Someone Willing to Stay

They're lifesavers

When Mason comes back he's accompanied by Robert and David.
David seems to be the only who doesn't feel the tension the room, or if he does he doesn't show it. He comes into my house with a big smile and an even bigger pack of beer.
"Happy birthday, Milady. I brought the fun and Rob brought the boom box. Mason brought his gorgeous face so I guess that's enough."
He strolls past me and drops the alcohol on my kitchen table.
"Where's the bathroom? This number one has to do a number two."
      I roll my eyes and give David directions to my bathroom.
When he's gone and it's just five of us standing around awkwardly, I clear my throat. I've never really had friends, other than Mason, who we don't count for now, and Riley and Claire. I've never had this many people over and I'm not quite sure what to do.
Before I can say anything, Claire beats me to it.
"You can't still be mad at me, Rob." She rolls her eyes.
Robert scowls, "I'm not talking to you."
"You're acting like a five year old." Claire retorts.
Riley, Mason, and I back into the kitchen as Claire walks up to Rob and stands mere inches away from his face.
"You're acting like a bitch!"
"How does my love life affect you in any way? Or are you just a homophobic asshole who wants to pray the gay out of his sister?"
Rob's mouth drops open, "I love my sister, she knows why I'm mad at her. You have to know to, or has being on your phone this whole time just made you that much more stupid?"
I gasp as Claire slaps him across the face and his head whips to the side.
She's seething, "Don't call me stupid."
It's quiet for a moment.
"I'm sorry," Robert sighs, "I'm a guy, and I'm not good at talking about my feelings."
"Typical."
He rolls his eyes, "I was so upset because Danny knew that I had a crush on you. But you obviously didn't know so I'm sorry I snapped."
Claire smiles sheepishly, "I kind of did know. I just- I didn't want to hurt your feelings so I led you on. Don't be mad at Danny anymore because I'm the one who kept telling her it was okay. I seriously didn't mean to hurt you."
"Stop being a bunch of girls and hug it out." Riley yells from her position raiding my fridge.
      Rob rolls his eyes but complies with an embarrassed blush as Claire wraps her arms around him.
      "We're still friends, Rob." She mutters.
      After a few seconds her eyes widen, "Please tell me there's a box of chocolate in your left pocket."
      He pulls away, "Oh yeah, they're lifesavers, want one?"
      I stifle a laugh.
     The party started out rough but just maybe it could be the first one in years that goes well.
      David comes back from the bathroom with a smile, "So I'm starving now. Let's eat!"
      "Let me just get the pizza from the oven."
     "I'll help." Mason says, which Riley takes as her cue to leave the kitchen.
      Once Mason and I are alone, I try to ignore him, searching through the draws for oven mitts.
      "Mel-"
      "You just made it all worse. He's going to be so mad now, because he knows. He knows that you know." I blurt out the one thing that's been on my mind.
      "He won't be able to hurt you for much longer-"
      "Why can't you understand that I deserve it? It's for my own good, Mason, and if you really cared about me you would have just stayed out of it."
      I'm not looking at him, still searching for the stupid pieces of fabric so I can grab the pizza.
      "Mel-"
     I cant listen to him anymore, "Fuck it."
     I swing open the oven and grab a towel from the counter reaching my hand in to grab the pizza.
      The towel doesn't wrap all the way around my hand and my fingers brisk the pan, causing me to shriek and jump back.
"Jesus, Mel." Mason's snaps, lightly pushing me away from the oven and leading me over to the sink, where he runs cool water over my hand.
I know how to deal with burns but I don't say anything to him.
He tells me to keep my hand my hand there while he goes and folds the towel I had dropped around his hand to pull the pizza out and shut the oven off.
      "I'm sorry." I tell him instinctively.
      You don't try to run away, that is one of the most important rules.
      "Mel, I'm sorry." Mason sighs.
     He walks over to me, "I shouldn't have hit him. I know you didn't want me to. I just got so mad- it's like this, if you found out that David was hitting Riley? How would you feel?"
      I roll my eyes, "I would kill him."
"Exactly," he says, putting both arms on either side of me, "It's taking everything I have to keep my anger at bay."
I've been caged in before, and I have the same reaction, my breathing gets heavy, my heart is racing. But somehow when Mason does it I feel different.
I still feel the water rushing over my hand and I use my other one to press against Mason's chest. He feels impossibly close.
I want him closer.
"I care about you, Mel." He whispers, his head hanging so our foreheads are almost touching.
"I- I-"
"Are you two going to stop eye raping each other and join the party sometime soon? We're hungry!" David yells.
Like a trance was broken, Mason inches himself off the counter, clearing his throat.
"I'm just going to take it out there." He mumbles awkwardly, grabbing the pizza pan and the pizza cutter.
"Yeah."
You don't actually believe him, right? Everyone always leaves Mel, no one could ever really care about you. Get that through your skull.
Do I actually believe him?
I shut the sink off, examining my slightly red fingers.
Even if he doesn't care about me, I know I care about him.
That's gonna get me in a lot of trouble.

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I AM SOOOOO SORRY! I've been sooo unmotivated but I already have an idea for the next chapter so please bear with me!
Love you all!