The Both Of Us

Chapter 11- No, he cant be dead.

Chapter 11- No, he cant be dead.

That evening mom decided that she did not want to cook, so we all agreed on Chinese take-out. We all chatted for a while; Mason mentioned his mom's magazine anniversary. "Oh wow! Jennifer's your mom?" Mom asked.

Mason nodded and mom started telling us about her high school experiences, "I remember Jennifer always loved writing! Always had a journal in her hand. I haven't spoken to her since Jake was born," Mom said sadly.

"I'll give you her number...if you want...?" Mason offered. Mom smiled softly. "I'd love that. Thank you mason. I can't believe Becca said you were an egotistical jerk," she gave me a look and I threw my hands up in exasperation. Mason smirked and said, "I don't know what's wrong with her. No one can deny my charm."

Mom and Jake laughed and I just rolled my eyes at them.

My mother got up from her seat, "Well, I should get going. I've had a long day," she said. "It was nice seeing you again Mason," Mom ruffled his hair and playfully flicked Jake on the head before blowing me a kiss and leaving the room.

I glanced at Mason who was grinning at me, "Your moms cool," he said. I looked at him weirdly. "You did not just say that," Jake commented. Mason just shrugged and looked down at his watch, "I should go," he sighed and got up from his seat.

I walked with Mason to his car in silence, looking up at the stars in the sky.

"Y'know, you're not like I expected you to be," I commented. I looked at him. He had an eyebrow raised, "Oh? And how did you expect me to be?" he asked.

"Arrogant, annoying, heartless...," I chuckled. "Mason, Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm, yeah, sure." He replied.

"Why do you not love the idea of love? Why do you say it's a waste of time? I mean, there has to be a reason as to why you despise the idea."

It was silent for a while.

Mason sighed and shook his head, "Love, love, love. What is it good for, Becca? Absolutely nothing,"

I looked up at him now confused. "What makes you say that, mase? Went through heartbreak?"

He snorted, "No. Because if my mother really loved me she wouldn't have left me at that stupid orphanage nineteen years ago,"

I was really confused now. "Mason, what are you talking about?"

He looked at me dead in the eye, his sapphire orbs filled with vulnerability, rejection and hurt. Mason sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "My REAL mother left me. I'm adopted. That's why Jennifer and I look nothing alike. When I was younger, I always knew something was different. A few years ago when I asked Jennifer if I could look for my birth mother, she gave me the go-ahead. So I did."

"And?" I asked softly.

"And I was disappointed. My real mother, Maria Desantos, died a few months after I was born due to long-term cancer."

"Mason...I'm sorry but what's your birth mom dying have to do with you 'not loving'?" I asked. "Because my real mother could have kept me for her last few months to at least... get to love me." He looked so torn and all I wanted to do was hug him. So I did.

"Is this the reason you don't like the idea of love?" I asked skeptically. "Kind of," he replied.

"Elaborate please?"

He sighed and looked up at the stars. "When I went to look for Maria, I found a friend of hers. Her name was Reeva Hernandez. Reeva told me about Maria. And she told me that my ... father used to hurt Maria, Even when she was pregnant and he knew about the cancer. If my father really loved her, he would've stopped getting intoxicated and stopped hurting her. If he really loved her, he would have been happy that I was being born. Reeva told me that after she died he realized his mistake and killed himself because of the guilt. He did not stop to think about his new born son, and decided to get rid of himself. I realized that love is just another factor or weapon that kill or hurts you in the end, so I told myself that i'd never be consumed by it."

He looked hurt and vulnerable, like a little boy against the big bad world. Just looking at Mason caused my heart to clench. There's something about Mason that makes my tummy flip and causes my breath to hitch. Looking at him, I realized it is because I thought he was beautiful. And he is. Also he is a good person under all the bad-heartbreaker boy cover. But mostly, because I realized that that I was infatuated with him. This new information caused my stomach to drop.

Snapping out of my reverie and ignoring the feeling in my stomach, I leaned against the car beside mason and said, "Well, I for one think that your birth father missed out on a huge opportunity to get to know a wonderful guy like you,"

"Are you being sarcastic?" he asked lighting the mood. I gasped dramatically. "Why Mister Blake, how could you ask such a question!?" he chuckled and just like that we were back to normal.

*The Both of Us*

"He said WHAT?!" I asked with disbelief. I felt like crying as my mother sat in front of me at her desk. She just got off the phone with the substitute commander at my fathers base in Iraq. The news we received was grieving and as soon as she told Jake and I, my brother ran to his room and slammed the door before locking it. My mother looked at me with sad eyes.

"T-they can't...give up! He can't be - no! No," I shook my head while tears fell. "He can't be dead! My father is NOT DEAD!" I yelled and stood up.

Mom looked heartbroken, but at the same time she looked as if she was suspecting it, "Look Rebecca, maybe Andrew and his team really can't -"

"ANDREW AND HIS TEAM?! You're on first name basis now?! Wow mom, I didn't know you could move on so fast," I interrupted angrily. "Don't you dare speak to me like that young lady! I can't believe you'd think of me like that!" she scolded with fire burning in her eyes.

"I don't know what to think anymore, mother! Have you seen how sad Jake is? He needs someone to comfort him while I'm not here, and we all know you can't do that because you spend all your spare time moping and comforting yoursel-"

"REBECCA!" she shouted. I shut my mouth and looked at her with wide eyes. And then it hit me. All of the things I said to my mother, my mother who might be a widow. My mother who threw herself into her work so that she couldn't think about her missing-possibly dead- husband all day. My heart clenched and I let out a sob. Her eyes softened and she reached out for me.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I said before running out of the room, running out of the house. Running to my place of comfort and safety.

Running to...the meadow.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! That chapters done. It was quite a filler.

okay, so just an explination an beccas dad: he is missing for the past 6 months, and andrew and his team decided to drop the search because he might be dead. Might.

And im pretty sure you understand masons deal. if you dont understand whats going on so far, please dont hesitate to dm me.

Oh! And the meadow is mentioned in the first chapter.

Hope you liked it 

-Naadi