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I liked Liam a lot, but did I like him in a romantic way? The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. He was fun to hang out with, a good kisser, and incredibly kind, but I just didn’t get that fluttery feeling around him. I did, however, get that fluttery feeling when Mason and I texted. I really enjoyed talking with Mason and felt close to him, but that’s where it stopped. We’d never actually met, and chances were we wouldn’t, given our circumstances.

Suddenly, a thought hit me.

Was I trying to put stock in a relationship that would likely never exist with Mason? And by doing that, was I sacrificing any chance of a relationship with Liam? I had a feeling that, unfortunately, the answer to both of those questions was yes.

Chapter 11

Do You Ever Wonder?

THANK GOD FOR FRIDAY. Not only was it the end of the week, but my English test earlier in the day had gone surprisingly well. As an added bonus, it was one of those rare evenings where I had the apartment completely to myself. I’d texted Liam to see if he wanted to come over, but his sister was in town for the night, and he already made plans with her. So of course, since I was alone for the whole night, I was sprawled out on the sofa in yoga pants and a well-worn sweatshirt snuggled in a fuzzy blanket. I had an assortment of junk food in front of me and the TV remote in hand. I was completely ready for a solo night of relaxation.

Ever since our encounter earlier in the week at the coffee shop, I’d been making a point to spend more time with Liam. We’d talked and texted over the past few days and gotten coffee together between classes. He’d turned in his art portfolio on Thursday, and we’d gone out for dinner that evening to celebrate. It was nice, but I still had the nagging question, was “nice” enough?

I scrolled through the TV selections for a few moments before picking up my phone and texting Mason. “Is tonight THE boys’ night you’ve been talking about all week?”

“Why yes it is. Scheduled to start in about an hour.” I realized, with the time difference, Mason was likely just finishing up at work.

“Have fun on your night of mayhem and debauchery. Call if you need bail money.” I put my phone down on the sofa as I reached for a red licorice rope. I’d just taken my first bite when my phone vibrated with an incoming message.

“Jesus, Anna. What kind of nights do you have that end with needing bail money?”

I smirked as I typed my message back to him. “Really fun ones.”

Mason sent back a series of laughing emojis followed by, “Touché. So, what are you doing tonight?”

I took another bite of licorice before I began typing. “While you’re still hard at work on the West Coast, those of us on the East are settling in for a night of Netflix and junk food.”

“No wild plans?” I raised my eyebrow at Mason’s message and couldn’t help but wonder if he was fishing for information about whether I was with Liam. Mason hadn’t brought “Coffee Guy” up recently, but there were times it felt like he was trying to feel out the situation without directly asking.

I decided to be a complete smartass with my answer. “Actually, I was planning on robbing a bank, finding a cure for cancer, and establishing world peace, but ultimately Netflix won out.”

“Why commit bank robbery when curing cancer and establishing world peace are so nice and noble?” I laughed out loud at Mason’s response. Slipping into our fun and easy banter was one of the many things I liked about texting with him.

“Because, Mason, I can’t be good all the time.” I smirked as I sent the message.

“I’m going to play that over and over in my next fantasy about you.” I thought about his response for a moment. Even when things got flirty with Mason, there was still the underlying realization that nothing was actually going to happen since we lived so far apart and we both had our own lives.

“Am I wearing some kind of naughty nurse or slutty maid costume in this fantasy?” Even trying to flirt, I was still a sarcastic smartass. I would never be caught dead wearing either of those in real life. A little bit of lace on my black cotton underwear was about as wild as my “sexy dress-up” ever got.

“You weren’t, but you are now,” Mason wrote back with a winking emoji. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Have fun tonight and don’t go paying for anyone’s bar tab in exchange for a wrong number,” I wrote back as I finished my licorice.

“Will I ever live that down?”

“Not in this lifetime.” I smiled as I put my phone on the coffee table and nestled into the sofa, ready to start my solo night of relaxation.

I WAS SEVERAL EPISODES into a marathon binge session when my phone buzzed. I was surprised to see a message from Mason since I knew he was out with a group of his friends. “You busy?”

“I don’t know…does ‘busy’ include laying on the sofa eating popcorn?” I quickly followed up with a second message. “What’s up?”

“I’m sitting alone nursing the one beer I’ve had tonight.” I frowned at Mason’s message. He’d been looking forward to going out with his buddies all week.

I tried to keep my response lighthearted. “What happened to the big ‘boys gone wild’ night you had planned?”

His response was almost immediate. “Nothing. It’s fine.”

I paused the show I was watching and sat up. Something must’ve happened. “Fine? That just sounds sad. What’s going on, Mason?” I could see the bubbles come up showing he was typing something. Then they disappeared. After a little while they reappeared only to disappear again. “You OK there, Mason?” I asked.

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