Taking the stairs two at a time, I burst through the door, finding her curled on her side, sleeping peacefully.
I can’t help myself though, placing my hand on her back to check she is in fact breathing. Letting out a sigh of relief, I remind myself never to believe everything I read on Google. With nothing else left to do, I take her small hand in mine and lay with her, hoping that she will wake up soon.
Nina
When I wake, my head is clear, and I roll to my back to find it’s dark out, the moon the only lighting in the room. Mason is lying beside me in a T-shirt and shorts, his hand locked in mine.
I smile at the beautiful specimen before me, feeling lucky to have him come into my life.
“Mase,” I whisper, but he doesn’t answer.
His brow is creased. Even in sleep, he doesn’t relax. My forever brooding beast. I trace his lips with my finger—he doesn’t flinch.
“I love you too,” I tell him.
I found leftover chicken pie in the oven and wolfed it down in a matter of minutes. It was delicious and exactly what I needed, and I wondered while I ate it who the hell made it. Can Mason cook?Why didn’t I know this about him?
I don’t feel tired, and with the unwelcome thoughts of my mother plaguing me, I decide to do what I always do when everything gets too much. I get lost in the only other world I know.
I flick through my phone, deciding on Jesse Ware “Say You Want Me,” and the surround sound has the music blistering through me, setting me in motion.
I can feel him watching me, and as he steps towards me, I spin, knowing it will bring us toe to toe.
“You’re feeling better?” He smiles, holding me.
“So much better.” I brush his nose with mine, leaning back when I realise I’m all sweaty.
He pulls me back to him by the shirt. “I love you,” he tells me, taking my lips in a sweet kiss.
And it’s like the first time all over again. The way my heart beats almost painfully, and the ache that seeps through my veins, and to the tips of my fingers. It’s only for a split second, but that zap of energy reminds me that I am alive. I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m in his arms.
“You like this spot?” he asks, flashing a devilishly handsome smile.
I’d been dancing in the space between the sofas and the dining table. It’s a wide-open space and looks out over the London skyline.
It’s where I danced for him the first time.
“I do. I was going to suggest putting something here, being my house now as well.” My lips pull up in a smile, and I wrap my arms around his neck as I tease him. “But I suppose I could keep it for dancing.”
“I like you dancing in this space. Makes it feel special again,” he says between kisses.
“Well then, let’s keep it for dancing.”
TWENTY-TWO
Mase
Nina is still asleep when I get in from my morning run, and although I should probably wake her, I know that once I do, she’ll be back to her nonstop self and, much to my annoyance, off to the studio to meet with Joey fucking Wilson.
I don’t care that Charlie came up with nothing. I don’t trust him around her.
Instead of waking her up, I opt for a shower.
Leaning over the bed, I take her lips in a soft kiss, her eyes fluttering open moments later, followed by the most beautiful smile, showcasing her dimples
“Angel.”
“Hmmm, morning,” she says, stirring in my arms.
