Season of Love

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"It was awful, Rose." He complains again as they're taxied to dinner. "The nurse went from calling him my pair to thinking we were married and then boyfriends before it even dawned on her that maybe we are neither of those things."

It had been a couple of weeks since the hospital incident. Mason hasn't seen Elias since then, purposefully. He can't look him in the eye after how offended he seemed at them being in a relationship. The fucker left him stranded. And just when he thought they were making progress with being on good terms with each other. Having a civil conversation and getting to see apart of Elias' family drama.

"So you've said." Rose leans against the headrest watching Mason with amusement.

"And he seemed so offended," Mason continues to rant. "Like what the fuck. He could have just said no and moved on. But nooo, he had to go and be like 'we only have mutual friends' like being associated with me is such a horrible thing and then leaves me stranded. As if he needs to make it clear to others he would never date me and the horror of him being seen with me. The horror."

Mason slumps in his seat as he watches the buildings pass by slowly. "And now he knows about my lack of heats and the suppressant. God, that's so fucking embarrassing. What if he tells other people? Or, i don't know, uses it to make fun of me or something? What if The Devil hears about it or something because Elias talks about it to others? They run in similar fields."

"Dude," Rose says. "It's Elias. He's not childish like that. He's not gonna do nothing with that information."

"But what if?"

She pokes his head. "Stop being a worry wart."

She turns back to look him in the eyes and sighs at the sight. "If, and I mean if,  he does do something make him seem like the weird one. Own your shit. Besides, I'm with them now and you are an extension of me. If The Devil comes, their family will help."

She lifts the pendent from Mason's chest with a finger and smirks. "That, and they also owe you a life."

He can only slump in his seat as they pull into the parking lot of the restaurant. He fiddles with the necklace. He has no intention of using it. He tucks it beneath the collar of his dress shirt, out of sight.

Expensive cars occupy the parking garage that is separate from the rest of the high-rise. A security guard stands watch in front of a glass elevator. A receptionist lady stands behind a podium in front of the elevator entrance with a line extending in front of her. When their chauffeur lets them out, Rose and Mason join the line.

It moves rather quickly with those being denied entrance immediately escorted through a metal door. Where to, Mason wouldn't know as he and Rose were directed to the elevator. Mason hugs the wall as far from the glass as he can get. From the glass, anyone in the elevator can see the sprawling city below them. High-rises tower around them but become part of the view as they keep rising and the other buildings stop.

At the top, they exit the elevator to immediately be ushered to a private sitting area by the hostess. The place is fairly packed with well-dressed people. The lighting is dimmed causing the view of the city below to be the main focal point of the uppity restaurant.

The sprawling wooden table is already half occupied. The only people Mason recognizes are those that Nia had introduced to him. He hesitates on where to sit when Rose sits close to the head of the table.  Laena hasn't arrived to either take her seat across from Rose or next to several older people. Not wanting to stand there any longer and make it weird, Mason quickly sits down at the nearest seat. It happens to be as near to Rose as he could get. The empty seat happens to be near Tanner.