"Mase, you big dumb. We aren't going to meet their family," Gwen explains with her eyes fixated on the road ahead of her. "When Tanvi invited us over, she didn't mean she wanted us to dine with her parents. It's just going to be her and Connor." She glances at him once. "That's her husband, by the way. And maybe Ayaan as well, but I'm not sure."

Mason lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"If we were meeting their parents, I'd be scared too," she jokes. Then after a moment, she adds, almost as if talking to herself. "We would probably have to at some point, though."

It doesn't go past Mason that she doesn't sound too happy about the fact.

"What are they like?"

Gwen glances at him again. "Tanvi and Connor?"

He shakes his head. "Her parents."

She worries her bottom lip between her teeth as she takes a turn. "Well...I'm not too sure. But from what I've heard they're very intimidating."

Mason rests the side of his head on the glass of the window. "Like...Ayaan is?"

Gwen scoffs. "If you think Ayaan is intimidating, you've got the wrong definition of the word."

He frowns slightly, mumbling to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he says quickly.

She narrows her eyes at him but says nothing.

-

Ayaan is nervous.

It's not a lot that he feels this way. There are exceptions, of course. For example, when he has to meet his parents every once in a while. And...that's about it, really.

So, yes. There aren't a lot of things that make Ayaan Sharma nervous.

But for some bizarre reason, that's beyond his understanding, the oncoming presence of a certain curly-haired boy has left his throat dry with nervousness. It's ironic, really. With the very obvious fact that Mason himself looks unnerved around Ayaan.

When Tanvi had asked him if it was okay to invite Mason and Gwen over, he wanted to be mad. Wanted to tell her that he just wanted to spend some time with his sister and she was calling two people, not to mention from work, over to intrude on their rare time together. But he really couldn't find it in himself to say no. Because in all honesty, he didn't mind.

For a split second, he can't help but think about his mother, and how pleased she is every time she witnesses someone stutter in front of her son, as they do in front of the entirety of the Sharma family. His father, now bedridden from his sickness but once one of the most influential men in the city, raised Ayaan to stay on the surface of the water. Always.

Even if he has to push the others down to drown on his way.

But if there's anything Ayaan has been honest with himself about in his life, it's that he doesn't want Mason to be uncomfortable around him.

So when the doorbell rings, he wipes his hands on his pants and pretends like he doesn't see Tanvi raise an eyebrow at him as she passes by him to open the door, her husband in tow. When instant chatter fills the doorway, he pretends to be busy arranging the wine glasses, acting like his subconscious can't immediately tell Mason's laugh apart from everyone else's.

It's not long before they follow Tanvi in and she announces a loud, "No work talk!" Ayaan playfully rolls his eyes when she stares at him pointedly. "It's the first and only warning I'm going to give." He shoots her a thumbs up with an exaggeratingly sweet smile that Connor laughs at.

-

After the pleasantries, dinner goes surprisingly smoothly, with laughter and lots of chat (banter on Tanvi and Ayaan's part) followed by sips of wine for everyone except Mason. His apple juice contrasts oddly with everyone's red drinks, but his own self fits pretty well with the rest of them.

He observes in content silence as Tanvi pounds her fist on the back of a half-laughing, half-choking Ayaan. It's a strange sight; Ayaan laughing so much.

But it doesn't change the fact that their sibling dynamic is easily the purest thing Mason has ever had the pleasure of witnessing. They argue and laugh at each other, but more importantly, with each other.

Mason is an only child. And now he wishes he wasn't.

Doesn't really matter now, a voice echoes at the back of his head.

He tries to focus on how the thought of seeing Ayaan as intimidating seems funny now, absurd almost. Tries to focus on how Tanvi and Connor interact with each other, unashamedly in love and just so...warm.

Mason can't help but adore them. Individually, and together.

He silently wishes for the evening to end later than he expected.

When Connor's phone goes off and he has to leave in a hurry because of an emergency at his hospital, Mason thinks his wish goes unheard. As Connor rushes out, he shoots apologies at everyone and pats Mason's shoulder twice as a form of farewell on his way out.

"Guess it's time for us to go too," Gwen announces, pouting at Tanvi, who only rolls her eyes.

"Absolutely not. I have something to talk to you about," she says with a serious face but Ayaan sees the bright twinkle in her eyes and raises his eyebrows, turning to give Mason a questioning look.

The other boy just returns a confused shrug.

Ayaan looks between the women, oddly suspicious. Then he gives his sister a hard stare that she avoids, only to smile at him sweetly.

"Mason's here for the first time. Go show him the view from the balcony."

Ayaan notices the said boy stiffen at the mention of his name and probably at the thought of being left alone with someone he's clearly uncomfortable around.

He stands up nonetheless, smiling in amusement when Tanvi narrows her eyes at him and says, "You better be nice. And-"

"No work talk," he interrupts without looking at her but smiling at Mason instead, who stands up as well. "I got it."

-

There's a sharp pang in Mason's nose from the cold but he barely feels it, hazel eyes fixated on the moonlit city ahead of him.

Ayaan stands beside him with his arms resting on the railing, his eyes shifting between the view and the boy beside him. He knows he looks calm. Cool. Collected. Although he's anything but.

"This...is amazing," Mason murmurs in awe.

Ayaan smiles. "It is. I still haven't gotten used to it."

The moon reflects in Mason's eyes when he shakes his head slightly, a little smile playing on his lips. "I can see why."

They're silent for a little while after that, Mason's face looking like he's counting the stars while Ayaan absentmindedly counts the moles on Mason's skin. Two on his hand that rests on the railing. One on his jaw. Another one on the nape of his neck, peeking out through his curly hair. If he looks closely, he can also see the freckles aligning his nose and under his eyes.

Ayaan has to look away and swallow, hands gripping the railing a little harder.

Stop. That's creepy.

"What's your story?" he asks, mostly to distract himself but also because he's genuinely interested. It hadn't slipped past him that neither Gwen nor Mason had said anything about his parents all the while during their conversation over dinner.

Mason doesn't know what compels him to reply with, "Gay and kicked out of the house at sixteen. Not very interesting."

Immediately ready to beat himself up over blurting something like that out, he turns to look at Ayaan but pauses when he sees the flash in his dark eyes. Mason can't place the emotion behind it, so he doesn't say anything.

"What about you?" Mason asks because Ayaan looks like he's going to apologize for asking.

Maybe it's Mason's honesty that makes Ayaan shrug and smile weakly before he replies. "Dull. In every sense of the word."

They're both silent for a good while after that, and Ayaan wonders if he's slightly tipsy, because in that moment, he feels more at peace than he ever has.

"We're a lot more different than I thought," he mumbles, his smile turning bitter.

Mason doesn't understand. So he decides to jokingly say, "Why? Because I swing the other way and you don't?"

He's clearly not prepared for the blow he receives when Ayaan says,

"We swing the exact same way, Mason. Trust me."

Mason stands frozen, the million questions in his subconscious not quite there yet.

"It's just that the direction mine goes is barricaded," Ayaan jokes, but not sounding like he finds it funny in the least.

The silence between them is deafening.

"You're really brave for coming out," Ayaan says after a while, watching Mason reach out and awkwardly rub the back of his flushed neck. "It's what I meant by us being different."

Mason feels a pang in his chest when he realizes how lost Ayaan sounds.

"You don't love her?" he asks softly, afraid that he's overstepping.

Ayaan doesn't look at him. Just takes his bottom lip between his teeth and shakes his head.

"Neither does she."

Mason just stares at him, unable to speak. He knows there's nothing he can say to comfort the guy because he was once there. In the closet. Afraid. Lost. Lonely. And if he wasn't forced out of it, he never would have had the strength to walk out of it himself.

And although it had shattered him to his very core when his parents had refused to accept him, today, he's free to be whoever he wants; love whoever he wants.

"Are you...." Mason lets out a shaky breath. "...really going to go through with it? The wedding?"

If this was a few months ago, or even a few weeks, Ayaan would have said yes. He would have said he had no other choice. Because when his parents want something, they get it. No questions asked, no doubts raised.

So again, maybe it's because Ayaan feels a little tipsy, or maybe he just wants to be truthful to himself for once in his life, but he lets the feeling of his heart beating inside his chest a little faster wash over him, and in the smallest voice ever, replies,

"I don't know."