Now I See You | ✓

Thirty-Six

The last few weeks of the semester fly past far too quickly for my liking. We've now got exactly a week before final exams begin and I honestly just don't feel ready for them.

Despite all the stress, Aubin and I have been going from strength to strength. We've been on quite a few more dates and thankfully, he's not had any more panic attacks either.

I've continued with counselling, which, although really tough, has been really good for me.

That doesn't mean though, that I don't freeze in my tracks when I pull my vibrating phone out of my pocket on the walk back to my apartment from the library to see Mason's name as the caller ID.

I take a few deep breaths as I stare at it, trying to debate what to do. Part of me wants absolutely nothing to do with him, but another part of me is compelling me to answer.

It makes me so annoyed that there's some kind of intrinsic pull towards him, just because we've been friends with each other our whole lives. It shouldn't be like that. I should be able to just drop him because of what he did and feel no loyalty even after all these years.

Still, I swipe my thumb across my screen and press the phone to my ear, continuing to walk back towards my place again, heart in my mouth. "Hello?"

"You let that ring for so long, I thought you weren't going to answer."

The sound of his voice has me feeling like I've got water in my lungs. I haven't actually heard from him since the hearing and I've begged both my parents and Zeb to not pass on any information they might have overheard about Mason. Our Moms are still in touch, but I honestly just don't want to know anything about him anymore.

I've seen Klaudia Podolski around a few times, but if she's been involved in any kind of court case against Mason, she's thankfully not said anything to me about it.

So, him phoning me like this is a surprise, because I've been trying my best not to think about him too much, if at all.

"I'm not really sure why you're calling me," I reply, willing my voice to be strong.

I'm a badass bitch, so it does.

"We've been friends for many years, Judah."

I want to vomit. Bile rises in my throat and I quicken my steps home, because I'm starting to feel wildly uncomfortable. "What do you want?"

He chuckles, but it sounds horrible in my ears. In fact, everything does. Especially my name coming from his lips. It makes me want to throw my phone away.

"I see that you're still fucking Abaya."

Yet again, I feel ill. Both Aubin and I have started posting things about each other on our Instagram accounts and I imagine that's where Mason got his information from. Knowing that he still has such open access to my account makes me feel uncomfortable, so I promise myself that I'll block him once I've finished with this call.

"He's my boyfriend," I correct him, even though I'm fairly certain he won't care.

"That's a big change of heart from you," he comments, goading me just for the fun of it.

I realise that then that not only is nothing productive going to come out of this conversation, but I'm enabling him by entertaining it for any longer than I already have. I don't have to speak to him and I definitely don't want to, so I won't.

"Listen, I actually don't want to talk to you ever again in my life," I inform him coldly. "So, don't call me again, don't get in contact with me, and let's leave it at that. I'm happy as I am and I don't want anything to do with you anymore. You understand?"