BETWEEN US AND THE PAST

CHAPTER7-SILENT VISITOR

Yesterday still felt too close.

Not like a memory that had settled properly, but like something that kept replaying in the back of my mind no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.

Mason.

The leash.

Nugget acting like he had planned everything.

And me… ending up on his back like it was completely normal.

I sighed softly and pushed the thought away as I sat across from Lori inside Crown Burger.

The place was loud as usual—students from Westbridge filling every booth, trays clattering, fries disappearing too fast to be normal. The smell of fried chicken, burgers, and sugar-filled drinks hung in the air like a distraction everyone agreed to accept.

I should’ve been focused on eating.

Instead, I kept thinking too much.

I shifted slightly in my seat, the fabric of my purple dress settling around me. It was simple—above the knee, soft shade that somehow felt a little too noticeable in a place like this. I paired it with white sneakers to make it feel less intentional and more “I just threw this on.”

Lori, meanwhile, was already halfway through her fries like she had been personally betrayed by hunger.

“This place never disappoints,” she said seriously.

“It’s fries,” I replied. “It’s not that deep.”

“It is when you’re emotionally unstable,” she said without hesitation.

I stared at her.

“…Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Perfectly balanced.”

I shook my head and took a sip of my drink.

For a second, it almost felt normal.

Almost.

Until Lori stopped mid-bite.

Her eyes narrowed.

Then she leaned forward.

“…What is that?”

I froze.

“What is what?” I asked a little too quickly.

Her gaze dropped under the table.

“Your knee.”

My stomach tightened instantly.

I tried to shift my leg slightly, but it was too late.

Lori had already seen it.

“That’s a scratch,” she said. “What happened?”

I sighed. “It’s nothing.”

“That is not nothing,” she said immediately. “You’re in a dress, Evelyn. It’s very visible.”

I looked down reluctantly.

The small scratch was still there. Not serious. Just enough to remind me that yesterday wasn’t something I imagined.

“I just tripped,” I said quickly.

Lori squinted at me.

“That sounded like a lie.”

“It wasn’t.”

“It absolutely was.”

I groaned and leaned back into the booth. “Why are you interrogating me in Crown Burger?”

“Because you’re injured in Crown Burger,” she said like it was the most logical thing in the world.

I rubbed my forehead.

“…It’s not that deep.”

Lori opened her mouth—

But stopped.

Because the bell above the entrance door rang.

Someone walked in.

And I already knew before I even turned.

Mason.

Of course.

He stepped inside like he always did—calm, unbothered, like noise and chaos didn’t apply to him. His eyes scanned the room briefly… then landed on me.

And paused.

Just for a second.

Then he walked straight toward our booth.

My brain immediately stopped cooperating.

Lori, on the other hand, looked way too entertained.

“Oh,” she whispered. “This is getting better.”

“Mason,” I said flatly as he stopped beside our table.

“Evelyn,” he replied.

Then his eyes flicked over me.

The purple dress.

Above the knee.

He paused for half a beat longer than necessary.

“…It suits you,” he said simply.

My brain lagged.

“What?”

“The dress,” he clarified. “It suits you.”

I blinked once.

Lori immediately made a sound like she was trying not to scream.

“I—thanks?” I said awkwardly.

Mason nodded like it was a normal observation, then glanced at Lori.

“Hey,” he greeted.

Lori smiled immediately. “Hi. So I have a question.”

My eyes snapped to her.

No.

No, she was not about to do this.

Lori ignored me completely.

“What exactly happened yesterday?” she asked Mason casually, leaning forward like she was asking about the weather.

I froze.

Mason didn’t react immediately.

Just looked at her for a second.

Then his eyes shifted to me.

Slow.

Measured.

Like he was deciding how much of the truth he wanted to let out.

My stomach tightened.

“…Yesterday?” he repeated.

Lori nodded. “Yeah. Evelyn is being suspiciously quiet about it.”

I immediately shook my head. “I am not—”

Mason interrupted me without looking away from Lori.

“She tripped,” he said calmly.

I turned to him sharply. “That’s not—”

“And I helped her,” he continued.

Lori raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

A pause.

Mason’s gaze flicked to me again for a split second.

“No,” he said quietly.

Silence.

I felt my soul leave my body slightly.

Lori leaned in more. “Okay, now you have to explain.”

Mason didn’t sit.

Didn’t rush.

Just stood there like he wasn’t bothered at all by the attention.

“She got caught in Nugget’s leash,” he said. “Scratched her knee. I walked her home.”

That was it.

Simple.

Clean.

Almost too clean.

Lori blinked slowly. “That’s… it?”

“Yes,” Mason said.

I stared at him.

Because that was technically true.

But also not the part that mattered.

Lori leaned back, disappointed. “I thought it was going to be dramatic.”

Mason’s eyes flicked to me again.

For a brief second, something unreadable passed through his expression.

Then he said, almost casually:

“It wasn’t dramatic.”

I didn’t know why that line bothered me more than it should have.

Lori sighed. “Okay, boring.”

“Thank you,” I muttered.

Mason finally shifted his attention back to me.

“You should clean it properly later,” he said.

“I can handle it,” I replied immediately.

“I know,” he said.

That made me pause.

Then he added, quieter:

“But you didn’t yesterday.”

Silence.

Lori’s eyes slowly moved between us like she was watching a live performance.

I quickly looked away first.

“I’m fine,” I said.

Mason didn’t argue.

He just nodded once.

Then, like he hadn’t just changed the entire mood of the table, he stepped back slightly.

“I’ll go,” he said.

Lori waved casually. “Bye, Mason.”

He nodded once at her.

Then looked at me one last time.

Just briefly.

“You look better in that color,” he said again.

And then he left.

The bell above the door rang as he walked out.

Silence settled at the booth.

Lori slowly turned to me.

“…Okay,” she said. “That was not normal.”

I dropped my head onto the table.

“Nothing about this is normal,” I muttered.

Lori smiled.

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” she said.

I groaned.

And somehow—

I knew she was right.

The afternoon didn’t go as planned.

It rarely did lately.

Lori and I were just stepping out of Crown Burger when her phone rang.

Her entire expression changed the second she saw the caller ID.

“Oh no…” she muttered.

“What?” I asked immediately.

She was already stepping aside. “I need to take this.”

I watched her walk a few steps away, speaking quickly—too quickly—for whatever emergency just landed on her.

A minute later, she came back looking stressed.

“I have to go,” she said. “Family emergency.”

I nodded. “Okay, I’ll just book an Uber.”

Lori immediately shook her head. “No. You’re not going alone.”

“It’s fine,” I insisted.

“No,” she repeated firmly. “That knee of yours? Not happening.”

“It’s just a scratch—”

“I don’t care.”

I already pulled out my phone.

Opened the app.

Started typing the destination.

And then—

“Mason” lori shout

I froze.

I looked up.

Mason Standing a few steps away like he had just appeared out of nowhere again.

Of course.

“Oh,” she said. “Perfect timing.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve been standing there.”

Mason shook his head. “No.”

“I just finished something nearby,” he added calmly.

I didn’t believe him for a second.

Lori, however, looked way too interested.

“You were about to Uber?” Mason asked, glancing at my phone.

“Yes,” I said quickly.

“Don’t,” he said simply.

I sighed. “Why does everyone suddenly think they control my transport?”

Before Mason could answer—

Lori stepped forward.

“Oh my God, this is easy,” she said like she had solved everything.

I turned to her. “What now?”

She pointed between us. “You two are literally neighbors.”

Silence.

Mason looked at her. Then at me.

Lori continued, fully committed now.

“So why are we even debating this? Just give her a ride home.”

My eyes widened. “Lori—”

“What?” she said. “It’s safer. It’s faster. And he’s already here.”

I turned back to Mason immediately. “You don’t have to—”

“I know,” Mason said calmly.

That didn’t help.

Because then he added, “I already offered.”

Lori clapped once like that settled it. “Perfect.”

I stared at both of them.

Traitors. Both of them.

“I can take an Uber,” I repeated.

Mason looked at me. “I know.”

“Then why—”

“Because it’s unnecessary,” he interrupted.

I opened my mouth—

But Lori cut in again.

“Nope,” she said, grabbing my arm. “You’re not arguing this. You’re going with him.”

“I didn’t agree to that!”

Lori ignored me completely and turned to Mason.

“Please just drop her off,” she said casually. “We live close anyway. You’re neighbors. It’s literally on your way.”

Mason glanced at me for a second.

Then nodded once. “Okay.”

I blinked. “Okay?”

That was it?

Just okay?

Lori immediately smiled like she had won something important. “See? Easy.”

I turned to Mason. “You didn’t have to agree to that.”

“I didn’t mind,” he said.

That made me pause.

Because he said it too easily.

Too calm.

Like it really wasn’t a problem for him at all.

I sighed, defeated. “This is ridiculous.”

“I know,” Mason said again.

Of course he did.

A few minutes later, I was standing beside his car again.

This was becoming a pattern I did not appreciate.

Lori gave me a quick wave before leaving. “Text me when you get home!”

“I will,” I muttered.

Then she was gone.

And just like that—

it was me and Mason again.

I got in the passenger seat, still annoyed.

“You’re way too involved in my life lately,” I said as I buckled my seatbelt.

Mason started the car. “I’m not.”

“That’s what someone involved in my life would say.”

He glanced at me briefly. “Then stop making it easy.”

I frowned. “Excuse me?”

He didn’t answer.

Of course.

The car pulled out into the road smoothly.

For a while, it was quiet.

Then I leaned my head against the window.

“I was really going to book an Uber,” I said again.

“I know,” Mason replied.

I looked at him. “Then why did you show up again right after?”

A pause.

“Coincidence,” he said.

I squinted. “That’s starting to sound like your favorite word.”

“It works,” he said.

The car ride had gone quiet

The kind of quiet that didn’t feel empty—just full of things nobody was saying out loud.

Outside, Westbridge kept moving like nothing unusual was happening. Students crossing streets, cafés glowing warm, life continuing in its usual rhythm.

Inside the car, it felt different.

Tighter.

I shifted slightly in my seat, then finally spoke.

“Do you know Frost Dawson?”

Mason didn’t answer right away.

His eyes stayed on the road.

“…Yes,” he said after a moment.

That alone already felt loaded.

I turned toward him. “How?”

A pause.

“From before,” he said simply.

I frowned. “That’s not an answer.”

“It is,” he replied.

“It really isn’t,” I muttered.

Mason exhaled lightly, like he was deciding how much to say.

“We were in the same circle before university,” he added.

“Circle?” I repeated.

“Friends,” he clarified.

Something about the way he said it didn’t feel complete.

I leaned back slightly. “So you’re friends.”

Silence.

Not denial.

Not agreement either.

That was enough for me to notice.

I squinted at him. “Why does that sound complicated?”

“It isn’t,” he said.

But his voice didn’t fully match the words.

That made me more curious—and more cautious at the same time.

I looked out the window for a second.

Then spoke again.

“He feels… different,” I said carefully. “Like he’s always observing people instead of just talking to them.”

Mason’s grip on the wheel shifted slightly.

Just for a moment.

Then relaxed.

“…That sounds like him,” he said.

That didn’t sound like reassurance.

It sounded like recognition.

I frowned. “That’s not exactly comforting.”

He didn’t respond immediately.

The car slowed at a stoplight.

For a moment, I thought he would drop it completely.

But instead, he said something quieter.

“Just be careful around him.”

I blinked. “Careful? Why?”

A pause.

This time, Mason didn’t look at me.

“I can’t explain it in a way you’d like,” he said.

That alone made my chest tighten slightly.

I narrowed my eyes. “That sounds like there’s something to explain.”

Silence.

Then, finally—just a hint.

“Some people don’t join things,” he said quietly. “They calculate them.”

That was it.

No elaboration.

No warning tone.

Just a simple line.

But it stuck.

I stared at him for a moment.

“…That’s dramatic,” I said lightly, trying to brush it off.

Mason didn’t deny it.

He just kept driving.

And somehow—

that silence felt heavier than anything he had said before.

The moment I arrived home, I headed straight upstairs.

No lingering in the living room.

No conversations.

No chance for my mom to ask questions I didn’t feel like answering.

I slipped into my bedroom and quietly closed the door behind me.

Finally.

Silence.

I tossed my bag onto the chair near my desk and fell backward onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

But the quiet didn’t help.

Because the moment I was alone, my thoughts started replaying the car ride.

Especially one sentence.

“Some people don’t join things. They calculate them.”

I frowned.

What was that even supposed to mean?

I rolled onto my side and hugged a pillow.

The more I thought about it, the less sense it made.

Was Mason warning me?

Jealous?

Overprotective?

Or was there actually something he wasn’t telling me?

I groaned into the pillow.

“Why can’t anyone in my life just explain things normally?”

The room remained silent.

Unhelpful.

I sat up and glanced toward my bedroom window.

Across the street, I could see the Crawford house.

A light was on in Mason’s room.

Immediately, I looked away.

Nope.

Not doing that today.

I flopped back onto the bed and grabbed my phone.

Maybe scrolling through social media would distract me.

It didn’t.

Every few minutes, my thoughts drifted back to Frost.

Then Mason.

Then Frost again.

And somehow, that only made everything more confusing.

My phone suddenly vibrated in my hand.

A message notification appeared.

My stomach immediately dropped.

Mason.

Of course.

I opened it.

Mason: How’s your knee?

I blinked.

Then looked down at the small scratch that was still visible on my knee beneath my purple dress.

The scratch stung a little less now, but it was definitely still there.

For a moment, I just stared at the message.

After everything he’d said earlier...

This was what he texted?

Not a warning.

Not another mysterious hint.

Just asking about my knee.

I frowned at the screen.

Annoyingly, it made me remember him kneeling on the sidewalk that morning, cleaning the scratch while pretending not to care.

I hated that memory.

Mostly because it wasn’t helping me stay annoyed.

Another vibration interrupted my thoughts.

Mason: Did you clean it properly?

I stared at the message.

Then at the ceiling.

Then back at the message.

And despite everything—

the smallest smile tried to appear.

I immediately fought it.

“No.”

Nugget lifted his head from the floor.

I pointed at my phone.

“Don’t start.”

He thumped his tail once.

After replying to Mason’s message with a short “It’s fine.”, I decided I was done thinking for the night.

Or at least I tried to be.

I grabbed a towel and headed for the shower.

The warm water helped wash away the stress from the day—the awkward ride home, the strange conversation about Frost, and the fact that Mason somehow managed to occupy my thoughts far more than he should.

By the time I finished, I felt a little calmer.

A little.

I changed into an oversized sleep shirt, dried my hair, and crawled into bed.

Finally.

Sleep.

I reached over and switched off the lamp beside my bed.

Darkness settled over the room.

For a few minutes, everything was quiet.

Peaceful.

Then—

A soft sound.

Tap.

My eyes opened.

I stayed still.

Maybe it was nothing.

The house sometimes made noises at night.

Then it happened again.

Tap.

This time from the direction of my window.

My heart immediately started racing.

I slowly pushed myself up.

The room was dark, lit only by the moonlight slipping through the curtains.

Another sound.

Click.

My stomach dropped.

Someone was at my window.

“Oh my God.”

I grabbed the nearest thing I could find—a pillow.

Not exactly a weapon, but it was all I had.

The window shifted slightly.

Then a figure climbed inside.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Dark hair.

I nearly screamed.

“MASON?!”

The figure froze halfway through the window.

“Shh!”

My jaw dropped.

“SHH?!” I whisper-yelled. “YOU CLIMBED INTO MY ROOM!”

Mason winced.

“Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds bad.”

“It IS bad!”

He finally stepped into the room and quietly closed the window behind him.

I stared at him in complete disbelief.

“What are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t text this.”

My eye twitched.

“So naturally your next option was breaking into my room?”

“I didn’t break anything.”

“MASON!”

He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Fair point.”

I pointed toward the window.

“Out.”

“Evelyn—”

“Out.”

“I just need two minutes.”

“One.”

He sighed.

“Your scratch.”

I blinked.

“...My scratch?”

“You said it was fine.”

“It is fine.”

“You lied.”

I stared at him.

“You climbed through a second-story window because you thought I lied about a scratch?”

Mason looked completely serious.

“Yes.”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Then I threw the pillow at him.

He caught it.

Unfortunately.

“You are insane.”

A small smile appeared on his face.

“Maybe.”

I groaned and dropped back onto the bed.

This was my life now.