Page 155 of Gin and Lava

Naomi:No.

Mason:Right. She’s your best friend. She loves you. She supports you. She wants to see you succeed. That’s what people who care about you are supposed to do.

My throat tightens.

People who care about you …

People who love you …

Are we talking about my jewelry or something else?

Naomi:Mason, I …

Mason:The site was supposed to be a surprise. Before I messed everything up. And honestly, everything between us doesn’t matter when it comes to this. Follow your dreams or abandon them. Your choice.

That’s a punch to the gut.

Naomi:What if I’m not ready.

Mason:Then you’re not ready, Princess. When are any of us ready for the hard things life throws at us?

I tilt my head up into the rain, taking its wild beating.

Mason:I definitely wasn’t ready for you, and I wouldn’t give up any of it. Evenif I fucked it all up.

My heart squeezes. How is Mason so unafraid? How can he put himself out there and weather failure so perfectly?

Naomi:Mason, you didn’t fuck it all up. I just …

Mason:It’s water under the bridge. What you risk reveals what you value, Princess. Eventually, you’ve got to decide what’s worth it.

I swallow hard, tasting the metallic rain and the cool bluster of the surf. He has a point. I’ve wanted to sell my jewelry for years, but I’ve never pulled the trigger. I’ve always put something, or someone else, ahead of that dream: supporting my mother, finding a job with stability, managing the beach house, looking for Mr. Perfect.

Naomi:The site is beautiful. Thank you.

Mason:It was nothing. Your work is beautiful. It designed itself.

Naomi:Still … I never would have done it.

Mason:What are friends for.

Naomi:Are we friends?

I wait a long time, wiping my wet-drenched blonde hair out of my face. He doesn’t answer that last text, and I suppose I deserve as much. I pull myself back into my truck and wipe myself off with a beach towel behind my seat.

Naomi:I’d like us to be friends.

There’s another long moment, but those three dots blink, indicating that he’s typing something. Then, finally …

Mason:Well,I’d like you to sit on my face and come so hard you forget your own name. But some things are a bad idea.

I laugh.

Naomi:I’m sorry.

Mason:Don’t be. You are who you are. You want what you want. Don’t apologize for being honest about what you need. The last thing this world needs is another fake girl. I’ve nothing but respect for you, Naomi.

Naomi:So why can’t we be friends?

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