A/N: Sorry for the wait. Most of the typical reasons caused the delay but I do want to be honest with you guys. A part of it was that the reaction to the Mason/Bonnie pairing made me nervous to continue. Most were okay with it, but there was some that had a very harsh reaction to it due to the age difference. This is completely understandable, but I hadn't thought too much of it when I was initially writing it because most Bonnie fans shipped her with Damon who was much, much older than her in human and vampire years. Same for Enzo, so I thought Mason could still work. However, I realize now it's only fair to give a proper warning for the coming content, which I should've done last chapter.

WARNING: This fic contains a section that depicts an older male/younger female relationship. If you do not want to continue reading this fic, or would rather return when the Mason chapters are done, I completely understand. Please consider this a fair warning.

Now, on to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or its characters. This is intended for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 9 - The Fear

Many eyes turned Bonnie and Caroline's way as they strutted into the party. Both girls looked good, especially Bonnie in her form-fitting midnight blue dress. The masquerade masks they'd donned seemed to make people stare harder, trying to verify it really was Bonnie Bennett they were looking at.

Bonnie's eyes swept the room. Jeremy was with Matt by the patio, Tyler was talking to one of his football buddies by the bar, sneaking a drink from a flask, there was no sign of a Salvatore as of yet, but also by the bar, having a discussion with a uniformed Sheriff Forbes, was Mason Lockwood.

Bonnie couldn't peel her eyes away. He looked damn good in his suit...damn good. As if sensing he was being watched, Mason slowly lifted his eyes and locked them with hers. She sucked in a deep breath as they engaged in a silent staring contest, but neither made a move to approach the other.

Suddenly, Bonnie's eye line to the older man was being blocked by the blonde-haired, blue-eyed quarterback. "Hey Bonnie!" Matt said excitedly, before giving her a friendly hug.

"I just saw you and Care come in. You look incredible, Bon!"

"Yeah, you do, you really do," Jeremy, who was right behind Matt when he walked up, complimented the emerald-eyed beauty himself. Tyler had approached them by now and was holding his hand out for Caroline.

"I was waiting for you to be my first dance of the night," he told her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Bonnie knew to say Tyler's relationship with his father was rocky was an understatement, but his death had deeply impacted the young man regardless. Caroline had been doing her very best to keep him from going over the deep end, being there by his side in his darkest moments, and it seemed to be effective. Aside from some heavy drinking on certain nights, he hadn't gotten into nearly as much trouble as he probably would have.

Caroline smiled at him and took his hand. "You can have all my dances, Mr. Lockwood." And they disappeared into the crowd together.

Both boys in front of Bonnie seemed to want to take advantage of the opportunity and at the exact same moment asked, "Do you want to dance?" Bonnie raised her brow and Matt and Jeremy exchanged a look.

"Actually, I just want a drink for now," she started toward the bar.

"I can get that for you," Matt said just as Jeremy offered, "Let me go with you." Bonnie giggled to herself.

"I'm okay, I'll catch up with you guys later." And she headed off. Bonnie was well aware Matt just wanted to spend time with a close friend friend, as they had latched on to each other after their respective heartbreaks, but Matt knew nothing more than friendship was on the horizon for them. Jeremy had been trying to pick up the pieces again after the death of Annabelle. According to Caroline, he'd fallen into a deep, depressive hold for awhile that his family tried desperately to pull him out of. For years before he started dating other girls, Bonnie had always suspected he may have had a crush on her, but could never quite come out and say it.

Bonnie decided she wanted to enjoy the fresh air and stepped outside to the second bar area. The patio/lawn was where the real party was happening. The music was bumping, the people were dancing, laughter and joyous chatter rang in the air, and the efforts of the party committee had paid off as the lawn and house itself was beautifully decorated.

"Can I have a raspberry tea?" Bonnie talked loudly over the music to the bartender. He nodded and disappeared to make her drink. Bonnie then caught a glimpse of Elena coming down the walkway in a black mini dress, flanked by both Salvatores. She quickly turned away. She wasn't going to let any negativity get in the way of her having a good time tonight. She needed to have a good time.

The bartender reappeared with her drink and she took it with a grateful smile. "So, I'm not going to have to rip any vodka from your tiny, greedy hands tonight?" A voice said in her ear. When she turned she was staring into Mason Lockwood's sea green eyes. He had a hint of a smile on his lips.

"No, I've learned the hard way to be sneakier," Bonnie quipped before sipping from her vodka-less raspberry tea. "I'm not letting anyone kill my vibe tonight, including you, Mr. Lockwood."

"I will never...kill your vibe again," he said, then offered his hand. She hesitated. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on your drink." She set the glass on a nearby table and allowed Mason to sweep her away.

This was the closest she'd ever been to Tyler's uncle, and all she could think about was how heavenly he smelled and how incredibly warm he felt. Having her arms wrapped around him as they slowly moved to the beat of the song, she could feel how broad he actually was. She was so into observing her dance partner, she completely missed her ex dancing just a few feet away with his current girlfriend, glaring at them over Elena Gilbert's shoulders.

"I'm sure you've heard this about a hundred times already, but you're stunning in that dress," he said, smoothly. Bonnie met his eyes with her own and he was giving her a half smile.

"Not quite a hundred," she said with a soft laugh. There was a momentary silence as they danced, but it wasn't empty. There was so much going unspoken between them. Finally Bonnie asked, "How have I never met you before?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've known Tyler and his family since second grade," she explained. "I'm sure I would remember seeing you at a barbecue or ball or festival...wedding, anything."

"I left home when I was 16," Mason revealed. "Me and my brother didn't always get along the best. I tried to come around more, but it always ended in a fight with us. Last time I was in town Tyler was a kid, so you would've been-"

"Mind if I cut in?" A voice asked from behind them. Bonnie groaned internally at the realization that it was the elder Salvatore. His face was half obscured by a black masquerade mask, but it was undoubtedly him, who'd caused the interruption. Mason hesitated then looked to Bonnie who just slightly nodded. Mason stepped away and Damon swept into his place, moving perfectly in sync with Bonnie without missing a beat. Mason didn't linger, disappearing quickly amongst the partygoers.

"Stay away from Mason Lockwood," were the first words out of Damon's mouth.

Bonnie huffed and rolled her eyes. "Hi, Damon, nice to see you too. Thanks, how nice of you to compliment how I look tonight." Bonnie's tone dripped with sarcasm.

"The guy's a total creep, Bon," he shot back.

"You know, I was going to tell you that you actually look really handsome tonight but now all I wanna do is gauge your stupid eyes out," she threatened.

"That's the thanks I get for trying to look out for you?"

"You don't even know him, Damon," she pointed out. "I don't even know him. Not that it's any of your business, but there's nothing going on with me and Mason."

"Good, I'd hate to have to kick his ass."

"Why do you care anyway?"

"You can pretend to hate me all you want, Bon Bon, but we know deep down we're friends," he smirked.

"Ugh, whatever, I need a drink. Can you help me with that, friend?"

"I said friend, not bad influence," he said. Bonnie glared at him and he quickly changed his tune. "Meet me upstairs in twenty minutes."

"Thank you," she said and smoothly spun away from him. She walked past Stefan who was by the bar. He turned his body as if to speak to her but she didn't afford him the opportunity as she breezed by without a glance in his direction.

Bonnie had barely made it back inside when she was intercepted by Matt, wanting to cash in on his earlier dance request. She obliged, dancing with him until Jeremy intervened and swept her away. All the while, her eyes were surveying the room, looking for that one familiar face. Finally, she spotted him by the open patio doors. He was already staring at her.

"Excuse me, Jeremy, I have to run to the restroom, I'll catch up with you in a bit," Bonnie fibbed to her current dance partner. He nodded and released her and she headed toward the double doors. She didn't meet Mason's eyes as she stepped past him. She walked outside, past the bar area, past the dancers, toward the steps descending down to the pond. She was walking slowly, as to not draw too much attention her way. She didn't have to look back to confirm Mason was behind her, following her from a distance but keeping her in his view. She could feel him.

The large pond was Bonnie's favorite part of the Lockwood property, especially at night. She stopped by the lining of the trees leading into the forest, a considerable distance from the party itself, and looked out at the water. It was quiet over here, peaceful. It wasn't long before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face Mason.

"This is my favorite spot," she informed him. "Whenever I come here, I've made it a point to come out to the pond. It's a good place to clear your head."

"Are you saying you didn't try to lure me out here to get me alone?" He teased with a slick half smile.

"Are you saying you didn't want me to?" Bonnie shot right back. Mason chuckled and gave a slight nod of approval. He was appreciating this girl's wit more and more. Instead of responding Mason held out his hand, it took Bonnie only a moment to realize what he wanted. She took his hand and allowed him to bring her into a very close, slow dance. The music from the party was far away but they didn't need the music, all that mattered was the moment they were in together.

A few moments of silence passed before Mason spoke, "I don't usually do this."

"Do what?" Bonnie inquired.

"Slow dance," he said. "Dress up, go to silly masquerade parties. Those aren't really my things."

"Really? But you're such a good dancer," she responded. "And it would be a crime to not come to parties like this and deprive everyone of seeing you in a suit."

He chuckled. "Thank you," he said. "Regardless, I'm glad I came tonight. I really expected to only come into town for a few days, go to my brother's funeral, and try to be there for my sister-in-law and my nephew, but time has kind of gotten away from me."

"Maybe deep down you felt like you should make up for lost time with your family," Bonnie suggested. "Nothing makes you realize there isn't enough time in the world like death. I just recently lost my grandmother, and as much time as I spent with her, it still feels like it wasn't enough, like it could never be enough."

"I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother."

"I'm sorry about your brother."

"It's okay," he said. "I loved my brother but he wasn't the nicest guy, one of the reasons for our distant relationship. I'm pretty sure our bond was nothing compared to what you had with your grandmother."

"Still, losing people sucks."

By this time they had stopped moving in sync, but were rather standing very still, gazing into each other's eyes. If Mason wasn't so much taller than Bonnie, she would have been able to feel his breath on her face due to their close proximity. The silence was heavy, the temptation radiating from the both of them.

"What's on your mind?" Bonnie asked in a near-whisper. He didn't respond, just continued to stare at her, both of them frozen in the slow dance pose, hands wrapped around each other's. Bonnie decided to be bold for once and pushed forward. "If you don't want to tell me, why don't you show me?"

That was all he needed to hear. Mason leaned forward and pressed his lips to Bonnie's in a surprisingly soft kiss, and they lingered there, almost as if he was afraid to melt into it. Bonnie took matters into her own hands, placing her hand gently on the back of his neck and bringing him down further into her, deepening the kiss, adding the passion that would've been missing. He wrapped his arms around her as their bodies melded into each other, the kiss becoming so intense he nearly lifted her off her tiny feet. A small moan escaped her, then suddenly he was pulling away.

She didn't question this action aloud, the question was prominent enough in her eyes as he took a few steps back. He dug his hands into his pockets and slightly nodded his head, as if coming to terms with something within himself. "You have a good rest of your night, Bonnie," he said, and with that he turned and headed back to the house, leaving Bonnie by the pond alone and wondering what the hell just happened.

Less than an hour later, Bonnie was ready to call it a night. Mason had completely disappeared from the party, and no one else seemed to have a single interesting thing to say. She found Caroline and let her know she was ready to go. Unfortunately, Caroline had been her ride to the party and she wasn't ready to leave yet. Not wanting to ruin her friend's good time, she decided to take an Uber back. The moment she stepped outside, however, she heard a voice calling her name.

"Way to stand up me up, Bon Bon!" Damon chastised as he approached her, now mask-less. Bonnie was relieved to see his expression indicated that he wasn't actually that upset.

"Shoot, I am so sorry, I completely forgot," Bonnie responded honestly. Of course she wasn't going to mention sucking face with Mason Lockwood had made the secret meet-up with Damon shoot right out of her head.

"When we make plans to ditch a lame party to get tipsy together I expect you to stick to them," he said. "But I can be persuaded to forgive you." He gave her what could easily be perceived as a flirtatious smile.

Bonnie eyed him suspiciously. "You're already drunk, aren't you?"

"Me? No," he said in exaggerated tone, elongating the o's in no. "I'm just having a good time."

"Yeah, you're drunk." She gave him a friendly pat on the arm. "Why don't you go find your brother and make sure he isn't getting wasted too because you need to get home in one piece, and I don't have my car."

"No need. The hot Mystic Falls weather girl is here," he explained with a suggestive grin. "She's eager to give me a ride, if you know what I mean."

"I know what you mean, Damon," she said, suppressing an amused chuckle as she shook her head. "Still, be careful. You don't know her, and just because she's on TV doesn't mean she's not crazy."

Damon leaned in closer and spoke in a near whisper, ""Maybe, I like crazy."

"Damon?" A woman's voice called from behind them. Damon turned and Bonnie looked past him to see a pretty blonde woman in a tight red dress approaching them, her masquerade mask sitting atop her head. She looked curiously at the two of them. Bonnie instantly recognized her, and after digging in her mind for a moment recalled her name was Samantha Waters. Damon had been truthful about who he was bagging, there had been plenty mornings Bonnie watched this woman giving the forecast on Channel 4 News in a variety of form-fitting dresses, not much unlike the one she was wearing tonight, and making men all over town drool at their sets. She was a catch, and if Bonnie and Damon were alone she might have given him a high five.

"Are you ready to go?" Samantha Waters asked him in a soft tone before setting her eyes on Bonnie in a very pointed manner. Bonnie almost rolled her own eyes. Miss Samantha could relax, Bonnie had no interest in trying to block this woman from taking Damon home. She would usually disapprove of his promiscuous ways, but as eager as this woman was to take a man she just met a couple of hours ago back to her spot, then a chance was she was just as promiscuous, and who was Bonnie to judge. Just like Damon told her a couple times before, there is nothing wrong with two grown, consenting, attractive people coming together and doing what grown-ups do.

"Ready when you are, babe," Damon told her, smoldering at her with his electric blue eyes, his favorite weapon to use against women, Bonnie had learned. He held out his hand and she took it with a smile, throwing a look of superiority back at Bonnie. Bonnie couldn't be any more unbothered. Damon once again leaned toward Bonnie and spoke in a tone low enough so only she could make out his words, "I predict tonight things are going to get very...wet."

"Ugh, will you go on! Good night Damon!" Bonnie playfully but forcefully pushed him away by his broad shoulder. Damon chuckled and sauntered off hand-in-hand with his weather girl, whispering things to her that caused her to giggle like a schoolgirl. Bonnie was relieved to see her Uber pulling up at that moment. At least someone is getting lucky tonight, she thought as she settled into the back of the sedan.

Just as she knew he would, Mason Lockwood plagued her thoughts as she drifted off to sleep that night. This was the first time she had thought of a man this way that wasn't the boy who'd broken her heart. It was a welcome change.

Bonnie didn't have any plans the following day. She was fine with one chill day, because having a core group of friends constantly wanting to do something didn't leave much room for uneventful weekends, even in a town as small as Mystic Falls. She was midway through an episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta when there was a knock at the door. Her hopes for a night-in were dashed when she found Caroline, Tyler, and Matt at her doorstep, insisting she come along to the Grill for a night of pool and appetizers, with a possible nightcap at Tyler's consisting where they could dive into his parent's liquor.

She threw on one of her favorite light blue tops and some black denim jeans, applied a bit of eyeshadow and mascara, rubbed on some lipgloss, and rode with Matt in his truck to the Mystic Grill. As usual on Saturday nights, the local hangout was buzzing. A lot of kids from school, young couples on dates, singles eating burgers and hanging out with friends at the the bar, the usual.

Matt's sister, Vicki, was working this night. According to Matt, she was doing much better when it came to getting clean. Vicki was a hardcore drug abuser and partier, always hanging with the wrong crowd, and Matt was doing everything he could to get her back on the right path. It was one of the many things Bonnie admired about him, he cared so deeply for the people he loved and would do anything for them, even if it interfered with his own life.

Matt went off to speak with his sister and grab drinks for everyone while Bonnie, Caroline, and Tyler headed over to one of the pool tables. It didn't take Bonnie long to see why Matt really wanted her to come, as he had been the most pushy when she'd initially claimed to be tired. Caroline and Tyler were all over each other, their PDA more obnoxious than usual. Who would want to be a third wheel to that?

Tyler did seem to be in a better mood, which was a good sign. Caroline seemed to be a very good for girlfriend him, always trying to her best to keep him from wallowing and thinking about his father. Matt came over with the drinks while they were setting up for their first game, a couple other people from school came over to watch, and soon they were all having a good time. taunting each other while they played a very close game.

Bonnie was getting nervous. Tyler was coming very close to winning the first game, and she didn't like to lose. Caroline looked up toward the entrance and asked, "Tyler, isn't that your uncle?" She hadn't been talking to her, but Bonnie almost broke her neck from whiplash with how fast she turned to look. Sure enough, there was the tall, broad, handsome Mason Lockwood sauntering in and heading straight for the bar.

He wasn't dressed to the nines as he had been the night before, but was still insanely hot...at least to Bonnie. When she turned back around Caroline was smirking at her. She pretended not to notice and focused again on the pool table balls.

"Yeah, that is him," Tyler was saying. "I didn't know he was going to be here tonight. Hold on a second." He hand his pool stick to Caroline walked over to his uncle.

"I actually need a quick break anyway, gotta use the bathroom," Matt announced and disappeared himself. Caroline came around to Bonnie's side of the table and stood next to her friend, both of them watching Tyler and Mason converse.

"Ooh my, Mr. Lockwood, you're quite handsome and I sure do love staring at you," Caroline teased in a terrible Southern accent.

"Shut up," Bonnie hissed at her.

"Could you make it anymore obvious that you're into him?" Caroline said with a grin. "You were staring at him during the masquerade set-up, I caught you staring at him at the actual party, and here you are once again, burning a hole through his head."

"I am not staring." Bonnie quickly turned around again.

"It's okay to have a crush, I used to have a crush on Aaron Teller's father," Caroline confessed.

"Yeah, I remember."

"God, that was a sexy man," she said, looking up toward the ceiling as if fondly reminiscing. "I will never forget that time I fell off my bike in front of his house when I was ten, and the way his hands gently caressed my skin as he bandaged my knee." Caroline softly ran her fingers down Bonnie's arms to demonstrate. Bonnie looked at her with a furrowed brow then her eyes widened at the dreamy look in Caroline's pretty blue eyes, then both girls started laughing.

"You are crazy, Caroline," chuckled Bonnie with a shake of the hand.

"You never crush on anyone so I have to take advantage when you do," she responded. "And warn you like you warned me about Damon. What did you call him? Older, sexy, danger guy?" Bonnie rolled her eyes. Her own advice was about to come back to bite her in the butt. "Well, same thing here. Stay away from the older guys, Bon, I'm telling you. They'll use you then break your heart."

Bonnie snuck a look back at Mason and Tyler. There was no way she was going to tell Caroline about the kiss last night. Her teasing would turn into serious concern for sure, and definitely comparisons to Damon. Bonnie was in no rush to trust another guy after what Stefan did to her, but she found it hard to believe Mason was anything like Damon. She had the latter pegged from the moment she met him. Mason seemed a lot more genuine...sweeter.

She was expecting him to look over and lock eyes with her at any second. And it would be just as electric as the last time, maybe even more so now that they've tasted each other's lips. As Tyler was talking to him he made a motion with his hand back toward their table. Mason glanced toward them, but it was no more than a glance, his eyes passing right over Bonnie's. Caroline was chatting her up about another topic by now but Bonnie was barely listening. Matt came back from the bathroom at the same time Tyler ended his short conversation with his uncle and was coming over. Mason turned back toward the bartender without another glance their way. Was he really not going to come over and say hello? Was he seriously not going to acknowledge her? Bonnie felt herself getting a little heated. She turned her back to Mason and tried to focus on the game again but it was hard, feeling his presence in the room, thinking about him, thinking about how good he looked for the second night in a row, thinking about how amazing that kiss was.

At one point Bonnie snuck another look his way and seen him chatting up a woman and a man about his age. The man walked away and the woman started laughing really hard at something Mason said, too hard, and reached out and placed her arm on his chest as she cackled. Bonnie's expression instantly hardened, and Mason seemed to go stiff as if he felt the laser grill Bonnie was shooting into his back. She knew she had no claim on him, but to act as if she wasn't even in the damn room, to not even wave, was like a kick to the gut. But Mason seemed to have a swift change of heart about entertaining this woman. Downing the rest of the bourbon in his tumbler within seconds, he bid her goodbye and made a beeline to the men's room, appearing as if he just wanted to get away from her, but still, he didn't look Bonnie's way.

"Bonnie? Bonnie!"

"What?" She turned to see Matt and Tyler looking at her curiously, holding out the pool stick she had left resting against the table after her last turn.

"It's your turn," Matt told her.

"Right, I'm sorry." She took the stick and rounded the table, looking for the best angle to take her shot, but she was distracted. Bonnie was a fairly good pool player, but this game hadn't been going in her favor since the moment Mason had walked his ass into the Grill. She groaned in frustration when she once again flubbed the shot.

"Geesh, get your head in the game, Bon," Caroline suggested. Bonnie merely rolled her eyes and decided she really didn't give a crap about this game. Taking a few steps away from the table as Caroline readied to go next, Bonnie pulled out her phone and started typing out a text to Mason. He'd given it to her at the Lockwood house when they were setting up for the masquerade party, telling her to just text him if she needed him for some heavy lifting after Mrs. Lockwood had called him away from assisting Bonnie to help with another task. She hadn't ended up needing to text him for anything then, but she was going to now.

If you have regrets about what happened between us last night, you could at least have the balls to come to me like a man and let me know. I expected more from you. Send.

The moment Bonnie hit send Mason came out of the bathroom. She watched him take out his phone and read the message, then for the first time all night, he lifted his light green eyes and locked them on hers. She waited with bated breath. Was he going to man up, summon her to come talk to him, or walk over here himself?

Turns out it was neither. He gave her a hard look, a very hard look, then turned and walked out the door. Without a second thought, Bonnie followed. By the time she stepped outside he was halfway across the street, heading toward his parked car. She was hot on his heels, when he suddenly whirled around, bringing her to an abrupt halt.

"I don't care if this is the last time I ever talk to you in life but I want an answer," she started in immediately, not allowing him a chance to speak first. "Are you running because you're just not that into me or are you running because you're a coward, Mason Lockwood?"

"I'm not a coward," he hissed through gritted teeth, a contained anger seeming to radiate off of him. This pissed Bonnie off more. The nerve of him to be upset, she was the one that deserved to be in her feelings.

"So, are you usually in the habit of sending false signals and leading girls on because I don't go around just kissing anybody...ever," Bonnie put emphasis on the last word. Mason quickly looked around, searching for anyone nearby who could have overheard her, then he grasped her arm.

"Come here," he huffed, leading her behind the lining of parked cars.

"I can walk myself, thank you," she snapped, snatching her arm out of his grip. He rolled his eyes but didn't argue as they stepped behind a very large tree that would complete obscure Bonnie's small frame from view.

"To answer your question, no, I'm not in the habit and I didn't lead you on!" He argued, his voice husky. "It's just..." He seemed to struggle to find the words. "I don't go around kissing my nephew's friends."

"So, yesterday I was Bonnie and today I'm just your nephew's friend?" Bonnie quipped.

Mason exhaled deeply. "Look, you're gorgeous," he stated in a softer tone. "You have a beautiful personality, you're smarter than most women my age, you're feisty...you're literally everything I want in a woman but...you're too young, Bonnie."

Bonnie's face scrunched. "That's bullshit," She snapped. "I'm not some immature little girl, I'm an adult! Are you concerned about what people will think? Don't be, this is Mystic Falls. Damon dated Caroline for months and no one blinked twice. My father was twelve years older than my mother when they got together!"

"I'm just not used to it, okay?!" He cried. "I want to tell you to back off, I want to tell you this is it, but when I look at you I can't get the damn words out of my mouth."

"You don't have to," Bonnie said, angrily. "I will not have my time wasted again, especially by a grown man who can't figure out what the hell he wants." She turned on her heel to storm away when he grabbed her hand and yanked her back toward him before pressing his lips to hers.

It took Bonnie by surprise but she didn't fight it, she welcomed it. This kiss was not like the one by the pond, it was much more heated, it was deeper. When Mason finally pulled away they were both breathless from the intensity, his hands still firmly holding the sides of her face as he looked into her sparkling, viridescent eyes.

"Why do you make this so goddamn hard?" He asked gruffly.

"I could ask you the same thing," She nearly whispered, then they were kissing again. Chills went through Bonnie's entire body as she engaged in one of the most passionate kisses of her life. Her heart was racing so fast, she was almost scared. Was it normal to feel what she was feeling right now for someone she'd known for such a short time?

They didn't come up for air until Mason's phone started ringing. He slowly broke the kiss then released her. He checked who was calling then hit ignore. "It's my sister-in-law," he explained. "I can talk to her later." He stepped toward Bonnie when again his cell phone went off with a text notification. He huffed then checked it again. "Shit, I have to go, she said she needs me," he said with a regretful shake of the head. "She's been drinking a lot more lately and I've been trying to help her keep it together."

"I understand," Bonnie said.

Mason studied her for a moment then reached out and gently wiped the side of her mouth with the pad of his thumb. "You're lipstick was smudged," he told her.

She smiled and gestured toward her mouth. "You have most of it right here," she said, then stepped toward him and reached her hand out. "Let me." And she gently wiped her lipgloss off his mouth. "There, perfect." She stepped back again.

"You're perfect," he said, his gaze never once having left her. "I'll see you around, Bonnie." And he started to head toward his car.

"Should I expect you to go back to ignoring me?" She asked, making him stop in his tracks. He paused for a moment before looking back at her.

"No, he stated firmly. "You make it fucking impossible."

Bonnie waited until his back was turned before she let a grin break out on her face. Mason pulled off and she fixed her lipgloss before returning inside to her friends. When questioned on her whereabouts for the past twelve minutes she lied and said she had to make a call, then left it at that, She was in a much better mood the rest of the night.

It was funny how the past month had been just another typical summer for her. Then, over the course of just one weekend, this summer had gotten much more interesting. It would be one she'd never forget.