Chapter 41: Five More Minutes

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Five More Minutes

Audrey stood in the small kitchen of the girls’ apartment, pouring water into the coffee machine. She was humming. She didn’t even realize she was doing it until the sound echoed off the quiet walls.

Chloe, sitting on the counter in her pajamas, lowered her mug.

"You’re smiling," Chloe stated, her eyes narrowing.

Audrey paused, her hand still resting on the coffee pot. "...Am I?"

"It’s disturbing," Chloe said flatly.

Zoya didn’t even look up from her laptop at the kitchen table. "She’s been smiling since yesterday afternoon. I think her face is permanently stuck like that."

Audrey felt her cheeks heat up. She poured her coffee, leaning against the counter, and stared down at the dark liquid. She couldn’t hide it, and honestly, she didn’t want to.

"...I think I’m really happy," Audrey finally admitted.

Chloe rolled her eyes, but there was a genuine, fond smirk hiding behind her coffee mug. "Disgusting. Good for you."

Audrey took a sip. Her mind naturally drifted to the football team, which brought up a question that had been bothering her since yesterday.

"Can I ask something?" Audrey asked.

"Go ahead," Chloe said.

Audrey hesitated. "...Are you and Leo dating?"

Chloe almost violently spit out her coffee. She coughed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, staring at Audrey like she had just grown a second head.

"No," Chloe coughed.

Audrey and Zoya both stopped and stared at her.

"...Seriously?" Audrey asked.

Chloe shrugged, completely unbothered. "I’m not interested in dating anyone from the football team."

"Not even Leo?"

"Especially Leo."

Audrey nearly dropped her mug. "But you two..." She waved her hand, trying to encompass everything she had witnessed over the last three months. "You eat together."

"He’s hungry," Chloe replied.

"You walk home together."

"We live in the same direction."

"You wear his hoodie."

"It’s comfortable."

"You text every day."

"He’s annoying."

"You call every night."

"He forgets things and needs to be reminded," Chloe said, letting out a long, exasperated sigh. "Leo is one of my closest friends. I’m like this with all my guy friends."

Total silence fell over the kitchen.

Zoya slowly put her coffee down. She looked at Chloe, her expression perfectly deadpan.

"...I don’t think Leo knows that."

Across campus, morning training had just ended.

The locker room was filled with the usual chaos. Leo was sitting on the bench, grinning down at his phone while he changed out of his cleats.

Jackson leaned against the lockers, tossing a roll of athletic tape in the air.

"So..." Jackson started, a teasing smirk on his face. "You and Chloe."

Leo looked up, his grin widening. "What about us?"

"You dating?" Jackson asked.

Leo laughed, tossing his cleats into his locker. "Not officially."

Jackson raised an eyebrow. "...Officially?"

Leo nodded confidently, crossing his arms. "She likes me."

A few lockers down, Mason quietly taped his wrist. He didn’t say anything, but he was definitely listening.

Jackson looked skeptical. "Evidence?"

Leo puffed out his chest and proudly started listing things on his fingers. "She waits for me after practice. She steals my fries in the cafeteria. She wears my hoodies. She texts me every single day. She always tells me to stretch my hamstrings, and she remembers my entire exam schedule."

Leo folded his arms, looking completely triumphant.

"If that’s not love," Leo declared, "I don’t know what is."

Jackson stared at him for a long moment. Then, very slowly, Jackson turned his head to the side.

"...Captain," Jackson called out softly.

Mason finished wrapping his wrist. "...Yeah?"

"...Should we tell him?"

Mason laughed, a low, rough sound, and grabbed his gym bag.

"...No."

Leo beamed, completely missing the subtext. "I knew you’d agree!"

Mason smiled, shaking his head as he walked past them. "...I didn’t say that."

Mason walked out into the cool hallway. As soon as the heavy metal door swung shut behind him, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He pulled it out.

Audrey

Busy after practice?

Mason stopped walking. Without even trying, his entire expression softened. The exhaustion from Coach Miller’s relentless drills completely melted away.

Jackson and Leo walked out of the locker room right behind him.

Jackson nudged Leo. "...Look at his face."

Leo leaned over, trying to peek at the screen, and dramatically wrinkled his nose. "Eww. That is the face of a man who is entirely gone."

Mason ignored both of them. He quickly typed his reply.

Never too busy for you.

Her reply came almost instantly.

Want to come over?

Mason smiled.

I’ll be there in twenty.

Leo let out a low, obnoxious whistle. "Look at that. Our captain is getting invited over."

"Go away, Leo," Mason said, though he was smiling too much to sound actually annoyed.

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell to the girls’ apartment rang.

Audrey smoothed down her sweater, took a quick breath, and opened the door.

Mason was standing there, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dark jacket.

They both just looked at each other.

"...Hi," Audrey smiled.

"...Hi," Mason smiled back.

Neither of them moved. They stood in the doorway for a full five seconds before the awkward, entirely new reality of actually being a couple hit them.

Then, they both laughed.

Mason stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Zoya, who was sitting at the kitchen table, immediately stood up. She closed her textbook with a loud snap.

"I suddenly remembered I have to study," Zoya announced.

Chloe looked up from her phone, completely confused. "...Now?"

"Immediately," Zoya said, grabbing Chloe by the arm and hauling her off the kitchen stool.

"But my laptop—" Chloe protested.

"You have another one," Zoya said firmly, dragging her toward their shared bedroom.

Before disappearing behind the door, Chloe dug her heels in for one second. She pointed a strict finger at Mason.

"Don’t let her skip dinner."

Mason stood at attention and gave a mock salute. "Yes, ma’am."

The bedroom door clicked shut.

Silence fell over the living room.

Audrey looked at Mason. Mason looked at Audrey.

Then, they both started laughing all over again.

They didn’t go out. They ordered Thai takeout and sat on the plush rug by the coffee table, eating out of cardboard boxes. Home felt safe. A quiet room with just him was infinitely better than a flashy, crowded restaurant.

The conversation flowed naturally, dipping into things they had never had the chance to talk about while they were too busy pretending.

They talked about their childhoods. They argued over their favorite movies. They shared embarrassing freshman-year stories.

"Why did you start playing football?" Audrey asked, using her chopsticks to steal a noodle from his box.

Mason didn’t complain. He just watched her.

"I was a really angry kid," Mason admitted quietly. "I got into a lot of fights in middle school. Football was the only place where hitting someone was rewarded instead of punished. And competitive drive gave my head a break."

Audrey nodded, understanding perfectly. "And why did you stay?"

"Because I realized I liked defending the team more than I liked hitting people," he smiled. "Why did you choose journalism?"

"Because people lie," Audrey said simply. "I like finding the truth when everyone else is completely distracted by the rumors."

Mason looked at her, his eyes warm and impossibly fond.

When they finished eating, Mason automatically gathered the empty containers and walked over to the kitchen sink, running the water.

Audrey blinked, following him over. "You’re the guest."

He shrugged, rinsing out a plastic carton. "I’m also your boyfriend."

Audrey leaned against the counter, watching him methodically clean up. A soft, helpless smile took over her face. "...You’re setting the bar really high, Calloway."

Mason looked over his shoulder, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners. "...Good."

After cleaning up, they moved to the small couch to watch a movie.

Audrey sat down, pulling her knees up.

Mason sat down right beside her. His arm naturally draped along the back of the sofa, and without even thinking, Audrey leaned into his side.

The movie played in the background, but after a while, Mason’s hand dropped to find hers in her lap. He slowly played with her fingers, tracing the lines of her palm.

Audrey looked down at their hands. "...You’re really affectionate."

Mason looked away from the TV. "...Am I?"

"You’ve held my hand, hugged me, kissed my forehead, and played with my hair," Audrey counted softly. "And now you’re doing this."

Mason’s fingers froze. "...Sorry," he said, his old carefulness returning for a split second as he started to pull away.

Audrey immediately caught his hand, weaving her fingers back through his. "No," she said, looking up at him. "I like it."

With Logan, physical affection had always felt like a prop used for an audience. But with Mason, it was just quiet, constant, and entirely for her.

Mason studied her face, his gaze dropping to her lips. Audrey didn’t hesitate. She reached up, gently touched his cheek, and leaned forward to kiss him.

It was soft, slow, and completely intentional.

Mason caught his breath against her mouth, his hand coming up to cup her jaw, deepening the kiss with a slow, heavy warmth that made her head spin. When they finally separated, they were both breathless.

Mason leaned down and pressed one playful, extra peck to her lips. "I’m definitely not finished," he whispered.

Audrey laughed softly, but instead of rushing into another kiss, she leaned her head against his shoulder. Mason wrapped his arm securely around her, his fingers absentmindedly playing with the short strands of her dark hair. They talked quietly over the sound of the television, losing all track of time, until the late-night exhaustion finally caught up to Audrey and she fell half asleep against his chest.

It was late when Mason finally had to leave.

They stood at the open front door, the hallway quiet.

"I’ll see you tomorrow at practice," Mason said, stepping out onto the landing.

"Okay," Audrey murmured.

As he turned, Audrey reached out, grabbed the fabric of his gray hoodie, and pulled him back down. She surprised him with one last, lingering kiss—a sweet, deliberate goodbye that felt entirely distinct from before.

Mason smiled against her lips, his arms loosely wrapping around her waist to hold her close for a few seconds longer.

When they pulled apart, his eyes were bright. "...You know," he whispered, "if you keep doing that, I’ll never go home."

Audrey laughed softly, her hands resting on his chest. "Then maybe... stay five more minutes."

Mason chuckled, resting his forehead against hers.

"Deal."