abandons everyone he supposedly loves.” Harley nodded, agreeing with her saddened heart but unable to verbally accept the words.
Abandonment should have been Mason Daniel’s middle name, but God, she still loved
him. She’d most likely always love him, no matter what. She couldn’t control her heart.
“Listen, David, I’m not defending him in anyway because God knows how badly he’s
hurt me, but I also know him, probably better than a lot a people do. He had his reason for leaving.” Reasons she found by secretly reading his letter, at least once a day.
She sighed, closing her eyes. She was done looking at the all-knowing face of her brother
for the night. “He’s not the awful person you’ve always made him out to be, so please just leave it alone for tonight.” She hung her head low, laying her body down to get more comfortable. She tucked her arms behind her head and crossed her ankles as she let her mind close down.
“I still don’t like him, Har. I know I’ve said it a million times before, but I’m glad
he left. He wasn’t good enough for you.” She swallowed her retort that her brother was one to talk. “I’m sorry if that hurts you, but him leaving you, will always be for the best.” She heard him wheel away, but she ignored his jab.
Unfortunately though, the tears stinging her eyes had heard him loud and clear. She
brushed them away. Determination was the only weapon of defense she had left against them.
She blew out a heavy stream of air. Crap. She’d cried too many damn tears for Mason Daniel, and even though her heart still bled for him while her skin ached for his touch and his kisses, she was still bound and determined more than ever to stay as strong as she could.
She’d surely get over the boy who’d ever made her whole someday, right?
***
“Dude, you should have gone to that party down at the pier! Plenty of ladies in bikinis
looking for a bit of Mason to mess around with, ya know?” Mason rolled his eyes. Would his
buddy Nolan ever stop being a piss ant druggie? The dude was beyond blitzed with eyes
practically crossed, staggering from wall to wall to stay up right. Mason shook his head at the idiot. “That’s not my thing anymore, Nolan. Besides, I wanted some chill time because I’m
hitting the waves early in the morning with Jake.” Mason shrugged clicking off the television, tossing the remote onto the couch.
He stood, running a hand through his now chin length hair. He had every intention of
heading to bed even though he knew sleep wouldn’t come. The idea of closing his eyes and
falling into that dreamless state of bliss had abandoned him months ago.
“Oh, dude, I totally forgot to tell you that your sister Daisy called earlier when you were out getting food. She left you a message about some shit on the house phone. Sorry, I dunno what she said because I was with that blonde from apartment 45B. That girl has got some killer tits, and I was—”
Mason stood, “Shit, Nolan, can’t you be a little less vulgar for once? Christ…”
“Dude, I remember you being that vulgar once. Christ, you and your big ass words.
You’re an uptight asshole, and you seriously need to get laid,” Nolan laughed. The sound was guttural and annoying as hell.
Mason gritted his teeth as his hands balled in fists by his sides. He was ready to kick his ass. Nolan did not want to piss him off anymore.
He stomped his booted feet while ramming his shoulder into his once upon a time best
friend as he headed to the kitchen to grab his cell phone.
Five missed calls. Shit, they were all from Maisy too. Son of a bitch! That wasn’t good.
“My sister’s name is Maisy by the way, you asshole, and how could you freaking just forget to tell me she called?”
“Dude, chill. Like I said, I was a little busy.” Nolan’s eyes pulled together, but he
couldn’t pull off the pissed look. He was too far gone.
The guy was a douche, a dirt bag druggie, and now, more than ever, Mason wanted out of
that apartment. He wanted a place of his own, a place where he could suffer in complete silence all by himself, but he was trying to save as much money as he could in order to get a place right down by the beach.
“Mason, is that you?” Maisy whispered on the first ring. Her voice sounded sleepy and
hoarse like she’d been crying.
He clung tighter to the phone, and his throat tightened. Sweat laced his palms. He looked
over at the microwave clock. Shit, it was late. Maybe he had woken her up or something.
“Yeah, mouse, I’m here. Are you okay? What’s wrong? Is it Harley?” Speaking her name
never failed to make his mouth go dry. This time was no different.
His stomach tied in knots, and his mind raced with the unknown possibilities of why
Maisy had called. If anything had happened to Harley…
He pinched the bridge of his nose. He had to relax. Harley was fine. She had to have
been.
“No, Mason. It’s grandpa. He’s … dead.” The air whooshed out of his lungs. His jaw
dropped. His heart emptied even more.
No, no way. He had just spoken to him yesterday! How? Why? He shook his head,
tugging at the neck of his tank top. “When, Maisy? When did this happen?” Mason swallowed
the tight lump in his throat. He wouldn’t cry.
“This morning.” His heart lurched as he stiffened. He’d spent his entire day either
sleeping on the couch or lounging on the beach. He was turning into a bum while his grandpa had died without his knowledge. “The hospice nurse that came in to check on him found him on the floor of his room while mom was working and I was at school.”
He paced the kitchen gritting his teeth as he listened to his little sister. She shouldn’t be dealing with this on her own. She was only sixteen, and his mother … God, she was most likely shutting off from the world again.
“What’s mom been doing, Maisy? Why didn’t she call me?”
“Oh hell, Mason. Mom’s zoning out, too busy wallowing in her own ridiculousness to
even talk to me most of the time. I’m … alone,” she sniffled. Holy hell.
He punched his hand into the fridge. His anger and grief mixed as pushed he bent at the
waist with his hands pressed against his knees. Maisy went on to talk about funeral and visitation arrangements, and somewhere along the way, Mason found himself back in his room sitting at
his computer, credit card in hand ready to book a flight home.
Huh? When had Hillsdale become home?”
“I’m coming home, Maisy. Don’t worry. I’ll be there soon as I can.”
She was eerily quiet. The phone line buzzing in the background was all he could hear. He
cringed, wishing he had the right words to say, but then thankfully, finally, she spoke.
“Mason, I, uh, went to Harley’s house tonight. I’m sorry. I was desperate and alone, and I
couldn’t get a hold of you. I needed to talk to somebody.” He narrowed his eyes as his back went ramrod straight. Why in the hell did she think he would be pissed at her?
“Why are you sorry, Mouse? She’s a great person; someone who I’m glad was there for
you. I’m not mad, never ever mad.” Sick to the stomach, eyes watering from the pain of even thinking about his little beast, but never mad.
“She asked about you. It was the first time since you left that she’s done that.” He braced his palms on the edge of his desk, pushing himself back into the chair.
He blew out a quick breath as he stared out of the small window in his apartment
bedroom. Excitement brewed instead of pain in his chest. He’d take the change in his emotions any day, even though talking about and thinking about Harley still led him to the same feelings in the end – heartbreak and loss
He closed his eyes again, “What did you tell her?”
She sighed, “The truth. I told her that I hadn’t talked to you much because you’re so busy
with surfing and stuff. It was all I could think of ... honestly!”
“Dammit,” Mason cursed, pounding his fist against his keyboard. He failed his sister, just
like he failed Abigail and his dad too, but then again, what was new?
“What, Mase? Did you want me to tell her the truth? That you’re wasting away without
her? That every moment of your day is spent thinking of her? Because I know it’s true. I can hear it in your voice, Mason, every single time we talk.”
He blinked, how could his sister read him so well, even over the phone? He cleared his
throat, needing to find a way to change the subject before his own emotions got the better of him.
“Okay, Mouse, I get it. You know as much as I do that I still love her. We were just never
meant to be. She deserves better.”
“Mason Daniel, you deserve to be happy too! When are you going to stop punishing
yourself all the time! Her accident wasn’t your fault. Dad’s death wasn’t you fault either.” His eyes widened. How had she known about his guilt over his dad’s death? He never spoke about
his feelings to anybody but Har.
He cleared the emotion from his throat. He had to get off the phone otherwise he was
going to lose it. “Mouse, I’ve gotta go. I love you. I’ll see you soon,” he cut her off, hanging up the phone before she had a chance to reply.
He pressed his hand against his forehead using his thumb and forefinger to massage his
temples. It throbbed like the constant ache in his heart.
God, these were the times he missed Harley the most.
Chapter Twenty Six
“Harley? Are you ready to go, honey? Abigail just pulled into the driveway!” her mom
called from outside the door.
Taking her fiftieth deep breath in the last five minutes, Harley glanced at herself once
more in the mirror. She nodded. Her little pep talk fell unconvincingly from her lips, “You can do this, Harley. It’s just one day, and then you’ll never have to see him again.”
She popped her lips to seal in her lip gloss, questioning why she put it on in the first place just as her always impatient mother bounded through the door.
“Did you hear me?”
She slapped her hands on her thighs, “Yeah, Mom. Just give me a second, okay?” Harley
snapped, grabbing a few extra tissues to stick in her wristlet. She would be eighteen in less than a week, and she had only ever been to one other funeral before. She knew she’d cry. That was
inevitable, so the Kleenex was a must.
“Well, you don’t want to keep her waiting, hon, and showing up to a funeral late is not
exactly an appropriate –”
“Mom, I’m coming. Just … chillax, okay?” Harley rolled her eyes, glancing down at her
choice of footwear.
Hmm … flip flops. Did one wear them to a funeral? She plucked some lint off her dress.
Was the dress too much? Should she have gone more casual? It was rainy and nasty outside, so maybe she should have chosen flats and a sweater set instead. She grinded her teeth. Her entire body was practically seething with irritation today. God, why did the little things have to be so difficult nowadays?
It was her nerves talking, had to have been. The stupid things were eating away at her
like tiny unwanted bugs that had buried themselves in her body. If she made it through the day alive, it’d be a phenomenon in the making.
“I’m out!” Harley gave her mom tightlipped smile as she slipped by her through the door.
“Don’t forget a sweater!” she shouted from behind. “And be sure to give my condolences
to Maisy and Mason, alright? I love you!”
“Love you too, Mom,” she grabbed her sweater along with her wristlet, as she raced
unenthusiastically towards Abigail’s kickass new sports car.
She smiled at the cherry red contraption, shaking her head as Abigail popped a “let’s go
finger” from the sun roof. Dumb girl. Who had their sunroof opened on a rainy wet day
anyways?
She slipped in, shivering as the cool leather seats rubbed against her bare legs. “Look at
you, hot mama, all sexified for a funeral.” Not at all denying it, Harley looked over towards her best friend, sending her an evil glare.
“I am not sexified, Abs, just … dressed up. What about you? Who in the hell wears a short black mini skirt and hooker boots to a funeral? That sweater shows more cleavage then I show in my bikini top!” Abigail grinned back at her, wiggling her eyebrows up and down as she tapped along to the beat of the music on her steering wheel.
“Well, at least Mason can see exactly what he’s missing out on now. Hell, Har, if I had
legs like that then I’d be wearing skirts shorter than the one I’ve got on! Besides, you need to give that sexy surfer boy something to drool over, something to say hey, looked at what you screwed up. Bada-bing, bada-boom. That’s how you should be rolling, chickadee.”
Harley grunted as they sped down the driveway, groaning even harder when they stalled
out on the main road. Then their eyes locked, and they both erupted in fits of giggles. Apparently Abigail and clutches just didn’t mix.
Harley sighed, “Listen, Abs. When we get there, I want to sit towards the back, that way
he doesn’t see me right way.” She fingered the bracelets on her arms just to keep her trembling hands busy as they made their way through town. Being the ever awesome best friend that she was, Abigail placed her hand into Harley’s as reassurance poured off of her in waves.
“Harley, it’s going to be okay. I promise. I’m here with you, and I won’t let him hurt you
anymore. You got it?” Harley smiled but couldn’t let an agreement fall from her mouth. She’d like to think this was going to be an easy day, but she didn’t believe in the idea at all.
The rest of the trip was quiet, leaving Harley alone with her thoughts. Would Mason see
her right away when they got there? Would they hug? Would he kiss her? Hell, would he call her by her name or the dreaded nickname she hated to love. She had no idea what to expect, but at least she’d have Abigail there with her.
They were late as always. The preacher was spouting off a prayer as they slipped into the
back pews of the funeral home. Harley’s eyes immediately took flight as they went in search of a familiar blond head of hair. She told herself she wasn’t going to be obvious, but she couldn’t help it. She had to see him, any portion of him. She needed her fill.
Seconds later, her eyes hit their intended target just three, short rows ahead. Harley
exhaled, taking in the backside of his suit coat and grinned like a fool when he ran his fingers through his extra-long hair. Wow, it was so girly and pretty. Oh what she would do to run her fingers through it again?
The preacher droned on about living a life after death and being one of God’s chosen
ones or something to that religious affect, but Harley couldn’t focus, couldn’t even breathe for that matter. Her heartbeat was racing at killer heart attack speeds, and she was ready to call it a day that is until Abigail leaned her head onto her shoulders.
Dammit, she couldn’t leave now. Her eyes found the door. It’d be too obvious! She took
in the large crowed. She’d be too loud. She bit her cheek as resolve washed over her. She was there for Maisy. She had to remember that, even if she was terrified of seeing Maisy’s brother again.
Then again, maybe he didn’t know she was coming! Maybe he’d be pissed that she did!
Shit, what if he had a new girlfriend and she was there too? The panic started to rise along with the bile in her throat. Th
is was a mistake. She had to get out of there!
She scooted away from Abigail, grabbing her wristlet. She was ready to dart, no matter
what eyes followed her.
“No, don’t even think about it, Harley Ann. It’s too late,” Abigail gripped a hand over her bouncing knee as she lifted he head. She was wearing that evil eye, the one that said she was all business.
Damn, she was stuck.
Harley sighed, slouching low into the pew. She was right. “He already knows you’re
here, Har,” Abigail growl-whispered between her teeth. “Look!”
Mason’s name left the minister’s mouth. The sound practically echoed in slow motion as
Harley stared straight ahead. She gripped the ends of her dress. Every part of her body went still.
Her breath, her heart, her eyes, even the nervous twitch of her jaw went slack. Mason was there standing at the podium with his eyes directly locked onto her face.
A whole ten seconds passed by and their lingering stare down still continued. His mom
whispered Mason’s name as the minister cleared his throat. Abigail even slugged Harley in the ribs, but the moment could not be broken. It was like they had become a part of a movie scene with that moment when the guy and girl reconnect, when emotions are so high and feral that
even a dead body couldn’t keep the awareness between the couple away.
Unlike a movie, this was real life, and Mason, to her complete disbelief, was the first to
look away.
It wasn’t for long…
“Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming here today. My grandfather would have been very
happy knowing so many of his friends and family came to celebrate his long and wonderful life.”
Her throat was dry. She couldn’t breathe again! She couldn’t do this. She gripped the
back of the pew in front of her, planning her quick escape. Yeah, she was definitely chickening out.
“My grandfather taught me a lot in life. He taught me how to tie my first pair of shoes; he taught me how to ride a bike. Heck,” he laughed, the sound sent warmth up her spine, and she shuddered. “He even taught me how to mac on the ladies.”
Everyone laughed at that tidbit, even Harley, although hers came out more like a nervous
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