“That was so good!” Mason beamed in excitement, practically vibrating from his energy. “It was so informative and interesting. And she is such a good teacher!”

Mark was smiling softly as he watched Mason rattle on and on about the class. Today’s lesson hadn’t been too long, at least that’s what Lorraine told them. It was probably shorter because she had to introduce the class and get everyone partnered up.

But, now that it had just finished and Lorraine was making her way out of the building, everyone in the room seemed to be buzzing with excitement. It was a great lesson, and Mark didn’t blame Mason for being excited.

Mark and Mason got up from their seats and began walking toward the door. They continued to talk about what they just saw when someone began to tap Mason’s shoulder. He turned around, frowning slightly when he was face to face with an unfamiliar girl. Dark hair, wide hips, tanned skin. Pretty, but a stranger.

Then, his eyes went up to find Tobias.

“Hey,” He grinned, smiling down at Mason widely. “What did you think of the lesson?”

“Oh, it was really good! Lorraine is a really great teacher. I’m excited for the rest of the course,” Mason said, repeating words that he had just told Mark not too long ago. Mason then turned to the girl, connecting the dots and coming to the conclusion that this was Mark’s previous partner. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Mason. Mason Moore.”

“Aubrey Hapburn,” the girl replied, smiling softly as she shook hands with Mason. “Tobias has been telling me such wonderful things about you.”

Mason laughed, quickly waving off her nice comment.

“He gives me too much credit. I honestly don’t understand how he got such a good impression of me in such a short amount of time.”

Aubrey and Tobias both laughed at Mason’s words, but Mason found Aubrey’s laugh to be a tad bit more . . . baseless?

He looked back at Mark who watched the entire thing with a soft smile showing through his eyes. He didn’t seem to notice anything, so it must just be in Mason’s head.

Aubrey then turned to look at Mark, a gleam appearing in her eyes. She took a couple of steps closer to the taller boy, laying a hand on his bicep.

Was she . . . ?

“I was a bit sad to hear from Tobias that we were no longer partners,” she mentioned, a small pout on her full nude-painted lips. “We would have worked so well together.”

Mark smiles, fakely Mason mentally adds, at Aubrey and shifts away from her touch.

“Maybe,” Mark said simply, offering a small smile before moving closer to Mason. Aubrey seemed a bit cheesed but Mason doesn’t acknowledge it and goes back to conversing with Tobias.

“I am kind of embarrassed to say it but I didn’t expect the homework,” Tobias admitted with a short laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. Mason waves off his discomfort, understanding Tobias completely.

“Don’t be. I was actually hoping that we would get more of a pass since it’s the first day,” Mason said in response, hands unconsciously slipping into his pants pocket. “But, obviously, I was wrong.”

Tobias and Mason giggle, Mason later noticing that Mark had as well.

“Actually, I was wondering about something,” Mark started, drawing Mason’s attention back to him. While he said the words generally, his eyes told Mason that he wanted him to answer. That brought warmth to Mason’s cheek. Gosh, he really had to get over himself. “Is it due at our next session or next week?”

“Next session!” Tobias answered, unaware of the minor glare that Mark sent his way. “You would have been in serious trouble if you thought that was the plan.”

“Not really,” Mason commented with a shrug. “There isn’t an official grade. But he would get teased nonstop by me and the rest of our friends.”

That gets a curious look from Tobias who looks back and forth between the two.

“You guys know each other?” Tobias asks, sounding a bit surprised. “Scratch that, you guys are friends?”

A hint of guilt hits Mark when he realizes that Tobias, and Aubrey, would likely figure out why they were switched. When he had done it without telling them that he had done it himself, he hoped that he could get out of the situation without them finding out. Now, that didn’t seem very likely.

Mason was about to give some sort of answer when an arm was suddenly slung over his shoulder.

“Yeah, we’ve all been friends for quite some time!” A random man comments, grinning widely as he looks down at a flustered Mason. “Aren’t we Mason?”

Mark scowled, quickly identifying the tall blonde as the guy who had been hanging around Mason earlier. He still hadn’t learned his name and naively of him, he had hoped that the need wouldn’t occur. Now, Mark wasn’t so sure.

Mason laughed, twisting around under the man’s long tanned arm until he had the limb in his grip and off of his body.

“No, we’re not,” Mason replied lightly, releasing a short laugh when Gabe tried to quickly pull out of his hold and drape his arm over Mason again. “Gabe and I met this morning. I have known Mark, on the other hand, since elementary school.”

That last comment impresses everyone and they all begin to comment on their long relationship.

“Wow, after all that time, you must know just about everything about him, huh Mason?” Tobias guesses, staring with curious eyes at Mason and Mark who were still standing not far from each other, despite Gabe wrestling to get his hands on Mason repeatedly.

Mark was silently glaring holes through the stranger even as he registered his name, but Gabe was oblivious to it all. Mason looks up from the limb of Gabe’s that he was fighting off now at Tobias’ most recent comment.

“Well, not everything,” Mason said, glancing back at Mark who appeared to be relaxed. “He hasn’t told me if he’s seeing someone right now or not.”

Mark scoffs, rolling his eyes as he runs a hand through his hair.

“That really isn’t important to know,” he said dismissively, waving a hand as if it would physically remove the thought.

Mason was a bit peeved though. He may have made it sound easy and light but he really wanted to know. The slight pain he felt every time Mark began a relationship with someone new helped ground him down to earth and away from his hopes and fantasies.

But, the absence of a girl would do the exact opposite and heighten them. A lot of the next few weeks of his life, in regard to his endless thoughts about Mark, would depend on such information.

Aubrey also seemed very intrigued with this new topic, suddenly engaged even more with the group, eyes trained on Mark.

Mason points a finger at Mark, glaring at him jokingly with one eye squinted more than the other.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Mason told him, struggling to keep a smile back when Mark starts to smirk. “And, I’m not afraid to bring your sister into this to get what I want.”

“Oh! That’s cold!” Gabe hisses, using Mason’s focus on Mark to wrap both of his arms around the shorter boy’s waist. “Hey, maybe I can make it so you’re seeing someone.”

Mason laughs, completely ignoring the truth in Gabe’s words and taking it as a joke. Mark considers strangling the dick and Tobias and Aubrey continue to watch on, confused as to what was happening.

Did Mason really not see how heavily he was being pursued right now?

And the answer was no, he didn’t. His mind was too focused on Mark’s relationship status to see what was right in front of him. Mark was also oblivious to Mason’s thoughts about him. But he did notice how Mason was blind to Gabe’s advances. Mark didn’t know what caused it, but he was happy nonetheless. If he was blind to it, then Mason couldn’t accept it.

The conversation moved on, the five of them talking about random things. But, they soon noticed how empty the building was truly becoming as people began to make their way home.

Aubrey was the first to leave, sending a sultry look and lip bite Mark’s way because she hadn’t given up on starting something with the tall bronzed, and handsome man. Gabe left soon after, eyeing something on his watch and suddenly not being as eager to touch Mason and more eager to find an Uber.

Tobias was last, truly bonding with Mason and exchanging Instagrams with him quickly before he made his leave. Mark and Mason were left alone, staring at Tobias’ back as he went.

“Are you going back home or do you have something else to do?” Mason asks, looking up at Mark. He was trying to make some form of conversation while also figuring out his plans. He wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for them to part ways yet or go part of the way home together.

It was always confusing to try to establish safe boundaries for the two of them as friends because Mason seemed to constantly be acting on nerves and bubbly feelings. Feelings that usually came in the form of an embarrassing heat and very energetic butterflies.

Mark shrugs, shifting his feet as he begins to fully relax.

“I don’t have anything else to do today, but I’m not sure if I really want to go home,” Mark admitted casually before he starts to slowly walk out of the building and out onto the street. Mason follows absentmindedly, noticing how Mark continues to relax.

Mark was pretty good at making new friends and getting others to like him, but because he grew up in such a tight-knit family, he often found himself tense around those he didn’t know well.

Mason didn’t want to take pride in the fact that Mark seems to be so comfortable with him. But it was hard, the notion quickly brought a smile to his face and a spring to his step. Mark didn’t notice, looking at Mason like he usually did, with a soft, friendly smile.

Mason’s mind goes back to Mark’s words, and he wonders if that was some sort of offer.

“Umm, do you want to go for lunch then?” Mason suggests, wringing his hands as he looks up at Mark. “I’m kind of hungry and I think that there are some good places around here.”

Mark looks down at Mason, taking in his barely flushed skin and a slight smile.

“Sure, we haven’t eaten together in a while, right?” Mark says, not noticing the relief that washes over the other boy. Mason scoffs, falling back into his usual attitude as he stands next to Mark.

“If you don’t count the tons of chips that we’re always inhaling in Jasmine’s presence,” Mason said, smiling lightly when Mark chuckles. “If I didn’t get into working out in high school then I would have been the exact shape of a beach ball at this point.”

Mark barks out a laugh and Mason just watches while grinning proudly. Mark sobers quickly, now looking at Mason with a more thoughtful look.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot to ask about that,” Mark commented, causing Mason’s brows to draw together with confusion. “How has that been going?”

Mason quickly catches onto what he was talking about and answers in turn.

“Oh, it’s been great," Mason told the other boy, his chest popping out in his pride without him realizing it. Mark does and mentally smirks. “I can now complete thirty push-ups all at once. I’m trying to get to 45 before the fall.”

Mark then listens silently as Mason rattles on and on about exercise and the different pros and cons of the activity. Mason thought that Mark seemed a tad disinterested but Mark was really absorbing every word that left his lips, taking minor notes of things that seemed important and noticing when Mason repeated facts and opinions.

After they had been walking around aimlessly for some time, Mark noticed that there was a decent-looking restaurant not too far from where they stood. The two of them had seemed to completely forget about their meal but the sight of the place had Mark’s stomach rumbling.

Mason caught onto the sound as soon as it was made, first eyeing Mark’s stomach before looking straight at the restaurant.

“Well, that was perfect timing,” Mason drawled, smiling a bit. “Why don’t we go in?”

Mark simply nods, following Mason who practically prances up to the restaurant.