Thank you everyone for voting and commenting, I read every single comment and they're hilarious and lovely so thank you again!
Also! With a bit of jumping back and forth, as of today we hit #46 in teen fiction! I'm so happy and I can't thank you all enough!
Here's another chapter and I hope you enjoy! Xx
Dad wasn't pretending when he said that he could find something for Mason to do. By the next morning dad had sent down three boxes full of paperwork for Mason to go through.
As the deliverymen brought the boxes in, the first one was adorned with a pink slip of paper bag read:
"Dear Mason,
I want to personally thank you for agreeing to help me out by going through this paperwork that has been lying around the office for quite some time - you are therefore going to be kept very busy for the next few months. At the moment, there is no real deadline for these to be done so take your time.
Thank you,
CEO Anderson"
Inside each box were files upon files of business records in no chronological order or collection. Even I was stressed at the prospect of sorting all this out and had to remind myself that the busier Mason felt, the better he would feel about the sum that entered his account at the end of each month.
"Is it too late to decline?" Asked Mason, gawking at the boxes that now sat in the living room of our apartment.
I softly punched his arm with a laugh as we watched the deliverymen close the door behind them.
"Well," I said, patting his shoulder and walking over to the bench to pick up my purse. "I'll see you in five hours."
"What?" He demanded joining me and snatching my purse away. "You can't leave me, It'll take me years to organise this by myself." He held my purse high in the air causing me to jump and when that didn't work, stepped on his foot, prodded his stomach - which really didn't work, believe me - and attempted to stick my fingers up his nose.
"You signed up for this it's not my problem and I want to see Mel." He sighed a defeated humph and gave me my bag. Taking the opportunity I ran towards the door.
"Have fun, call me, don't cry, I love you!" I called as I slammed the door behind me and chuckled to myself as I made my way down to the garage.
The blizzard of the past two weeks had settled down and now, the streets were full of slush on the footpaths and the roads were relatively okay to drive on thanks to the council salting them.
Parking on the street out the front of Mel's apartment I ran in quickly to the building, skidding slightly on the footpath earning a laugh from a passer by.
"Far-out, it's cold." I said as I closed the door behind me but I was met with a collective laugh from Cameron and Mel and another voice I didn't know.
"Well, it'll be helpful having a doctor living in the building, what with this bad flu season and all." Said Mel, and as I turned around I saw three of them sitting on the couch and arm chairs.
Mel. Cameron. Dr Ross.
Shit.
His face lit up when he saw me and he rose from his chair to greet me in such a gentlemanly manner.
"Ashley, good to see you again." He extended his hand towards me and I accepted it gingerly.
"Oh... so you've already met then..." said Mel awkwardly, her eyes watching me carefully before she exchanged a questioning look with Cameron.
"Yeah, I suppose." I laughed shortly and noticed that he was holding my hand a little longer than needed be to which I dropped as though it was scolding hot.
"Well, thank you for the welcome and I hope to see you both soon." He lifted his hand in a short wave towards Mel and Cam before turning to me. "I hope to see you too, Ashley." He nodded, his white teeth glinting in the lights before letting himself out.
"What the fu-"
"Funniest and most unusual encounter we just had," cut in Cameron before Mel could finish her sentence his eyes dancing with amusement at the daggers Mel was shooting my way.
"He treated Mason at the doctors when he came down with the flu and he tried to hit on me. He was pretty up front about it too," I expressed, reminiscing negatively of the way he'd handed me his card as though I'd asked for it.
"Well then, don't think we'll be offering him the Netflix password and pizza anytime soon." Said Cam as he cleaned up the mugs from the coffee table.
Mel got up from her seat and squeezed me into a hug.
"How you doin?" She asked, pulling back just enough to read my face.
I simply nodded as she pulled me by my hand to the bedroom.
"Entertain yourself." She called to Cam as I took a seat on the bed and she closed the door softly behind her.
"What's going on?" She asked generally, taking a seat closer to the headboard of the bed.
"Dad offered Mason a job, he's currently at home sorting out a shit tonne of papers from decades ago til now, Dad's been trying to convince me to press charges against Lucas but I would rather just forget about it and let generalised reckless driving charges take care of that and completely forget Lucas exists, Mason is still refusing to... you know... and now I think I have a stalker doctor." I said in one long breath.
Mel purses her lips and nodded slowly and stared out the window before turning to me again.
"Mason's sorting files?" She asked, one eyebrow arching and her knees being brought under her chin.
"Yeah, just stuff from dads office that he wanted Mason to go through." I'd contemplated on the way here whether or not I would tell them both, if not just Mel, that I'd asked dad to help and decided against it- Mel's my best friend but she's also great at sharing when something is juicy enough. As for Cam, I knew everything would go straight back to Mason.
"Why did your dad ask Mason?"
"I dont know really," lie "I think he just thought, you know, being a uni student and all, making time for work and study is hard enough so why not give him something that he can do whenever he gets the chance." I shrugged and diverted my attention to the window.
I could feel Mel's gaze upon my face as she watched me carefully.
I quickly changed the subject to that of a tv show in which she'd been obsessed with recently and let her rant turn into white noise as I watched her, pretending to be enthralled while my mind was elsewhere.
It was late when I turned the keys in the lock to the apartment. Mason has three coloured folders stacked on the coffee table and the boxes open beside him.
His phone was pressed to his ear and his other hand was pressed against his forehead as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
I closed the door softly and walked slowly over to him gently tapping his shoulder causing him to look up, a grim expression on his face and I simply waved before walking off.
"Yes I know it sucks, but there's not much I can do right now... yes, I know I promised but... I can't ask her to do that for me, it's not fair... look, I'll call you back tomorrow okay? Once I've settled everything out and thought about it, okay?... yep, yes okay, bye." He sighed a huge sigh of frustration and leaned back against the couch rubbing his face in his big hands.
"Everything okay?" I asked cautiously, leaning against the kitchen bench.
"Yep... well, no actually." I wrinkled my brows in confusion and moved to sit next to him, my knee tucked underneath me while the other dangled.
"Claire's sick of always being in the hospital. Before uni I was able to stay with her in a rental my uncle fixed for us but now that I'm away she has to stay in the care wing at the hospital."
"Is there anything we can do?" I asked, touching his knee softly and playing with a stray thread that came from a rip in his jeans.
"She asked to come stay with us - just for a while, so she can get a break from the hospital." he watched me carefully, gaging my reaction. When I didn't reply straight away he jumped in, words spilling out of his mouth.
"Of course I said no, I mean it's not fair on you and I don't want any imposition-"
I clamped my hand over his mouth.
"Of course she can, we have my old room and there's plenty of space," I didn't get to finish before he gathered me up tightly in his arms, his breath hot on my neck as he pressed his lips firmly under my ear.
"Thank you," He whispered. "Thank you so much." His lips traveled down my neck and across my shoulder and all the way back up until he reached my lips where he gently pressed his against my own. When he pulled back he brushed the hair from my face and let his fingers linger just above my ear.
I smiled at him and leaned forward, resting my head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me.
"How was Cam? Enjoying married life?" He chuckled and I flicked his knee playfully.
"They're hardly married but I still have 10 quid on that they'll be married by the end of the year." I smiled to myself. "He's good..." I trailed off, contemplating whether or not to tell him about their new neighbour.
"What's wrong? You're hiding something." Why does he know me so well?
"They've got a new neighbour... it's Dr. Ross..." he tensed underneath me, and his fingers stopped their trail up and down my arm.
"Bloody hell, first Lucas and now Dr Sweetheart." He mumbled under his breath. I leaned forward to stare at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" If he was meaning that all I bring is trouble - true but no need to acknowledge it - I have news for him buddy.
"Why does another guy have to try to steal you from me." He sighed. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the couch.
"No one's stealing me from you. I'm yours and you're mine." I trailed my fingers over his chin and ran my thumb over his bottom lip. He opened his eyes slightly so he could look at me.
"I nearly lost you once, I'm not going to let you go again... that is, of course, if you don't want to go?" His voice was soft and weak and it broke my heart.
I simply pressed my lips to his and let unspoken words fall from them. He deepened the kiss, pulling my close to his chest and his hand making its way through the hair at the nape of my neck.
"I'm here, whether you like it or not."