Poison of love

Mason

The daylight gently filters through the window, and I open my eyes just a little, capturing the most beautiful sight I could imagine: Jess's face. Even while asleep, she exudes a disarming beauty, like a pure soul immersed in her dreams. Instinctively, I brush my fingers lightly against her cheek and plant a kiss on her forehead. Slowly, I withdraw my arm from under her neck, being careful not to wake her. I get out of bed and head toward the shower.
After washing up, I pat my hair dry with a towel and put on a pair of jeans. I go down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Half an hour later, I hear light footsteps coming down the stairs.
"What a lovely smell!" Jess says, her voice nearby. I turn to look at her: leaning on the counter, she's wearing one of my t-shirts, her legs bare and her feet barefoot. Even in the early morning, she is irresistibly captivating.
"Good morning to you too!" I reply with a smile. "Did you sleep well?" I add while finishing arranging the last pancakes on the tray and turning off the stove.
"Like a log," she responds, smiling. I approach her, gently take her by the arm, and pull her toward my chest. I stroke her hair, tucking it behind her shoulders, and brush my lips against hers in a chaste kiss. We laugh together, silently, conspiratorial.
"Why didn't you wake me? I could have helped you with breakfast," she asks curiously.
"I didn't want to disturb you," I confess. I invite her to sit down and enjoy breakfast.
"You made pancakes!" she exclaims in surprise.
"I know they're your favorite," I say.
"How do you know that?" she asks, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
"I know a lot of things you don't, Jess," I reply, teasing her a bit.
"I could eat pancakes for lunch and dinner if I could!" she laughs, pouring maple syrup over one of the pancakes. I smile, unable to hold back a laugh.
"You're such a child!" I say jokingly, and she smiles shyly.
After breakfast, Charlie drives us to campus. I say goodbye to Jess in front of her dorm with a long, intense kiss. Then I call Will to see if I can swing by before I find him once again with a girl in his bed—an already lived scene that I have no intention of repeating. He tells me he's at the café and that I can meet him there.
As I walk, my phone starts ringing: it's my dad. I ignore the call. It rings again, and once again, I don't answer. By the third call, I give in. I slide my finger across the screen and accept the call.
"Finally, you deign to answer me," he starts bluntly.
"In fact, I was thinking of blocking your number," I reply, not hiding my annoyance.
A tense silence follows.
"I thought I made myself clear," he continues.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Do you think I don't know you've started the internship?"
"Did you call to tell me this? I don't want to listen to you."
"You will listen to me..." he retorts.
But before he can continue, I hang up. I have no intention of discussing my future with him. The lectures he has already given me are more than enough.
I try to calm down, attempting to push away my anger, and I reach Will at the café. I see him at the counter with David, who is paying. I nod and invite them outside as I light a cigarette.
"Hey bro, how did the romantic date go?" Will asks me, laughing, as he puts an arm around my shoulder. I move away, annoyed.
"It wasn't a romantic date," I reply brusquely, exhaling smoke. I lean against the wall, looking at both of them in front of me.
"On Friday night, there's a party at the 'students club.' Are you coming?" Will asks me. The parties there are nothing like the ones we usually attend. They're wild events where alcohol, drugs, and food abound, with students from every university. I don't participate in those parties anymore, not after what happened to Betty. The last time I saw her was at one of those cursed nights, and since that day, something inside me has shattered. I haven't had the courage to cross the threshold of that house since. Every time I think about it, I only feel a deep emptiness... a darkness that has swallowed me, filled only with alcohol and drugs, in a desperate attempt to forget, to numb that pain that has never truly left me. I still feel that sharp pain in my chest at just the thought of it, and for a moment, I freeze. But I quickly push those thoughts away, bringing myself back to the present.
"You know very well that I don't want to go to those stupid parties anymore," I say to Will, my voice firm. He huffs, then leans in and gives me a pat on the shoulder, lowering his voice to my ear.
"Brother, it's just not the same without you. And it's been a long time since..."—he stops, weighing his words—"since then. So get your ass up and come to that party. We want you with us. We want the old Mason back."
I look at him coldly.
"Did you hear what I said?" I retort sharply, brushing his arm off my shoulder. Without saying anything more, I turn and walk toward the college atrium, trying to leave that conversation and everything it entails behind.