Page 69 of Obsessed

Rain instinctively turned to him, his gaze weighted with wonder.

“I thought…” he stopped and took a breath. “Thesepictures?”

Mason gathered whatever bravery he had because it was now or never. “It’s how I see you. How I’ve always seen you.”

A squeal sounded to their right and out of the corner of his eye, Mason saw Liam slap a hand over Ollie’s mouth and drag him off. Not wanting to do this in front of everyone, Mason tilted his head toward the back. “Can we talk?”

“Right now?” Rain’s brows were pinched with worry. “You probably shouldn’t leave-”

“Use the studio,” Dolores interrupted, sauntering over and handing Mason a set of keys. She must’ve seen the emotion on his face and knew that this was important. “First door on the left. I’ll hold the fort.”

Giving her another nod that saidthank you,Mason led Rain away; luckily, it didn’t take them long to escape the crowd. Easily finding the studio, Mason unlocked it after a few tries, opening the door and stopping in shock before letting out a huff.

The room had a ton of equipment piled up in the corner but the rest was clear, and they must’ve come in after a shoot because while the cameras had been put away, the backdrop was still up, and they both stared at a garden at night, complete with a weeping willow that shone silver under a large full moon. Mason saw it as a good sign.

“It’s like talking in your yard,” Rain said as Mason locked the door behind them.

They faced each other and Mason drank his fill, taking Rain in. Wearing the stunningly distracting white suit from their last shoot, Rain would’ve had all eyes on him even if he hadn’t been staring at his photographic reflection, and Mason couldn’t look away. He’d wanted many things in his life - for his grandmother to live for another decade, for his career to soar, for his family to leave him alone, but right now he wanted Rain with an intensity he’d never felt before.

That chance he’d been hoping for? It had just fallen into his lap and there wouldn’t be another.

Clearing his throat, Mason took charge.

“Hi.” It wasn’t the best start but at least he’d gotten the ball rolling.

“Hi,” Rain said back, softly. While not awkward, the air felt charged, the current between them filling the space.

“You look nice.” While it was a simple statement, Mason put everything he could into his gaze, trying to emote as much as possible because even though Rain always read Mason like a book, he needed more, and Mason wanted to show him that he was willing to give him not just more, but everything.

“You too.” Rain looked him up and down, his stormy gaze heavy with emotion. “I’ve never seen you in a suit.”

“It was Gran’s favorite. She bought it for me.” He reached out, palms open and Rain stared at them in shock before gingerly placing his hands in Mason’s. For a second, Mason thought he would burst with hopeful joy and he soaked his voice in it, tearing down whatever walls he could. “I’m happy you came.”

Rain’s eyebrows twitched, rising a bit and a grin teased his lips. “I let Ollie and Liam think that they’re matchmakers but I wanted to see you again.”

That was another good sign; Mason had been sure that Rain was still disgusted with him. “I wanted to see you too. I tried to call you-”

“You did?” Eyes wide, Rain leaned closer. “When?”

“Two weeks ago.” Mason didn’t like how Rain cringed, scrunching his gorgeous face.

“That’s when I changed my number.”

“It’s fine. You’re here now.” Mason gently squeezed Rain’s hands, waiting until his features relaxed. “I’d like to elaborate about the…the photos. And the shrine.”

“It’s a shrine?” Rain’s shoulders rose and fell in a strange chuckle, and although his gaze said that he was no longer angry, hurt still lurked in there. Mason needed to fix that.

“I took it down.” Mason wanted to be crystal clear that he took Rain’s concerns seriously, but for some reason Rain seemed disappointed. This wasn’t going according to plan; what was he doing wrong?

Just speak from the heart, Cricket.

Breathing in deeply, Mason recalibrated, organizing his thoughts. He’d always been so focused on photos, on what the eye could see, that words had never been important to him; however, right now they were a direct link to his happiness.

So, whatever he said next? It needed to be perfect.

“I saw you at the mall last year.” It made him sound like a stalker but Mason barreled forward, laying himself bare. “You looked like you didn’t belong there, like an elfin prince who stepped out of a fantasy book or a video game.”

Rain straightened, blinking up at Mason. “An elfin prince?” Pink bloomed along his cheekbones.

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