RED [BXB]

THIRTEEN

Mason fell into a sort of routine.

He and Luke messed around regularly now, and each time, it felt better than the last.

But each night, he hurt worse than the previous.

He tried not to let it get the best of him. Believe it or not, Mason felt the self-inflicted torture was a fair price to pay for the bliss he got to experience with the other boy.

Sure, he'd been with other guys before, but it was always secret and tainted and shameful, reeking of poorly-concealed insecurity and repressed desire.

Somehow, someway, Luke had a strange way of making it seem like everything was fine. He was gentle and nurturing, yet strong and playful. He took things slowly, and enjoyed it, so delicate that it seemed he was trying to heal Mason.

And it was working. Luke's presence magically made Mason forget he was supposed to hate himself, even if only for a few hours. He became Mason's safety net, his haven.

Still, his absence seemed to hit harder than it ever had before. It was only after Mason detached himself from Luke's arms to lay in his own bed, that the cogs in his head started whirring. Needles to say, his insomnia kept getting worse and worse.

Quickly, the exhaustion was catching up to him, especially as he almost fell asleep during one of Nicky's obnoxiously loud rants about whatever TV show she was binge-watching that week.

It didn't help that he was there against his will, after being practically dragged to the cafe by Luke who grew tired of Mason constantly bailing on the group to study or catch up on some sleep. For a college student, Mason's social life was honestly laughable.

It didn't help that Zoya kept glaring daggers at him from across the table, having clearly caught on to the indiscreet glances and grazes him and Luke kept giving each other. If Nicky thought they had sexual tension before, her radar must have been going off like crazy by now.

Luke, ever so blunt, was shamelessly flirting with Mason—not like he didn't do that before they started fooling around, only now it made Mason blush madly. Zoya kept digging her nails into Luke's arm, but if he felt it, he paid no mind to her.

Mason couldn't help but think that, for someone in an open relationship, Zoya didn't seem all that open to the idea of him and Luke sleeping together. With a clear conscience, Mason could honestly say it didn't bother him, because Luke was obviously not trying to hide it from her. If she had a problem, she should speak to her boyfriend about it; it was none of Mason's fault nor concern what they did with each other.

"Hey, Marcus," Luke called out suddenly, starting Mason out of the nap he was descending into. "At least try to look interested."

Mason glared at him, but quickly turned to look at Nicky, shooting her an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, Nicky, I'm exhausted."

Smiling like she always did, she waved him off. "I know, babe. The bags under your eyes told me before you did. What, lover boy been keeping you up all night?"

Luke chuckled loudly, partly because of Nicky's joke, but more so due to the crimson blush that rose up to Mason's ears. Zoya pouted, finally releasing Luke's arm and sulking back in her chair.

It was only then that Luke reacted to her, turning to look at her and pinching her cheek. "Aw, don't be jealous, babe."

"I'm not jealous," she grumbled unconvincingly.

Mason turned away from them to offer some privacy, and asked Nicky, "Where's Eric?"

The get-together was hardly the same without his snarky, dry sense of humor, and Mason found himself missing his presence. Nicky pursed her lips, "Sleeping."

Mason groaned, "Lucky him."

"Alright, alright," she conceded. "I'll let you out of your misery. You can go back to your room. But, please, come hang out with us more often. We miss you, yeah?"

Mason smiled genuinely, leaning in to kiss her cheek sweetly. "Yeah, me too. I'll see you soon, promise."

Luke got up from the table as well—that was routine, too. For some reason, every time Mason left, Luke would always go with him.

"Alright, peace out, you guys," he called out, running a little to catch up with Mason, who was already half-way out the door.

They walked in silence, not stopping until they reached their dorm room. The door hadn't even shut properly yet, before Luke was pressing against Mason and gluing their lips together. Mason responded immediately, kissing him back just as eagerly. He let his tongue slip into Luke's warm mouth, growing excited when Luke sucked on it in that way of his.

Mason circled his arms around Luke's waist, picking him up and walking backwards till his knees hit the bed. He laid Luke down on the bed, hovering over him and taking his bottom lip into his mouth.

When they finally pulled away for air, Mason felt his entire world tilt, and he had to bury his head into the crook of Luke's neck to avoid passing out.

"Luke," he started, voice muffled by Luke's skin. "I'd love to continue, but I seriously need to sleep."

The latter chuckled, wrapping his arms around Mason's neck and feeling him relax into him.

Miraculously, for the first time in weeks, Mason fell asleep within seconds, spooned into Luke's chest.

They never slept apart after that.