star crossed lovers [Mason Mount]

38

TW: mental health and Self - harm

A quiet morning was being had after a long night of parting the previous evening. Everyone had a great night with Mason and Madelyn returning back to their villa in the small hours of the early morning, this meant that it was around lunchtime when the couple woke up. Mason was awake first, and he gently woke Madelyn up lovingly with a kiss as he told her that he was going out for lunch with the boys as it was Luke's last day in Greece.

Eventually, Madelyn rolled out of bed and headed for the sofa, pulling out her phone and opening up instagram to see what had been going on in the world, as her phone had been going off like mad. Her DM's were flooded with messages with the overwhelming majority of them telling her she wasn't good enough for Mason or that she was ugly, that she was only with him for the money, that she wasn't pretty enough to be with Mason. That she should just die. A wave of nausea washed over her body. She was reminded of all the times that she felt like she wasn't good enough, when her parents were never there to celebrate her success, when she had no friends in school. Her thoughts were attacking her yelling inside her head saying she wasn't good enough, that she was worthless.

Madelyn felt so out of control, like she was driving a car but everytime the voice in her head shouted it pulled her further away from the steering wheel until she couldn't even reach it. She was sweating and her heart was beating rapidly while she still felt sick to her stomach. Trying to block her thoughts was not working, her head was gone and there was only one way she knew how to control it.

She ran to the bathroom and everything else around her was a blur, the air conditioning was on inside however she was so hot that she felt like she could have been in the desert. Finding what she was looking for after fumbling through Mason's washbag, she felt the relief of being able to control what she was feeling again, moving closer to being able to control the car.

Madelyn then crumbled to the floor, becoming instantly weak realising what she had done, her eyes were stinging with tears which burned down her cheeks, even though she didn't realise she was crying. She just closed her eyes and propped her back up against the bathroom wall, her chin balanced on her knee and began to sob.

Mason was on the beach with Declan and Jack, watching the waves gently lapping at the shore. He checked his phone for the time, realising that an hour had passed since Madelyn said she would come and find him. After Declan and Jack said that Sasha and Lauren had gone out for a day trip together, Mason began to worry. It's true that she wasn't that late, especially as Mason knew his girlfriend's time keeping skills were not the greatest, however something didn't feel right which meant that Mason was currently making his way back to the villa to try and find her.

Stepping through the front door, he could instantly tell that something was off. He looked first in the bedroom and then round the living area, before he noticed the bathroom door being slightly ajar.

His heart sank. It hurt him more than anything in the world to see Madelyn in front of him, her eyes bloodshot, her face pale and her arms bleeding. His gaze met hers, and he noticed that eyes were not full of sadness, but they were full of fear, as Madelyn was terrified. Gently joining her on the cold bathroom floor, he pulled her into a soft hug to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere, tears still silently rolling down her cheeks.

They stayed like that for what seemed like years, and although Madelyn didn't have it in her to say it yet, she was genuinely so appreciative of the way Mason handled the situation, he didn't ask any questions, he didn't blame her, he didn't run away and he didn't try to make it about him. He was just there for her and it made her love him even more than she already did.

"Thank you." She eventually whispered, gingerly looking up at Mason with so much gratitude, giving him a small smile.

"I will always be there for you Mads, never forget that, ok."

***

After getting cleaned up and having a piece of toast on the sofa, Madelyn was feeling a little bit better. Mason had not left her side all afternoon and night had now rolled in as the sky was littered with glowing stars.

"Can we go for a walk?" Madelyn asked looking out of the window, she wanted to get some fresh air, and the streets wouldn't be too busy.

"Of course we can, I have an idea of where we can go." Mason replied, taking her hand as they walked out of the front door.

The sound of the waves tickling the shore was music to Madelyn's ears, and she felt as though it was calming her down a little. The pair had been walking along the coastline for about 20 minutes when a small building became visible, and Mason led Madelyn through the gate into a small courtyard. She couldn't believe it, at her feet there were around 10 dogs of all different breeds and sizes. Mason was brought so much joy from seeing Madelyn's face light up as she realised where they were and what they were seeing.

Sitting and playing with the dogs was the best way to release all of her feelings, and she felt like she could talk to them and they would really listen, and they wouldn't be able to talk back. She found herself particularly attached to one little white puppy that seemed to take an instant liking to the two of them, but especially Madelyn. She felt a little calmer now, and it was all thanks to Mason.