On the ride back home, Mason's mind is in a million spaces at once.

He's so distracted, he doesn't even mind how the car uncomfortably bumps every now and then, his head that's resting on the window vibrating. There's a small frown on his face, and he doesn't know why it's there or how to make it go away.

Until a few weeks ago, he was wondering how to get out of this whole 'meeting that Ayaan guy' thing somehow. Anyhow. And here he is now, conflicted and lost about something he doesn't even understand well enough.

On one hand, he's inexplicably sad about the kind of situation Ayaan must have to live in. He can't ever imagine marrying someone he doesn't even love. Wonders how hard everything else must have been on him.

If his parents are making a decision this big on his behalf...

He closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath, rubbing a hand down his face.

And on the other hand-

"Tired?"

His eyes open but stare blankly at the blurring road in front of him as he replies to Gwen. "Yeah."

She reaches out to ruffle his hair lightly. "Almost there."

A little smile makes its way to his lips despite his gloomy mood. "You treat me like a child."

"Only because you act like one," she shoots back, smacking him slightly with the same hand.

Mason doesn't say anything because he knows he'll blurt everything he wants to talk about and he shouldn't. Desperately needs her to know that he thinks he likes someone who's clearly out of bounds. And most of all, how he's worried about Ayaan so much he feels like someone's squeezing his chest painfully until his breath slowly leaves him.

The feeling comes rushing back to him; the loneliness he felt in his own house. How he flinched every time his own mother tried to pat his cheek because somewhere at the back of his head, he knew she didn't love him enough to accept him for who he was. How every time he heard his father's booming laughter, he paused to take it in, aware that he could come out and be the reason for the sound to stop forever.

He then attempts to add parents like Ayaan to the mix; the kind that treated their kids like a bunch of business deals, and he can't imagine himself living in that state.

Imagines if his parents were always like that. And if Ayaan had a lonely, cold childhood because of parents who were simply incapable of feeling necessary human emotions.

The thoughts leave his throat dry and he swallows back the lump, unaware that he lets out a shaky sigh that Gwen notices before shooting him a concerned look.

She doesn't say anything.

The rest of the ride is silent, and Mason slowly begins to grow more and more agitated, which means he only continues to go still until he isn't moving at all, staring into space and distantly wondering where to go from here.

-

Ayaan sits in front of an ashen-looking Avni the next morning.

I need to talk to you, he had texted her as soon as Mason and Gwen had left the night before, his hands trembling. It's really important.

She lets out a shaky breath, closing her eyes and putting her face between her hands tiredly before looking at him. "We're definitely not here to talk about what kind of flowers we want at our wedding, are we?"

Ayaan feels his tongue grow heavy in his mouth.

Avni is eerily still. "Say it, Ayaan."

He stares at the table with his lips turned down and one of his hands gripping his thigh painfully tight.

She sighs. "What was it that finally pushed you last to decide that we have to call this whole thing off?"

Ayaan opens his mouth and then closes it, shaking his head and screwing his eyes shut.

"It's kind of obvious that's what you're here for. And let's not forget that I was your best friend before our parents decided to dictate our lives," she says with a bitter chuckle and Ayaan can't help but feel his eyes burn. I'm sorry, he wants to say. His eyes only burn harder when she reaches out to put her hand on top of his. "You can talk to me."

All of their lives, they'd been treated like they were born to follow their parents' orders. Like a bunch of dolls they could charge and leave to move ahead in the direction already decided for them.

When he can't say anything, Avni continues. "If I had said no to marrying you, they would have found someone else for me, you know?" Ayaan almost feels bile rise up his throat at how fucked up that is. "You were a safe choice."

He swallows back another large lump in his throat, and in the smallest voice, he says, "I like men."

His world almost crashes from the little stem it was dangling on when Avni immediately takes her hand off his, sure that she's disgusted. Just like his parents would be when they-

He freezes when she gets out of her seat and wraps her arms around him, mindless of the people around them. His lips tremble and his entire body follows when she places her chin on the top of his head.

"Thank you for telling me." That's all she says.

And with shaking shoulders and tears trailing down his cheeks, Ayaan sobs in her arms like he never has before.

-

Mason groans into his pillow when his alarm goes off, blindly reaching out for his phone like he does every morning to turn it off.

He feels extra grumpy because he spent most of his night tossing and turning in bed restlessly, trying to fight the rising anxiety in his chest. When his limbs ache in protest as he moves, he buries his face further into the pillow.

Not realizing when he falls asleep again, his eyes open again only when his phone chimes, echoing loudly in the silence of his room.

He raises his head, hair covering his half-closed eyes and yet again, reaches out for his phone without really seeing where it is. His oncoming yawn stops in its way when he finally sees the name above the text on his screen.

Can we meet?

Mason rubs his hand over his eyes, rereading to make sure the text is from Ayaan.

He looks at the time and curses when he realizes that he overslept. Quickly shooting the guy back a reply, the confusion not quite hitting him yet, he slips out of bed after tossing his phone away and slips into the bathroom.

When he comes out and goes straight into the kitchen to make himself some tea, he sees Gwen sitting on the couch.

"You didn't go to work?"

She looks up from the book she was reading and adjusts her glasses before replying to Mason. "Morning. Nah, I thought I could use a break for today. Did you sleep well?"

He holds back another yawn, aware that he's now going to be tired all day. Waking up later than he's used to, does that to him. Wiping the tears of tiredness off his eyes, he replies, "I overslept."

Gwen nods, her eyes following Mason as he moves to pour his tea into a mug.

He raises his brows over the rim at the look she's giving him. "What?"

She shakes her head and ducks her head to pretend she's reading again, but Mason doesn't miss the half-smile on her face.

And he's definitely suspicious when she asks without looking at him, "Any plans for today?"

He narrows his eyes, back resting against the kitchen counter. "...Nothing special. I'm meeting Ayaan in a bit. He didn't say what he needed to talk about, but I'm guessing he wants something changed." Trying not to sound bothered about it, he takes a large gulp from the mug to keep his mouth busy.

"Mhm. Sure."

Mason stares at her a little harder but Gwen doesn't budge.

"Honestly, there's something off about you but I can't put my finger on so please at least tell me it's nothing extreme."

"It's nothing extreme," she singsongs.

That only worries Mason more. "For the love of God, Gwen."

"What? It's not!"

He washes his mug in the sink and puts it back on the shelf where it belongs, scoffing at her. "Fine."

"Fine."

"Stop that."

"I said fine."

Mason throws his hands in the air in exasperation as he passes by her to take a quick shower, muttering, "And I'm the childish one in the house" under his breath right before he clicks the door of his room shut, Gwen's laughter echoing in the house.