Choosing Us

Part XVIII: Late Night Calls

It was finally Friday, and Liv had worn me down to the idea of a girls' night in, of course this also included an almost full stolen bottle of vodka from her parents house. She had tactfully secured and transported to my house already without any suspicions from her parents. We arrived home from the week, and we discussed the idea of ordering pizza which of course, was supported by Liv. We ate several slices of pizza, watched a few episodes of trash TV and began to drink sprite with vodka. Liv had "mixed" the drinks so they were incredibly strong, especially for two lightweights. By the time that I had gotten most of the cup down, I began to consider calling Wyatt. Liv, of course, was encouraging my consideration, but when I went to find his name, my thumb was clumsier than I dared and my phone began calling Mason. MASON. I saw what I had done and immediately responded, "fuck!" Liv busted out laughing. Liv replied, "Well, I'm going to go give someone a call myself." Liv appeared mischievous when saying this. She had been talking recently about a guy that she met in her Spanish class. I smiled and tried to quietly say but ended up loudly whispering, "good luck!" My heart began to throttle in anticipation for the potential of his answer. As the phone rang, I noticed my breathing had stopped as I intently listened to the other end of the phone.

Suddenly I heard a groggy, "Hello?" 

"Oh, umm... Hi, Mason. It's your Tori. I mean, it's Tori." I tried to regain composure and reduce the likelihood of him catching on that I was drunk. 

He laughed and said, "When did you become my Tori? That's not exactly something I would have forgotten." I could tell that he was smiling when he said the words. 

I smile formed in response. "I didn't know you wanted me to be your Tori." I blurted out before I was able to stop myself. A playful yet pained sigh came from the other end of the receiver. "I have been trying to give you every indication of my interest, but I thought you were still dating someone or head over heals in love with someone else?" He said playfully. 

"I'm not dating anyone. I'm single. Single as a jay bird." I said then realizing that was not how that saying went. 

"Tori, are you drunk?" Mason asked laughing. 

"I have had a few sips..." I giggle nervously in defense, "and I know I messed up the saying, okay!"  

"At least you're a funny drunk," he said. "But, you're right. You did mess up the saying. It's naked as a Jay bird, and in both cases, I am greatly interested in knowing your relationship status as well as your clothing status. 

I swallowed hard after hearing his words. I noticed my heart racing and the feeling of warmth overcoming my body. 

"Oh really?" I asked half astonished with the confidence and comfort with such a topic. 

"Yes, really." He said sounding interested and serious. 

"Well, I am single, and I am clothed in my pajamas." I said knowing what I was doing. "But, they aren't my normal pajamas..." I lied. "It's a thin, silk nightgown- with very thin spaghetti straps ...and lace at the them." I added hurriedly on the end.

I heard breathing becoming more evident and picking up on the other side of the receiver. "Tori," he said. "Are you trying to seduce me?" He asked and I could tell he was smiling as he asked. 

My mind began to race, but ultimately what it continued to come back to was the memory and time we shared in the elevator. I could feel my back against the wall, his passionate kisses, and his stare. 

"And what if I am?" I said playfully. 

"Then, I would say that the feeling is mutual." Mason said eagerly. 

"Mason, I can't stop thinking about you..." I began but was interrupted by Mason. 

"Tori, I have wanted to call or text you so many times, but I didn't know if that is what you would have wanted or if I was just someone that you kissed in an elevator.... " Mason's voice trails off. 

"No. You aren't just a kiss." I said with a racing heart and vulnerable. 

Mason seemed to let out a sigh or moan and then replied, "Well, then we would need to take things even more slowly." I could tell that he was smiling by the way he spoke. "I want to-" Mason began, but suddenly Liv ran back into the room that I was in and said, "GUESS WHO HAS A DATE FOR PROM?!" 

I took a deep breathe breaking me from the spell that I was under. A deep breath came from the receiver as well. "Well, I'm happy for your friend." Mason said laughingly. I laughed as well. I congratulated Liv and told her that I would meet her back in the living room in a few minutes. She said, "hurry up! I need to learn how to dance!" She said almost singing with excitement. Before I could say anything, Mason said, "I had a really nice night with you, Tori, and I'm absolutely serious about wanting to try with whatever this is between us. ...  Even if it means that it would be long distance. Also... I just so happen to look pretty good in a tux if you decide you also want a prom date..." I smiled and said, "I might just take you up on that offer, and I like you too, Mason. I think we should try and see where this goes." I said genuinely happy. "Well, get back to your friend, have fun, and drink water," he said. "Yes, Nurse Mason." I said flirtatiously. "Oh, Tori....  I would LOVE to be your nurse, but that will have to come at a later time. For now, you should go have fun. Goodnight, beautiful. Oh- and, please know, you can call me at anytime. This was a really nice surprise." Mason said with sincerity. "I enjoyed it too. Goodnight, Mason," I said smiling.