Poison of love

Mason

I return home with a smile plastered on my face, almost incredulous about the way things are unfolding. Everything feels surreal: my relationship with Jess, meeting her mother. For me, that gesture carries immense weight, like a tangible sign that our bond is becoming deeper and more serious.
The evening was magical, apart from that little hiccup: Josh's presence.
Josh: "Mia is really a special girl."
Mason: "I know, that's why I chose her."
Josh: "What do you mean?"
Mason: "She's different from the others."
Josh: "If she were to suffer because of you..."
Mason: "I know how you feel about her. I read the messages."
Josh: "I just want the best for her."
Mason: "The best for her is me. So don't worry!"
I reflect on that conversation like a radio intermittently turning on in my head. Maybe I was too direct, or maybe not. What truly matters is that Josh understood the message: I would do anything to protect Jess and keep her by my side. She is the most important person in my life, and I can't allow anyone to take her away from me. She's too precious, and I know well that I won't find another like her a second time.
I fall asleep with my mind fixed on her, yet the nightmares don't take long to surface. My past continues to torment me, night after night, like an unhealed wound. It's Will's voice that brings me abruptly back to reality.
"What the hell..." I mumble, still half-asleep, as I struggle to open my eyes.
"You weren't answering your phone, so I thought I'd come wake you up," Will replies, opening the curtains to let in light that is too intense for my still foggy vision.
"How long have you been here? I didn't hear you," I grumble, covering my eyes to shield myself from the annoying brightness.
"Just a few minutes," he responds.
I slowly get out of bed and grab my phone from the nightstand. There's a message from Mia.
"Good morning, sleepyhead. I'm waiting for you at the café."
"Shit! It's late!" I exclaim angrily.
"Charlie's been waiting for you for a quarter of an hour. Hurry up!" Will urges, visibly impatient.
I take a quick shower, throw on the first pair of jeans I find in the drawer, and rush out.
"Mr. Mason, no alarm this morning?" Charlie asks with an ironic smile.
"Get lost, I'm in a hurry," I order him, trying not to waste any more time.
I quickly reach the café and immediately spot Jess sitting at a table, waiting. Despite the morning hour, her beauty is undiminished. Her gaze, intense and deep, with those ocean-blue eyes, lights up with a slight smile when she sees me. In that moment, everything becomes clearer: she is all I need.
"Sorry for being late, it was a rough night," I say, still catching my breath as I give her a gentle kiss on the forehead before sitting down across from her.
"Didn't sleep well?" she asks with concern.
"I had some nightmares, but nothing to worry about," I lie, trying to hide the truth so she won't fret. I don't want to burden her with my inner turmoil.
"You know that if you need to talk, I'm here," she reassures me sweetly, caressing my hand resting on the table.
I'm not ready to share my nightmares with her yet. It's still too painful, a wound that hasn't fully healed. I fear that my emotions, so loaded with negativity, might somehow tarnish the serenity of the relationship we're building.
My past is my greatest fear, and that fear is now consuming me.
"They accepted my application for the internship," I say, trying to change the subject.
"Really? I'm so happy for you!" she responds, excited by the news. I smile and nod.
"And your father? Did you tell him?"
Her reference to my father makes my smile fade in an instant. I shake my head in denial. My mind drifts back to that night he came to find me, ordering me to show up in his office the next day. I decided I wouldn't do it, and that's how it has been. Since then, we haven't spoken. I imagined he would react with a lecture or, worse, another show of disapproval, but surprisingly, he hasn't reached out again. And that's for the best: it spares me another feeling of not being appreciated as a son and saves me from having to justify my choices.
I need to focus on myself, on my future, without the shadow of my father's authority.
"He doesn't know anything. That night, when you came over, he came by to tell me to show up in his office the next day," I confess after a brief pause.
"And what did you tell him?"
"I didn't say anything... and he left," I mumble in a whisper.
I don't want to think about my father anymore. There's something else that takes priority: the upcoming rugby match. I need to stay focused because that's the only way I can give my best. This is my chance to get back at Taylor, that bastard who owes me. After what he said about Betty, all I want is to see him humiliated, defeated in front of everyone.
I'm ready. Ready to give everything I've got after months of sacrifice and hard training.