Page 31 of Beneath the Surface

Just like that, his touch disappears, and he doesn’t try again for the rest of the night.

14

Mason

It’s been two weeks of watching Chase. Of spending time with Lily when she gets home from her shift, letting her decompress and tell me about her day. It feels oddly domesticated, and while I’ve been running from that feeling for years, in this setting, for some reason, it doesn’t bother me. And as the days wear on, I find myself looking forward to the little moments.

I’ve only had one serious relationship. It was with a girl named Olivia, and it was a lifetime ago. Part of my past that I like to keep hidden away, buried deep where not even my subconscious can access it. But lately, it’s been creeping back into the limelight, showing me all of the things I was missing back then. When I thought Olivia was where I’d spend my forever. Because even though I was with her for years, she never made fireworks explode inside my chest with a single look. My stomach never flipped and turned with anticipation, just at the thought of seeing her face, even for a second.

And I almostmarriedher.

Meanwhile, Lily won’t even let me past the friendship stage, and she barely lets me get to that. She constantly reminds me that I’m only helping her out with Chase. That’s true, I am. And like everything else that I’ve been doing since I’ve been here in Raindale, I’ve made a giant mistake.

Because now I fucking love this kid.

He’s smart. And polite as hell. And just… he’s everything that I thought I would have once upon a time.

My heart cinches in my chest.

“What’s that face for?” Lily asks, dropping down on the couch. She sighs, her fingers reaching down to grab the soles of her feet, most likely tired from her day at work.

“Nothing.” I grab her legs and pull them onto my lap, taking over from where she was rubbing. A thrill races through me when she doesn’t put up a fight, and instead leans back against the cushions, groaning as I work the stress from her body.

“Thanks for watching him.” She yawns.

I smile, my thumb pressing into her arch. “You’ve gotta stop thanking me. I told you I’ll do it for as long as you need.”

Her head tilts. “Oh, yeah? You gonna move here and babysit forever?”

I smirk. “I don’t think I can commit to moving here permanently. Not when I can’t even get you to watch a movie with me after Chase goes to sleep.”

She rolls her eyes. “I don’t evenhaveany movies other than a few Disney ones.”

“So you’re saying if youdidhave one, then you would?”

She frowns. “I guess.”

My chest warms. I’ve been trying to get her to relax around me for the past two weeks—ever since she pushed me away when I was two seconds from fucking her against the kitchen counter. “Lucky for you, I brought some.”

She huffs out a laugh. “Of course you did.”

“I wasn’t sure what type of movie buff you were, so I brought options.” I wiggle my brows. “Horror. Rom-com. Action. You pick it, we’ll watch it.”

She bites her lip. “You don’t seem like a rom-com kind of guy, no offense.”

Her leg jerks when my thumb presses against a tender spot. “I mean, I’m definitely offended, but it’s fine.”

She giggles. “Well,I’mnot a rom-com kinda girl, so let’s do action.”

I nod and smile, knowing this is when I should go get the movie. But I don’t move from my spot, afraid that once I do, she won’t let me touch her again.

She watches as my hands work from her feet up to her calves. My heart speeds up, banging against my ribs.

“How come you don’t like rom-coms?” I ask.

“How come youdo?”

I shrug. “Sometimes you need something light. Something ridiculous and fluffy, so you can forget the world is so damn heavy.”

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