Page 82 of Please Hate Me

As she shifted to her knees, I realized I didn’t have a choice. She pressed her lips to mine with a kiss so divine I was sure the earth stopped spinning. I always thought sparks were supposed to fly when you kissed someone you loved for the first time, but that wasn’t the case with Mason. Instead, it felt like home. Like we were two halves of the same soul, separated for way too long.

When she pulled away, I pressed my forehead to hers. In response, she wound her fingers into the hair at the back of my neck. My breathing was deep, and my head was swimming.

As long as I was alive, nothing would ever hurt Mason again. That was a promise... I just needed time to think about how exactly I was going to keep it.

“Is Sophia busy?” Mason cautiously asked.

I thought for a minute. Sophia wasalwaysbusy. There was always some meeting she had to attend, some phone call she needed to make. She spent more time in her office than she did anywhere else in the house. But I had a feeling she’d put work aside if Mason needed her.

“I can go check. Why?”

Mason hesitated.

“Being around her always used to calm me down, and I need that.”

I nodded as I took in her words. Sophia had said having Mason around would be good for all of us, and I wondered if she’d be the one who finally reminded Sophia to take time for herself, too.

Chapter 23

Mason

Going out in public had been a huge hassle for me ever since I outgrew my father’s French record label and became known internationally. America’s entertainment industry was unrivaled—if you could be popular in the States, you could be famous anywhere. Unfortunately, I wasinsanelypopular in the States. Sure, it made me a lot of money, but I missed my privacy.

Wearing a big sweatshirt with the hood up was fine for the airport because everyone was in a rush to get somewhere, so nobody recognized me except my seatmates. Shopping malls, however, were a breeding ground for surprise encounters. Typically, I avoided them altogether, but Sophia was really excited to take me out, and I didn’t want to let her down. So, to lessen the chance of our date being interrupted, I put on brown cosmetic lenses and a black surgical mask before we went out. With my teeth, freckles, and mismatched eyes hidden, I was pretty unrecognizable. And if all that wasn’t enough, I wasn’t even dressed like myself today.

Sophia wanted us to wear matching outfits, but given our differences in fashion sense, it was almost impossible. Since my clothesdefinitelywouldn’t fit her, she pulled a white turtleneck from her wardrobe, paired it with a high-waisted pink plaid skirt, and secured it around my waist with a belt. I was fairly certain the skirt would’ve been about knee-length on Sophia, but it came down to my shins.

I would’ve really enjoyed letting her dress me up if I hadn’t been so worried about stretching out her clothes. But Sophia reassured me that even if I did, she’d be happy to replace them. She finished the look off by using a white bow to pull my hair out of my face.

I felt ridiculous and very… pink. But it made her smile, so it was worth it.

She took my arm in hers, connecting us by the elbows as she led me through the packed corridors of people.

“You don’t mind running a couple of errands with me, right?” she asked.

What type of errand could she possibly have to run at a mall? Catching a cold? Running into an unpleasant acquaintance? But I didn’t voice my concerns; instead, I smiled and nodded, happy to be in her company.

The first place she dragged me to was a nail salon. The walls were white, and the fluorescent lights were blinding. When I got manicures back home, the shops I went to were always packed. Upon walking in the door of my regular place, I’d almost instantly be blasted with the smell of acrylics and the sound of dremels. But the only sound in this place was some pop radio station playing in the background.

Sophia’s smile was bright as she looked around the empty room, and I hung onto her like a toddler scared to lose their mother. After a moment, Sophia pursed her lips before dragging me to the technicolor wall of nail polish.

“What color should I pick?” she asked, adjusting all the bottles so their labels faced forward.

I looked down at my matte black acrylics. I hadn’t picked my nail color in years; my dad always paid a stylist to pick for me. The idea of having to choose for someone else made my face tingle.

“Is this place even open?” I squeaked.

“Oh yeah. Jade’s probably in the back taking a minute for herself.”

Sophia was here often enough to know the nail tech by name?

I glanced around once more at the completely desolate salon. The mall was packed, so why were there no customers here? In my experience, getting a manicure at a place this dead was a surefire way to end up with a nail fungus.

I stood back as Sophia finished organizing the polish display. Did she ever stop working? Just as she’d finished straightening the last vial, I was startled by the sound of sneakers on tiles. Involuntarily, I jumped into Sophia, and she looked toward the sound, a smile on her face. She wiggled out of my grasp before prancing over to a woman near the counter.

The two embraced in a tight hug, both squealing with excitement. I cringed at the sound as I realized I was very quickly going to be overwhelmed. But meltdowns were best saved for the apartment, and I was trained to be personable even while overstimulated.

I could do this.

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