We make so much grilled cheese that we finish two packages of bread. There’s a pile of sandwiches on the stove so that Aiden is able to have some when he gets back.
I’m sitting on the floor eating my own grilled cheese while playing a board game with Mason, Annalisa, and Noah, trying to ignore Aiden in the other room.
“Earth to k-bear! It’s your turn.” Mason taps me on the forehead.
“Oh, sorry.” I shake my head and roll the dice so I can move my piece across the board.
“It’s okay, you were probably just distracted by my godlike abs.” Mason smirks at me, and any girl who wasn’t already in love with Aiden would’ve melted.
“You’re wearing a shirt, Mason,” I inform him with a laugh, content with pretending that any tension we’ve had the last few days doesn’t exist.
He swiftly pulls his shirt over his head in a way that would’ve been shot in slow motion if this was a movie. “Not anymore.” He smiles cheekily.
“Oh no. Mason’s taking his clothes off. Now you know he’s drunk.” Annalisa shakes her head with an exhausted smile.
“Like we didn’t already know that,” Noah says. “Dude, put your shirt back on.”
“Why?” Mason smiles innocently. “Amelia likes it, right, k-bear?”
Mason is not unattractive in the slightest—he could probably get a professional modeling contract if he tried—but he’s just not the guy I’m interested in looking at shirtless.
“Put your clothes back on, Mason.” I laugh as I finish my sandwich.
“Don’t lie, k-bear. We all know you want it,” he teases, flexing his pecs so that they bounce in a mesmerizing manner.
“Oh yeah, Mason. The only reason I told you to put your shirt back on is because it’s the only thing stopping me from jumping your bones,” I say incredibly sarcastically.
He either consciously chooses to ignore the sarcasm or is too drunk to notice it, because he smiles widely with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
“Nothing’s stopping you right now!” He smiles.
My eyes widen as he takes me off guard, leaning over and sort of tackling me, pinning me under him, and starts tickling me.
“Mason!” I manage to yell between forced giggles, incapable of pushing him off of me. “Stop!”
All of a sudden, his weight is lifted off of me, and I wipe the resulting tears from my eyes as I sit up. Aiden is standing over us, having pulled Mason off of me, and he looks incredibly pissed off.
“What the hell, man?” Mason complains. “What’s your problem? We were just playing!”
“You’re my problem,” Aiden deadpans, his eyes bold and fiery.
Mason stands up to face Aiden, and I exchange a nervous glance with Noah and Annalisa.
“It’s not my fault you grew tired of Amelia like you did with every other girl before her,” Mason spits out venomously.
“That’s not what happened,” Aiden practically growls.
“Either way, it’s clearly over and Amelia is up for grabs.” Mason smirks maliciously.
I stand up, feeling taken aback that Mason would talk about me like that, like I was an old CD or used baseball bat that Aiden no longer wanted and was therefore passed down to Mason.
“She is not ‘up for grabs,’ she’s a fucking person.” Aiden reads my mind, looking like he’s trying very hard to remain calm.
“Well, either way.” Mason squares off with him. “You fucked up and lost your chance.”
What is happening?!
Noah and Annalisa stand up and move beside me, not really knowing what to do.