Apartment No.4

Part 38: Or worse, expelled.

A shorter chapter tonight guys sorry. BUT! We hit #39 today!! That's our highest yet!
Thank you so much to everyone who reads, votes and comments, I wouldn't be here without you guys and I'm eternally grateful!

Thanks guys, enjoy! ♥️

Two days before Claire was to make her move into the flat we had a visit from one of the superior nurses of the hospital wing she was being taken care of to scour the place and check that it was safe enough for a young disabled woman with a weak immune system to live in.

The bony nose that sat as though placed, rather than grown, on her face stuck its was through every nook and cranny before she cracked her face into what I assumed to be a smile.

Mason has been following close behind her, his arms folded and his face stoic as usual. When she wrote up her notes on a pad in the living room, I attempted to worm myself under his crossed arms, nearly strangling myself and pushing him to get him to hug me but he stood his ground.

Snapping still as the nurse turned around with my arms crossed behind my back and a huge smile plastered on my face she said, "I think it'll do well, not for a long time but for the period she wants to stay with you, yes."

Mason relaxed slightly next to me although he'd never show it and walked forward to show her out.

She handed him a piece of paper and some contact details, explaining to him how Claire would be brought to our apartment in two days time.

He shut the door softly behind her and turned to me, his face still the unreadably plain it usually was, but his arms had dropped to their sides and I took the opportunity to run towards him and bury my face in to the planes of his chest, revelling in his soft his shirt was in comparison to the hard chest underneath.
He smelled like Mason and washing powder and I loved it.

His fingers traced lines up and down my back so softly that it almost tickled if it didn't leave goose bumps under each touch.

"Are you sure?" He asked, tilting my chin up to look into his eyes, his mouth set in a deep straight line.

"Don't start this again." I sighed, pressing my head against this chest, hearing the steady drum of his heart.

"I'm just making sure," he whispered.

"Well, stop because I've said yes and I don't want to argue." My voice muffled against his shoulder and he tightened his grip around me.

Coming back from a class later on in the day I bumped into Mason in the car park.

"I didn't think you had classes today?" I questioned, trying to picture his timetable in my head that I made him stick on the fridge above mine.

"I don't, I was just seeing some professors to tell them why I won't be attending some lectures for the next few weeks." We walked towards my car parked under a large oak tree. His hands were shoved deep into his leather jackets pockets and my fingers aches for his touch.

" I was gonna run into town to grab some stuff for when Claire comes, you wanna join?" I asked, starting my car and talking to him through the window.

He pursed his lips, thinking.

"Follow me home and I'll leave my bike, then we'll go." In saying that, he jogged away from the car and heard in the distance the roar of an engine.
The drizzle of rain patted against my windscreen as I waiting out the front of our flat for Mason to run out of the garage and into my car.
Unusually so, he simply walked as though the rain weren't touching him and had no affect on his mood. He got into my car and sat there silently with his hands still shoved deep into his pockets, watching out of the window at the passing buildings and trees.
As his silence continued, I felt it was time enough to ask him what his deal was.

"Can you get some carrots for me? They're right next to the pull-the-stick-out-of-your-arse." He glared down at me and I gave him a sweet smile that I knew would either piss him off or make him wrap his arm round my head to shove my nose into his armpit. Ick.

"I haven't got a stick anywhere." He said dryly, stooping down to grab a bag of carrots.

"Dude tell me what's wrong or I'll leave you here." I said as I checked my list not actually paying attention to him as he dropped the carrots into the trolley. I reached for his arm as he strode off.

At my touch he flinched slightly but noticing relaxed. He sighed deeply, standing in the middle of the health foods aisle.

"We'll talk about it later." He said defensively.

"No, we'll talk about it now."

He sighed

"There's a chance I might be expelled from uni." He said bluntly and quietly, not looking at my face but rather his shoes.

I blinked.
"I'm sorry, say what?" I raised my voice and he quickly clamped his hand over my mouth.

"Shut up, would you? Let's talk about this tonight." He demand, striding off leaving me open mouthed staring after him.

Driving home I was breathing heavily and peeking at him in the corner of my eye while he sat calmly staring out the window with his hands in his pockets.

As soon as the door to the apartment was open I let loose.

"What the hell do you mean you could get expelled!?" I exclaimed throwing my hands into the air.

"It means exactly that." Oh playing dumb I see, well guess what buddy you're about to find out what fire really is!

"Don't play that with me, what the hell happened." I pushed his chest and he took a step back. I was furious. He can't get himself expelled there's too much at risk for him to be stupid like this.

"They're reviewing my inappropriate behaviour." He shrugged, and I noticed his hands hadn't left their pockets almost the whole time since I'd seen him at uni. Not thinking much of it, I returned my attention back to him and his words.

'Inappropriate behaviour'? My mind immediately saw him with an older female professor in some old tacky film with her sitting on her desk with her stocking on display while he gently caresses her knee with a smirk on his face. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Inappropriate behaviour?" I asked, my voice coming out croaky and weak.

He must've seen the panic on my face because he made a move towards me, his hand about to come from his pocket but he stopped himself.

"It was nothing like that-"

"Then what is it? And why have you not taken your hands out of your pockets!?" I snatched at his arm, ya mind it from his pocket to reveal a purple and red bruised and bloody hand much worse than he'd ever had before.