"You're telling me you were nervous on your lunch date but you're not nervous about going to his house?"

Mason shrugs for what seems like the third time, eyes barely leaving the screen in front of him.

"You're kidding me, Mase."

He sighs, fingers pausing and hovering over the keys before he settles his hands on either side of the keyboard. "We're at work, Gwen."

"Well, luckily I'm the boss, bitch. All I have to do is watch y'all work. Now answer my question."

"Well," he mocks. "You aren't doing that right either."

She flicks the back of his neck and he groans, tipping his head back.

"Why are you doing this to me? Go away."

Neither of them is bothered about the people working around them. Every time someone new joins, they're a bit baffled about how easygoing Gwen is. But with time, they've gotten used to it.

Gwen calls herself the 'fun' boss.

"My boyfriend has been busy all week, so you're going to have to entertain me with your love life." She stares him down with wide eyes. "Now spill."

Mason looks back at the screen and resumes working. "Doesn't this count as work harassment?"

Gwen lets out a scoff and then places both of her hands on his shoulders, shaking him back and forth in his seat. "Come on. I've never seen you interested in someone before this. I feel like a mom watching her child grow, you know? Which is technically what's happening here. Because I raised you. And fed you. And taught you the work you're doing right now-"

"God, okay." Mason interrupts, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. Gwen immediately steps back before he can roll the chair around and whack her with the backrest. "What do you want to know? I'm only going to answer three of your questions. I have to finish work early today so I can get to his place by seven."

She pouts. "That's too-"

"Three, Gwen. Or none."

"You know you could just ask me to let you off work early even if you aren't done for the day, right?"

He leans back in his seat and folds his arms across his chest before looking away. "You know I don't like special treatment at work just because we're family."

Her features soften and she sighs, but nods. "Fine. So... three questions?"

He nods.

"Have you kissed him yet?"

Mason feels the flush rise from the back of his neck half because of embarrassment when he remembers what happened in the car the other day, and half because he has the... image inside his head now.

"No."

"You're blushing. That means something happened."

He groans. "God, shut up."

A grin forms on Gwen's face when he rubs a hand down his face, leaning back against the desk behind her.

"If you had answered my questions at dinner yesterday, I wouldn't have to grill you right now."

He rolls his eyes, but the twitch of his lips gives away that he isn't really as annoyed as he's trying to seem. Gwen's grin only widens, and she teasingly reaches out to pinch his cheek. Mason swats her hand away.

"What happened?"

Fiddling with his fingers on his lap, he licks his lips before speaking. "When we were in the car, I... thought he was going to... kiss me."

They're talking in low voices, and Mason's cubicle is a little further away from everyone because he had only asked Gwen for privacy when he was getting his own workspace.

"And did he?"

Mason absentmindedly touches his forehead, the corners of his lips slowly lifting at the memory and the ghost of Ayaan's lips on his skin. "Kind of."

"Kind of?" she repeats, tilting her head to one side.

He nods again, breathing in and looking back at her. "Last question."

She smiles cheekily at him, holding two fingers up. "Please give me two more."

Shaking his head, he smiles sweetly at her. "No. You're nosy enough already."

Gwen scrunches her nose. "Meanie. Fine." Mason says nothing, waiting for her to think of what she wants to ask last. "Does it... scare you that he hasn't come out to his parents yet? They still think he's going to marry Avni."

Mason rolls his lower lip between his teeth.

Am I?

it doesn't take him long to come to the conclusion that he is.

He hasn't liked anyone like this before. Sure, he's had crushes here and there, but he doesn't remember liking anyone this much before. Enough to see them in his future. Enough to be afraid of losing them.

Finally, he gives her a slow, hesitant nod.

"I haven't met his parents yet but... from what I've heard, they don't sound like the most pleasant people."

He's afraid, alright. Terrified, even. But the part of him that trusts Ayaan is bigger than the one that fears the world. After how his own parents reacted, he's painfully aware of how much worse Ayaan's parents can be. He's afraid of what their reaction might do to Ayaan. To both of them.

Taking a deep breath, he lets it out and shakes his head. "I think he knows what they're going to react like. The part that scares me the most is that he wants to tell them despite the fact that he's sure they won't accept him."

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