“I’m not worried about that. I want to see it. I can tell you’re a different person. More independent. More confident.”
“But different.”
“Maybe not as different as you try to act.”
Mason kissed him. “You still kiss like the Chase I remember. Still fuck like him, too. If your body’s any indication, then I’d say I’m pretty familiar with the Chase you’ve become.”
“You have a good point,” Chase said through a laugh. “All those things are pretty much the same. But you don’t get to act all cocky. You’re just the same too. I still know how to get you off.”
“I haven’t changed much.”
“But you have, and in the time that we’ve been catching up, I just keep wondering what else there is that I’ve missed. Like, stupid stuff. Do you still like the same kind of music? What’s your favorite movie? Your favorite TV show?”
Mason’s eyes widened. “Oh, God. I think it might be better if we not talk about that.”
“What do you mean?” Chase asked, as curious as ever.
“I… uh… kind of have this thing for reality TV. Like really bad reality TV. After you left, I got hooked on someANTM.”
“ANTM?”
Mason cringed like he had to force the words out. “America’s Next Top Model.”
“What?” Chase asked, his jaw dropping.
Mason nodded. “Yeah… it was really bad there for a while. I mean, I made it all the way to Cycle 19.”
“Are you speaking another language right now?”
“Sort of. But yeah, I’ll just binge-watch some reality shows like nobody’s business. I got so hooked onThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsthat I thought Pa might cancel our internet plan if I didn’t stop talking about it at dinner.”
Chase laughed. “Now that’s a show we can talk about.”
“You watched it?”
“Of course I did. Oh my God. That episode where the psychic came on, the one who told Camille about her husband’s affair…”
“That one was the best! And when Kyle wanted that psychic to do a reading for her and the psychic was like, ‘You’re in a loveless marriage and you’re going to be miserable forever.’”
“I can’t believe you watched that!”
“I can’t believe you did, either. Now I don’t have to feel so terrible about my guilty pleasure.”
“Please,” Chase said, rolling his eyes. “There is nothing guilty about loving someReal Housewives.”
Mason smirked. “Well, I guess I just foiled your plan.”
“What plan?”
“Yeah, we’re different, but that doesn’t mean those differences can’t bring us closer together.”
“I know you’re right, Mason. But it’s just weird. My Mason would have never watched ANMB.”
“A-N-T-M. It’s an acronym. It’s not that hard, Chase. ButyourMason’s changed a lot.”
Chase hadn’t realized he’d said “my Mason” until Mason pointed it out in his reply… one that made him feel so good.
“I’m just giving you a hard time,” he said, trying not to make too big of a deal out of Mason’s play on his possessive wording. “And when I said we’re different. I didn’t mean that in a bad way. You’ve changed in some really awesome ways. I mean, you’re practically running the dairy now.”
