She crossed the kitchen and grabbed her phone off its charger, then sent Mason a text.
Our DIY porn kit arrived.
I can leave it at the top of your steps.
Just about to text you.
Mr. Barber has a simple post nuptial agreement
for us to review.
Want to meet me at his office in an hour?
Xeni chewed the inside of her lip as she considered how to reply. She wasn’t sure she was ready to see Mason, but maybe this was a good way for them to say goodbye, stop this thing in its tracks for good.
I’ll be there.
Mason replied with a gif of SpongeBob doing a little jig. She’d miss their back and forths.
An hour later, Xeni pulled into a parking space across the street from Mr. Barber’s office. Mason was waiting out front, leaning against the brick facade. He looked up as she hopped out and offered her the hint of a smile. She grabbed the box out of the passenger seat and crossed the street.
“Hey,” she said. It took every ounce of her being to make herself sound normal. She barely pulled it off. Mason considered her for a moment, then sighed. Xeni braced herself for the most bizarre break-up in history. How do you get dumped by your husband when you weren’t even in a relationship to begin with? Mason reached out and lightly caressed her cheek with his thumb, and fuck if her whole body didn’t react. She was gonna miss those simple touches.
“You never told me what you thought of my piping skills last night.”
“Oh, you want more notes?” Xeni teased.
“I always want notes.”
“I thought maybe you were trying to tell me something, but you know what happens when you’re busy projecting.”
“Meaning?”
“Nothing.” Xeni pushed down the lump in her throat. “Should we go in?”
“Hold on. I have something I want to say.”
Xeni swallowed again. She was not going to fucking cry. He wasn’t even her boyfriend. She needed to get a grip.
“Usually you follow up a serenade with some kind of verbal declaration, but the conversation I had with your mom caught me a little off guard,” Mason said.
“I know. I pride myself on typically having my shit together, but last night I—I didn’t realize how pissed I am with her still. It’s really confusing when you feel betrayed by your own parents. I mean, you know.”
“I do.”
“I wanted to hurt her. That’s the petty ass truth. She kept something huge from me and since I can’t have it out with Sable, I decided that throwing low blows at my mom was the way to go. But I fucked up and dragged you into it. Not my finest moment. I’m sorry.”
“I accept your apology. And I apologize for not saying this last night, though I did try to say it through song. We don’t have to stay married at the end of this legally binding month, but I do have feelings for you, Xeni. I don’t know how we’d make it work with you in Los Angeles and me serving high-quality meals at a reasonable price three thousand miles away, but I didn’t want you to go away without knowing how I feel.”
Xeni wanted to respond with something cute and clever, but she couldn’t. Her heart had exploded and she’d died from a combination of relief and happiness.
“If that’s too much for you in such a short period of time, I understand.”
“There’s another thing you should know about me. WhenI know,I know. Time doesn’t really factor in. I told you I’m a witch.”
“And what are your witchy senses telling you?”
“That I’ve got it for you pretty bad.”
