Mason places both of his palms on the top of Ayaan's car and rests his chin on them, watching him put his duffle coat on. Ayaan rolls his shoulders back before he looks up.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" He asks, and Mason wonders if there's a spark of expectancy in his eyes that he sees, or just his mind playing tricks on him. "Or do you want me to drive you home?"

Mason shrugs, playing with the sleeve of his sweater as he gets inside the car after Ayaan does. "What about you?"

Ayaan turns to look at him, smiling to himself when he notices Mason pointedly avoiding his eyes. He hums, looking back at the road. "I asked first," he teases. "But in all honesty, I don't want you to leave yet."

"Me neither," Mason admits in a murmur. They look at each other then, and Ayaan is the first one to smile. The curly-haired boy can't help but copy his expression. He looks down at his hands. "To be fair, we didn't get to spend actual time together. We just ate."

Ayaan hums in agreement.

There's a silence between them for a bit then, both of them staring at the road ahead. Mason presses his tongue against the inside of his cheek, and Ayaan drums his fingers on the steering wheel.

"So..."

Why do things get awkward between us the second we're alone?

"You don't... have to go back to work?"

Ayaan shakes his head. "I have the rest of the day off."

Mason looks ahead again, blinking. Wow. Wow.

They have a lot of time.

"I honestly don't know," Mason shakes his head to himself and immediately wonders if he sounds off. So he quickly adds, "I just want to spend more time with you."

Almost regretting the second part of his reply right after, Mason refrains from smacking himself on the forehead. Almost. But he can't really bring himself to regret what he said. Because it's true.

Their time together so far was delightful. It only took them an hour or so at the diner, but the entire time they were there, not a single minute went by when Mason wasn't smiling or laughing. He even choked on his food a few times, and Ayaan would apologize with an amused glint in his eye.

The more Mason learns about the guy, the more attached he finds himself growing. Because behind the intimidating Ayaan Sharma who ran an entire company on his father's behalf all alone, there was the Ayaan who cracked embarrassing jokes. The Ayaan who couldn't handle spice in his food. The Ayaan who wanted to study music at some point in his life.

And the Ayaan who scrunched his nose and called cereal 'horse food'.

"Me too."

Mason's thoughts dissipate like a puff of smoke at Ayaan's voice. He looks up, eyes wide. "What?"

Ayaan shakes his head, smiling to himself. "I want to spend more time with you too."

When Mason's pale cheeks gain the now-familiar tinge of pink, Ayaan's smile widens. He's beginning to learn that he finds it painfully endearing when the boy sitting in the passenger seat beside him blushes. Or smiles. Or laughs that breathy little laugh of his. Or talks with a spark in his eye.

Oh, scratch that. Mason could do the bare minimum and Ayaan would be smiling like a goof.

"Do you want to go get some ice cream?"

Mason turns to him with a raised eyebrow, but Ayaan doesn't miss the flush still present in his cheeks. "The spicy chicken still bothering you?"

"That question sounds bizarre out of context, and no. No more tears over spicy food. The store I'm thinking of is close to the beach so I thought..." He trails off, shrugging and trying to play it cool. But both of them know he's internally freaking out a little.

Or a lot.

But the nervousness dissolves in the blink of an eye as soon as Mason replies, "That sounds great."

-

A Buttered Pecan and a Mango ice cream, a silent drive and a few shy but content smiles later, they get to the beach right around the time the sun is about to set.

When they get out of the car, Ayaan wants to reach for Mason's hand.

But he hesitates.

His brain is yowling at him to just go for it because this is the boy he's willing to face the wrath of his family for. The boy who he's willing to turn his entire life upside down for. He's afraid. Hell, he's absolutely terrified. The thought of ever having a conversation like this with his parents makes his blood run cold with undiluted fear.

But one look at Mason's face and Ayaan knows he can't live otherwise.

The thought had always been there--To not do what his parents wanted him to for once. To break the bars they've put him inside with his bare hands.

What's the point, though? He'd think. Always.

He could confront everyone but his parents. And he didn't care enough about himself to try.

There had been countless times in his life he'd see a piano and feel his eyes glaze over with the memories of secretly learning how to play back when he was in college. So many days when he had to fend off persistent women at parties in ways that wouldn't allow the world to question him. Keep his expression blank when cameras flashed in his face and absurd inquisitions got thrown his way at conferences. Sit at 'family' dinners and wished his sister was there with him.

It's only now that he realizes he'd grown sick of his life long before he actually knew.

Mason's soft 'hey' brings him out of his thoughts, and before Ayaan has a chance to clear his head completely, the younger boy reaches for his hand.

"What are you thinking about so hard?"

Ayaan swallows, looks down at his hand now in the much smaller hold of Mason's pale hand, and then back up.

Hazel eyes meet his with concern shining in them, and Ayaan can think of telling him nothing but the truth.

"Too many things," he murmurs, now walking alongside Mason by the shore. The distant sound of the waves crashing soothe him inexplicably, and he caresses Mason's knuckles with his thumb. When he glances up, he finds Mason already looking at him, eyes as warm as his fingers as they slowly slip between the gaps of his own.

And then he smiles a little, a smile that looks so devastatingly beautiful under the slowly darkening sky, Ayaan has to remind himself to breathe.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Ayaan shrugs, looking away because no one's ever looked at him like this before. He feels blanketed in warmth. Comfort. Assurance.

One glance at the boy beside him and he knows he can talk about anything in the world without the fear of being judged.

So he does.

He tells Mason he's never been this scared in his life. But at the same time, he's never been more sure about anything in his life either. This is it. Them. Together. This is the only thing--Mason is the only thing to happen in his life that makes him this happy. That looking at him makes Ayaan want to be happy.

And as Mason walks beside him with their hands joined together, patient and silent, Ayaan knows there's no one else he'd rather be with right now. No other place he'd rather be at right now.

He internally thanks Tanvi for the hundredth time, and lets himself bask in the calmness that only comes with Mason's presence.

-

On their way back, Mason's head rests on his fist, elbow on the window as he watches the lights blur past them.

Ayaan had asked him if he wanted to eat before he dropped Mason home, but with an unintentional pout, Mason told him Gwen had probably already prepared dinner for the both of them.

They're silent again, but there's nothing uncomfortable about it.

The last hint of awkwardness between them isn't visible anymore, and instead of secretive glances, they pass each other occasional, easy smiles.

"Did you have a good time?" Ayaan asks softly, breaking the silence without looking away from the road.

Mason stares at the side of his face, a little distracted by how concentrated he looks. Then with a smile to himself, he closes his eyes for a moment before opening them, and replies, "I did." He lets his head loll back, heavy-eyed. "Thank you for today."

Ayaan just settles for a smile in reply, thinking back on everything he learned about Mason today.

Allergic to chocolate. Had to quit school at the age of sixteen, yet currently one of the pillars alongside Gwen McCrae that hold up one of the most famed event planning agencies in the state. Hates crowds. Awkward but somehow still bold. Unafraid of speaking his thoughts out loud.

He often wonders if Mason knows a lot more about him than he does about Mason, and he'd subconsciously set himself on changing that. Soon.

While he continues to tick off more things inside his head that he knows about the boy sitting beside him, he realizes he's just a block away from Mason's place.

"We're here," he announces, unable to keep the gloominess out of his voice.

But then Mason turns to him with a grin and says, "I hope you know I feel just as disappointed as you sound."

Breathing out a chuckle, Ayaan undoes his seatbelt just as Mason does.

And then Mason is breathing out a sigh, turning to Ayaan again. "So..." I didn't want today to be over. I wish I was brave enough to say that out loud.

He doesn't exactly know what to say. And right when he's contemplating on it, a thought breezes past his mind.

Are you supposed to kiss on the first date?

Luckily, for him though, before the thought can bloom further, Ayaan is taking his hand off the steering wheel and reaching out to cup the side of his neck, grey eyes fixated on his face.

Feeling his heart flutter at the soft touch, Mason swallows nervously just as Ayaan caresses his jaw with his thumb, yet again sending threads of unfamiliar tickles down his spine.

Warm fingers brush the nape of his neck, and he closes his eyes. He can feel Ayaan lean forward, and just when he thinks he's going to be kissed for the first time in his life, Ayaan's lips press against his forehead.

Oh.

And then he's leaning back right when Mason opens his eyes to stare at him dumbly.

The hand on the side of his neck lingers for a moment longer before going back to the steering wheel.

"Have dinner with me tomorrow?"

Mason doesn't hesitate before nodding, cheeks blooming with color.

And in the midst of his embarrassment, he realized that they'd already planned another date even before the first was over.