Leave, Before You Love Me

Chapter Thirty

Mason slips out of his brother's hold and hangs back, waiting for me as I walk behind the crowd. He holds my hand as we follow the rest of our friends through the dining room, where Khader leads us to a U-shaped leather sectional sofa and table, gesturing for a waiter to wait on us.

The bar area is full of people standing around drinking and socializing, and some walk towards the dancefloor area in the adjacent room. Naz watches me as my eyes follow the crowd of people walking into the room next to us.

"Do you want to go dance?" she asks me excitedly.

Charlotte grabs her hand and answers for all of us, "Hell, Yes!!"

The waiter returns to our large group, holding a tray of fancy cocktails— passing me another martini, I look at Mason to see he's having another, and his deep eyes stare toward me over his glass as he takes a big gulp, so I swallow a larger mouthful of my own.

Khader, Mason, Drew & Ben hold out their glasses to me, "To Roslyn, On her Birthday." 

I blush immediately at all the looks we begin to receive and I hear a few Happy Birthdays from strangers sitting at the table next to us, smiling and raising their glasses to me.

Mase & Khader lean into each other, speaking quietly in their language, and the look I receive from Naz makes me giggle as she dramatically rolls her eyes. "It'd be nice if we knew what they were talking about, wouldn't it?"

I assumed Naz knew their language, so to hear that she doesn't, surprises me, "I assumed you did!" I tell her blankly, and she laughs at me.

"I'm Greek. We don't speak Urdu," and she laughs again.

Embarrassed, I apologize to her immediately for my presumption, but she brushes it off as nonsense and immediately asks me why I thought she spoke the same language as the Khalid boys.

I purse my lips, and look down at my lap, unsure how to broach the subject. "I thought that Mason had said that his family was to marry someone of his faith, someone from his culture... you know?" I look up at her through my lashes, hoping not to have offended her, but all I see is understanding and familiarity.

"That speech, huh?" Naz says, obviously annoyed, "Khader isn't like his little brother, Roslyn." She leans closer to me so we can speak privately. "Mason is, well...." Her hand gestures dramatically, trying to find the right word. "Mason." She tells me, and I look at her questioningly.

Naz is close now, and her words come out as a bare audible whisper. "Mason has lived his life the past few years trying to make their father happy. Really, from what I understand, he has done most of what his father wanted him to, but what he has yet to figure out is that their father isn't someone who will ever be happy." She tells me, her lips thin, "Khader knows that, so? Khade does what Khade wants... what will make him happy." She shrugs at me, "Mason struggles, Ros. If I may? Is it okay to call you Ros?" I smile at her, and nod. "Okay good! But I can see how happy you make him."

Naz is charming. I can fully see why Khade seems so smitten by her. I glance at Mason, and see his brows rise at seeing the emotion I wear so freely upon my face, and I know he silently questions if I'm okay. I smile thinly, hoping the guy can't read minds... because Naz has told me more in the last 20 minutes than Mason has been willing to share with me in a month and I thank her for her honesty. 

Naz looks at me reassuringly, "Don't give up on him, okay?" Advocating for him, she smiles an appreciative smile that reaches her round, black as liquorice coloured eyes.

"Drink up, Rosie! We have a dancefloor to find," Lilly interrupts us and tips my glass to my lips, helping me to finish the rest of my martini. I feel less apprehensive about drinking, and far more comfortable knowing Mason is near and enjoying himself too.