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“Anna!” Bree burst back into the room. Her eyes were wide and there was a big smile on her face. She closed the door to my bedroom and pressed her back against it. “There’s a guy at the front door saying he’s here to see you.”

What the hell?

Chapter 22

At Last

“WHAT DID YOU JUST say?” I asked in disbelief, certain I’d heard her wrong.

“There’s a guy at the front door saying he’s here to see you,” Bree repeated. “Says his name is…”

“Mason?!” I interrupted with a gasp. The smile on Bree’s face grew even bigger as she slowly nodded. “No way!” I whispered, my eyes growing wide as my hand flew up to my mouth.

Bree stepped away from the door. “Yes way,” she said with a smirk.

“Holy shit! Why is he here? What do I…do? Oh my God, he’s really here?” My brain couldn’t form a coherent thought past the fact that Mason was at my front door. I looked down at the plaid pajama pants and white tank top I vaguely remembered changing into before my drunk ass had crashed into bed. I reached up and felt my hair, which had been so beautifully curled the previous night, but was now a giant, tangled mess piled up into a sloppy bun on top of my head. I was pretty sure I’d cried most of my makeup off, which meant my eyes were likely red and puffy.

It was safe to say I didn’t look, or feel, my best.

“What do you do?” Sarah asked, looking at me like I’d lost my mind. “He’s here to see you! You go out and see him!”

“What are you waiting for? Get out there!” Bree pointed towards the living room. “You’re not going to want him to get away without seeing him. Trust me.” Bree started fanning herself with her hand.

“I can’t go out there like this!” I waved my hands wildly over myself. “I’m in my pajamas! I’m not even wearing a bra or deodorant and I…I need to brush my teeth!” My voice was growing louder and louder as I grew more frantic at the thought of Mason at the front door.

“You look fine,” Sarah offered rather unconvincingly. I glared at her and crossed my arms over my chest.

“It’s the middle of the day and I’m not even dressed!” I shrieked. “Or showered, or…”

I suddenly realized Bree was waving her arms around, trying to get my attention. “Remember,” she whispered as she stopped waving her arms and stepped closer to me. “Our apartment has really thin walls and you’re talking very loudly. Actually, if I’m going to be totally honest, I’d call it shouting.” I glared at her and opened my mouth to start arguing when she quickly added, “I’m pretty sure he just heard everything you said.”

My mouth snapped shut and then opened again. “You let him inside!” I hissed in a low whisper.

“Yes, of course I did. He’s in the living room.” Bree seemed to be completely calm about the whole situation. Me on the other hand… I’d reached some new level of freak-out, unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.

“Jesus! Bree! Why did you do that? What if it’s not really him? What if he’s a serial killer? Why would you just let a stranger into our living room? Aren’t you the one that watches all the true crime murder shows? This is a perfect setup for all three of us to get sliced and diced!” Without even realizing it, I was frantically shouting again. I knew I sounded crazy, but it was serious shit.

“Anna, you need to stop shouting. I’m sure…” Bree was interrupted by my phone dinging. All three of us snapped our heads to the middle of the bed where it was sitting. I slowly reached out and grabbed it.

“Your roommate is right. Your apartment is oddly un-soundproof. I thought we’d already established I’m not a serial killer.”

“Oh, shit,” I whispered. “It’s from Mason. He can hear us and he’s texting me.” I pointed to my phone like Bree and Sarah didn’t already know what a text message was. I’d officially lost my damn mind. “What do I do?” I continued to whisper.

Bree crossed her arms and looked at me with a smug expression on her face. “Told. You. So.”

My phone chimed again. “In all seriousness, if now isn’t a good time, I can come back later.”

I quickly typed out a response. “Why are you sitting in my living room?”

“I’m actually standing. Why are you texting me when we’re both inside your apartment?”

“I asked you first!”

“Anna!” Sarah said loudly. I snapped my head up from staring at the screen of my phone. “Are you seriously texting him when he’s sitting in the living room? Have you totally lost your mind?”

“Yes?” I replied in a small voice. It really was the best answer to both of her questions.

“Just go out there!” Bree groaned. “He flew all this way to see you. I don’t think he gives a royal shit if you’re in your pajamas or not!”

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