This is Fire

RELEASE FEELS GOOD (10)

MASON POV

Maya is picking me up in a few minutes from rehab, and it's honestly not been too bad. Of course, getting off of the drugs has been a living hell but now that I'm sort of over that hump it's all good. I've been paired with another recovering drug addict that I can go to for advice. I've been given the address and times for AA meetings that I can attend, which are the same as the person I've been paired with. I hate to say it, but I actually feel really good. It's the best I've felt in probably... well since I started taking drugs all those years ago.

Stuck in my thoughts I didn't realise that Maya was standing in front of me, she was silent with a curious look on her face as if she was trying to seek out what I was thinking about.

"Oh hi" I say as I make my way to her, stopping to hug her.

"Hi Mase, are you ready to leave?" She asked as she looked the room.

"Yeah let's go" I say, we start to walk down the corridors of this place until we meet the reception. We come across Sarah, my therapist. I actually don't hate her too much anymore; she's still forever going to be Satan... but a nice Satan if that could exist.

"Mason, you have my number if you ever want any advice or connections to other therapists, okay?" Sarah says as we shake hands, I just nod back. I'm so ready to leave here. Walking through the doors I once entered a few months ago felt weird. Leaving felt weird, walking down the stairs to the parking lot, I had to turn around to take it in. The old brick building with the white accents and overgrown grass had become somewhat of a home and seeing this side of it feels alien. With a sigh, I follow Maya back to her car.

-

We didn't speak in the car; the car was actually filled with music and Maya quietly singing along to whatever was playing on her playlist. The music actually wasn't too bad but I just couldn't concentrate. I was too busy thinking, I'm glad I've made it through Rehab but now I feel like recovery is going to become a hell of a lot harder. In the real world, there's no stopping me from walking a few streets to find my fix. But I don't really want that, sure I miss the high but I don't want it. Passing parks and rivers, I think about childhood memories, the good ones. And the bad ones, the ones where I fell asleep on a park bench in the middle of winter, snow being the only thing surrounding me. The good ones, simple like a picnic with my parents and Maya, way before she started running.

-

My brain is at a constant battle, sifting through the memories I love and the memories I am stuck with; my train of thought gets interrupted by Maya calling my name.

"Mase, we're here. Are you ready to go in?" She says, I instantly look out and realise that we are in front of what I am guessing is her apartment complex.

"Sure" I say while slowly moving out of the car and again following Maya up to her apartment. We take the elevator and I can't help but be surprised, Maya Bishop being lazy? That's unexpected, especially as she lives on the top floor. Just think of all the steps she could get in!

Opening the door to her apartment, my nose is instantly filled with what can only be described as mouth-watering. It's got some tomato-richness but there's definitely an overwhelming smell of cheese.

"Babe, we're back" Maya shouts from behind me as she shuts the front door. I drop what I do have and take my shoes off before following Maya into the kitchen. Entering the kitchen, I see where the smell is coming from; it's lasagne. The lasagne was just being placed on the table by a brown-haired woman I recognise.

"Hi Mason, I'm Carina. I assisted you both while delivering a baby at rehab?" Carina questions with her hand out in front of her. I smirk, oddly proud that Maya did something with the number I helped her get.

"Oh yeah, I gave Maya your number. I guess it's gone well then" I say while shaking her hand. I'm glad she's put a physical boundary between us and not just gone in for a hug... I hate huggers.

"Yep Mase, you definitely did well on that" Maya replies with a chuckle that we all soon share. "Shall we eat?" Maya asks, we all surround the table at record speed, I've never tried this but I know it'll be good.

"So how are you feeling being out?" Carina asks me after we all settle.

"It's definitely really overwhelming. It feels like I just got used to a new normal and now it has all completely changed again. They've given me a few steps to follow, and I've been partnered with someone in AA for support which is cool. It's just really scary knowing that I could just throw my sobriety away by going to my old places" I say truthfully, I think they deserve the truth even though I know it sucks to hear.

"I get that, I've never been to rehab but my family has a long line of mental health issues. My brother Andrea is bipolar and the same for my dad. Andrew can go through bouts of being manic, he stops eating and sleeping, he stops being him. Having him on medication and sticking to a schedule keeps him on track" Carina replies, I nod as a reply not really seeing the similarities.

"This is really nice Carina" I say, she smiles wide and Maya matches it. They share a loving look with each other.

"How did you know it was Carina?" Maya asks in an almost offended tone.

"No offense sis, I think the last time I saw you cook; you burnt an egg so badly. We had to replace the pan and keep the windows open for 3 hours because of the fumes" I reply laughing, Carina looks at Maya for confirmation; ultimately laughing with me when it's confirmed.

"Okay, okay.... maybe I can't cook that well. But Carina has been helping me, I can be trusted with cooking eggs" Maya tries to convince me.

"Maya, I have been there every time you have wanted to cook an egg. I don't know if you can be trusted yet. You know how much I cherish my pans" Carina jokes, Maya rolls her eyes with a big grin

"I can already see you two teaming up on me" Maya smiles. There wasn't much conversation after that, we talked about plans for the week for both Maya and Carina.

After that meal, Maya directed me to her spare room. I'm hoping that I don't have to stay here too long, maybe Jack still has that room. 

MAYA POV

I was really happy having both Mason and Carina in my apartment today. I had a conversation with Jack a while ago about boundaries with Mason and I think I really need to listen. He suggested that maybe Mason could live with him so that he could have space, which I agree with. I haven't talked about it with Mason yet and I'm wondering what his thoughts will be. He is currently staying for a few days in my guest bedroom, and I think it'll be the perfect opportunity to see how Mason can be supported even if that means it can't be solely done by me.