But I wanted to.
Which kind of weirded me out a little because I didn’t usually have the time or the will to take such an interest in other people. I’d always been of the mindset that the past didn’t matter. Good or bad, it was gone. Over. Forgotten. If someone was nice to me, respected me in the here and now, then I didn’t need or want to know anything else. But with Mason, something deep inside me itched to know everything.
“You okay, Ry?” Elle asked, pulling me from my untimely musing by nudging my hand which was busy drawing invisible rings on the table.
“Sure.” I smiled, blinking my eyes back into the present. “Just fucking exhausted. Maybe I’m getting too old for this shit too, eh?”
“Your pain right now is self-inflicted so I have no sympathy.” She straightened her back in her seat, flashing me a wicked half smile before taking another sip of coffee.
“Heartless bitch. My head is pounding over here.”
“Aww diddums,” she cooed sarcastically, reaching over the table to press a hand to my forehead. “Do you want Aunty Elle to kiss it better?”
I scowled at her, narrowing my eyes. “I’m going to pretend you’re not taking the piss out of me and say, why thank you for the concern, dear friend, but I think I’ll pull through on my own,” I retorted, forcing sarcasm into my voice. Then, smiling, I brought the mug up to my lips and drained the last of my coffee.
“Another?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “And a bagel too. Need to start soaking up some of this alcohol.”
After mixing three coffees and a double espresso with the alcohol still lingering in my system I had one serious motherfucking headache by the time I got back to my apartment. Still, I smiled as I walked through the door. Seeing Elle always put me in an awesome mood and today was no exception, especially seeing as she agreed to come and visit the studio in a couple of weeks and assured me she’d be dragging Sawyer and Jake along with her. I hoped she’d come by sooner, but she was heading back to London tomorrow to talk to Miguel about managing the salon full time. She didn’t directly confirm it, but I was pretty sure she and Kip had already made their decision.
“You look as bad as I feel,” I joked, turning my attention to Mason when I noticed him sprawled out on the couch.
“Um, yeah, I, um… think I’m gonna head back to bed for a while.”
He was being weird. Why is he being weird?
“Hey, you okay?” I asked, frowning when he stood up from the couch and walked towards his room. He took the long way – stepping around the table and behind the couch, rather than walking straight past me.
“Sure,” he replied with an unconvincing smile.
I nodded, not knowing what else to say. Then I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, took a few generous gulps and took myself off to bed too. Flopping back onto the mattress fully clothed, I folded my hands behind my head and scoured the weak memories from last night. I’d never been so drunk I didn’t remember what I’d done before, but I had a feeling I must have. Why else would Mason be avoiding me? Because I was certain that was exactly what he was doing.
Unless…
Unless he was having second thoughts about me topping him before his scene with Will next week. Had I overstepped the mark by offering? Had I weirded him out? Sighing, I closed my eyes, and by the time sleep came I’d convinced myself he was just hungover and I was reading too much into it.
I had no idea how my phone ended up near my face but I was awoken several hours later by it vibrating against my cheek. Groaning, I rolled over and peeled it off my face before checking the screen.
Will: Ur new friend’s a New Yorker right?
Me: Yeah. Y?
Will: Ask him if he knows any 420 hookups in Manhattan. Here for a couple days
Me: Will do mate. Get back 2 u later
I was pretty sure Mason wasn’t into weed, but still, working as a go-go boy I was sure he’d know someone who was. I’d ask him later, after a hot bath and a couple more aspirin.
Will: Actually get him 2 text me. We should arrange to hit it up b4 our shoot next week
I’d do that later too. Right now, getting rid of my headache was the only thing on my mind.
Mason still hadn’t surfaced by the time I’d finished in the bath and it bothered me more than it should have. Nevertheless, my head was still pounding too hard to give it much thought so after pulling on some jogging pants and taking a couple more painkillers, I sprawled out on the couch with my feet dangling over the arm and closed my eyes.