Page 60 of Obsessed

“Wait. Please.” Mason put a hand on the top of Rain’s bag and Rain yanked it away, trying to ignore the sting in Mason’s eyes.

“I…I can’t.” Turning his back, Rain moved around the room, gathering a second bag with Mouse’s things. Mason stood off to the side, giving Rain room, but he didn’t stop trying.

“I’ll take it down. I’m sorry. I want to tell you that-”

“I don’t want to hear it, Mason,” Rain stated softly, that detached sensation taking over and helping him not break down as he tried to find Mouse. She somehow knew what was happening and had crammed herself behind the shelving units, darting away when Rain found her. It took almost twenty minutes for him to finally stuff her into the cage and by then he felt like he was sinking into himself, staring out at the world from deep within.

Mason hovered on the edge of Rain’s perception, his face wrecked and full of emotion. In a way, Rain was glad this had happened; if that door hadn’t been left open, then he would’ve gone on feeling foolishly safe here, never knowing about the darkroom wall.

“Rain?Please.” Realizing that he was truly on the verge of walking out, Mason came closer, his hands pressed together, as if in prayer. “Let’s talk. I want-”

“Youwant,” Rain stated, his voice sounding like it came from far away, but it was steely enough to be heard over Mouse’s howling. He shouldered his bags, hefting the cage in one hand. After all this time at Mason’s, he still didn’t have much. Maybe things between them were always meant to be temporary, no matter how much he’d wished for the opposite. “Well, you don’t always get what you want.”

Mason looked like he was about to cry. “Rain-”

“I appreciate you letting me and Mouse stay here. Thank you for that. But whatever this was? It’s over.” Turning away, Rain unlocked the door and stepped outside, Mouse’s cries echoing his distant sadness. “Bye, Mason.”

16

MASON

Masondidn’tpickupa camera for weeks. Sure, he’d missed a day or two since Gran had given him his first DLSR, but he’d never gone this long without snapping a single picture.

He’d always believed that photos could never let him down and that he couldn’t hurt Rain if he tried, but he’d been wrong on both counts, and guilt weighed on him like a lead cloak, leaving him lethargic and despondent. After everything he’d tried to be to Rain, he’d ended up betraying him, violating his peace and privacy, and he’d never forgive himself for that.

Sighing for probably the fifteenth time that hour, Mason stood, cracking his neck and back. The shrine had been more layered than he’d realized and it had taken a long time to pull the monstrosity apart, especially the bottom section which had been stapled into the wall.

Torn and warped Rains were scattered across the floor like shrapnel and Mason couldn’t help but look them over, trying not to cry. Even though he’d vowed to take it all down after Rain had first seen the darkroom, he’d set himself up, avoiding like he always did, and this time it had cost him his muse, the only person he’d ever love.

Cricket, you were a nincompoop.

Watching Rain walk out that door was as painful as losing Gran, and Mason had no one to blame but himself. It didn’t matter that this house had sentimental value because it was empty without RainandMouse, and Mason still caught himself checking around his feet every time he opened the door to upstairs, feeling worse every time he did.

Despite being on silent, Mason’s phone lit up, letting him know that he’d gotten a message, and he couldn’t help but check it, frowning at the screen.

I want the keys to the house in my hands tomorrow. You’re an embarrassment, hanging onto something you don’t deserve. This is your last chance to comply.

Taking a screenshot of his father’s demands, Mason tossed the phone aside, unable to muster enough energy to care. Sitting in the middle of the shrine’s carnage, he put his back against the table, staring at the now-empty wall.

Maybe hewasan embarrassment. He knew that the traumatic bullying had left him with a dislike of most people and spectacular avoidance, but he thought that he’d learned to manage enough to appear somewhat human. Rain had shown him that he was wrong; he needed to level up, not only for love but for life.

Sure, it was nice to have Rain handle things, but he should be able to answer his calls without cringing and do tasks when they needed to be done. Of course, he’d been saying that for as long as he could remember, but Rain and the upcoming exhibition had Mason refocusing, recentering, and no longer wanting to live through his trauma. He’d been letting his bullies hold him back for far too long. While Mason wasn’t a vengeful person, he’d heard that the best revenge was living well and now he finally understood what that meant.

However, a large part of him wanted Gage to be crushed by a falling piano for what he’d done to Rain.

Mason also knew that his life would be a lot easier if his family would leave him alone. Thankfully, he still had that appointment with the lawyer that Liam knew, and it was the first step to getting his parents off his back.

The last thing he wanted to do was slog over there and tell his story to someone who probably wouldn’t take his case but he refused to let his avoidance take over. He’d already lost Rain and Mouse, he didn’t want to lose the house too, and he didn’t want to throw away all of Rain’s effort.

Speaking of which, Mason needed to find the paperwork. While hunting for a new lawyer, Rain had printed out all of the emails and texts from Mason’s family, made copies of any letters, and duplicated the footage from the break-in. He’d also gotten Stanley’s case file after calling several times and citing the law to him verbatim from the internet, compiling it all together in an envelope that was somewhere in this apartment.

Standing, Mason cleaned up the remains of his dismantled shrine and then went on the hunt, checking the main room first. When that came up empty, he headed into the studio, searching through the paperwork on his desk, but all he found were invoices and receipts. Turning, he was about to try the bedroom when Rain’s eyes caught his from across the room. He’d forgotten that he’d printed out a few test photos and the shock of seeing Rain’s larger-than-life portrait had him freezing in place.

As always, Rain’s beauty was undeniable, his bare shoulder hinting that the white robe might slide even lower, his expression barely containing his walled-in fear, and Mason’s heart ached. That particular photo had been taken during their first official session, when things between them were so new, when Rain had never seen the studio before, and Mason wished he could go back to that time or even further into the past, where he’d mind his own business and not sneak into a threesome to take voyeuristic photos.

He didn’t know how to explain the hold Rain had over him, how he wasn’t himself whenever Rain was near, but there was no one left to listen and Mason sighed again, still staring at the picture. A saner person would probably scrap Rain and use other photos, but that would be a betrayal of everything Mason and Rain had shared.

He had to see this through. However, he thought that by now he’d have a theme but all he had was a stack of portraits, most of which had become too personal or seductive to use.

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