Chapter 13

Mason’s POV

I should’ve known what would’ve happened when I went out into the rain. For fuck’s sake, I’m terrified of THUNDER! But I still felt like I needed to prove myself after my humiliating attempt at impressing Ben at the pool. It was fine for a while. I just kept telling myself that nothing bad will happen to me. But I let my guard down. I saw a flash of lightning and heard the thunder roar. It was so close I thought I was gonna get struck.

My inner mind took over. Rather than try to get inside quickly or clear my mind, I blacked out again. I landed in the mud and woke up later to Ben slapping my telling me to wake up. His face wore a worried expression. Almost like he was scared for me.

I was ashamed. I fucked up again. I let my fear take over me. Why couldn’t I just be a man? It’s what everyone’s told me all my life. It’s why my father left a few years ago. He couldn’t bear having a wimpy son. Who knows where he’s at now. He could be dead for all I care.

And let’s not forget Ben touching my chest, which was the cherry on top to a whole emotional rollercoaster. I’m not blind to Ben’s recent approaches. And I’m not blind to his hesitancy for intimacy. The man is probably going to be leaving in a few weeks. It would be useless to fall for him. But it’s too late. There’s a reason why I’m taking a cold shower right now.

Even if I couldn’t be in a relationship with Ben, at least I can try to make his vacation a lot better. Make his boring summer a summer to remember.

“We have to talk.” I said as I walked into the living room. Ben set down his sandwich and just watched me.

“Yeah. We have to. Your mom called. She said she’s gonna be in town a while longer because of the storm. So we have the house to ourselves.” He said.

“Did you tell her about my accident?” I said as I sat in the chair next to him.

“Nah. I figured your mom would drive back here quickly and possibly get into an accident.” He leaned on his hand on the table and looked at me with intriguing eyes.

“So… about earlier.” I said. “What’s happening between us?” I asked. Ben thought for a moment, as if he was conflicted about what to say.

“I didn’t want this to happen.” He whispered to himself. “Um, it started when I ran into you.” He said.

“Uh-huh.”

“And it got worse when I saw you shirtless at the pool.” He added.

“Yeah. When you gave me mouth-to-mouth.” I chuckled.

“And then when I kissed you when I was drunk.”

“And today when you touched me.” I said, ending our tirade of small but impactful moments.

“I’m scared.” He put his face into his hands. “Because I’m starting to like you! And it’s only going to hurt you and me.” He brought his face back up. His blue eyes were glossed with tears.

“Is it because you’re leaving eventually?” I asked. He nodded yes.

“It’ll make me not want to go back. But I’ll have to.”

“But we can still have fun.” I said. I reached out and held his hand in mine. I rubbed his knuckles. “Truth is, I like you too. But I was too scared to tell you.”

“So what are we waiting for?” He asked. He wiped his teary eyes.

“Finish where we left off earlier.”

“You drive me crazy.” He pulled me by my shirt and planted his lips on mine. At first I didn’t do anything and sat there. But when he moved his lips, mine moved as well.

He tasted like my mom’s sandwiches. My mom’s sandwiches are amazing so that means he tastes amazing, by the way! His fist clenched my shirt. I brought my hands to his head and cradled him. I gripped his blonde hair and refused to let go.

Ben’s other free hand can and cupped my left cheek. He touched me exactly like how I wanted to be touched. With care but with passion. I closed my eyes, imagining a perfect picture of Ben. He would occasionally grunt, signaling his enjoyment. We pulled apart at the same time and gathered our breaths.

“That was my first kiss.” I said.

“Mines too.” He said.

“But before we continue on,” I said and stopped Ben from leaning in closer. “I have to know more about you. So I at least know you aren’t a murderer or a drug lord.” I said.

“Umm. Okay. I like long walks along my family’s garden. I play piano, violin, trumpet, and flute. I can speak six languages. I have a sister named Katherine, though sometimes I call her gremlin. Magnolias are my favorite flowers. Hello Kitty scares the shit out of me. I cry at the end of Titanic and West Side Story. And my celebrity crush is Zendaya.” He said.

“Wow.” I said flabbergasted. “That’s a lot to take in. But I’m glad you told me.” I kissed his cheek. “And gremlin?” I laughed at the nickname.

“Yeah.” He stupidly blushed. “Kat was afraid of gremlins when she was little. Always called the guar- my parents into the room to ‘scare them off’.” I didn’t fail to notice him catching himself from saying something. I’ll let it slide.

“Magnolias are my favorite flowers too.” I said. “Especially the pink ones.” I like the pink ones cause they remind me of the ones Carol used to bring me when my dad left. And they were the flowers that I used to grab when I learned how to walk. And my grandparents used to plant them in the backyard when they first came here.

“If only you could see my home. It’s full of the most beautiful magnolias you can ever imagine.” He said.

“Do you miss home?” I asked. He pondered the question for a while. A mixture of confusion was on his face.

“To some extent. But my parents are putting too much responsibility on me to take over the empire.” He spoke in a somewhat peculiar manner. Interesting use of the word empire. There’s no way there’s a deeper meaning.

“So you came here to get away for a while, huh? You wanted freedom.” I felt sympathetic to him. I mean, I don’t own a large company, but I do understand worrying about the weight of everything. The stress that can break someone easily.

“Mmhmm. Just for a while. All I want is to have fun.”

“And are you having fun?” I asked.

“I was. I was enjoying kissing someone.” He replied back.

“What do you say we continue the fun, then?” I asked. My hand was on his thigh.

“What are we waiting for?” He asked. I pulled him close and planted my lips on his.

Deep down, I need to remind myself this is only for a few more weeks. So I better enjoy every moment. Then I’ll go back to craving what’s not there anymore. And Ben can go back to being the successful heir he’ll be and forget the Minnesota kid who took his first kiss.

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bye! i love you all!

<3