Chapter 6
Ava
I had finished up my Tuesday final in record time and was glad to be done with that class. I only had a couple more to go before the semester was over and spring break started. I had some gigs lined up over the holiday but was mostly planning on relaxing and getting a head start on next semester’s classes. I headed over to the coffee shop by campus to meet up with Blair. She still didn’t know what had happened with Mason.
“How was your final?”
“Easy.” I sighed. “You know, the normal.”
“For you.” Her short laugh died when she caught the somber look on my face. “What’s up?”
“At the gig at the mattress shop, something happened,” I said. “I was modeling, and Mason came straight up to me and kissed me.”
“Wait. What?” she said, shaking her head. “Mason York?”
“Yeah,” I scoffed. “Mason freaking York.”
“Wait. I’m so confused,” she said. “I thought everything went fine at the gig.”
“I just didn’t feel like talking about it,” I said. “I went straight to my mom’s afterward and told her everything that happened. She was shocked, of course, but was able to talk me out of my sheer panic.”
“Ava, you should have called me,” Blair said. “I would have come and kicked his rich little ass for you. No one messes with my best friend, and especially not when she’s in the middle of working.”
I chuckled. “I appreciate it. But I think a brawl between my ex and my best friend might have made the situation worse.”
“Everything is better with a nut punch,” Blair said.
“Those are very wise words.” I laughed, and it felt good to find some amusement in the situation. “But still, not something I want to happen at a gig. Not if I want other gigs in the future.”
“True,” Blair said. “So, beyond the shock and embarrassment, how do you feel about it?”
“Pissed,” I said. “Pissed that he made me miss out on five hundred bucks. The rest was anger and disbelief, but after I saw my mom, that calmed down a bit, I guess.”
“I just don’t understand who he thinks he is,” Blair said, shaking her head. “I mean, who does that?”
“Those were my thoughts,” I said. “Is the York family that out of control that they don’t know right from wrong? I mean, no one knew the details, except maybe the photographer who was talking to him afterward, but it was still absolutely mortifying.”
“I don’t know how you got through the rest of the gig.” Blair shook her head in disbelief. “And why did you lose out on five hundred bucks?”
“Oh, I didn’t stay the rest of the gig,” I said. “As soon as I realized what was going on, I ran off into the back. I told the manager I wasn’t feeling well.”
“Was he pissed?”
“No. Actually, he was really understanding and sweet,” I said. “I’m hoping he calls me next time they do that. It’s really good money outside an agency booking me. Because I was leaving an hour early, though, he only paid me fifteen hundred instead of two grand. It still covers my tuition balance, but I could have used that extra money for my parents.”
“Who couldn’t use an extra five hundred dollars?” She laughed. “Explain to me how this happened. I mean, didn’t you see him leaning in for a kiss? How did he end up on the bed with you in the first place? I think I’m going to need to hire you security because this shit is getting insane.”
“I know, right? I have to have bodyguards to keep men from kissing me. Never thought that would be an issue. As far as Mason ending up in my space, I have no idea how it happened. One minute I was modeling, taking photos, and the next, he had crawled up on the bed and his lips were pressed against mine. He seriously came out of nowhere.”
My mind drifted back to his lips pressed against mine, and heat rose in my stomach. I should have known right away it was him. He still kissed like he did when we had sex the first time. I guessed, though, I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t thinking Mason would come into the Fifth Street mattress store and jump on the bed with me. I shook the thoughts from my head and came back to the conversation, not liking how it made me feel. I needed to hate him, not lust after him.
“That is so weird,” Blair said. “I would have clobbered him right there in the middle of the store.”
“I did get a slap in, but only after I realized what was going on,” I said.
“So why didn’t you push him away?” she asked. “It sounds like he got a good piece of time there with his mouth on yours.”
That was a really good question, and I wasn’t quite sure how to answer it. In a way, I really hadn’t wanted to push the guy away. On the other hand, everything was so crazy in my head, I still was having a hard time thinking clearly. It was so infuriating that he was having this effect on me.
“At first I thought he was another model,” I said. “I thought it was part of the pictures, so I kind of just went with it. I thought it would be a quick kiss and that was it.”
“And when it wasn’t?” she said, pulling up one eyebrow.
“Honestly? God, I don’t know. The kiss was, frankly, fucking amazing,” I said. “It was like I was being drawn into this person and everything around us faded away for a few moments. I hadn’t felt that in a really long time, so I guess I just went with it. It wasn’t until the photographer started yelling at the two of us that I pulled away. I slapped him immediately, and that was when I realized who he was, and I felt completely mortified. I was mortified because it was him and because I had lost myself for a moment in the kiss.”
“Wow,” Blair said. “Sounds like this guy is a good kisser.”
“I don’t know what it was, but now that I think about it, it was very familiar,” I said.
“Maybe that’s why you let go. I mean, it’s not like you’re out there getting laid every day,” she said. “Maybe just feeling something familiar like that temporarily fogged your brain. You have to admit, it felt good to let go, even if it was for a minute.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed. “Until I pulled back and realized it was my slimeball ex-boyfriend.”
“Who knows, maybe he did you a favor,” she said. “Maybe it will open up some sort of freedom inside you. You’re one of the most uptight people I know, and you need to let your hair down every once in a while.”
“I have too many things to accomplish to do that,” I said.
“It had to make you feel something,” she said. “Did it bring any old emotions to the surface?”
“Yeah, it did,” I said.
“That’s excellent,” Blair said, leaning forward. “What do you feel?”
“Loathing, hatred, disgust—you know, all the things I’ve felt all along.” I laughed at the look on her face. “Only this time it was a reminder of how much I can’t stand Mason York or his damn family.”
“Well, that is disappointing. You about ready to head back to your place for some more studying?”
“I sure am,” I said. “And a little human-interest law will get my mind off that bozo.”
“You are hopeless.” Blair picked up her things.
We headed back to my apartment and set up all our stuff in the living room. I grabbed us both a beer, and we went to work, preparing for the next day’s finals. I set everything up how I liked it and started to take notes. However, after about three minutes of staring at the words but not comprehending them, I leaned back against the couch. Visions of Mason were flying through my head, making it impossible for me to concentrate. I could remember being a teenager, thinking I was so in love, running around the city hand in hand with Mason. We saw all the sights over and over again, holding tightly to one another, thinking that was what forever felt like. In my mind, I could still see the first time we had sex. It had been sensual, passionate, and, at the time, I had really thought Mason loved me. My heart broke the day my parents told me what had happened, and not just for them, but for myself too. I knew I had been duped by Mason and that his love ended when it came to standing up to his father. I felt like everything was my fault, and that feeling had fueled me for the last ten years.
***
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