Page 119 of Please Save Me

So, even Mason, who’d constructed a living out of her own personal hell, found something about her job to enjoy… but I couldn’t.

“If you didn’t like it… Would you still do it?” The question slipped before I could think better of it, and a sick feeling infested my stomach.

Mason went stiff as a statue as she watched me. “Do you not like your job anymore?”

“I–No. What? Of course not.” I waved her off with a fake laugh.

Her discordant gaze pierced through me like a rapier, skewering my heart as her lips clenched into a look of pity.

“If you don’t like your job, you can quit,” she offered. “I make enough to support us.”

The sincerity in her tone made my chest tighten as I mulled over the thought. I was fairly certain that I’d completed the years required for my boss not to turn me in for murdering Mason’s mom. But… What would I do without my job? That would result in a lot of downtime, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to rest with idle thoughts for that long. Plus, Mason was potentially in danger, so until a more pressing issue arose, being jobless wasn’t an option.

Sure… I’d thought about asking my brother for a piercing apprenticeship, but that very thought felt like an insult to my intelligence.

“I’ll think about it,” I mumbled.

Her lips parted as if to argue with me, but before she could, Cameron returned with a slushie in one hand and a bag of snacks in the other.

“You never told me what’cha wanted,” he said, passing both to Mason before hoisting himself into the truck.

The vehicle seemed to sink under his weight as he settled into the driver’s seat.

“I wanted to see what you’d surprise me with.” Mason’s teeth glistened in the light.

Cameron shook his head. “Well, the chips with cheese, slushie, and gummy sharks are yours.”

Mason inched close enough to rest her hand on his cheeks, and Cameron grabbed her by the palm before kissing her wrist.

“You know me so well.” Love dripped from Mason’s tone, and my stomach twisted.

“I’m a good listener.” Cameron responded the same way.

Astrangemagnetic sensation prickled across my skin, and I wanted nothing more than to bebetweenthem. But I wasn’t allowed to feel that way toward Cameron. He was too far beneath me, so I decided to believe the feelings I harbored toward him were misplaced. Instead, it was the love I felt for Mason bleeding onto him. Still, I wasn’t ready for this night to end, to just go home and pretend tonight didn’t happen. So, instead of letting Cameron drive home, I proposed a different idea.

“Hey… Why don’t we go look at the stars for a bit?”

Chapter 37

Cameron

After Mason’s day today, she deserved a date. That’s why I didn’t argue when Seb suggested staying out a little later, especially because stargazing was something I was prepared for.

I always kept a blanket or two in the back of my truck. It was always better to be prepared, even if it was overly so.

Once the bed of my truck was covered, Sebastian helped Mason up, and I poked fun at him for spoiling her. Not like I’d have done any different. Something about her screamed to be spoiled within an inch of being rotten. That being said, I wasn’t sure Mason could be rotten if she wanted to.

She was just too gentle, too sweet. She’d held a lot on her shoulders for too damn long, and between Seb and I, I was sure she’d never be forced to do heavy lifting ever again.

Once we all got settled, Mason laid between Seb and I. And I was glad. Part of me feared that if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t be able tostopmyself from doing something that’d possibly turn the tides of mine and Sebastian’s relationship forever.

She leaned up against the back of my truck with a blanket on her lap and her plastic container of chips perched precariously on her belly. As her gaze pinned on the sky, her eyes served as a mirror for its brilliance.

The darker one matched the sky, and the lighter one the moon. Slowly, she picked up a chip, and extra cheese dripped back into a container before she popped it between her lips. She chewed thoughtfully, and Sebastian watched her as if she was the only thing to ever exist.

She deserved someone who loved her like that. But, as I watched him, I worried that he’d catch me staring. So, instead of making this awkward, I cleared my throat and rooted through the plastic bag beside me.

“Seb, heads up.”

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