take out some written requests, my gaze moving to Mason. His finger lightly moves across the books arranged alphabetically in a black bookshelf at the side of the office. His finger soon stops at a book and he takes it out, scheming through it.
“A bag of shredded mozzarella…” he mumbles to himself as he reads the recipe book in hand. I smile to myself, closing the drawer. He often did that, probably because dad looks up recipes they can both try out together, even going far enough as to buy recipe books. Though he favors Mason more than he favors me, at least they’re both happy.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
I sit on my dad’s office chair as I wait for Mason to finish the book. Spinning around in the chair, I reminisce about the time Mason begged dad and mom to help repaint my dad’s office since it was at first painted neon pink, a color that, I quote, ‘blinded his eyes’. Dad eventually gave in after an hour of Mason’s persistent disturbance, and somehow, due to whatever spell Mason used on me, I ended up painting the walls white with the three of them. They talked about all sorts of things that I don’t recall, but what I do remember is that I enjoyed listening to them. The same office room at the time was filled with laughter and a warm atmosphere, and I’m glad no matter where we all are, that atmosphere still finds us. Using my feet to come to a stop, a smile spreads on my face, my gaze on the white concrete floor. This place certainly holds a lot of good memories.
Looking up, my eyes find Mason’s as he stares back at me, his face turning slightly pink. Abruptly, he covers his face with the book which causes me to frown quizzically. Was he watching me twirl in the chair? If so, why is he blushing?
In a quick manner, he shuts the book, his gaze full of determination looking at me. “Would you… like to make something later?”
I stand up, arranging the papers in hand. “You mean anything that’s cookies and cream.”
He pouts, putting the book back in the bookshelf. “We can bake chocolate cookies.”
I chuckle, rolling my eyes. Honestly, I might have to help him reduce his sugar intake because at this point, I won’t be shocked if he has diabetes one day.
“Why don’t we just make pasta?” I suggest.
Crossing his arms, he walks up to me, his eyebrows furrowed. “You just don’t want me to eat any dessert,” he says in a serious tone, his gaze fixed on mine. “And it’s not like I would refuse anyway.”
The room goes silent, my brain processing his words.
“...Eh?” I question as he heads for the door, opening it for me.
“Are we doing the requests or not?” he questions and I nod, hurrying over to him.
We split the requests and sit on stools at the corner of the shop, reading the request quietly. While doing so, I sneak glances at Mason who is sitting across from me, concentratedly starting to make a bouquet of sunflowers efficiently. Why… did he say he won’t refuse what I suggested? Now that I think about it, he always wanted to do things with me as a kid, even if that meant pulling pranks on a neighbor who hated his guts for reasons neither of us know off. Maybe… he still has that mindset?
Suddenly, Mason stops making the bouquets, his eyes locking with mine. I’ve… been caught.
“...Would you like to tell me what’s on your mind?” Mason asks as he crosses his legs.
Drooping my hands, my grip on the paper tightens as I stare at my feet. “What did you mean by ‘it was not like I would refuse anyway’?” I question after a short while, watching as he taps his foot in the air.
“Well,” Mason begins, standing up afterwards. “It’s simply as I said.”
“Then what caused you to say that?” I rephrase.
He goes silent for a while as I watch his feet get closer. Promptly, he squats, his eyes meeting mine. “Because you are my favourite person.”
I feel my face burn as my eyes meet his; my body freezing. My heart… definitely skipped a beat!
“…And why squat to look at me?” I decide to say.
“Maybe it’s because you were avoiding my gaze which breaks my heart,” Mason answers, an imaginary love arrow hitting my heart. My stomach fluttered at that. I must be going mad.
“Anyway,” he speaks, sitting back on the stool. “We should probably do the requests quickly if we want to go back on time and make pasta before dinner. Or maybe we can plan a restaurant-like date at home for your parents.”
Gapping at his words, I begin to admire Mason like he’s the genius he has always been for coming up with random ideas; except for the fact he mostly hides that part of him. “We should definitely do that so let’s finish the request quickly.”
“…I didn’t expect you to take that seriously.”
I blink continuously, confused. “It’s not a bad idea and it’s been a while since we’ve baked together. Also… we always have a good time no matter what activity we’re doing, don’t we?”
Mason is silent for a while before giggling as his face turns pink, something that makes my heart melt.
“You always know what to say or do to make my day, don’t you?” he comments.
“I’m just honest,” I reply and this causes him to laugh even more, his hands clenching his stomach.
“This is why you’re my best friend!” he announces. "Anyway, let’s finish making the request quickly.”
And with that, we begin to make the bouquets swiftly. Fortunately, we finish on time, saying goodbye to the workers there and running home since we didn’t take our bikes when going there.
When we both get to my house, I immediately fall onto the couch in the living room as I puff, my finger digging into my shirt. Not taking a bike… was the dumbest idea.
I look over at Mason who’s leaning on the chair, looking like he only ran a round around a football field. Is this one of the perks of playing basketball in your free time?
“We should’ve taken a bike,” Mason huffs tiredly, as I try to catch my breath.
I laugh, sitting up on the couch. “Yeah but now that we’re home, let’s… make some dishes!”
Mason smiles, running up to my room to get a foolscap paper. Then, we decide to make a menu with the main and only dish being lasagne since, by Mason, we’re on a budget. Soon, we split the task between ourselves and start making them and at times, I can’t help but glance at Mason who’s seriously making them. Well, they are for my parents after all and they work hard but still have time to spend time with us. They’re probably parent figures to him he holds dear.
During the time, we both chat about school and how much fun he had with his friends when they hung out every day after Wednesday, and Mason teases me about how much I can’t resist wanting to have him around… which is true but he probably said that as a joke. Anyway, after a hectic hour, we successfully finish and sit down on the couch, both of us completely exhausted.
“I’m so glad we’re done,” I mutter, smiling to myself. Making a lasagna for two after running all the way home is no easy fit.
“Yep!” Mason says as he munches on a cookies and cream bar. Nevertheless, my parents will be happy so I’m glad we were able to… wait…
I look at Mason again who’s happily munching on the bar. Where did he get that from?
“Actually, we still need to decorate the living room a bit, don’t we?” Mason says. “And I will be the waiter. Your parents love me after all.”
I roll my eyes at his comment, getting up from the couch. “You don’t have to rub it in my face,” I state as I head to my room to look for anything to decorate the living room with; hearing Mason chuckle at my words in the distance.
I temporarily use the fairy lights in my room to decorate the living room, arranging a flower taken from the top of the white small bookshelf in my living room, placing the rose in a tiny vase on top of the dining table.
“Mason, I’m done-”
I turn around to see no one in the living room, a frown forming on my face. A thought comes to mind and I immediately head to a guest room on the ground floor, one that was decorated with the same aesthetic as the living room.
“Mason, are you-” I pause when I see Mason turn back to me, shirtless with a pair of long black pants.
“What is it, Lily?” he questions as he wears a white button shirt. This guy… he never locks the door when he’s changing. At the moment, my heart is fluttering, yes, but I’m so used to it and how nonchalantly he does it on a regular basis. I guess he is very comfortable around me which is a good thing? I hope it is.
I look over at a wooden wardrobe beside me filled with his clothes. He’s such a regular visitor that this room is practically his.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m done decorating the living room. We can just turn off the lights and wait for them,” I say.
He nods, arranging his hair. “Okay! I just hope your parents love it.”
“They’d love anything from you,” I affirm and he chuckles.
“But would you love anything from me?” he suddenly asks, his voice serious.
“Of course,” I reply as I open the room door and smile at him. “You’re my favourite person after all.”
The room is silent for seconds, causing nervousness kicking in. Was that weird? I was trying to reciprocate what he said earlier but I probably said it randomly. All of a sudden, Mason turns as red as a tomato, covering his face with one hand. He’s… adorable.
“Now that we’re done,” Mason says as he plumps down on the end. “why don't we talk about… something?”
“Like what?” I say, sitting beside him.
As a long time extrovert, it does not take him long to come up with an idea, his face lighting up. “Let’s talk about our song.”
I nod, tapping on the bed. It has been a while since we’ve ever brainstormed ideas about our song; well, to be exact, 2 weeks.
“Did you come up with any ideas?” I question, my gaze moving to him.
“A bit,” he says. “I was thinking of writing the song based on a guy’s perspective and of course with the idea that he’s confessing to his lover like we originally planned.”
“But then I can’t help since I don’t know what goes on in a guy’s head or how they feel towards romance,” I talk out loud. “Or do you at least know how love feels like?”
His lips curl up into a grin. “25519.”
“...I don’t know what that means.”
He chuckles with twinkles in his eyes. “Sorry. I can’t help it since your facial expressions are so funny to see.”
I roll my eyes and playfully nudge his shoulder. His laughs are like a garden of joy, each petal revealing their colors of happiness and it is certainly enticing. It certainly feels like… I’m falling in love with him.
“But honestly, I don’t want you to be bothered by our song. Be bothered by the fact you have an entire week to hangout with your friends and the many things you could do there,” I state.
He smiles sweetly, pulling out his phone from his pocket. “Yeah yeah, I will.”
He dials a number, holding the phone up to his ear.
I soon hear my mom’s voice across the phone as they talk, my mom saying she’ll be there in a few minutes. Afterwards, she hangs up, Mason’s gaze moving to mine.
“I guess that’s our cue.”
We head to the living room, turning off the lights and waiting there as we roleplay; Mason being the waiter and me being the chef who just has to present the food on the plates.
Immediately, we hear a car stop in front of the house and I clear my throat, determination filling me. It’s finally time to put my plating skills to the test, and I can’t wait to.
——————————
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