Chapter 16

Ash

I knew what Eva was trying to do all through dinner, and it made sense. I obviously didn’t fit in, but she didn’t have to be such a bitch about it. I’d drunk a little too much wine at dinner, so I decided to excuse myself to go to the bathroom to gather my composure.

I didn’t want to pull away from Mason’s arms, but I figured maybe I could come back and whisper in his ear for us to go somewhere private. I had to admit that being close to him like that all night was wreaking havoc on my body, and the only thing I could think about was the body underneath his tux and the things I knew it could do to me.

When I left the bathroom and entered the ballroom, I saw something I hadn’t expected to see.

Mason had his arms around Eva, and they were dancing together closely. Their bodies were swaying back and forth to the slow, somber rhythm of the music that was playing, and I couldn't help but realize how natural it seemed for the two of them to be together.

She wasn’t as short as me, and the fabric of her dress rustled around her thin body. They looked like every other couple in the ballroom. There was no blue hair, no cheap makeup, and no quirky jewelry. There was just the two of them, wrapped in each other’s arms while they talked lowly to one another.

It just looked right for them to be together. I was no less of a person than anyone in this ballroom, but I had to admit that putting me next to Mason was the last thing anyone in this room would do. Mason was tall, classy, strong, and incredibly handsome. I was short, stocky, down to earth, and knew nothing about many of the topics that had been discussed throughout the evening.

Looking out over the sea of individuals in the ballroom, I could see the massive divide between them and myself. The rich world that Mason inhabited was sorely different than the world I’d grown up in. Crossing that divide would be a difficult task if we wanted to be together.

I had seen the way people had looked at me when I’d come in, and I’d seen how they had bypassed me entirely during conversations in an attempt to talk only to Mason. I’d heard mentions of his mother, but she never had come up to introduce herself, which told me she probably didn’t even want to be seen with someone who looked like me.

Someone with bright blue hair and red matte lipstick.

I stood there and watched them talk, and I noticed how closely Eva put her lips to Mason’s ear. I watched how she slowly stepped closer to his body, and I saw that he made no move to push her away. With the type of lifestyle Mason grew up with, I would not expect him to push anyone away, much less a woman, but it would have been nice to see him at least attempt to keep her at arm’s length.

I slowly weaved myself around the ballroom. Eva’s eyes raised to connect to mine before her finger slid down Mason’s body one last time. It was very obvious that she found him attractive, and I could understand why. Any woman who laid eyes on Mason would find him hot and beautiful, but the blatant show of it while he had another woman on his arm left a bad taste in my mouth.

“Hey there,” I said, smiling lightly as I stepped up to Mason.

“Hey,” he murmured.

His eyes lingered on Eva before they turned to me, and my stomach slowly drop to my knees while they did so. Did he want more time with her? Had she said something he liked? Should I just go home and leave him be?

“Wanna dance a little more, or are you ready to head out?” I asked.

He mindlessly wrapped his arm around me, and the dancing suddenly lost its flavor. There was no longer a smoothness to his step, and he made no effort to pull my body any closer than I pushed myself. I tried to make mindless conversation with him in an attempt to figure out what him and Eva had talked about, but when he refused to open up about it, I dropped it altogether.

“I’m feeling a bit tired, honestly,” I said. “Want to get out of here and go get some coffee or something?”

Without another word, he grabbed my hand, and we quickly made our way to the door. When we stepped outside, we found the wind had picked up, and I started shivering. It was the first time since I’d returned from the bathroom that Mason had instinctively pulled me close. Something in my gut told me to savor the moment and commit it to memory, so I closed my eyes while the limo was being found so we could go wherever we wished.

“Mason, are you all right?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

He opened the limo door for me, and I slid in, but when the driver asked Mason where we were going, he rattled off my home address. He was staring out the window, and I was sitting on the opposite end of the seat. I had to take a few deep breaths in order to keep my tears at bay. Something had happened with him and Eva, and whatever it was had ruined any chance I had at spending more time with him tonight.

But I figured I could try to at least attempt conversation.

“That food was incredible tonight,” I said.

“It was.”

“And the D.J. for the dinner was on point.”

“He was.”

“She,” I corrected.

“Huh?”

“The D.J. was a woman,” I said.

“Oh. Yeah. Yeah, she was.”

“Mason?” I asked.

“Yep?”

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

“Did something happen with you and Eva? Did she say something to you or anything?”

“Nah. She was just being a snob.”

“Anything I can do to help?” I asked.

“You’re good.”

I kept wondering what he was thinking and wishing he would open up and talk to me. The light conversation I tried, he shot down with little more than singular words and grunts. So eventually I just gave up. I looked out the window and watched the scenery roll by. I wondered if the night would have gone any differently had I insisted we not stay after the dinner. After all, when he first picked me up, he told me that whenever I wanted to leave, we could go.

I found myself wishing we would have left before the dancing.

The ride in the limo back home was tense, and even though I wanted to reach my hand out and lay it on his knee, something told me it wasn’t the right time. It took everything I had to choke back tears due to the ruined night. I knew the moment I hit my bedroom, my eyeliner and mascara would run with the tears of my disappointment.

Then an idea struck me, and I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could salvage the evening for both of us.

The limo finally pulled up outside my apartment, and it came to a complete stop before I shifted in the seat. I looked over at Mason and studied his profile, and I could tell there was a lot running through his mind. I knew how that felt because it had been happening to me all night. All I wanted to do was make him feel better.

Distract his mind. Make him smile.

“Would you like to come in?” I asked. “I’ve got snacks and some sodas. We could just kick back on the sofa and relax, or maybe venture back into my bedroom.”

I crept my hand along his knee, trying to intertwine our fingers, but when I finally got to his wrist, he pulled his hand away.

“I don’t want to disturb Frank tonight,” he mumbled.

“Oh, Frank won’t be an issue,” I said.

“Ash, Frank’s always an issue. Not a problem, mind you, but an issue nonetheless.”

“Oh, okay.”

Eva had definitely said something to him while they were dancing, and I grew angry at her for ruining the evening I was supposed to have had with Mason. I knew Mason: he was smart, funny, charming, and witty. Our conversations were always full of banter and sexual innuendos, and our evenings always ended with us somehow playing out the innuendos we had inserted throughout the evening. Whatever had traversed between the two of them was obviously getting to Mason, and I wanted him so desperately to be able to talk to me.

But honestly? As I sat there in the back of the limo and studied Mason looking out the window, I realized we didn't have much in common. He came from a completely different lifestyle, and by the way he lived his life, it seemed as if he didn't have to work. He had been born into wealth, would die with wealth, and was expected to meet certain standards in regard to his looks, the way he held himself, and the people he surrounded himself with.

I had little more than lint and lipstick in my pocket and nothing to offer him in terms of money, family, or connections. I had no friends who would do him any good, no stories about places I had traveled to because I'd never traveled anywhere in my life, and I would live paycheck to paycheck for the rest of my life.

As far as I knew, we didn't enjoy any of the same television shows, any of the same music, any of the same hobbies, or any of the same entertainment. We’d banter back and forth, have incredible and dynamic sex, and then we would go our separate ways with smiles on our faces and orgasms still ricocheting throughout our bodies.

Was dynamic sex and witty banter enough to build an actual relationship on?

Honestly, I hoped it was.

“I’ll walk you to your door,” Mason finally said.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Just go home and get some rest.”

For the first time that evening, he turned his gaze to me, and there was something incredibly hurt and confused behind his eyes. Part of me wanted to tell the driver to keep going so I could force him to talk, but part of me got the impression that all he wanted to do was be alone right now.

Or maybe go see Winston.

Whatever the case, he didn't want to be around me, and that was the point.

“Have a good night, Mason,” I forced out.

I walked into my apartment before Mason had a chance to come after me, and when I shut my apartment door, I locked it twice over. I didn't want anyone barging into the apartment, and that included Mason, because there were many things I needed to sort out in my head. The night had been perfect until we had come across that woman, and to me, it seemed like she had solidified in his mind’s eye how different the two of us were. I knew Mason would never actually talk to me about it. I mean, all we were really doing was having drinks and fucking, right?

But I really liked being around him, and I really did want the chance to talk to him and get to know him and not just the body he inhabited.

What the fuck was going on? What the hell had happened tonight?