*It’s still Lily’s POV*
The front door opens, revealing my parents as they come back from their date. Their eyes move to the decorations around the house, chuckling at the sight.
“Is this what I think it is?” my mom questions as Mason walks up to them, a polite smile present on his face.
“Yes. It’s a special dinner made for you two,” Mason explains, his posture that of a waiter as he motions to the dining table. “Would you like to have a seat?”
They both nod as they smile, walking up to the table. As the love birds that they are, my dad pulls out the chair for my mom before seating across from her. With that, they check the menu Mason and I made, reading through it.
“You two put in a lot of effort,” my dad sarcastically states and Mason smiles brightly, looking over to me.
“We did start preparing it at the last minute but I couldn’t have done it without Lily.”
“I could say the same but we both played our part,” I chime in.
My parents look between the two of us before smiling and looking back at the menu. It was definitely cliche of him to say that but it wasn’t further from the truth.
“Excuse me,” Mason says as he waits for their order. “I would like to recommend our well-made lasagne and a glass of water straight from the tap since you probably had lunch earlier.”
“Well, since you recommended it,” my mom says while looking at my dad. “We’ll love to give it a try.”
With that, I begin to serve it on two individual plates, hoping it will look pleasing to the eye.
Once I’m done, I place them in Mason’s hands and he puts it down gently in front of them. When they see the dishes, their faces light up, the pleasant and fresh aroma of the food filling the air; like it had just come straight out of the oven.
They thank us before digging into the food, a happy expression on their face as they comment about it. I can’t help but smile at this. This must be how chefs feel when someone enjoys their dish.
“They seem to like it.”
I flinch, turning to see Mason right beside me, his gaze on my parents. I humm a yes, and sense Mason’s hand move up, looking over at him. He smiles sweetly, gesturing to my hand as he curls his into a fist.
“Pound it?”
A chuckle escapes my lips as I break into a smile, raising my clenched fist and fist bumping him. “Pound it.”
We head to my room after a short while so my parents can have some alone time. Once I close my room door, Mason kicks off his shoes and sits on my bed.
“At least we can do this for them before I leave,” he says with a sigh.
I sit beside him, my fingers brushing my hair. “You’re not going to be leaving forever so don’t act too dramatic about it, okay? I’ll miss you though.”
His lips curl up into a smile, pulling his phone out of his pocket. I peer over at his screen as he types rather quickly on his phone.
“I’m searching up ‘questions to ask best friends that can bring us closer’,” he tells me.
I can’t help but smile at his words, looking at him as he reads through a check list of questions to ask me. That’s not something Mason does on a regular basis but it is random so I guess it was to be expected.
“Okay! I found one,” he exclaims, his finger hovering over his phone screen. “‘What’s your all-time favorite memory’?”
I tilt my head, trying to think of an answer. Growing up with Mason basically meant there were barely any moments I had alone, but if I can choose what memory is my favorite…
“Oh!” I say after a while, a memory resurfacing. “Do you remember when I sprained my ankle when we snuck out to the beach and you pulled me back in a random wheelbarrow you found?”
Soon, Mason chortles at the memory, a smile growing on my face. I remember that day like it was yesterday and at the time, we were 10 and were already the best of friends. Around then, I started tagging along wherever Mason went without being asked. I guess I really trusted him.
It started when we snuck and hung out at the beach, playing in the sand and in the sea. Unfortunately, my ankle got sprained when I was walking in the sand and for some apparent reason, Mason found a wheelbarrow somewhere and pulled me back home, trying his best to comfort me as he told me random things to cheer me up in case I felt sad about it. It did make me appreciate him as a friend and that accompanied by the gentle breeze blowing past us and having the chance to describe every flower we passed by, made me feel better. We did get scolded by my parents when we got back home and Mason eventually had to return the wheelbarrow from wherever he took it from but overall, that day was quite fun.
“What about you?” I ask and he tilts his head towards me, a sweet smile forming on his face.
“Well…” he begins, crossing his legs and tapping his foot in the air as he breaks into a smile. “It’s pretty random.”
“What could be so random that it’s your all-time favorite memory?” I question and he lets out a stifled laugh, his eyes lighting up.
“It’s embarrassing but… if you really wanna know, I’ll tell you,” he says, clearing his throat. “My favourite memory is… the first time I saw you smile.” …What?
“I thought you never liked me when I first met you, and you probably remember me trying to befriend you. And on that day, it was a typical day of trying to win your interest so I tried baking in your parents place for the first time and those times, you would sit on your bed, writing facts about flowers. So I wanted to show off my cookies so you’d like me, but tripped right in front of you and the cookies fell onto the floor.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“I began tearing up and apologizing because I thought you would dislike me more and that I lost my chance at impressing you. But suddenly, you smiled so brightly, laughing. I was confused but realised there was still a cookie on the tray I was holding. You tried it and for the first time spoke to me and if I remember correctly, it was ‘Thanks, Mason’. And at that point, you were still smiling and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.”
He’s silent afterwards, a sweet smile on his face as he stares at the ground. How was… me smiling the most beautiful thing he had ever seen? Gosh… my stupid heart can’t stop racing and I can’t lie that it does make me happy that his all-time favourite memory was the first time he saw me smile.
He turns to me swiftly a few seconds later, his cheeks flushing. “I… told you it was embarrassing.”
“But I found it flattering. Out of all things you’ve possibly seen: pretty flowers, a random girl you saw, paintings, songs, poems, my smile is what you find the most beautiful. I won’t lie that I’m happy.”
Somehow, his face turns even more red and a chuckle escapes my lips. “Anyway, do you have any other questions?”
It takes him a second or two before he replies with a nod, scrolling through his phone. “Um… this one says ‘What do you think you’ll be doing exactly ten years from this moment’?”
I look around my bedroom, contemplating the obvious. “I’ll either be working in my parents’ shop as a florist or I’ll be writing songs and performing them,” I answer. “But from the way it looks right now, I’ll probably choose the latter. What do you think you’ll be doing then?”
“Well-” he stops as a wave washes the smile off his face. Why… did he stop smiling? Did he think about something upsetting? It’s very rare to see his smile disappear.
“To be honest,” he says after a while, a hand placed on his chin. “I’ve never thought about it before. It’s probably because I’m the only child to my parents which makes me the heir of my father’s company. So, I’ll probably be the CEO of the company in the next ten years.”
Wow. I… never knew I’d see this side of him where he could say something so bitter-sweetly, and it’s incredibly not like the Mason I know of.
“Do you want to though?” I ask, the words coming out of my mouth. “Do you want to be a CEO or do you want to pursue something else?”
He gives me a quizzical look which is understandable since I’m never so upfront. Maybe it’s because I like him and I’m worried? Or that he’s my best friend who deserves the best of the best?
“I have never thought about it but… if I could pursue something else… maybe music? It’s something I love and I do enjoy writing and singing songs with you,” he says, with a cute expression.
“Then, why don’t you pursue it if you find it fun?”
“...Because my father doesn’t want me to. But I’m not… can I tell you something… private and personal?”
I unconsciously nod, waiting for him to say something.
“...I-” Mason pauses, and I look away, muttering underneath my breath.
“...So you’re not opening up today either.”
“That’s not it.”
My gaze moves to him as he runs his fingers through his hair. “I guess I’ve been keeping a lot of things from you. Sorry…”
“It’s fine,” I anxiously respond.
“But I trust you. Why should I hide things from you if I trust you with my life? And friends share secrets so why shouldn’t we who are best friends share even bigger secrets?”
I can’t help but laugh, smiling at his words. “Okay. Then what would you like to tell me?”
His eyes widen for a slight second before they diminish back to normal, his gaze moving to the floor. “I was going to say that… I’ve never been… good enough for my dad. When I was younger, I wanted his attention so when I tried to impress him with my grades, he’d tell me to try harder. I’d improve my social status and he’ll tell me to try harder. It was then I realise that I was never going to meet his irritational standards so I stopped caring. I skip classes but I’m still being controlled by my father. I have to do exactly as he says even though I don’t want to and maybe I’m afraid to… disobey him?”
“...I mean… I wanted him to love me since I was a kid and even though I’ve known he doesn’t for years, I still want him to, even if it’s a tiny bit. Maybe… maybe that’s why,” he explained with the saddest tone I’ve ever heard him talk in.
Biting my lip, I hold onto his hand and rub my thumb against it, hoping he can feel better.
“Gosh… I’m silly, aren’t I? Hoping for something I know I can never have and-”
“You aren’t silly,” I cut him off. “You’re just everybody that exists: someone with emotions. And… I understand now why you sometimes say that I have nice parents but… you just wanted love from yours like anyone else would. And for you not to hate your dad, you’re extraordinary.”
He stares at me wide-eyed before smiling with his eyes, randomly pulling me into a tight hug. “...You know just what to say to cheer me up, and it’s why… 143. 143, 143, 143.”
“...I still don’t know what that means, but I’m not the best at comforting people so I’m glad I helped.”
He buries his face into my shoulder, his hands still wrapped around me as my heart races. Why… does he love physical contact so much or does he just like having it with me? And he can definitely hear my heart racing, can’t he?
“Anyway,” he says abruptly with a burst of energy, moving so he’s looking at me, his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll give you a proper answer to that question later since… I’m not sure what my answer is right now.”
“Then I’ll wait,” I reply, looking at the time on his phone. “And it’s time for you to head back. It’s already evening.”
Mason lays on my bed, making a grumpy face as he folds his hand. “But I don’t want to leave.”
“...I will buy you lots of cookies and cream snacks.”
“You should’ve said that earlier,” he informs as he gets up, heading to my room door. “Oh, and can you keep me company like you did this morning?”
I nod and we head to his house. My parents stop us in the living room on the way there and they say their farewells, telling him how much they’ll miss him. After that, we head to his room so he can pack his things, and an hour or two passes before he’s done. With a few hours left to spare, we watch horror short films, stare at our song’s lyrics in hopes we come up with any idea which is unsuccessful, Mason listens to me explain what some flowers signify and soon, we call it a day.
Mason walks me back to the front of my house, and I secretly feel dejected that he’s leaving. Although he's leaving for a short time and it isn’t the first time he is leaving like this, the disheartened feeling was something I always felt when I had to say goodbye.
As I turn around to leave, Mason pulls me into a hug, silence feeling the air. I hug him back, tapping him in a soothing manner.
“I’ll miss you,” he confesses as he lets go of me. “So, I’ll text or call you as much as I can, okay?”
I humm a yes, fiddling with my fingers behind my back. “And I’ll miss you too.”
With us both smiling, I take one last look at him before entering my house. I head to my bedroom, burying my face in my pillow. Mason’s… visiting uptown Anthon, a trip that can possibly be fun for him. And maybe he’ll find an answer to that question. All I hope is that Mason is content, and as his best friend, I’ll continue to cheer him on the sidelines. I’ll continue to cheer him on as his cheerleader.
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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