Page 42 of Anchored Love
Mason
Reality Check Ahead … Beware
After dropping Everly offand seeing her safely inside, the cab dropped me in front of my building. I paid the fare and got inside, out of the cold. My body hadn’t acclimated yet, and I found myself craving the sunshine and warmth from the cruise.
I lugged my stuff into the elevator and hit the button for the fifth floor. I didn’t even want to think about the amount of mail and work that would be waiting for me come morning. The elevator dinged, and the door opened. I dragged myself to my door and dug my keys out of my pocket. The hall light buzzed overhead. It was the first time I’d been alone in a week.
I thought I’d welcome the quiet, but already I missed Everly. I had gotten accustomed to spending every waking moment with the woman. Unlocking the door, I pushed it open. My apartment smelled stale, but at least it was warm. I dropped my keys on the kitchen counter and kicked my shoes off. It did feel good to be home, but a lonely sensation crept up on me faster than I expected it to. My place was too damn quiet. I flipped the TV on; though, I had no intentions of watching it. I needed the sound to fill some of the void I was experiencing after being surrounded by people and noise all week.
I left my bags in the foyer. I’d deal with them tomorrow after work. I had a two-bedroom apartment, but I lived on my own. I’d had a roommate, but Mike had accepted a job in California and had been moved out for nearly a year. I had thought about taking on another roomie, but I often thought about letting the apartment go and getting a house. I wasn’t getting any younger, and I wanted to settle down.
Drake wasn’t the first of my friends to get married and start a family.
I trudged into the bathroom to take a leak in my own toilet and get ready for bed. The one thing I wouldn’t miss about the ship was the small shower, but as I stared at the empty sink I missed seeing all of Everly’s girly shit spread out all over the place. I stripped to my underwear and tossed my dirty shit in the hamper.
I desperately needed a shower, but it could wait till morning. I climbed into my king-sized bed and stared at the other side, wishing that Everly was in it with me; which was crazy. We’d spent a week together.
We weren’t even dating. I glanced at the clock and wondered if she was awake and if she missed me too. My cell phone was plugged in and laying on my nightstand. I glanced at the battery percentage and found my fingers scrolling through my contacts until I reached her name.
I set her picture to one I had snapped of her wearing that sexier than sin red string bikini she had borrowed from Jess. I’d captured the perfect shot of her kicked back on one of the deck loungers getting her sun on. Her skin glistened, and her ocean eyes sparkled as she smiled. Her tits on display.
I shot off a quick text.
Mason: Hey, not sure if you’re still awake, but I was laying here and thinking about you. I don’t know where you stand, but I wanted you to know I had a great time with you on the cruise, and I wondered if you’d want to grab dinner one night this week after work or something?
I watched the bubbles move across the screen then stop. Fuck.
I started to type something else, but then they started to move again, so I waited before I made an even bigger ass of myself. Just because we’d had sex didn’t mean she wanted more.
Everly: I’m still awake, and I confess that the other side of my bed looks and feels a little too empty without you in it. Dinner would be good, but I’m not sure it’d be the best idea. You’re practically considered my boss, as far as the chain of command goes in the office. I know you’ve worked so damn hard to get to where you are. I would never want to jeopardize that for you. If anyone even knew you were on that cruise with me it’d probably be an issue and called fraternization.
My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach, and my ego went sailing through my apartment like a deflating balloon as I read her text. I didn’t know what to say back to her. So I fired off the first thing that came to mind.
Mason: Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure it’s for the best, and hey, we have some great memories, Ev. I won’t keep you up any longer. We both need our sleep. I’m sure I’ll see you around at the office.
I didn’t even bother to see if she was going to reply. I was hurt and wallowing in my own self-pity.
The next day when I returned to work, I wasn’t prepared for Everly to hardly glance my way like we hadn’t spent the week together. Like we hadn’t had the greatest sex of my life. Like she wasn’t the woman I’d buried myself balls deep inside of her sweet pussy bareback.
I wasn’t sure if she was avoiding me because she had regrets about it all, or if maybe it was easier for her to pretend nothing had happened between us, but everything changed for me the moment I kissed her.
No matter what I did to distract myself, memories of the cruise pushed their way to the front of my mind. She was all I could think about. Her gorgeous curves. The way she smiled at me when she didn’t realize I was watching. The way she felt in my arms the first time we kissed. The taste of her lips. The feel of her body fit perfectly against mine.
It all came rushing back, and I didn’t want to give it up. I didn’t want to give Everly up, but what choice did I have? She made her feelings pretty damn clear in her text. She didn’t want to pursue a relationship with me. I wasn’t worth the risk for her, which fucking sucked because for her I wanted to risk it all. I wanted to be all in. She made me think about the future and what I really wanted. It took two to make it work, and I couldn’t do it on my own.
By day two I couldn’t focus on my work. It was eating at me, not being with her. I had to do something, but I wasn’t sure what. I needed a plan. Samantha was her best friend. I called her into my office.
“I need your help.”
“Okay… What can I do for you, boss man?” She sank into the chair across from my desk, eyeing me suspiciously. I didn’t blame her. I had no idea what Everly had told her, if she had told her anything at all, but she did know that I’d gone on the cruise; hell, she instigated the whole thing.
“Everly.”
“What about her?”
“I’m in love with your best friend, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Her jaw dropped. She closed her mouth, then opened it again. “Does she know this?”
