Close As Strangers

Seven.

Now Playing... The Hardest Part

The news that I would have to write an actual letter to Wes left me in a daze, but luckily, I had long shifts and Mason to distract me from my greatest despair. The Saturday after that class, Mason had planned to take me on a date, and I woke up in an amazing mood. He always made our dates special. Just the week before, he took me to the ice skating rink downtown for a special show dedicated to me. Another time, he had taken us out for frozen yogurt, and a promise ring was attached to the cup the girl gave me. So, I suppose you could say the smile on my face that morning was inevitable.

Once I was showered and dressed, I walked downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a banana out of the fruit bowl on the island. As I peeled open the banana, Wes walked into the kitchen with no shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I forced myself to look everywhere except him, no matter how nice of a display it was. He had always been one of the most attractive guys I knew, but I had a boyfriend, and we were nowhere near friends. No matter how much I missed him or how infuriatingly attractive he was, I had to steer my mind away from thoughts of him.

"Babe! I'm here!" Mason's voice rang through the house, and a smile grew on my face. Wes turned around and raised his eyebrows as Mason walked into the kitchen, pecking my lips.

"Hi, let me finish this and then we can go."

That was my first mistake.

"Hey Mason," Wes smirked, patting him on the back. "How was your late night escapades the other night?"

Wes leaned against the counter, causing his muscles to tighten, and I couldn't lie; I might have drooled a little.

Good thing the banana was in front of my face.

Mason chuckled, wrapping his arm around me. "You tell me, Wes. I mean, you're with a different girl every night. Did you have so much trouble finding a talent in London that you had to rely on the female race to keep you going?"

I snorted. Wes might've been the King of insulting people, but Mason was a genius at comebacks.

"Well, considering your girlfriend used to be one of my girls, I'd say I must've had something that made all the girls want me."

I inhaled the chunk of banana that was in my mouth, and Mason hit my back, causing me to spit it back up. Once I was calm, Mason glared at Wes, pushing the sleeves of his shirt up. "You son of a bitch--"

I immediately stood and pushed Mason away from Wes, knowing what would have ensued if I let him stay there any longer. "Okay, let's go, Mason."

As I pushed Mason towards the front door, I glared over my shoulder at Wes, and he actually had the audacity to wink at me.

When Mason and I finally hopped into his car, he blew out a deep breath as he started the car. "Is what he said true? That you were one of his girls?"

"Not at all! We were best friends, if that at most times, and that was all. He never liked me like that."

Mason stared at me for a minute as if he didn't believe me, but then he smiled softly, intertwining his fingers with mine. "I believe you. And I don't want him to ruin our day, so let's just forget about it, okay?"

I nodded, smiling as I tightened my fingers around his.

The car ride was silent, but it was comfortable, and after twenty minutes, we finally reached our destination-- a skating rink. Mason led us into the rink and paid for our skates. As I tightened mine up, Mason stood and held his hand out to me. We skated around the rink for a while, and once we were tired, we decided to grab something to eat. Mason took me to a pizza parlor two blocks down from the skating rink, and as we waited for our food, we talked, laughed, and enjoyed each other's presence.

"So, I was thinking... maybe you would want to go to the beach with my family and I over the summer this year?" Mason asked, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, and I smiled brightly.

"I'd love to! I haven't been to the beach since I was little..."

Mason smiled at me, but I was too lost in memory lane to pay attention. The last time I had gone to the beach was for my tenth birthday, and ironically enough, Wes had gone with us. I could still remember that whole week. We had the time of our lives, doing everything together like we always did, and on the day of my birthday, Wes had made me a cake. I could still remember his handwritten icing message on the cake, and even though it was messy, it was the best cake I had ever received. Later that night while Wes and I were sitting on the balcony outside of my room in the condo, he gave me a silver necklace-- the one I had been wearing that day on my date with Mason-- that held a heart engraved with the message, "To my always".

After my father left, Wes promised he would always be there for me. He promised that no matter what happened, where we went, or who we ended up with, he would always be the one constant in my life, and that I would always be his best friend. That promise laid heavy on my heart as I thought about our current position, and unbeknownst to me, I had been gripping the heart tightly as Mason sat in front of me.

"Molly!" Mason yelled, and I finally broke out of my trance. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes flickering to my necklace before he forced a smile on his face. "Look in the box beside your drink."

I grabbed the box and ran my finger over the soft velvet. Mason's grin softened, and as I slid the lid off the box, I found a necklace inside that held two hearts-- one with my initials, and one with his. An infinity sign held the hearts together.

"It's... it's beautiful, Mace." I mustered up my best smile as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thank you."

He held me tightly before he pulled away, motioning for me to turn around. As I faced away from him, he unclasped the necklace that had laid against my skin for ten years, and replaced it with his. Mason let my necklace slip off my neck, but I grabbed it before it could touch the ground, and held it tightly in my hands. When I faced him again, he kissed me, his hands holding my waist softly, but all I could think about was the necklace in my hand. I wrapped my arms around Mason's neck, opening my hand behind him to look at the rusted silver necklace. Even though the chain was old, and the clasp was worn out, the heart remained the shiny silver it had been ten years ago.

And I realized, that no matter who came into my life, nobody could replace Wes and the impact he had on my mind and heart. Nobody could make replace the brightest star in the center of my galaxy, even if new stars found their place, and I hated the way he seemed to paint the sky I had tried to keep perfect.