Pretend

Page 24

He turned to finish up his job when another, “Hey,” from Mason stopped him.
Gavin looked at him, and then Mason spoke, low and with authority. “Now’s gonna be another one of those times you want to kiss me.”
Stepping closer to him, Gavin did as Mason said.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Did you really have to make me sleep on the couch last night?” Isaac asked while Mason poured himself a cup of coffee. “My neck is killing me, though I guess it makes sense. It always was hard for you to keep your hands off me.”
He leaned back and blew into his mug before taking a drink. Isaac wanted a big response and Mason wouldn’t give him one. “I have a few things to take care of before I go to work. I’ll drop you off so you can get your car first.”
Isaac ran a hand through his dark hair, obviously having expected Mason to say something else. “The guy at the bar…what’s he do?”
“He’s a bartender.”
Isaac scoffed. “He may be working as a bartender right now but it’s not what he does, just like it’s not what you do.”
It was now. That was the difference between Mason and Isaac; one of the differences, at least. Isaac could never be happy at something like tending a bar, whether he owned it or not. Not unless that bar was a chain all over the state or the US. “He’s a music teacher. Why are you so interested in him?”
Isaac ignored that. “Are you really letting him fuck you?”
What he really meant by that question was, are you letting him fuck you and not me? “Do you need a shower?”
“With you?”
Mason sighed. “You’re coming off as desperate. That’s not like you.” Mason took another drink and then stood. “I’m going to take a shower.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Isaac’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. The smile on Isaac’s face told Mason everything he needed to know. “Don’t answer it.”
He swiped the screen. “Hello, Mom. How are you?”
And by Mom, he meant Mason’s mother. “Shit,” he mumbled.
“That’s good. I’m doing well. Just sitting here having a cup of coffee with Mason.”
Motherfucker. Mason would kill him.
“Yeah, sure, you can talk to him.”
Isaac held the phone out to him, and Mason shook his head. This wasn’t okay. Not at all. When he didn’t take it right away, Isaac covered it with his hand, his voice soft when he said, “she’s still your mom, Mase.”
He knew that. He did…but why couldn’t he feel it? Not that Mason loved his parents any less, but things felt different now. Could they really love him the way he always thought they had? His whole life felt like a lie now.
Mason reached out and took the phone from him. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hello. How are you?” He hated the tentativeness in her voice, though did he expect anything different? He’d been standoffish. He wasn’t proud of that, but it was true.
“I’m doing well. I’ve been keeping busy.” His way of excusing the fact that he rarely called.
“How is the bar going?”
“Really well. We stay pretty steady most nights. Just like the restaurants, the weekends are the busiest. I recently had to hire a new bartender.”
“Oh, wow. That’s great, Mason. It sounds like things are going wonderfully. We sure miss you around here. Not just the family, but people ask about you all the time. You’ve always been like that. Everyone loves you.”
Guilt created a vacuum inside him, sucking out all his air. Regardless of blood, this was the woman who raised him. The woman who took care of him and loved him. She was also the woman who lied to him his whole life. Why couldn’t he forget that?
“I miss you guys, too. I’ll come visit soon. It’s just so hard with the bar.”
“Of course… we understand. Though, we can always come there as well. We’d love to see the place. I see you have Isaac out.”
No, he hadn’t had Isaac out at all. The man had just shown up. There was a difference, and that’s exactly where he’d feared this conversation would go. One of the places, at least.
“He’s one of my oldest friends, Mom. That’s all.”
She sighed. “I just feel so guilty. It wasn’t Isaac’s fault. He hadn’t known for long, and he didn’t tell you because we asked him not to. You grew up with him. You two were happy together. I hate to see you throw that away because of our mistake.”