Page 17 of Everything After

When the bathroom door shuts, I rub my hands down my face. “I know. I fucked up. I tried to chill the fuck out,” Mason says.

“Why the fuck would Ronan invite her?” I ask.

“Fuck if I know, dude,” Mason sighs. “Can we just have this conversation?”

“Can we talk and not fight?” I ask.

“At this point, Bex, I just want to move on. Hating you is exhausting.”

“You miss me, don’t you?” I ask with a grin.

“Oh, suck me,” Mason laughs. “But yeah. Shit isn’t the same without you around.”

“So where do we start?” I ask. “I was dating her. You fucked her. That’s what I know.”

“We had been dating for weeks, dude,” Mason sighs.

“Fuck,” I sigh. “I think Sierra is right… We are fucking stupid.”

“Did she play both of us? I don’t see why either of us would still be lying seven years later.”

“I always knew it was a misunderstanding, but I just felt so betrayed,” I explain. “But we both handled it stupidly.”

“We were young and stupid,” Mason says.

“We might still be, Mason,” I say, and he chuckles.

“Seeing her panic like that…” Mason says. “And how well she responds to you… I’ll do anything for that girl, Bex. Please don’t let her get close just to push her away.”

“You honestly think I could ever deny her anything?” I ask.

“You’ve always had a weakness for spoiling her,” he laughs.

“You do the same damn thing with Bella. Don’t pretend I don’t see y’all sneaking around, dude.”

“I…” he starts to say. “It’s only been since she got back from college.”

“Mason, if I thought for one second you had fucked with my little sister as a minor, you’d be six feet under right now,” I say bluntly. “Make sure to remember that next time you want to try and control what she does.”

“Have you two…”

“Mason,” I say, smirking. “She violently cuddles me and sobs in her sleep. I am a body pillow, so to speak. That’s all.”

“Man, just not while she’s bruised,” Mason says.

“First of all, you are the one freaking yourself out over this. Not me,” I say. “Secondly, if anything changes, I’ll tell you.”

“You better not be a smart ass and call me,” Mason laughs.

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” I say. “I won’t deny for a second that I am attracted to her, but right now, she needs comfort. Not another man that she feels like she has to please.”

“I can live with that,” he says.

We move on, talking about the shops, when we hear the shower cut off. A few minutes later, Sierra emerges with a brush. She’s in my shirt again, and it’s a beautiful sight. “Can you maybe brush my hair again?” she asks me sheepishly.

“Absolutely,” I say, sitting on the bed and patting the spot in front of me. “Sit.”

Sierra sits, and I start brushing the tangles from her hair as Mason sits with us. Silence settles around us as I watch Mason battle with his words. “Sia?” he finally says.