Mason paces back and forth in his room, phone in one hand and the other on the back of his neck. He doesn't know how long he's been doing this, but he can't stop breathing in and out as he finds himself unable to make a decision between which though makes him more nervous: seeing his mother after years of being kicked out of his own house, knowing she could still be homophobic, or calling Ayaan to ask him if he wanted to grab lunch together.

He probably doesn't have the time, his brain tells him, but he shakes his head, firing back an internal insult about being a coward.

He's aware that ever since he started living with Gwen, he hasn't exactly been making decisions... like a normal adult. But he has a feeling that his usual 'wing it, and hope for the best' way isn't going to work with either of these situations.

Glancing at his phone, he breathes out. Then he turns it over again and tips his head back to stare at the ceiling.

Can't do this. I can't do this. Shit.

He can't be impulsive in situations where Ayaan is concerned. This is the one good thing to happen to his painfully average life after years.

Not to mention he's still a little baffled by the fact that someone like Ayaan likes him back.

Him.

The awkward, unsettled, anxious him. He can't help but shake his head in a little amusement but mostly disbelief when he remembers how they met.

He was supposed to work on planning the guy's engagement, for God's sake.

How did things turn out this way?

With another shake of his head, he internally thanks the Heavens that they did turn out this way, though.

The silly smile falls off his face when he remembers his other problem.

His mother.

With a groan, he holds himself back from pulling his hair off his scalp. He'd never admit it out loud but even after all these years, he isn't quite over what happened. He has Gwen now. A stable job, thanks to her. A roof over his head, yet another thing he has Gwen to thank for.

But sometimes, mostly when he's alone, his eyes blank out and what his life used to be like flashes in his mind. Like a broken record, he hears his parents' voices over and over in his head, the day when they had mercilessly kicked him out while he cried on his knees in front of them being played like a video in front of him in the loudest volume.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he drops his phone on his bed before sitting down on the edge as well, hands covering his face. He sighs into his palms before sliding his hands down to reveal his eyes when his phone rings.

Eyes widening and mouth parting in surprise when he sees the name of the person calling, he reaches for it nonetheless and swipes his thumb on the screen.

Before he can speak, though, the person on the other end does.

"Mason!" Tanvi, ever the jolly one, exclaims and Mason is never going to understand how she's this cheerful so early in the morning. "Sweetheart, do you happen to have a spare moment? I need to talk to you about something. Super important. It'll be quick, I promise."

Mason opens his mouth, a hundred questions in his mind, then closes it. Humming instead, he replies, "I'm listening."

"Okay, so..." She says, sounding like she's holding her breath. Then, "... you probably know how my brother's a coward, right?" Mason immediately lets out a chuckle, then rushes in an attempt to cover it with a cough.

"You're laughing! I won't tell him, but I know it's funny that more than half the city and all of the employees in that gigantic building of his office are terrified of him but he can't even ask the boy he likes out on a date."

Mason covers his face with his hand again when he feels it immediately heat up.

"I'm begging you," Tanvi continues. "Be the one to make the move instead. Do you know how distracted he's been? He's going to bring the entire company down to the ground at this rate. It was funny seeing him so out-of-it at first but now I'm just concerned."

The mere thought of actually asking Ayaan... it brings a hitch in Mason's breath.

But someone has to do it, right? And Ayaan was the one to confess first, despite the circumstances. He had been the first one to throw everything else to the back burner and actually consider a relationship.

Mason should be brave enough to ask if he wanted to go on a date... right?

Right.

"You'll do it, right?" Tanvi rushes, then seems to think better of it. "Crap, wait, it's not my intention to-"

"I'll do it."

-

A minute and a half.

That's all it takes Mason to rethink all of his life choices.

"Fuck, Gwen, what the hell was I thinking?"

Gwen just pats his back, her eyes focused on her laptop screen. She speaks into her earpiece, probably guiding her new interns. Mason can't keep track of what she's saying to them, his own head in the messiest scramble it's ever been.

"God, I'm what? Twenty-two?" His eyes widen, and his fingers automatically reach for his hair again. "Oh, my God, I'm twenty-two. And I can't even ask a guy out on a date. I can't even ask him out after we've both confirmed our feelings!" he cries and then plops to his side with his hands still in his hair. "Pathetic," he whispers to himself, staring at nothing. "This is why I'm going to die alone."

Gwen lets out a deep sigh, closing her eyes and shutting the laptop lid down before removing her earpiece as well.

"Kid, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm going to die alone, Gwen."

She rolls her eyes, removing her laptop off her lap and placing it on the table before setting the earpiece on top of it. Then she pulls her legs up, crosses them and turns to face Mason who's still lying down on his side with his knees pulled up to his chest.

A smack echoes in the room, and Mason yelps and rubs his butt.

"First of all, get that ass away from me. Sit up."

He complies like a toddler, mouth immediately forming into a stubborn pout.

She swats his hands away from his hair. "Geez, get yourself together," she mumbles and then sighs. "Mase, it's just a date. Honestly, you've handled way worse with more grace."

He opens his mouth, then closes it. His pout is still in place when he finally replies, "But I like him so much..." He screws his eyes shut and whines, "I'm acting like a child."

"Wow, I didn't know I raised a coward."

Mason scoffs, but his voice cracks. "Very helpful."

"You know what? Give me your phone."

He looks at her, then leans back with his hand clutching his phone harder in defense.

"Mase," she snaps.

Quickly handing her his phone, he watches her mouth that was in a straight line slowly pull back into a smile. She reaches out to quickly ruffle his hair before unlocking his phone.

"What are you doing?" he asks, but he thinks he knows.

She taps the screen a few times, then begins to type. "What you should have been doing."

"Gwen, I'm scared-"

Shoving the screen in his face, she makes him read the text she's about to send.

Have you eaten yet? If not, would you like to grab lunch?

"Listen, that's not even how I-"

She scoffs, rolls her eyes, and presses send.

"-Gwen, no!"

"Too late, kid." She tosses him his phone back, and he catches it with shaky hands. "Thank me later."

He rechecks, and sure enough, the text is delivered. And before his eyes, he sees the little 'read' appears under his text.

"Ah, fuck, I hate you so much," he groans, falling back on the couch again, covering his eyes with his arm.

Before his mind can go into overthinking mode, though, his phone chimes with a new text.

Quickly taking his arm off his eyes, he looks at the screen and blinks. Then he looks at Gwen, who's grinning like a lunatic.

"It's him, isn't it."

Mason turns his face away, trying to hide a smile and failing terribly.

He rereads the text he just received.

I actually haven't. Do you like Indian food?