Page 29 of Enemies with Benefits
Yeah, it was better that I leave the kid alone and let him have the life he'd had for the past eight years. I didn't need to let my selfish wants get in the way of his happiness. I wouldn't do that to any kid, not even one that I had a sudden urge to know in every way I could. I turned to walk away.
"Hey," I froze at Mason's call, turning to find him staring at me from his spot at the table. Worse yet, Micah had twisted in his seat and was peering at me curiously. Mason gave a jerk of his head. “Why don't you come join us for a second?"
Of all the people to call me over like we were old friends, why did it have to be him, and why did it have to be at one of the moments in my life where I absolutely was not ready to be fucked with? At the same time, what was I going to do, reignite our argument in front of Micah? The kid had seen enough earlier, he certainly didn't need to see more. Especially because in the state I was in, I was likely to go too far and lose my temper completely, and no one needed to see that.
Clearing my throat, I approached them, shoving my hands into my pockets. "What?"
Mason smirked. “Hey, Micah?—"
"What?" the kid asked, turning around.
"Give me a sec, alright?"
"Sure."
Mason stood up and walked over to me, turning so his back was to Micah. “This isn't when he finds out...right?"
"No," I said with a scowl. "And fuck you for thinking so."
"Just checking. People do weird shit when they get big news," he said with a shrug that was more casual than the flicker of...I honestly didn't know what, but it was a flicker of something in his eyes that was quickly batted out of sight. "Just...talk to him. He's a smart kid, which makes him weird, and well, considering his family and his genetics, there's a pretty good chance you'll find it a good weird. Just don't let him get under your skin, kid can say some off the wall shit."
"Why are you even trying to help...helpme?" I asked in confusion and suspicion. Trusting someone like Mason, especially me, reminded me of the story of the scorpion and the frog. If I let my guard down for even a moment and trusted him, I would drown in the river.
"Because," his eyes flicked to Micah over his shoulder, "once upon a time, I would have given anything for my dad to pop back up out of nowhere and be in my life. So...don't fuck it up, or him up for that matter. Otherwise, you'll learn real fast that everything back in high school that I did to you really was child's play."
He gave me a meaningful look before turning to look at Micah. “Keep my buddy here occupied while I go make sure things haven't exploded at the bar since I left his buddy alone, alright?"
Micah sighed. “You think he's cute, don't you?"
"Who? Him?" Mason asked, looking at me with such surprise and indignation that, despite my hatred of him, I couldn't help but feel offended. I mean, sure, I didn't want a guy to hit on me, especiallyMason,but damn, I wasn't that bad a choice.
"No," Micah said with a roll of his eyes so disdainful that it could only have come from Moira. "His friend...Kayden."
"Oh, well,yeah," Mason said with a snort that clearly said that should have been self-evident to anyone with a brain. "The guy's cute. But you know, not interested because narrow taste and all that."
"It's not narrow," I grumbled, feeling like my own sexuality was under attack.
"Mmm, sure," Mason said and then looked back at Micah. "Try not to terrorize him while I'm gone, alright? Well, not too much anyway."
"I don't terrorize," Micah told him with a scowl, and I felt like reality took a moment to head off at an odd angle. It was like looking in a mirror into the past, the scowl, all the way down to the annoyed tone, could have been me at that age if I’d dared to show that kind of emotion around adults. By his age, I’d learned the hard way that you couldn't trust an adult you did that to. They scolded you for being rude or used their fist to show you how much they disliked it.
"Sure you don't," Mason said, tousling Micah's hair. "I'll be back."
The man gave me another serious, meaningful look, and I repressed the urge to flip him off as he left. Sure, he was a dick for assuming I was going to do anything to upset or hurt a child. On the other hand, Moira had been quite clear about his relationship with Micah. I could remember just how protective Mason had been of his siblings when they were younger; he was probably even worse when it came to his nephew. So, he was still a dick, but at least in this one case, I could forgive him.
It took me a moment to realize I’d been staring at the floor, lost in thought, rather than engaging with Micah. I picked my head up and blinked when I found the boy staring at me intensely. He might have my color eyes, but the way he used them to stare someone down and give them the feeling that he was reading their mind was all his mother...and some of his maternal grandmother, now that I thought about it. I'd met Mason and Moira's mother a few times in the past. While she had been nice and patient, there was always an air about her that said she knew something I'd rather she didn't, even if she knew it, understood it, and held it without judgment in her mind.
"Uh, hi," I said, awkwardly sidling over to grab the back of the chair opposite Micah. "You, uh...mind if I take this?"
Micah shrugged, and I took that as a no and pulled the chair out. From there, I could see him straight on and pay attention. Sure, to me, he was pretty small, but I'd seen enough kids in my life to know that for an eight-year-old, he was actually a pretty good size. That made sense because my family had always produced big men on both sides, and if Mason was evidence, Moira's family wasn't exactly popping out small people either. He was probably going to grow up to be tall, but only time would tell whether he would end up weedy and tall or broad and tall.
This close, I could also see I’d been right about him getting my looks, for the most part. Some parts were more like his mother. Of course, because he was a boy, some of his looks presented more like...ugh, his uncle. His eyebrows, while not thin, were strangely thicker toward the center, but faded toward the outside. He had the high cheekbones of his mother, but I would bet when he lost the baby fat, they'd look less like his regal mother's and more like his more...eh, I guess roguish would be the word, uncle. Well, the kid had lots of serious expressions, which he was doomed to have considering his parents.
Micah scrunched his nose. “You're weird."
I blinked, leaning back and snorting. “Wow, just...gonna throw that out there, are you?"
"What?” he asked, sounding slightly defensive. "You're the one staring at me."
