Page 10 of Love Me Ever After
“I was planning on cooking pasta carbonara for dinner. Would you like some?”
His eyebrows raised. “Um, yeah. That would be nice. Thanks.” He plucked at his t-shirt, giving me a glimpse of his toned stomach. “I’ll go and get a quick shower first.”
He headed upstairs, which was good, I could breathe again.
I went into the kitchen and started on the simple carbonara recipe, a ten-minute effort courtesy of Jamie Oliver. I’d cooked it for us when we were together, the memory of which I hoped would make Mason open to a conversation. Realistically, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to achieve from it, but anything had to be better than us avoiding each other. Humming quietly to myself, I boiled the kettle for the pasta. I chucked the other ingredients into a pan and started cooking.
Lost in concentration, I didn’t notice Mason return. He placed his laptop on the kitchen table and cleared his throat. “Did you want a glass of wine? I’m going to get a beer.”
“Please. There’s an open bottle in the fridge. Can you get the parmesan out too?” I glanced over at his laptop. “Have you got work to do tonight?”
“Nope. Video calling a… friend after dinner.” His hesitation over the word ‘friend’ set my mind into overdrive. Friend? Female I could guess. God-damnit, why was I making us carbonara like some sort of fool. He busied himself pouring me a large glass of white wine and taking the top off a bottle of beer, and I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Someone from New York?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light. It would be afternoon there by the time we finished dinner.
“Yeah. A work thing.” He set the drinks on the table. “Shall I get some bowls and forks?”
I pointed to one of the cupboards. We tended to share a lot of the kitchen stuff, buying cheap generic plates and bowls from the supermarket, then whoever broke one had to replace it. It turned out to be so much easier than arguing about whose crockery it was, plus if anyone moved out, there was no need to take it with them.
“How was your day?” Mason asked as I dished up. “I heard the Lane & Parks summer bash is at the Ealynn Marina this year.”
I placed the bowls on the table, opposite each other, and we sat down. “That’s right. I didn’t see your name on the accommodation list though?” Without meeting his eyes, I grated some cheese over my pasta.
He let out a laugh. “Wouldn’t need it living here, would I?”
“Ah, but I thought these conferences gave you every opportunity to stay up all night and drink before crashing out for a couple of hours before the next presentation?” That had certainly been Mason’s way of operating when he’d had to attend these things when we’d been together.
He cocked his head. “Yeah, true. Maybe being away has made me grow up.” He snorted. “Who am I kidding? I’ll probably still do that and crash in one of my mates’ rooms.”
“I can add you to the list if you’d prefer?” I swallowed down a mouthful of pasta and took a swig of my wine.
“Nah. Janine would kill me if she thought I was getting preferential treatment. I can’t let you get into trouble because of me.” Mason gulped down some beer. “Thank you, though.”
“If you’re sure?”
“Yeah, let’s leave it as it is.”
I nodded in agreement and silence descended over the table as we both tucked into the pasta. Without any background noise such as the TV or any music, the peace was almost deafening.
“This is nice.” Mason waved his fork between the two of us. “Bit like old times.”
I couldn’t deny it. I’d been thinking the exact same thing myself.
5
Mason
Itwaslike old times.Almost as if the last eighteen months hadn’t happened. But they had and things were different between me and Ems now. This past week had been weird, I couldn’t deny that. After catching Ems in the kitchen in her lacy underwear last Saturday night, she hadn’t been far from my thoughts. I wasn’t prepared to admit that to her though.
“What are you up to this weekend?” she asked, finishing the last of her food and pushing her bowl away.
“Don’t know. Probably get some more time in at the gym. Maybe catch up with Luke or Fraser for a couple of beers. How about you?” I mirrored her actions, then leaned back in my chair.
She bit her lip but then chuckled softly. “I have a rare weekend off. If you see me getting off the sofa it will be a miracle.”
“Ah, so you’re planning on coming out of your room then.” I flashed her a half-smile, to let her know I’d noticed her avoidance tactics. “Will you go out with Sara?”
Ems picked up our two bowls, then stood up, ready to take them to the sink. “Doubt it. I think she’s with her boyfriend all weekend,” she paused, “good thing you’re here really, otherwise I’d get lonely.”
