Chapter 4: Rivals, Rumors, and Revelations

“Mariah Reed, what a coincidence. Are you here with a friend?”

Mason was standing at the bathroom door. I almost bumped into him. We were so close! I could smell his cologne—clean, a little woodsy, like cedar and fresh laundry. My heart skipped a beat.

My heart was pounding. For real, I could barely breathe.

I awkwardly lied, “Yeah, but my friend stood me up.”

There was a beat of awkward silence, so I quickly changed the subject, feeling my cheeks heat up.

“I saw you with a girl earlier—on a blind date?”

He looked at me thoughtfully, smiled, and nodded. “But it wasn’t a match. I turned her down. She seemed mad and left without eating.”

YES!

I was ecstatic inside. Couldn’t hide my expression. I tried to suppress my smile, but the more I tried, the weirder I looked.

I took the chance to invite him to dinner. “Just a simple meal, since both of us got stood up.” I tried to sound casual, but I was dying inside.

I regretted it as soon as I said it! Wasn’t this too obvious?

But he didn’t mind at all, just naturally asked the waiter to combine our tables. My heart beat even faster. This feeling didn’t even feel like me…

…

It really was just a meal. Two people, lots of dishes, eating happily. I thought it was too quiet, so I took the initiative. “By the way, I still don’t have your number.”

Mason looked up seriously. “You do.”

Me: ??

“I don’t!”

If I did, I’d be texting him nonstop!

I searched my contacts and found someone named ‘AA. Mason’ in my group chat. And we’d chatted before:

Him: “Hello.”

Me: “How much is that foundation?”

Him: “? I’ll check…”

Him: “$45.”

Me: “Same as Sephora, bye!”

Him: “?”

Hmm…

So our fate is this awkward…

“Can’t blame me, your name sounds like a shopping agent.”

“My coworker changed it for me.”

After dinner, he walked me downstairs. Me, a wild child, actually played it pure. Facing Officer Grant, I tried several times but still didn’t dare to hold his hand. I’m such a wimp!

After getting home, my mom called to ask about the blind date. I was full of question marks.

“What blind date? Wasn’t Mason on a blind date with someone else? How could I mention it! We just had a meal.”

Mom: “No, Mrs. Taylor told me she sent Mason a message after my call, saying you wanted a second blind date and you were already on your way. Mason replied ‘OK.’ I thought you two were talking about marriage already.”

Boom!

It felt like something exploded in my head. Turns out the meeting at the bathroom door wasn’t a coincidence at all. He went to find me. And he knew all along I didn’t have a friend waiting—he knew I came just to see him.

My face burned. Luckily, he saved my pride and didn’t call me out. He’s quite the gentleman.

I hummed happily while showering, then suddenly realized—

What did Mason mean by replying ‘OK’ to Mrs. Taylor? He doesn’t dislike me—does that mean he thinks we have a chance?!!!

…

In bed, feeling like a lovestruck teen, I carefully recorded a voice message to ‘AA. Mason.’ I listened several times, made sure I sounded sweet, then sent it.

“Mason, you there…?”

He replied right away. “Here.”

Just as I was about to keep going, he sent a screenshot.

I was instantly on guard!

Tyler Ford added Mason? How did he get his number? Even challenged him:

‘Babe just wants your looks, but she likes sweet talkers. You’re not sweet, she’ll get bored soon. I’m younger, in better shape, hit the gym every day. How can you compare?’

Damn! A direct challenge. I respect Tyler for being a man.

But what I cared about was Mason’s reply. His words were cold, but I could sense a hint of rivalry.

‘Oh? You sure?’

So, is Mason going to fight for me?

Not sure, so I asked.

Mason said: ‘Why compete with a kid? I just blocked him.’

Oh…