the other side of us | ✓

1.24 | such fragile lives

Mason picked up more hours at the shop so that Charlotte would have more time to study for her exams and so that his mother could have time off to be with Tara. Charlotte still spent most of her time at the shop, her nose buried in a thick business manual, pen furiously filling out a study guide or homework assignment or essay outline. Devin had taken over most of the managerial tasks while Mason worked the floor. It was a tad hectic, juggling everyone's schedules, but things would calm down once Charlotte's exams were over and her graduation came round.

               There was a little under a month left until the big day, and Mason had a countdown going on a spare menu board.

               "For motivation," he'd told her when he'd hung the board above the register.

               He smiled now as he erased it and traced a large twenty-three with his piece of white chalk. He blew lightly on the board to clear the dust before stepping down from the ladder.

               "You know," Ash said conspiratorially. "If we had Mason on a ladder constantly, we'd increase sales by at least fifty percent.

               Devin laughed. "Especially in those jeans."

               Mason's ears warmed as he glanced down at his pants. They weren't particularly tight, but he knew that Charlotte liked him in them and that had been his main reason behind pulling them out of his drawer that morning.

               "Stop ogling my boyfriend," Charlotte commanded, walking out from the hallway. "I could have you fired."

               "Hey now," Devin said, hands up in the air defensively. "It's not my fault if he wants to try his coffee black instead of with cream."

               Mason raised an eyebrow at the analogy, shaking his head.

               "He doesn't for the record," he said, winding an arm around his girlfriend's waist. She was wearing one of his sweatshirts from college, though he wasn't sure when she'd snagged it. Her hands were hidden by the excess length of the sleeves, and her hair was up in a bun, held in place by what looked like a pencil and a highlighter. Her glasses where perched adorably on the end of her nose.

               "Why aren't you studying?" he asked her. "Don't you have an exam on Monday?"

               "I do," Charlotte replied, adjusting her glasses. "But I'm taking a creative break."

               "A creative break?"

               "I'm refueling," she said, rolling her eyes.

               "How goes the studying?" Devin asked from her seat on the counter.

               Charlotte sighed, picking up a scone. "As well as it can. This exam is going to kill me."

               Ash rolled her eyes. "You're pulling straight A's in all of your classes, so I highly doubt that."

               Mason's phone rang as they all laughed.

His mother's name flashed across the screen and his heart contracted painfully.

               "One second," he told the group, giving Charlotte's waist a squeeze before stepping away.

               "Hello?" Mason asked, stepping into Charlotte's office and closing the door.

               "Mason."

               His mother's voice was thick with tears.

               "Mum? Are you okay? What's going on?"