Southern Gulf University Series: Book 2 | Sequel to Finding Our Way | Not a stand alone
When Mason breaks Lexi's heart and her trust, she takes the job offer in LA and leaves him in her past. Or so she thinks.
Fast forward five years and Mason is t...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Minutes pass as I watch Mason continue to stare out into the water, his foot kicking at the waves every once in a while. Normally I can read him like an open book, but right now, I have no idea what's going through his mind. He's close yet so far away and I'm not sure which terrifies me more.
He bows his head, his hand running down his face, before dropping and rolling his neck to the side. Finally, he turns towards me and comes back. My pulse spikes while my heart does a somersault. He sits down beside me, his knees propped up while he leans back on his arms.
"It's a lot to process." he admits. "But that doesn't mean I'm running away from this. I'm ready to hear more."
I'm sorry, what?
"After everything I just said, you want to hear the rest?" I ask, absolutely dumbfounded. Who is this man?
"Yes. Continue." he urges.
"Why?"
He shakes his head, attempting to control his emotions. "Because last night I wanted to rip Riley's head off but now I want to thank him for saving you. I need to listen. I need to hear it all so please, continue."
"Mason." I start, turning away from him. "I don't know what to say. I mean Riley became my crutch after that. Anytime I felt like I was spiraling, I would call him. It was like he became a placeholder of you in my life."
A single tear slides down my cheek as I think back to everything Riley tried to do for me. He made sure I was never alone on a holiday, no matter how big or small, he always made sure I got home safe from industry parties, and introduced me to some people around L.A. He never pushed me to go further than what I wanted sexually, and he was the first one to lend an ear when I needed to vent, cry, or talk.
"Come here." Mason says, holding out his arms, inviting me in. The feminist in me wants to stay where I am but the strong woman inside me knows I need the comfort. I scoot over and collapse against his chest while he strokes my cheek. "Go on baby."
"He's a good man. He was always a gentleman to me, better than I deserved. He always brought me over chocolate on Valentine's Day, took me out for a late-night meal after award shows, and let me squeeze his hand during scary movies."
"He sounds like a really good friend." Mason says.
I swallow a gulp before continuing. "Naturally, things began to take a more romantic turn. I feel like everyone around us knew he liked me and deep down, I think I knew it too. Those scary movie hand squeezes turned into holding hands while walking down the beach, dinner dates on Fridays, and spending every minute together when he wasn't writing or in the studio."
"You don't have to tell me because it's not my business, but did you sleep with him?" Mason asks quickly. I feel his heart rate spike, waiting on my answer. His hand comes to stop on my arm as he looks down at me.
