Blindspot (Daydream, Colorado Book 1)

by A. M. Rose

  His feet hit the pavement and the sound was deafening in his ears. Drew was still here. He didn’t leave. He’d see him in just moments. He kept reminding himself of that as relief mixed with anger for this stunt he’d pulled.

  Propelled by his own emotions, he sped up until he was almost running. He was in the woods in mere minutes, barreling through the thick bushes and stumbling over overgrown roots. Drew made him promise he’d leave the maintenance of the path to him and not use magic on it, but well… he wasn’t doing a great job of it at all.

  He skidded to a stop in front of their clearing and found Drew waiting for him. Smile wide on his face and a box with a familiar logo on it.

  “Did you buy me Sage’s pastries to get me to not be mad at you?” he asked flatly, and Drew tilted his head, popping the lid of the box open revealing an assortment of Mason’s favorite things.

  “Is it working?” Drew asked, and Mason came closer, eyeing up a cinnamon roll.

  “It might…” He looked around Drew and let out a chuckle when he produced a cup of coffee from behind his back.

  “How about now?”

  “Getting closer,” he said, cradling the cup to his chest. His hands were cold despite the sun that dutifully rose every morning. It managed to do nothing against the last licks of winter and the warm-up he had running to meet Drew. He shivered slightly, and Drew wrapped him up in his arms, chest to chest, the box of pastries forgotten on a log behind them and the coffee cup letting off steam between them.

  “Drew… what’s happening?” he asked finally, and Drew lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair.

  “I needed to prove something to you,” he said.

  Mason frowned. “What’s that?”

  “That I’m here to stay.”

  “Drew…”

  “No… I need you to listen to me now,” he said, and Mason swallowed audibly, nodding his head and allowing Drew to talk.

  “We’ve been doing this for weeks now. This, relationship… us. And I understand your fears. I understand your need to be in control and protect yourself, but…I want you to know there’s no need for that. You can stop being hesitant about letting me stay the night. I’ll be there in the morning. You can stop setting your alarm before mine so you can see me out and watch me as I leave. You can stop waiting for me to leave. Stop thinking I’d ever want to leave you again.”

  “I’m not…it’s not easy, Drew,” Mason said and Drew nodded.

  “I know. I know it’s not. And I’m willing to wait. But I need you to let me show you.…”

  “How?”

  “Go up.” Drew waved his hand towards the treehouse.

  “What? Why?” Mason asked as he did his best to dig his heels into the ground to stop Drew from pushing him in the direction he wanted.

  “I have a surprise for you upstairs,” he said, and Mason turned to look at him over his shoulder.

  “What is it?” he asked, and Drew rolled his eyes.

  “Why is that always the response when you tell someone you have a surprise. The point of surprise is literally NOT to say what it is,” he said and Mason chuckled.

  “You really gave that some thought, huh?”

  Drew nodded with a half-smile. “Yes. I have. The world makes no sense. Now climb.”

  “Fine… fine, I’ll climb,” he grumbled and set aside his cup. He put his feet onto the little planks dutifully, pushing the little trap door with the top of his head and opening it up as he climbed.

  His head poked through, and he looked up, breath catching in his throat and foot slipping. He felt Drew hold him tight and push him up, so he hoisted himself into the house fully, mouth open and eyes wide and misty.

  Their little sanctuary was empty of all the stuff Mason stored there, clean and freshly painted from the inside. There was a corner filled with the old cushions, but they were all wrapped in new pillowcases, colorful and mismatched just like before. Their lanterns were all lit and despite the morning sun shining, the little specks of light they radiated were wonderful to see.

  But what got to Mason the most was the wall in front of him, directly across from their little nest. It was covered from top to bottom in photos of the two of them growing up. There were ones their parents took on first days of schools, birthdays, and failed attempts to be good at an extracurricular activity. Ones their school friends took at some of the rare parties they decided to go to before changing their minds and leaving to spend the night with each other.

  There were ones where they were together, silly, happy, acting like idiots. There were some where Drew was alone, and Mason could tell right away he was the one who took those. They were terrible, out of focus, with horrible lighting and unflattering angles. Drew kept them anyways.

  But an overwhelming amount of them were of Mason. Mason smiling, frowning, flipping the camera off, looking away, looking at the camera, sending kisses to Drew who was behind the camera. Ones of him eating. God, so many photos of him eating. There were ones where he looked amazing in. And ones where he looked like an absolute idiot, but one thing could be said for all of them.

  Whoever took them, loved him.

  “Drew…” he whispered, tips of his fingers flying up to cover his lips as he took it all in. He felt his fragile heart thump, overwhelmed by emotion.

  “Can you see it?” Drew whispered and Mason nodded, tears gathering in his eyes.

  “I… I think so…”

  “I love you, Mason. So much it’s driving me insane.”

  “I…”

  “I know you can’t just stop being worried and afraid right away, but I need a tiny little speck of trust, okay?”

  Mason stared up at him, his entire body trembling. Was this the moment when ten years of living with shackles on his heart ended? Was this morning the last one he’d spend waiting for someone else to leave him?

  He didn’t think so. Somewhere inside, he knew a part of him would always believe he gave people no reason to stay. That something in him drove them away.

  “My parents left,” he said finally.

  “I know.”

  “And then you did too.”

  “I did. And I’ll never stop regretting it. But I’m back now. And I’m really not asking for you to just be okay with everything all at once. I just need you to not shut me out.”

  “How?” he asked, leaning his forehead against Drew’s chest. He heard his heart through the layers of clothing, and he lifted his palm to lay it over it, thumping his fingers in sync with it.

  “It beats for you,” he heard Drew whisper, and he melted in his arms, but the cynical part of him refused to let it show that he liked it.

  “So cheesy,” he said and felt Drew shrug.

  “I don’t care. I’ll be as cheesy as I want to,” he said, and Mason lifted his head and quirked an eyebrow at him.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yup. I’ll hold you every night. I’ll kiss you any chance I get. I’ll text you a million times a day when we’re not together to let you know I’m here, I’m thinking of you. I’ll buy a new camera and take photos of you and then complain how none of them are even close to capturing how beautiful you are…”

  “Dreeeew,” he whined, but a smile was pulling at his lips, and he felt hope blooming wild and untamed in his chest.

  “I wasn’t done,” Drew said.

  Mason took Drew’s face between his palms. “Yes, you were,” he said pulling his face down towards himself and brought their lips together.

  Drew wrapped his arms around his waist, lifting him up. His legs went around Drew’s hips but their lips never disconnected. He was lost in Drew. The taste of him so familiar, comforting. He was fooling himself to think it was just the echo of what he used to feel for him. He never stopped loving him beyond words. Drew was the only one for him.

  “I love you, Mason,” Drew whispered against his lips and there was nothing for Mason but to kiss him for a second longer and steal his breath to say it back to him.

 
; “I love you too.”

  The smile he got from Drew was enough to shut his demons up.

  “Yeah?” Drew asked, shuffling on his feet like a little kid, and Mason nodded, chuckling.

  “Yeah.”

  “Say it again,” Drew demanded.

  “I love you.”

  “One more time?”

  “Love you.” Mason pecked his lips, and with every time he said it, the smaller the fear inside him got.

  “God, you make me happy,” Drew said on an exhale, swooping in to kiss him senseless for a few more moments before he dropped him down unceremoniously. Mason stumbled and flailed his arms to keep himself upright.

  “Wow… the love is gone already?” he shouted in mock indignation and Drew barked out a laugh.

  “I can’t give it to you all at once. Need to space it out.” He winked as they looked towards the wall.

  “It was always you. Even when I didn’t know it.” He pointed at one of their first photos together. Their first Charming Winter Fair. “Even when I was gone. It was always you. And it always will be.”

  Mason turned back around to stare at the wall.

  "When did you do this?" he asked.

  "Past couple of days, here and there. Mostly when you were at work."

  "Sneaking around already?" Mason teased and Drew snorted.

  "You have no idea how hard it is to sneak around someone who can see the future. I was in constant fear of being busted by your glances," Drew said and Mason gasped, clutching a hand to his chest.

  "Drew..." he said. "I need... there's one more thing you have to know."

  "Okay... what is it?"

  "I… um... I haven't had a glance about you in years. I don't think... I'll never have one about you again," he admitted quietly.

  Drew stared at him, frown deep on his forehead.

  "Why would you say that?"

  "You know I don't have glances about myself, Drew."

  "Yes, but..."

  "My magic sees you as part of me. You’re my blindspot!" Mason said, lifting his eyes up to Drew, willing him to understand that this was his gesture. Drew had his photos to prove his love. Mason had his magic that wrapped itself around Drew and pulled him in until they were one.

  "Mason..." Drew's eyes misted over as he hugged him tighter. But Mason knew, words would never do justice to what they were to each other. It was so much more than what could be said.

  Mason lifted his hands towards the wall and whispered something under his breath. A light sheen sparkled over the wall and Drew smiled.

  “Good thinking,” he said, and Mason cuddled back into him.

  “I don’t want it ruined,” he said lowering his hands down and tucking his cold palms beneath Drew’s. “Do you mind?”

  “No. I have to get used to magic being a part of my life again if I’m staying.”

  “We can… try and live outside Daydream,” Mason suggested carefully. His throat closed at the words, but he felt like he’d be able to try if it meant having Drew. Magic had hurt Drew so much. Would it be fair to ask him to keep living with it for the rest of his life?

  “You… want to live in a non-magic community?” Drew gaped at him, something shining in his eyes.

  “I mean… I don't want to… but I'd try it for you. Magic hurt you a lot more than hiding it would hurt me,” he said, and as he said it, it made sense. It would be hard, but he felt like he’d be able to learn to live without it. He had been making an effort to use less magic since this thing with Drew turned serious so... he should be okay, he felt? Right?

  “Thank you, Mase but… you'd literally die without magic.”

  “What?? I'd be perfectly fine…” he bristled, and Drew spun him to face him.

  “I watched you use magic to use an ice-cream scoop last night,” Drew said and Mason huffed.

  “It makes nicer scoops than I can do with magic!”

  Drew tilted his head a bit. “Then why not just use the scoop with your hands…?”

  “The tub is cold…” he complained, and Drew threw his head back, laughing that amazing, rich laugh that warmed Mason whenever he heard it.

  “We're staying in Daydream!”

  “But…”

  “But thank you. For being willing to move for me,” Drew said, and Mason wrapped his arms around his neck.

  “I’d do anything for you,” he whispered, that slight fear of being this vulnerable rearing its ugly head, but Drew swooped in for a kiss and it all ceased to matter.

  Drew was back. And this time… he was staying.

  SPRING

  “This party sucks!” Mason complained, lugging a huge case of beer out to the garden.

  “It hasn’t even started yet!” Sage froze in his spot, eyes huge and face crestfallen. Mason chuckled, looking at his best friend who truly never seemed to understand sarcasm.

  “I was invited here as a guest, I shouldn’t have to work!” he explained, and Sage went from a kicked puppy to smug in a fraction of a second.

  “You should if you want to eat,” he lectured, grabbing the plastic container of marinated meat he had prepared earlier. He flicked the lid off, and with an enviable swish of his fingers, set the cubes of meat to spearing themselves onto little wooden skewers while he got the barbecue coals ready.

  “Threatening to take my food away? That’s a low blow, Sage Atwood,” he complained, abandoning the case halfway to the table they set outside in Sage’s garden.

  Good enough.

  “I have to aim low if I want it to hit you,” Sage said.

  Mason gasped, throwing himself onto a lawn chair in the most melodramatic way he could come up with. “You hurt my feelings. I am now hurt. Officially,” he said, legs thrown over one of the armrests, head hanging off the other side, palm clutching his heart for added visual appeal. He was fairly sure he was killing this overreacting thing.

  “Can you get the plates from the kitchen?” Sage asked. Apparently, Mason’s production had zero effect on him because he wasn’t even looking at him anymore.

  “Fine,” Mason huffed, trudging to the kitchen and coming back out with a stack of plates Sage had set out on the counter. He piled the cutlery on top too and carried it all out to the wooden table. It clattered and wobbled, and he was fairly sure he was gonna drop everything before he could get there.

  “Did you forget you can use magic?” Sage asked, and Mason froze on the spot, arms trembling with exertion. Yes. He did forget. While Drew never asked him to tame his magic, he naturally fell into a more hands-on approach to life around the other man. It made them both feel like they found a middle ground where they made each other happy and safe.

  “See what happens when you make me get up before I’m ready,” he whined again as he set the load down with a relieved puff. “I’m sleepy. Drew was all warm and comfy, and you made me get up.”

  He didn’t mention that the real reason he was tired was that Drew had had an episode last night. Sage and Ben knew but it wasn’t something Drew wanted broadcasted every time it happened. Malachi had warned them of potential aftereffects, and this was simply one of the things they had learned to deal with. Together. Thankfully they weren’t frequent, and Drew hadn’t let it hinder him at all as he settled back into Daydream life. Life with him.

  “I needed help,” Sage said with a shrug, completely unaware.

  “Why isn’t Ben helping? It’s his job. Literally what boyfriends are for. Lugging heavy stuff and barbecuing.”

  “That’s what a boyfriend is for?” Sage asked with an eyebrow raised.

  Mason nodded. “Yup.”

  “Poor Drew,” he said and Mason huffed.

  “So much sass, Atwood. So. Much. Sass,” he said, slumping down into the chair again and kicking his legs back and forth, trying really hard not to let the fact that his feet weren’t touching the ground get to him. It was a huge-ass chair. “Seriously though. This is a lunch party. Why are we up at nobody-should-be-up o’clock? And why is there no breakfast? Do you hate me,
Sage?”

  “Jesus, you’re annoying. There is breakfast in the kitchen,” Sage said, waving a hand that way, and Mason stared at him in confusion.

  “There are three bear claws and tea.”

  Sage slanted him an exasperated look. “The bear claws are the size of your head. And you can eat all of them.”

  “I have a small head, so that doesn’t fix anything.”

  “Oh, so you’re okay playing the tiny card when it suits you?” Sage asked.

  Mason nodded. “Obviously.”

  Sage took a breath to say something else, but ultimately decided against it as he continued to set up what he needed to make them lunch.

  Mason slouched back into the chair determined to cat-nap for a while, but the sun was shining, and his stomach was growling, so he went inside and snagged himself a bear claw, munching on it as he watched Sage work.

  “Where is Ben, anyway?” he asked after a while.

  “Ruth Bolton had a wiring emergency this morning, so he went to check it out.”

  “What’s a wiring emergency?”

  “No clue. It was too early to listen to him explaining it.” Sage shrugged, scrunching up his nose. “And also, I don’t get what he’s saying.”

  Mason chortled at his confused face, chucking a bite of his breakfast at him.

  “You’ve been together for over a year, and you still don’t get what he does?” Mason asked and Sage chuckled with him.

  “He fixes things. He makes them better. That’s all I need to know,” Sage said, and Mason’s face softened.

  “You’re such a sap,” he said, refusing to let his mushy side be visible to everyone.

  “Hi, Drew,” Sage chirped, looking over his shoulder, and Mason jumped up, turning around only to find the backyard empty.

  “What?” He turned to Sage who was sticking his tongue out at him.

  “Who’s a sap?” he asked innocently.

  “You suck, Sage.” He stuffed the last bite of his food into his mouth. “Alright, fine. What else do you need me to do?”

  “Chairs, salad, parasols?” Sage listed and Mason nodded. Reminded now that he had his magic, and he didn’t really have to do heavy lifting anymore, the work didn’t seem so bad.