Lonely Hearts Club

The Ultimate Ultimatum

"I can't believe that you even went to another party. Everything you did was just a chain reaction of recklessness. I thought that you would know better than to go to a party that Jessica invited you to. Do you know what could have happened if I haven't gotten there sooner? He could have completely man handled you." Mason kept pacing in front of Sophia who was sat Indian style on the corner of her bed.

"Mason I don't need this right now." Sophia whined as she rubbed her temples in a failed attempt to soothe the massive headache drumming on in her head.

Mason decided to spend the night to make sure that she got the proper medications, since he anticipated the pain she's going through.

As soon as Sophia woke up, Mason had the medications set down on her bedside table. A glass of water and painkillers sat there waiting to be consumed. They didn't help that much though.

"I just worry about you. You know that." Mason's tone immediately softened up compared to his very harsh, very stern tone earlier as he gave her his sermon.

He kneeled down in front of her, and it meant that she had to look down into his beautiful hypnotic eyes as he looked at her with such love that she thought had died long ago, but there was still that glistening beauty that lit back the hope in her heart.

"I know." She silently agreed with a little innocent smile, and it totally won him over as he stood up and sat next to her before wrapping his arms around her shoulders; an offer she just had to accept as she leaned in.

This definitely wasn't something a broken up couple should do. It simply isn't healthy, and it could rekindle feelings. But as Sophia said, they were never 'just friends' even when they broke up. It simply wasn't meant to be, and you couldn't rekindle something that has never left you.

They soon headed out to this place called 'Heaven & Eggs' for breakfast. Sophia has had a billion, but she could definitely narrow it to one special moment. When she was still a little naive girl in kindergarten, her parents woke her up super early so that they could bring her here for breakfast. It was honestly the best thing ever to see her mom and dad with her before all these business trips started flooding them; that time when they were still a family. She was too happy to even care about what time it was.

Mason never knew that, but down thing told her that either his best friend instincts or his boyfriend ones kicked in and told him that this was a good place to eat.

Typically, a place called as such served the best eggs. Sophia got a hot plate of omelette with ham and cheese along with some diced tomatoes inside.

Mason went for what Sophia called 'the prude option' which was a mug of black coffee and some bagels.

"It's not prudish." Mason defended as he took a sip of his black coffee.

"Oh please, the smell screams prude." Sophia playfully tossed back to him. She knew deep in her that he was far from a prude. For one thing, he was the one who taught her how to have fun back in high school.

So she basically had no right to say that, but she would never remind him of the blessing he has bestowed upon her. It probably wasn't a big deal to him, but it was the most amazing thing that has ever happened in her life.

"How's Claire?" Sophia didn't want to ask him that, but she felt the need to talk about his life instead of her babbling on and on about her troublesome one.

"She's great. We're actually having lunch at the mall later this afternoon." He was too focused on his bagel that he totally overlooked the fact that Sophia was holding back some tears.

Mason stood up and went over to a stool near the counter. He looked like ultimate dad material as he scrolled through the newspaper he got. Sophia was just dazed right now thinking of the amount of inappropriateness that she was thinking of him being the father of her children someday. Soon enough, she zinged out of it because she was thinking too far into the future.

"You okay?" Mason lowered the newspaper to clear a pathway for his eyes to look at Sophia. She was the victim of being too into a dream that any memory of the elbow she placed on the corner of the table has evaporated. Her carelessness soon lead to that awkward elbow slip that gave her a mini heart attack.

"Totally." Sophia tried to cover it up but like everything in her life, it was going downhill faster than Jack who was getting a freaking pale of water. But seriously, who falls down a hill whilst picking up a stupid pale of water? It's so not possible.

Mason just gave her an exaggerated eye roll before going back to his very interesting article.

Sophia had this brilliant idea to see what black coffee tasted like. Her arm snaked it's way through all the obstacles such as salt and pepper, and her arm's little minions known as fingers grasped the handle of the white mug.

She slowly brought it to her lips and took a quick sip before almost choking and even resorting to swallowing her own saliva as a refuge from the bitterness that could not be real.

"Only mature people can handle black coffee without embarrassing themselves." Mason smirked after paying his full attention away from the godforsaken article and back into something that really mattered.

Before Sophia could think of a witty comeback, Mason's phone chimed. He looked at it and instantly, his face lit up like Christmas lights.

"It's Claire. She's already in the mall." Mason smiled, but then he dropped it realizing that he was being very rude.

"No, don't worry about me. Go to the mall." Sophia said as she insisted by gracefully shooing him away.

All she could think of when she saw him run out like his life depended on it was how she meant the complete opposite.

She wanted him to worry about her feelings, and she most definitely did not want him anywhere near the mall or her.

There he was in the parking lot, paying for his entrance fee as the barrier raised itself and allowed him to drive his car through.

The phrase 'excuse me' should have been banned due to how many times Mason has used it as he bolted through all the people on the escalator.

"Hey." He took a moment on how regal she looked in her stunning white dress. Her curls hung freely like it did daily to symbolize her independence. A smile as dazzling as the most precious jewels was on her face as she called over a waiter.

"I need to talk to you about something." She said in a cautious tone that has gotten Mason anxious all of a sudden.

"What is it?" He asked with twice as much caution as she had.

"I don't want to sound like the needy insecure girlfriend or anything, but I'm getting a little worried on how much time you spend with your ex." She's de sure to put a lot of emphasis on the last word, and it stung more than venom from the deadliest snake in the world, not that he would like to know.

"What are you saying, Claire?" He said in a very slow tone. Mason didn't like where he thought this was headed. Claire's face was getting him more and more anxious on what she had to say.

Thick tension lingered in the air as Mason painfully waited for what Claire had to say about his relationship with Sophia. To be honest, he didn't really know what their relationship status was at the moment.

"You know that I hate beating around the bush, so let's just get straight to the point." She started the sentence off with a chuckle but ended it with a very serious stare.

He wished she had never said it. This was the most painful  and heart wrenching thing that has ever been presented to him. He would rather be swallowed whole by a tiger than answer her hanging question.

Anything was better than what she told him moments later.

"Take your pick. It's either me or Sophia.