Okie dokie, here is a new chapter! Tomorrow I will be updating again so yay!
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Serious note: ALSO please please please stop asking me to update literally half an hour after I have updated, okay? It stresses me out and getting a chapter out every other day is hard enough, so please please stop asking me to update 20 minutes after I already have. (I hate having to say this but I have to)
"Travis." I replied monotonously, brushing past him with a shove in the shoulder.
"Oh come on, no hello? No, 'how's it going'?" He still wore that sickening smirk that was on his face the night we broke up.
"Why? It seems like everything's 'going' the same since you cheated on me despite the years in between." I flicked my hair to the side and obviously looked him up and down, yep he was still wearing those shoes I hated, still had hair with too much wax in it and sprayed too much Lynx.
"Not with you," he replied as he followed me outside in my search for Mason.
"Please leave me alone."I groaned out. I looked all around the shop front and into the park across from the ice cream store but still couldn't find Mason anywhere.
He was just here, bloody hell, pick a better time to go for a walk.
"It's so weird to see you here after you disappeared. It's like one day I see you every day the next I don't see you for 10 months." He chuckled though I don't know why since it wasn't funny.
"I didn't disappear, I left to get a degree and do something with my life, something you seem to fail at doing. How's Ainsley? Still president of the Justin Bieber Fanclub?" I snickered and his face faltered for a second.
God, he is slimy and slippery and also happens to be my ex. Internal hmph.
"Ainsley is great actually, she and I moved in together last week."
"Oh, really!?" I feigned enthusiasm, enjoying this conversation very little. "Did you remember to get a house for all your side hoes as well?" Just as I finished my sentence, Mason came up behind me and I felt immediately much more comfortable.
I assumed he could feel the tension because I felt that he was standing tall and doing that thing where guys puff out their chests and return to their place 3 million years ago as apes in the animal kingdom.
"Who are you?" Mason's clipped tone made me grin like a goofball and hand Mason his ice-cream and I tell you, seeing Mason in his 'I am man' power stance holding a dripping strawberry ice-cream would've made me want to cry with laughter but right now I was enjoying the look on Travis's face.
He was an inch or two shorter than Mason and he currently looked like a mouse who'd shat himself.
I was enjoying this.
"Oh right, I'm sorry, where are my manners?" My voice was two octaves higher than it usually is and inside I felt as happy as that cymbal-clapping monkey.
"Mason, this asshole. Asshole, this is my boyfriend of nearly 9 months, Mason. We live together and he's met my dad which is more effort than you ever made."
Mason snorted behind me and stepped forward so he was face to face with Travis.
"So, you're Travis." Mason was wearing a smile, but not just any smile, the most intimidatingly casual smile someone could ever wear - and mine was matching his. He lifted his cone to his mouth and took a good long lick, smirking down at a coy looking Travis.
"So like, can you tie your own shoelaces?" At Mason's remark, it actually looked like Travis was going to cry.
I let out a loud snort of laughter as Travis spluttered, trying to get words out.
"You two can go to hell." He turned on his heel and strutted off with his tail between his legs, and it felt fantastic that I could finally get him back - even if it only a small way - for breaking my 16-year-old heart.
"Well, that was fun." I jeered, taking his hand and practically skipping to the car.
When we'd settled down and were on the road home again, I asked him my pressing question.
"More updates from the hospital?"
"Huh?"
"Your phone call - and by the way it doesn't help when I get your ice cream if you disappear." I chuckled, untying my shoelaces and getting comfy in the car seat.
"Oh right, sorry." He was distracted and that confused me.
Don't be concerned, don't be concerned.
"So was it? The hospital I mean."
"No, it was someone else." He avoided my gaze, looking only out the window.
"Okay, then."
Unlike last time, the ride back to the apartment was quiet though I wasn't too perturbed about it. There wasn't an odd sense of tension nor was there the absence of it.
"Wanna get pizza when we get home?" I asked, stretching out my stiff limbs from sitting too long.
"Sure. Want me to pick it up?"
"Nah, I'll go get it, you open up the apartment and drop everything upstairs, I won't be long."
I made my way to the garage after the driver dropped us off and as I got into the driver's seat of my Jeep, I noticed there was a note under my windscreen wiper. Anxiously, I got out of the car to retrieve it, looking around to see if anyone was in there with me.
I locked the doors for good measure as soon as I was in the car and ripped off the seal of the paper to read it.
'Ashley Anderson, you'll get this note as soon as you get home from your dads and are no doubt about to go get pizza for you and Mase. You also will have locked the doors as soon as you got into the car again, I know you. Please come over to mine at 6 pm tomorrow night for a girls night where we'll drink champagne and cocktails while watching chick flicks all night long. Love you! - Mel'
"Jesus Mel, you gave me a heart attack." I laughed in my car, throwing the note in the backseat and pulling my phone out to send 'K.' to Mel.
I walked into the pizza place to collect the order I'd made in the car, and as I'd turned around to walk out through the doors I walked into someone standing directly behind me.
"Dude, are you serious?" I blinked hard a few times, annoyed. "Ever think to not stand directly behind-" I looked up.
"Ashley." Dr. Ross was smiling down at me nonchalantly, his hands in his jacket pockets.
"Dr. Ross," I brushed past him, trying my hardest to not turn around and right hook him like I wanted to.
"How's Mason going? Preparing for the big day?" He actually sounded concerned which made me want to throw my pizza and all of its hot cheesy goodness on his face. Waste a good pizza though.
"I don't know. We broke up." I replied, whaaaaat theee heeeeellllll waaaaasss II doooiiiing.
"What?" Yeah, my thoughts too bro.
"Yeah, you were right, he treated me horribly. So I left him." I added in a sniff and hoped I was convincing.
"Oh, well I'm sorry that you're hurt, but I must say I'm not sorry that you're single. I've love to take you out on a date."
Forward much, asshole who's trying to get my ex-boyfriend who is not really my ex-boyfriend but more my current boyfriend expelled.
"Maybe," I smiled cheekily and I could feel my eyes trying to roll themselves as I walked out of the shop.
Well, I guess I'm going through with the plan.
Mason is going to kill me. But he shouldn't because if this works he should be kissing my shoes.
"Hey, baby! I got pizza!" Shut up, Ashley.
"Wow, you really are excited about pizza." He chuckled as he walked out of our room to give me a peck.
"Yeah, guess I'm hungry."
Do I tell him? Every time I do something without telling him we get into an argument and last time we nearly broke up. Would this work if I told him?
"Mason," He looked up from his plate, waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath. "I have a plan of how to get you out of this Dr. Ross mess."