Stung (Now Published)

Chapter 06

"So he's going to make you dinner?" Mason asked me as he sat on the edge of the bed, watching me straighten up my room.

I glared at him for the umpteenth time as I shoved different pairs of shoes in my closet.

"And you're cleaning your room," he pointed out.

"It's not a date," I said flatly. "Now move so I can make my bed."

Mason raised an eyebrow and I could see the amusement on his face. I didn't even need to hear what he was about to say to know I wasn't going to be a fan.

"Why are you even bothering to make the bed?" he asked, winking suggestively. "You might be messing it up with him later."

"It's not like that!" I protested. "Not even a little bit."

Mason hopped off and sat in my desk chair.

I huffed as I straightened my comforter out, my phone flinging off the bed to the floor in the process. Just because Will was coming over, didn't mean that it was a date. And whether or not we were going on a date, I didn't want him to see my room a mess. Not that he would even be in it.

"If Matthew annoys us, I might come in here and I don't want him to see my clothes all over the floor," I argued, which was true.

Mason had insisted ever since I told him that this was a date. I shouldn't have said anything.

I looked at the time on my watch. He was supposed to show up soon. Not that I was anxious. After I got back from classes earlier today, I changed out of my clothes and into lazy ones. I didn't really want anyone other than my close friends to see me in these clothes so I needed to change again and probably brush my hair and do my makeup and—

"Can't you go bother Matthew?" I asked Mason quickly, my thoughts spinning wilder each time he insinuated it was a date.

He put a hand flush against his chest. "I'm bothering you?"

I stared at him.

"I don't know where he is," Mason said.

"Did you try his room?" I asked. We lived in a two-bedroom apartment. It wasn't hard to go missing and I knew Matthew was still home.

Mason just shook his head as he started aimlessly flipping through the notes in my binder I had out on my desk. "No, I don't like to go in his room."

"Why not?" I asked, digging through my closet for something to wear.

"It smells too good in there, it's distracting," he said as if it was no big deal.

I knew what he was talking about. Matthew always had good cologne on. It smelled exceptional. It was a recognizable smell and he always put it on in his room so it seemed to just be in the air. In all honesty, our living room probably lightly smelled of it from how often he was on the couch but I didn't really notice it much unless I walked into his room. I always had an urge to take a deep breath when I entered.

"Stop being a baby. Him smelling good won't kill you," I said.

"It might," Mason pouted. "I might combust with how good he smells on top of how good he looks."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't care, I have to change and I don't want you in here while I do it."

"You have a bathroom," Mason said.

I groaned and when he made no attempts to get up from his spot at my desk, I stomped into my connecting bathroom. After changing, I opened the door and started brushing my hair as I debated on what to do with it.

"Your phone's buzzing," Mason yelled out to me.

Wondering if it was Will, I went over to the middle of my floor where my phone still was.

Nate: 8:24 p.m.

Hey.

What're you doing?

A small smile formed on my lips as I texted him back quickly with thoughts of our phone call last night still on my mind.

Brooke: 8:25 p.m.

Trying to kick Mason out

Matthew came into the room and fell onto his back on my freshly made bed. His hair was wet from a shower, probably creating a wet spot on my comforter and his cologne was freshly applied.

Mason caught my eyes and widened his own as if he was fighting the urge to explode. I ignored him.

"Ready for your date?" Matthew asked me.

"It's not a date," I said as seriously as I could.

Matthew laughed and looked at Mason. "Tell her it's a date."

"That's all I've been doing."

"I don't know how you've made it this far without realizing when a date's a date," Matthew said as my phone buzzed again.

Nate, 8:28 p.m.

Wanna know what I'm doing?

"I don't assume two people hanging out together one on one is automatically a date," I argued, my hands hovering over the keyboard but too distracted to text back immediately. "It's a mutual thing."

"I'm pretty sure if you ask him, he'd say you guys have gone on like five dates by now," Matthew laughed.

Mason shook his head. "I think it's six," he helpfully added.

I groaned. "Okay. When I kick the two of you out, which will be happening, can I assume you two are on a date?"

Matthew gave bedroom eyes to Mason. "Depends on what we do."

"Keep it in your pants, pretty boy," Mason said as casually as he could because Matthew flirted with just about anyone and Mason was well aware of that.

"Where are you going anyway?" I asked Matthew. He had a button up shirt on and nice pants. Usually he was in athletic wear if he wasn't doing anything important. I knew he wasn't actually doing anything with Mason after this.

"Out," he answered with a troublesome grin on his face.

Mason laughed but I tried to look at Matthew sternly.

"Don't lose your apartment keys this time," I said.

Matthew sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm not coming to get you again," I added.

"Yes, mom," he groaned.

I looked at him for another moment before glancing at my phone. I unlocked it to reply to Nate but there was a soft knock at the door. I glanced at the time on my phone. Will had said he'd arrive after hockey practice sometime between 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. I assumed it was going to be closer to 9:00 but was wrong apparently.

"That's Will," I blurted out. I still had to do my hair and makeup but I had to at least figure out a way to get Matthew and Mason out of the apartment without crossing paths with Will.

The two grinned at each other, both jumping up from where they were. Matthew bolted out of my room like he was on fire.

"You get ready, baby girl. We'll hang with him," Mason said, pushing me to the bathroom. I didn't have time to protest before Mason was trailing after Matthew.

As much as I didn't want them here, I figured they couldn't do much damage. Mason thought Will was cool and wouldn't actually do anything to upset me. When Matthew wasn't drinking or flirting, his default mode was typically a little quiet around outsiders. The issue with them being around was solely because I knew how much they'd tease me later on. But I couldn't do anything about that now so I went back to my mirror to braid my hair.

I could hear their muffled voices and then Will's laugh which I took as a good sign.

It was not a date.

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I hope you liked it, there's more to come! Have a great rest of your day and don't forget to smile!