I frowned at the mental image. “It’s really that bad, huh?”
He sighed and looked away. “You don’t know the half of it.”
I didn’t want to pry, but I also didn’t want Mason to keep his feelings walled up. He was bound to explode one day if he didn’t tell anybody anything.
“You can tell me, if you want,” I said gently. “I mean, you don’t have to. And not right away. But if you ever need someone just to listen to ya, I’m here.”
Mason’s suspicious expression softened, just for a single moment, before his protective shield went back up. “Thanks,” he said. “I’m okay right now, though.”
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
In the awkward silence that followed, I was suddenly aware of how dirty and naked Mason was as he stood in the middle of my kitchen.
“Do you wanna, uh, take a shower upstairs?” I asked, gesturing with my thumb.
He must have realized the same thing too, because a blush crept across his face. “Sure. Um. Thanks.”
After quickly showing him where the bathroom and all the shower-related items were, Mason shut the door. Soon I heard the faucet turn on and steam began seeping out through the bottom of the door. While he did that, I rummaged through the closet to find some clothes for him. Couldn’t let him walk around naked. I mean, not thatIwould mind if he did, but…
The faucet shut off. I waited in the hall, leaning on the banister. In a haze of steam, Mason stepped out of the bathroom with one towel wrapped around his waist and another draped lazily across his hair. His skin seemed to glow - I didn’t know if it was from being freshly cleaned, or from the pregnancy, but he looked amazing. I had to rip my eyes off of him before I looked like a drooling idiot - which Mason probably already thought I was.
“Got you some clothes, here,” I said, nodding to the banister where I’d laid them.
“Oh. Thanks.” He put them on while I tried not to watch from the corner of my eye. It was only a casual t-shirt and jeans, but he rocked the outfit.
“Come on downstairs,” I said. “I’ll whip you up something to eat.”
His stomach growled as if on cue. He blushed.
“Looks like you need it,” I said with a grin.
Grumbling, he followed me back into the kitchen. “What d’you like?” I asked as I opened the fridge door. “We got… Well, actually, I gotta go grocery shopping sometime. But I do have some Japanese style beef curry.”
Mason bit his lip. “I’ve never had that before, but…” His stomach growled noisily again, and Mason groaned. “At this point, I’ll eat anything.”
I quickly warmed it up for him, along with a side of rice. The rich, sweet and spicy scent of curry filled the air. When I put the bowl in front of him, he instantly starting wolfing it down. Within minutes the bowl was bone-dry.
His eyes glittered greedily. “Is there any more?”
I grinned. “Course.”
He ate two more bowls before I finally ran out of it. By the time he was finished, contentedness radiated off of his body. He was clean and fed and safe. I couldn’t help but smile, knowing I’d had a part in making him feel so happy right now.
“Um…” Mason looked up sheepishly from the third empty bowl. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I think… I want to lay down,” he mumbled. “I suddenly got really tired.”
“No worries. You’ve had a long day. Come on.”
My house had a spare room, since it was meant for raising a family - like most of the homes in Indigo Mountain - but I’d been using it as a game and hobby room, so it lacked a bed. Instead I led Mason to my own bedroom. He sat on the bed and sighed.
“This is your bed, isn’t it?” he asked with a strange expression.
“Yeah,” I said. “What of it?”
“Nothing. I didn’t really feel like sleeping on the couch, anyway… Thanks, again.”
