Hold On We're Going Home

Chapter Nine

"Mason?"

The playful grin showed again, this time from the bottom of his heart. He glanced around, taking everything in before shouting.

"I'm going inside!"

Stephanie jolted at the sound Georgia made when hugging Mason, as if they were long-lost friends, who could never be apart from each other. Stephanie closed her windows, smashed it more likely. "I heard that," followed by Mason's crispy laugh from the back patio.

He had stood at her backyard while facing her bathroom for quite long. She recognized the trick.

He had never been serious. Nervous suddenly bubbled inside her like a cannon soon would be thrown, then it hit the door perfectly.

"Hey," Mason leaned against the doorway, searching for her eyes. Too many times for them to act so normally like this--he had seen her invisible scars her mom had caused them behind his back, or any kind of sharp edges her body hid.

"What do you want, Mase? I don't need you here. You should leave," she clicked her tongue while easily knocked Mason off the table. "I'm done playing hide and seek with you, Steph. I'm here because I'm scared too,"

"Scared? You've called every single time! Oh, did you also teach your new girlfriend to break the privacy law?"

His gaze tore away from hers, glimpsing at the marble sink like he'd never seen it before. Stephanie could sense him stalling--always got to see her walls down first. "Have you heard about him yet?" he reflexively mumbled.

"Mason!" she raised her voice, pointing to the door, "What?" he raised his eyebrow, more to the fact he's pretending to be distracted by the sink. It's a mere fact that he wanted to show off that his life was handled pretty well, unlike hers. She was still trying to collect the remnants, stating to each soul whom surrounded her that they were still as valuable as the efforts.

They were also marked as vivid as the details could be.

Each remnant held details dearly that had been collected before Mason sent his best condolence, although he didn't make a clear statement but Stephanie wouldn't miss a chance to see him struggling.

"I'll be at your nightstand," he stated while burning his gaze at her. His cologne stayed in the air, leaving her wanted to say more.

"Mase," he didn't turn his back only stopping midway before sitting on her duvet. "I'm sorry,"

He finally broke the pause by crossing her bedroom with heavy breath and lowered head. She touched her lips, shocked by how eerie it sounded.

Mason had left the door wide opened--some things never changed. She reached for the shower buttons on the wall and turned it on. She must gave him sort of space to let him into thinking that he's okay with it, that she's okay saying sorry. Even though it hadn't been entirely her fault, but like it always was; like the good old days.

"Stupid thing called love," the shower was now taking over the room while closed the silence with its heavy drizzles. She hummed the song she loved to listen. Abruptly, a faint beat in the distance pushed her thoughts back to the old days--real or not, she let her body being consumed in the bathroom, while letting the pain washed away.

After showering for fifteen minutes, she dried her body thoroughly, but hesitating to dry her hair with the towel. She heard Mason muttering something across the bedroom, perhaps dealing with someone on another line.

"She's not okay right now," he recoiled. "No! She's, I don't know, I think she's still coping," he added after a pause.

"Alright. But I won't do it for you," another pause then he let out the crucial curse loudly, kicking something so hard it came out as a loud bang.

Stephanie made a bet with herself that if she got out and saw him startled, the person on the other line must've been important. If he wasn't surprised, she would bring him to Georgia like he always had in mind before heading to her room.

Georgia was so good at hitting his nerves until the deepest Stephanie couldn't get--just like the old days.

"Hey," a single glance coming and it already hit his nerve. His gaze hardened at her presence. "I need to be somewhere in fifteen. Let's make it quick then," he glimpsed at his Rolex that flashed under the sun.

He added a nervous chuckle while pointing to the door. "I bet Georgia has left the lasagna for me,"

Stephanie tried her best to hide her frown. Her sigh came out deeply while wondering where his schedule might lead him today. He didn't look comfortable, might as well happy for the sake of his presence in this house.

Mason was utterly bothered, or despaired over a thing--he was not himself today and he just showed a great act.

She threw the towel over the rack, walking to her walk-in closet along with a frown.