Apartment No.4

Part 47: Bombshell bang!

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Thanks to Mason's ambiguity I lay awake for the rest of the morning while he was softly snoring beside me.

What the hell was he going to ask me? Possibilities ran through my brain like a tsunami though I had this nagging little thought in the back of my mind that he was asking dads permission to propose to me.

I continuously dismissed the idea before it got the better of me. There's no way he could ask me to marry him, I mean, I'm only 19 and he's nearly 20! Way too young in this day and age where women aren't getting married and having kids til their 40s. Although, we had moved very quickly through our relationship... stop it Ash, think of something else.

Regrettably, what replaced these thoughts did nothing to lessen my anxiety. I still had the image of Dr. Ross's number in my phone and it haunted me. Mason had made it quite clear that he didn't want me or anyone messing in his business but I couldn't think of any way that he would be able to get out of this mess. Ross liked me, that was true enough, but what would I do with that advantage?

The only thing I could think of was manipulating him into talking to the Dean to let Mason off, but how could I do that without Mason finding out?
His heart beating beneath my finger tips didn't have its usual calming effects so I gripped his shirt in my hand which caused him to pull me closer in his sleep.

Mason's alarm went off and he stirred beneath me. Switching it off he stretched his arms above his head before smiling sleepily down at me.
"Morning sweetheart," he grinned as he squinted down at me.

"Good morning, babe." I returned his smile and laughed at his shocked expression.

"I thought you hated pet names." He ruffled my hair pulling it down to my eye. I shook my head to get him off and rested my chin on his shoulder staring up to his bright green eyes.

"I don't when you and only you call me them."

"Do you now?" He questioned playfully, a glint flashing across his eyes. "Well then, baby, there's something important I need to ask you."

My stomach dropped and before I could process what I was doing I was on my feet and searching for a dressing gown.

"Oh yeah, what's up? I completely forgot." I laughed awkwardly paying an unreasonable amount of attention to tying my robe.

"Babe, can you sit down it's kinda important." I looked over at him cautiously and was momentarily distracted by his adorable bed hair sticking up in all directions making in look like a young child.

I stepped slowly over to the the door of the bed and sat cross legged in front of him.

"What is it?" My voice came out a little higher than I expected and I attempted to swallow the lump forming in my throat.

He sighed deeply before beginning.
"I spoke to your dad earlier- that's why I wasn't in bed when you woke up." He looked up at me to check that I was listening and believe me, I was listening alright. "I wanted to speak to you about this earlier cause I thought I noticed something odd but your dad woke me up to have a chat with him."

My breathing had accelerated but I tried my hardest to act as though I wasn't terrified at the prospect of being proposed to. But was I terrified? My breathing said yes but the butterfly flutters of my heart said no.

"Ashley, baby, I know that this will be a shock to hear... but your dad wants to ask Pamela to marry him." He watched me with worry in his eyes. My stomach dropped in disappointment and relief.

"Wait... what?" I blinked trying to clear my head. Did he just say that my dad wants to get married?

"Your dad wants to propose to Pamela. He wanted to have your permission, I guess before he made any big decisions."

I stared at him with a dumb expression on my face.

"But I thought you were- I mean, you were talking to dad about permis- what the hell is going on?" I got up to pace about the room, hands on hips.

"Are you okay?" Mason asked, his brows crinkled in confusion as he raised to his knees to watch my dizzying display of pacing.

"No. Well, yeah. Actually, no. I don't know." I stopped and sat in my desk chair while Mason stared at me like I'd admitted I was actually 43 years old with a husband and kids.

"Did I miss something?"

I didn't reply. I simply kept my eyes on the ground while I processed this knew information.

Mason wasn't going to propose to me. My dad is getting married. Cool. No.

"I've known Pamela almost my whole life." I thought out loud.

"How do you feel about this? Ark you alright with it?" He questioned, concern clear in his voice.

Well I dont know, how would you feel if almost all signs were pointing towards having your boyfriend proposing to you but you tried to calm your overthinking by overthinking everything else, only to have a completely different bombshell dropped on your head? Tell me Mason, how would you feel?

"I think it's good." Lol what? "He's been really lonely and I think Pamela would make him happy. Saves me from having to buy him a dog." I laughed half heartedly. In truth I was slightly happy; dad wouldn't be alone anymore and I would get to dress up for a wedding.

Just then as he opened his mouth to speak again the re was a knock at the door.

"Ashley?" Asked Amy as she slowly poked her head through - to which I didn't miss the slight bulged he if her eyes as her eyes locked on a shirtless Mason. He must've seen this too as he quickly sprang to his feet to pull on a jumper from a chair in my room where he'd dumped his stuff.

"Morning, kid." Mason saluted her on his way to the bathroom before cringing at me as he closed the sliding doors.

"What's up, Amy?" I asked, taking Mason's place on the bed and sitting cross legged, staring at her expectantly.

She was holding her arms behind her back in a secretive and uncomfortable stance, she was also avoiding eye contact with me and I knew for certain something was wrong.

"This is really awkward... could I borrow a tampon?" She asked, grimacing and I laughed softly.

"There's no need to be so uncomfortable," I crossed the room to my toiletries bag. "It's fine, really. I can't tell you how many times I've had to steal Mel's and her mine."

She breathed a sigh of relief as I ruffled through my bag to lull out a fresh box of tampons handing them to her.

"Here, I won't need them I just bring them along just in case." She thanked me still obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation before rushing out of the room.

The sound of Mason coming out the the bathroom startled me slightly and he crept out as though he were a ninja theming to blend into the shadows.

"She gone?" He whispered, searching the room for a hormonal teenager.

"Yes. But I made sure to give her your number."

He grimaced before pulling on some clothes and mumbling in irritation and embarrassment about breakfast.