Love on Tap by Elaine Ashford

Author:Elaine Ashford [Ashford, Elaine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elaine Ashford
Published: 2017-12-03T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Mason

Mason was already running later than even the generous estimate he'd given Kai, and now his stupid phone didn't want to show him the street address. He poked his frozen finger at the screen again as he walked down the block, peering at the signs in front of the many apartment buildings in front of him. They all looked identical, which wasn't surprising. There could be a half-dozen Christmas parties going on in every one of them, and probably were. It didn't matter, because Mason still couldn't see a damn thing from the street.

Despairing of this pointless fight with the stupid frozen messaging app, he gave up and called Kai. After a worrying number of rings, Kai's voice sounded in his ear, bubbling over already with cheer. "Hey, Mason! What's going on?"

"I'm outside," Mason said. "I think. Which building is it again?"

"Uhhhh. Hang on." There was a rustling noise over the phone, and a rise in the background party chatter. "Terry! Which building is this again?"

Terry answered him loudly enough that Mason could hear him even second-hand, but Kai repeated it all back to him as he managed to make his way to the correct building, and punch in the right buzzer code.

Kai was already waiting for him when Mason arrived at Terry's floor, his head peeping through the open doorway. "You made it!" he said as Mason leaned down to peck his cheek. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good," Mason said. "Sorry I'm late. Work had some problems I had to deal with."

"Problems, huh?" Kai said, looking at him knowingly.

"Real problems," Mason protested. "I had to throw a guy out."

Kai stiffened in his arms, blood draining from his face until his flushed cheeks were two spots of red in a sea of white. "Not—?" he said, sounding strangled.

"No, no," Mason said, pulling Kai closer into his arms and resting his cheek on the top of Kai's head. "Just some random guy. I haven't seen him in months."

"Okay," Kai said. He was trying to sound cheery, but his body was still frozen stiff in Mason's arms. "Good to know."

"I wouldn't let him get anywhere near you," Mason said into Kai's hair. "I promise."

Kai nodded, quick and sharp.

"Now," Mason said, searching for any possible change of subject. "Do you want to hang out in the hallway all night, or do I have to meet your friends after all?"

"Oh, you definitely have to meet my friends," Kai said. He looked up into Mason's face, the color returning to his skin. "You came all this way, after all."

"I figured I could go in, drink Terry's wine and escape into the night," Mason said teasingly. He was actually looking forward to meeting Kai's friends. It seemed like a good next step in becoming a real part of Kai's life. They saw each other all the time, but Mason's wonky schedule meant that it didn't always feel real, like he was doing everything at the wrong time or in the wrong way. He hoped this party would smooth over some of that.

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