Chapter Six

Leah's P.O.V

I was not having the best day. 

Why you ask?

No one asked. 

For starters, it was Tuesday. The first day Mason and I would be meeting for tutoring. That meant an evening spent with him. Monday, the universally loathed day, shifted to Tuesday for me, all due to a single deal I couldn't back out of.

Also, that knowledge came with the painful realization that I would be missing Taco Tuesdays- a family tradition where mum and I prepared Italian delicacies while gossiping about her colleagues in the office- Brenda Shannon- mum's boss, being the highlight of my Tuesdays. It broke my heart knowing it would come to a stop for a while.

And it pissed me off.

The dreadful day went on like a blur, classes held, the normal high school drama where someone finds out their significant other had been cheating on them, typically a high school day. And it all went away with the miniscule enthusiasm I had, looking forward to tutoring Mason. Mason Kings was too smug for my liking, so imagine me having to spend two hours with him.

I might commit murder.

We decided to host the first lesson at his house and with time, we would interchange between his house and mine. Four-thirty pm to six- thirty pm. A bit late but I didn't mind. At least I would have time to mentally prepare myself for spending two hours with him.

A loathing brunette, fake blonde nerd stared at the mirror, dad's USC shirt which was long faded, some little holes poking out in few places on. It was perfect. I wasn't trying to impress anyone. I paired it with some black leggings and put on some converses. 

"I'm leaving mum!!" I yelled, grabbing my jacket off the stand before closing the door behind me. 

"Try to be back before eight honey!" I hear her call after me as I get into the Lyft I had ordered and my journey to the unknown starts. My hands felt clammy which was proving to be confusing because there was no reason for me to be nervous. It was just Mason Kings.

The smug boy's residence was a solid thirty-minute drive from my place. Although I initially intended to use my mom's car for the journey, the unfamiliarity of his semi suburban location made me opt for a Lyft. It was my first time heading there, and I wanted to ensure accurate directions to his house without the risk of getting lost in the suburbs.

"We've arrived at your destination." The driver informs me. I hand him the money and come out of the the car and then my eyes fully set on the house.

I couldn't fathom the exact words to describe the house. It was beautiful.

The homely house exuded warmth with its welcoming exterior. A neatly trimmed little lawn framed the entrance, offering a touch of greenery to the setting. The open space surrounding the house created an inviting atmosphere, as if beckoning visitors to embrace the charm of its suburban embrace.

The highlight for me as I climbed up the little stairs was the old mistletoe hanging on the door.

 It was everything.

But Mason didn't need to know that. He didn't need to know he lived in a dream house of mine.

I let out a nervous breath before knocking at door. The door opened revealing a spitting female carbon copy of Mason. The brown hair, the green eyes  and instead of a chiseled face, hers was heart shaped.

Why were they all beautiful?

"You must be Lisa.. come in, come in" She smiles widely at me and I could feel my cheeks get hot.

Wait. Lisa?

Not understanding why she would call me Lisa and wondering if Mason was pulling a prank n me, I left the thought. I would get to the bottom of it sooner or later.

Navigating through the doorway, the vintage chandelier caught my attention right away, casting this warm, nostalgic glow that felt like a cozy hug. Inside, the whole vibe was pretty much your typical, down-to-earth setting. But then, bam, a seriously high-end flat screen stole the spotlight, casually dropping hints about the family's not-so-average financial status. It's this cool mashup of old-school comfort and a touch of "we're secretly loaded," making the whole place uniquely intriguing.

Christ! That T.V should be more than my tuition.

"Masy... Lisa's here!" her very loud voice yells which I'm pretty sure Mason heard. I couldn't help but snort at the nickname. Masy. Geez.. a cute name for my female golden retriever...if I had one.

"Have a seat ." She offers with a smile.

"You have a beautiful home ma'am." I sit down. Her lips widen into a proud smile.

"Eleanor.. that's my name sweetie and thank you. I took my time to design it." I can hear the pride in her voice which makes me smile. 

Its not long after before the sound of feet descending the stairs reach my ears and I have to clench my fist to remind myself that I was doing this for my own good.

Its just two hours Leah.

I don't look behind to see him until he comes into my view. Dressed in joggers and a sweat shirt, you'd think he was doing a photoshoot for a playboy magazine.

Seriously, what is it with you and ogling your sworn enemy these days?

"Hey" He greets with a relaxed smile and wave. My eyes glance at Eleanor who has a slightly confused expression on her face. 

"I thought you said her name was Lisa." she counters, folding her arms.

"It is. I just call her Brown." He explains with a shrug. She smiles cheekily for some reason, looking back and forth between Mason and I.

"I see. Well, I bought some snacks so if you guys are hungry, you know where the kitchen is Masy."Mason's cheeks are slightly pink when I glance at him which makes me smirk.

I had found my nickname.

Not long after, Eleanor excuses herself- she had a meeting she needed to prepare for and would need to go to her home office.

And then there were two.

"So, Masy.. can we start?" I asked. His eyes narrow slightly, a playful expression on his face as he looks at me.

"Don't call me that. Come on, let's go to my room." 

I paused. My heart skipped a beat.

"I must warn you, I'm not a very attentive person so- Why are you still standing there?" He stared down at me mid way climbing the stairs. 

"What's wrong?"

"Don't ever say that again. It sounds so wrong." The confused look on his face gradually leaves and is replaced with a mix of disbelief and laughter.

"You are such a bad girl Brown. Who would've thought Bayter's nerd knew what a sex invite sounded like?" He looked back at me and finds me giving him a bad eye but he still had the nerve to smirk.

"This is not a sex invite" I correct, looking away when I feel the heat on my cheeks "-and I don't just want to be a nerd you know. I would like to live life before heading to college." I confessed as I climbed up the stairs, wondering why I had just told him that.

Either he didn't hear me or decided to ignore me because he doesn't reply and opens the door to his room.

"Welcome to my humble abode." he attempts to say in a British accent.

The room was well kept and neat which was a bit surprising. I was expecting to find used condom wrappers and dirty socks and boxers strewn across the whole place but the floor was so neat, the rug felt plush when I removed my shoes and I couldn't stop the urge to bury my toes in. 

So soft.

Steel blue wallpaper decorated the walls and at one side of the room was a king sized bed in the middle, a wooden chest drawer by one side and a standing lamp at the other side.  There was a door which probably led to the bathroom at the other side of the wall. A recliner was at one side and then a table that habited a laptop with arranged crayons in a cup. 

"Shut up." I let out when I see the little book shelf beside the table, taking notice of the latest release of 'Wars of the Dragons.'

I pick up the legendary comic immediately and surf through it, pinching myself mentally that I was actually holding this priced possession.

"Where did you get this? There were limited copies and I went into the city to look for it but never got one."

"Wait. You read comics- most especially ' Wars of the Dragons'?"

"What else would you do with your life if you didn't meet Falkor?" I ask rhetorically. Mason stares at me with love sick eyes and goes down on one knee, scaring me.

"I don't have a ring right now and I promise to get one but please marry me." For a second, I almost believe but reality kicks in and I give him a strange look and go sit on the bed.

"Get your 'Pride and Prejudice'. Let's start."

"Woah. You can't just drop it on me that you read Wars of the Dragons and expect us to move on immediately to Allison."

"Austen, Mason. Jane Austen. Seriously, how many times do I need to correct this? Actually, could you please inform your mom of my real name? It would be awkward if she calls me Lisa again, and I don't respond, forgetting you told her that." I don't get a response and I look up from scribbling down few things to see him staring at me blankly.

"Earth to Mason." I wave my hand in his face and he blinks but keeps staring at me.

"Your name isn't Lisa?" He asked.

What the hell?

"You- you don' t know my name?" A regretful look casts over his face.

"Don't get mad Brown. You know we got off on the wrong foot so there wasn't a chance to actually ask you your name and I didn't want to seem like more of an asshole that you thought me to be if I asked you directly which is why I asked your friend- Grace. Some friend she is though.." I'm lost for words, shocked at this knew knowledge. The dude I was tutoring had no idea what my name was. It felt like a funny joke but at the same time, I felt a bit hurt and I couldn't come up with a reason why i felt hurt. 

It was something that could happen. For starters, I wasn't even popular so he didn't have any need to know my name. 

That was a plausible reason. 

So why did I still have my heart ache? 

"Brown- say something. I'm sorry." His tone sounds really sorry. Very honest.

"What are you sorry for? You didn't know my name and Grace has always gotten it wrong for as long as I can remember ....and you asked her for it cause you didn't want to be seen as an ass. It was a mistake. Its okay." 

"Thank you."  I nod my head in response and get back to writing down few things.

"So what is your name Brown?" 

"Its Leah." I reply casually, ignoring the slight embarrassment I feel.

"That's cooler than Lisa. " He says. This makes me smile a bit.

"Come on. Let's get on with this." And then we dive in into the Victorian times of Elizabeth Bennett and  Mr. Darcy.

A little over an hour filled with quick quizzes and lots of bickering, we were at a good place with Mason. It turned out that he was lying about not be attentive. He really was and actually doing accurate in the little quizzes I gave him.

"When did you start liking Asher?" He asked out of the blue, like he was in thought. I stop grading one of his many quizzes and looked at him.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well-if you want things to work out with Asher and you want me to help you, I'll need some details." A valid explanation but I was to shy to give details about how my love for Asher started. I don't reply, hoping he would understand.

"Have it your way then." He says in a resigned tone and goes back to drumming with his pens. I also get back to grading.

A moment. A beat. 

"Eleventh grade." I answered with a sigh. I can feel the smugness oozing off him even if we were sitting together, making it really strong.

" He had opened the door for me in Arts class. Every other person closed it behind them, not caring if someone followed." I tell him, a little smile on my face. I glanced at Mason but he was already looking at me. There was that emotion in his eyes that I couldn't decipher.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," he said genuinely, and it did make me feel a bit warm. But, you know, I had to really look him in the eyes to check if he meant it because-

"Kids its dinn-" We both jumped away from each other like we had been caught doing something wrong. She glances between us.

"Mum- what is it?" Mason asked, rubbing the back of his neck and his mum just smirks lightly.

"I came to tell you dinner's ready. I'm expecting you to stay for dinner Lisa."

And there killed the mood.

"I am so grateful for the invite but I don't think I'll be able to stay ma'am. I told my mum I'd be back before eight pm."

"And you will. Its just seven-thirty. Mason's gonna drive you home." I involuntary look at Mason just to find him also looking at me.

"I don't want to stress you-"

"You're not stressing me. You're helping me by tutoring my son... for free!. The least I can do is give you dinner and have him drive you home sweetie." 

"Stay" She smiles hopefully at me.

"Come on Brown.. she won't stop pestering you." Mason lets me know and so I sigh out and smile at her.

"I can't wait to eat what you've cooked Eleanor." She gasps happily and claps her hand excitedly.

"Okay! I'll be waiting for you both downstairs." She starts to head out when I speak up.

"I'll come help you ma'am." I followed her down the stairs, trying not to think of the little moment that just happened few minutes back.