Ch. 32: Beckon

-Mason-

The call was entirely unexpected. One moment, I was chatting with Eric and Ricky. And the next, I was scrambling to sit up and answer my phone. I triple checked the caller ID before picking up, unable to wrap my head around the fact that he'd actually called.

"Hey Bennett," I greeted into the phone, internally groaning at how nervous I sounded. I pinched my cheek for good measure, genuinely thrown for a loop.

Not even a text. I actually got to hear his voice. Wow.

"Mason?" he asked, seemingly confused despite the fact that he'd been the one to call.

"Y-you didn't butt dial me, right?" I joked, wincing at the possibility. I held my breath when he didn't reply right away, my whole body tensing up in worry that he might hang up. Not yet.

"No, I—I wanted to talk," he finally replied, halting once more before adding. "If that's okay?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at the jaded tone of his voice, sensing the uncertainty so palpably. Something was clearly wrong. I didn't need to see his face to know he was wearing that adorable pout of his, probably worrying himself half to death over something out of his control.

It was enough to coax me out of the bed.

"Yeah, I'm here," I replied softly, hastily putting on my shoes. I ignored everything else while snatching my keys and wallet from my nightstand, distractedly heading towards the door. Before leaving, though, I did bother to glance back at my friends just in case, silently warning them not to follow me.

Thankfully, they knew better and backed off; although, Eric did have to be physically restrained by Ricky, which was disappointing but not entirely unexpected. If it was up to Eric, he'd likely prefer if I handed over the phone altogether.

"We'll be good!" I heard Ricky call out, which would've been somewhat relieving if he didn't have to say it while struggling to hold Eric in a chokehold.

"The party! Mention the party," Eric hissed under his breath, his hand gripping onto the side of the door before being yanked off as Ricky shut the door. Huh.

And with that, I headed off.

"Bennett, you there?" I asked once more after shaking both of them off, clearing my throat as I walked down the empty dorm hallway, heading straight for the south exit. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." Bennett assured me, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sorry, it's kind of late, huh?"

I strained to hear, further furrowing my eyebrows as I hastily spam-clicked the button to raise the volume. "Uhm, what?"

I could hear Bennett's weak laughter. "I—I said it's kind of late... isn't it?"

I rolled my eyes. He sounded seconds away from making up an excuse to hang up, but there was no way I'd let him go just like that.

"Nah. I was wide awake," I assured him while exiting the building, which was almost entirely true. I'd certainly been complaining about being exhausted before, and I did almost pass out just a few minutes prior. But in that moment, I couldn't even remember why. I felt energetic enough to run a marathon, my whole body warmed up from how hard my heart was pounding.

Besides, I was beyond ecstatic that he'd called at all. I pinched my cheek again for good measure, wincing when I felt the light sting. Alright, fuck yeah.

"How about you? Up to anything?" I asked in turn when he didn't reply, realizing he'd probably been waiting for me to elaborate.

I glanced towards the parking lot, shifting from one foot to the other while trying to make up my mind. I felt ridiculous even considering it, though my feet were ready to head in that direction and my eyes were readily searching for my car. What the hell was I supposed to do... invite myself over? Besides, Bennett mentioned living with his parents, so it'd never work.

There was no way that I could just— But damn it, I wanted to see him. I'd wanted to see him all weekend, and now... Well, it was all I could think about as I stood out in the cold, autumn night. I really needed to get a grip.

"A-are you at your dorm?"

"Yeah," I breathed out, settling down on a nearby bench. I nodded my head in greeting at someone vaguely familiar as they stumbled towards our dorm building, clearly barely getting in from a long night out.

"C-could you..." he started before drifting off, releasing a heavy sigh.

My heart started racing. "I'll be there. Give me fifteen," I exclaimed a bit more enthusiastically than I'd intended, shooting up from the bench in my eagerness. "O-okay?"

Bennett paused. "Oh..."

I froze. "Unless... that's not..."

"No, no... Yeah," he rambled, nervously clearing his throat before releasing a deep sigh. "Yes, please. I—I do... I want to see you."

I beamed at that, sprinting towards my car.

---

Quite honestly, I didn't know exactly what I was expecting as I pulled up to Bennett's house after nearly running a few red lights on the way there. I was sort of buzzing with excitement, but I was still driving as slowly and as inconspicuously as possible once I turned onto his street, per his request.

Despite having talked to him about it right before he hung up, I still jolted in surprise when I saw Bennett huddled near the edge of his front yard, warily glancing around before walking over. He hesitated before opening the door, peering inside to flash a small smile. He was also shivering, which made sense considering he was only wearing a goddamn shirt and shorts.

Sure, I was too, but I ran hot. More often than not, I had to take off layers even when it was cold out, feeling stuffy otherwise. The brat, on the other hand, looked about ready to keel over from how cold it was.

"Where's your jacket?" I scolded lightheartedly, probably sounding like some overbearing parent. Except, I couldn't even be preoccupied in peace when he turned to look at me, flashing a shy, pleased grin.

"Mason," he breathed out, as if he'd also spent the entire weekend missing me, and I just melted. It was not that—couldn't be that—but that's what my deluded mind conjured up, with no sensical truths to fill in the blank quite yet. I cursed internally, torn up about the fact that it was not societally normal to kiss the homie hello.

"There you are," I replied softly, tsking when he just stood there, staring at me like he was slightly worried I'd bite. I tilted my head, chuckling softly. "What are you waiting for?"

"I-is this okay?" Bennett suddenly asked.

I laughed under my breath, shaking my head. "You waited until I got her to ask that?"

He shrugged.

I sighed. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be."

"You wouldn't?"

I shook my head, beckoning him over by patting the seat. "C'mere."

That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed.

I watched as Bennett settled in and closed the door, suddenly frowning at how wet his hair felt as I reached over to ruffle it. I opened my middle compartment while he buckled in, pulling out one of the clean, small towels I kept there and tossing it over his head. I also turned on the heater and seat warmer on, hoping that would help.

"It's washed," I called out, just in case he thought it was all sweaty and whatnot. This was one of the emergency towels I kept in the car in case that I decided to go on a hike or cycling.

"T-thank you," I heard him say while drying his hair.

"Mhm," I hummed while rubbing his shoulder, making sure his clothes were actually dry. They were sticking to his skin a bit, which probably meant he'd just showered, but thankfully he hadn't somehow fallen into a pool in the last few minutes. I was rather thankful, since he'd probably be swimming in my clothes if I had to lend him any.

Without saying another word, I drove off. I didn't really have a destination in mind, so I settled for driving around the neighborhood. I caught occasional glimpses of him, watching as he finished drying his hair off and shyly peered at me from under the towel.

"Did you fall in a pool?" I joked after some time had passed, pleased when he pouted up at me, feigning annoyance. I took the towel as he offered it and tossed it in the back, noticing a hoodie I'd left. I tugged on it and pulled it to the front, tossing it on top of his head just like I had with the towel. "Here. You're shivering," I said innocently, even as I snickered under my breath.

"I didn't," he grumbled while peeking his head from behind the hoodie, releasing a satisfied sigh as he put it on. And finally, he looked cozy and comfortable like that, his eyes half-lidded as he yawned into the sleeve.

"Could've fooled me," I replied, chuckling when he nudged me. "Hey, no attacking the driver."

Bennett suppressed a smile, glancing up at me. And fuck, why did he have to look so adorable like that, huddled in my hoodie, pouting up at me so prettily? I wanted to gently rub my thumb over that bottom lip, teasing him until he whined for more.

I knew better than to indulge in such ideas, but how could I help myself when he looked so beautifully inviting?

"Thanks, Mason."

I nodded my head, focusing on the road ahead. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad."

---

A/N: Thank you for reading.