A New Musical

20

 It's a pleasant day for mid November, I only needed to wear a light sweater, and the hot chocolate from the coffee shop keeps my hands warm. Mason sits across from me, quiet as I am. We are tucked into a little corner. The shop isn't very big, and not well known. It has a couple plants hanging around in different parts of the shop. Some from the ceiling, others sitting on ledges or tables. Along with some bookshelves for the few patrons that are here to browse.

I think Mason and I both don't know where to start. After I finished my lunch with Denice, I messaged Mason and asked to meet him for coffee Tuesday morning. All he responded with was "Of course" and to pick the place. So here we are, and I don't really know why I decided to be here myself.

"So" He breaks the ice.

"How are you?" I feel like that is the only thing I can get out.

Mason gives a weak shrug, "I've been better, how are you?" He asks.

"I'm alive." I say, and this gets a light smirk from Mason.

"So I see." He lightly laughs.

"Look, I guess I wanted to actually talk about everything."

He looks down at his coffee. "Asher, I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything. You don't. I hurt you, and you have every right to never want to speak to me again."

"I mean that would be the easier choice" I say plainly. "But, it wouldn't make it the right choice."

He nods, and then looks back at me. Looking at his eyes, I see the brightness is gone and how woeful they are. I can see how hurt, and guilty Mason feels from everything that has happened. It's hard to see him like this, there's light bags under his eyes. Clearly from a lack of sleep, and I wonder if it's because he can't stop thinking about what he did, or if he's just been super busy doing press for his next movie. They announced about a week ago that Mason would be starring in a new movie, so he must've been filming since we finished our run in Chicago.

"I was hurt, and I felt like the foundation that I was building was false. The whole house just fell, and I was left to rebuild it to something that I did by myself. I didn't want to think that I needed you to do what I loved. I doubted myself and my skill, so getting this show...I thought I was finally seen."

"I mean you were, by me. I saw it in you." Mason is very quiet.

"Yes, but it took your convincing to get me the role. Let's be real, if you didn't say anything they would've probably passed on me."

Mason looks down again, "That might be what you think, but I spoke up because I saw the realness you brought into that room. Every other guy they saw for Eric was just...trying too hard. You just came in, and showed a part of you that those other guys weren't willing to show. I wanted someone like you to share the stage with."

"Did you think I was cute when I walked in?" I asked openly.

Mason smiles hesitantly. "I definitely thought you were attractive, yes. That wasn't the reason I wanted to have you casted. I was with Gina, so I kind of forced the thought away that anything could happen."

"But you thought about wanting something to happen."

"You're killing me Ash." He finally chuckles. "Not at first no, I just thought you were cute. But as we hung out more, I started comparing Gina to you. Like Asher would support me in this, or I wonder if Asher would act like this. To be perfectly clear, that's never okay to think that in a relationship. I thought that maybe I was just getting feelings cause we were playing pretend lovers in a show."