midnight rain | mason mount

xvii

AUTHOR POV.
MAY 14, 2022 

The pair went back to normal after their conversation— Charlotte said that her wanting to take things slowly and hold off on getting more intimate was not indicative of her feelings toward him, and Mason understood and respected that. 

It was the day of the FA Cup final against Liverpool, and Charlotte sat in the stands with Paula, watching the two teams warm up and waiting for the game to start. Occasionally Mason would look over to Charlotte as the team did their drills, making her smile and Paula roll her eyes.

"You two are adorable. I can't take it." Paula said dramatically, making Charlotte laugh.

"Please. You and Timo are practically married. You guys have been dating for what, five years now?" 

Paula nodded. "I know. I'm starting to get worried as to whether he'll ever pop the question." 

"Oh, I'm sure he will. The way he looks at you? He'd be crazy not to ask. I'm sure he's just waiting for the right moment."

"I hope so." Paula said, pouting her lips a little. "I mean, I know it's just a formality and the only thing that'll really change is our legal status, but still. I've always dreamt of having a magnificent wedding and getting dressed up in a beautiful white gown."

"Don't we all." Charlotte lamented. "I've always dreamt of getting married at Lake Como in Italy, but I would not be able to afford that unless I hit the lottery." 

"Oh, please. I'm sure Mason makes that money in a week." 

"True, but I don't want to leech off of his money. We're equals in a relationship. And that's under the wild assumption that we would get married, anyways. I'm 21 and he's 23. Way too early to be thinking about that kind of stuff." 

It was soon kickoff. The match ended in a draw even after extra time, meaning that both teams would have to go to penalties. The score was currently 6 : 6— both teams had scored six penalties. The seventh penalty taker was Mason. Charlotte stood there nervous, hands clenched together tightly. 

"This reminds me of the last time I was at Wembley, which was the Euros final." Charlotte whispered to Paula. "I don't like this feeling." 

The referee blew the whistle, and Mason took a few steps away from the ball to run up to it before taking it. Charlotte had her fingers crossed, but unfortunately, it was saved by the goalkeeper. His devastated face was shown on the big screen, and Charlotte felt her stomach drop as he walked back to where his teammates were standing. The Liverpool player had to miss, or the keeper had to save the penalty, if Chelsea wanted to win. 

But the seventh Liverpool player's penalty went straight into the back of the net, and the stadium and players were split between jubilation and heartbreak. 

"He's going to be thinking about that one for a long time, isn't he." Charlotte asked Paula, sighing. 

Paula nodded and replied, "It's not his fault but he'll blame himself. They lost in the EFL Cup Finals to Liverpool as well three months ago, so this one's gonna hurt a lot." After a bit of silence she added on, "He's going to need you, you know." 

"Yeah. I remember how crushed he was when Chelsea got knocked out of the Champions League quarter finals. This is probably gonna be worse, especially since they were so close to winning the trophy."

After the match was over and both teams were awarded their medals and trophy, everyone in the stands cleared out, and Charlotte waited in the tunnel for Mason to come out of the dressing rooms. The players' families were all waiting for the players in the tunnel. As she waited, what Sophia had said to her when they had first met suddenly surfaced in her mind— that he hadn't dated anyone in a while, so no one had really come to his matches. She wondered if he had always been alone after these tough defeats, forced to console and comfort himself in the absence of family or loved ones.