The Stars Are Fading Away

Go ahead and cry yourself to sleep
And think how you hate me so bad

I spent every night of the next week at Mason's house. I became listless. On the second day, Mason realized I was staying here for awhile and went to my dorm to get some clothes. He and Bryce sometimes dragged me off to class, but other than that I didn't go. It was almost finals. They wouldn't be giving us anything new.

Derrick stayed with me most the time. He went with my excuse that they weren't giving us anything new. I think he was under the impression that I was just going through a hard break-up. In reality, although I seemed listless my mind was a frenzy of activity.

Wren had done the very thing he beat me for supposedly doing. That was probably the biggest act of hypocrisy I'd ever seen in my life. How could he do that to me? I knew Mason thought he was a completely heartless bastard, and it seemed like he actually was.

I hated him. I really, truly did. It was like he was the epitome of everything I despised in life. I couldn't fathom why I ever would have stayed with him when there were no strings attached.

I needed to leave him. I needed to get away. But I had no idea how. Hope was slowly fading away for me. I couldn't find any alternative…

And then there was Mason. He was the complete opposite. I don't know what I would do without Mason. I was sure of the fact that'd I'd be dead right now if it weren't for him. He was so good to me.

All these thoughts were boiling under the surface. I tried not to let a single expression cross my face, but I frequently felt either Mason or Derrick's skeptical eyes on my face. I wasn't good at hiding my emotions. I was too used to wearing my heart on my sleeve.

For a good part of the day, I moved between the couch in the front room and the couch in Mason's room. I ate little and kept to myself. I knew Mason was worried about me, but I needed to think without interruption. He seemed to understand that after awhile, and he left me alone to think.

It was a Sunday. The first day of December. This added to my gloom. I hated winter.

It was around 9:00PM. I was on the couch in Mason's room. Mason had one class on Sunday, an evening one. He was going to be home soon.

As soon as this though crossed my mind, the door to his room opened and he walked in. He dropped his bag on his desk chair and sat on the foot of the bed, across from me. I stared at him levelly, not changing my expression.

He heaved a huge sigh, ran a hand through his hair, and started pacing. I watched him, my eyes traveling back and forth. He stopped in front of me and pulled his ring back into his mouth. He seemed to do that when he was thinking of what to say. His brow furrowed, and he sat back down were had been before he started pacing.

"Amber, I have been dying to know what the hell you're thinking about. It's driving me insane. Please just talk to me."

I stifled a sigh, too. I was dreading when I had to talk to Mason. I knew he would see through me.

"I…" I was at a loss for words. "I've been thinking about… Wren, mostly, and what a bastard he is. And how it might be possible to leave him." I left out the conclusion I had come to about leaving him.

Mason blew out a breath he had been holding. "Thank God. I thought you had…"

I eyed him skeptically. "Thought I'd what?"

"Never mind," he covered up hastily. I narrowed my eyes, but let it go.

"Right now, I just need to think about anything him."

"Looks like you've been thinking about nothing but him," Mason said, a little bitterly.

I gave him a look. "You too. You're important."

He avoided my eyes and ran a hand through his hair. He did that when he was trying to direct attention away from something.

"Right now, I really just need a friend. To distract me. I need someone won't fucking hurt me every time he's mad at the world just because karma's finally caught up caught up to him. I need someone who won't judge me, or make stupid remarks. I just need someone to be there for me, and to know what's wrong so I won't have to tell them. I need something solid, something I can depend on, even if it's just for now. I need– I need–" I couldn't find words. I'd worked myself up too much. All the stress that had been bottled up was leaking through the seams and spilling out faster and faster.

Mason got up and crossed the room to stand in front of me. He leaned down and before I could realize what was happening, he kissed me.

He broke away several seconds later, his face still close to mine.

"Is that what you needed?"

In answer, I kissed him again. I put my arms around his neck to pull myself closer, and his arms wrapped around my waist. I don't know who deepened the kiss, but our tongues moved together. I ran my hands through Mason's hair, tugging at the ends. As I did, I felt his breath catch in his throat.

Without thinking about it, my hands went to the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up. He quickly shrugged out of it. His lips moved to my neck, kissing down to my collarbone. His hands ran up and down my sides.

My mind cleared slightly so I could string together coherent thoughts. The majority of my mind didn't want to stop. Mason felt so good. The minority, however, screamed at me.

This was Mason. What was I doing? I was going to mess everything up between us. He wanted this, wanted me, but all I really wanted was a one-night stand. Mason would never be a one-night stand. He was Mason. All I wanted was to cheat on Wren. All the thinking had made me angry. He hit me for cheating on him, but then he cheated. I wanted revenge. Even if he didn't find out, it was good enough in my mind.

I was pulled back to reality by Mason's hands on the back my shirt. He slipped his hands under, on my lower back, but then he hesitated. His mouth moved up to my ear.

"Can I?"

That one question resolved everything for me. He had asked. That made the seperation between Mason and anyone else.

I couldn't help but keep a smile from spreading over my face as I leaned my face up to kiss him again, giving him a clear 'yes'.

And what happened next
Was a series of unfortunate events