Not a Reunion

Chapter 23

Mason

I hadn't realized just how much the last six years had affected my life. I knew that it was bound to change some things around here, but I hadn't expected it to change everything. When I saw Quincy this afternoon, I saw just how much everything had changed.

Where I was friends with Quincy first (because I had a major crush on Thea), I was now not her friend anymore. I wasn't a part of their friendship anymore, which I didn't think would bug me. It doesn't bug me in the sense that I wanted to be friends with them again, but it bugged me in the sense that everything had changed.

Quincy had talked to me about the fact that it had been six years since we had contacted each other and that everything was positive for me. When we were hugging, I started to think about how it had been six years since I had contacted Thea as well. It wasn't as if I hadn't tried; I did, but somewhere along the line, life got in the way. But I still had a feeling that I needed to have a chat with Thea.

I knew that Thea was mad at me. I knew that even if I went out of my way to make sure she was okay, she wouldn't want me to help. When I had gone to check in with her when she was on the phone with her fiancé, Liam, as Quincy had mistaken me for, she had spoken harshly to me. I knew that I couldn't take what she said to heart, but I did.

She was angry at me, and I was angry at her. It's just that she's been showing me how angry she is with me. It didn't matter if we had small moments of being nice to each other; she would always be angry with me. I think that she prefers the fact that she was mad at me. I think that helped keep a line between us.

Not that we both needed a line. Both of us were very good at keeping to ourselves. I also knew that there couldn't be any way that I could cross a line with Thea because she had a person. I wasn't that person, and I was nowhere near going to be playing around with that. I had lost my chance with her, which was something I would have to accept.

Quincy stays for dinner, and while I go to clean the kitchen, Thea informs me that she has it. I head upstairs with the kids in order to put them to sleep, and while I do that, I think about how Thea had finally truly smiled today. She was always smiling at her siblings, but those didn't count. I knew that sibling love was something other than any other ones in the world, and whatever happiness comes from them cannot change how you feel.

Thea didn't genuinely feel good. I could look at her, no matter what time of the day it was, and see that she wasn't doing well. I could see the stress on her face, and I could also see the doubt there as well. That's why I didn't mention her mom with her ever. I didn't ask Thea about her whereabouts (which was the bedroom most of the time) because I knew that Thea didn't want to talk too much about it. I wouldn't remind her of it.

I'm giving her space to figure it out on her own. I had brought her here to talk to her mom, but that wasn't why. I had brought her here to give her the chance to talk to her mom. Whether she does it or not is her choice. I just knew how Thea got into not getting the chance to do what she wanted to do or not. That was the real reason I had forced her here.

When I am done putting the little ones to sleep, I head to Thea's bedroom. I didn't know if she had wanted me to sleep here every night, but with the way she had wanted me to grab my suitcase, I thought that meant I should stay here. I wasn't going to move on my own. I'd stay here even if there was a lot of tension that we had yet to mention between us. I just knew that I didn't want her to question why I was sleeping downstairs when she was so appalled with the way I was sleeping there yesterday.

While I'm pulling out new clothes to sleep in tonight, I hear the front door close. I knew that Thea had just said goodbye to her best friend, and it wouldn't be long before she headed up here. I take my stuff and head to take a shower. My shower was much needed with the amount of activities I had done for the day. The little kids were full of energy, so we spent the entire day outside. I was glad to have bought sunscreen, or else I would have been burned by now.