five.

When I was young, I used to think that the world was this big place. At that time, I had a lot of friends in kindergarten and the notion of growing up and spreading out all over the world scared me. As I grew older, I had come to a sinking realization that the world was only as big as you made it to be. In reality, it was a dense and condensed space.

In reality, there will always be the probability and possibility to bump into someone you didn’t want to. It’s a thought that always lurked in the back of my mind and the main reason behind my social anxiety. When triggered, I had to constantly remind myself that no matter how big that possibility was, the chances of it not happening was bigger.

Still, it didn’t mean that it won’t happen at some point.

That point being this moment.

Even under a baseball cap, there was no denying who he was. Behind me, I heard someone scoff. “I can never understand why you make an effort to hide your face from people with a cap. It really doesn’t do anything, Mase.”

But Mason didn’t seem bothered with Leslie’s comment. His blue gaze was intently focused on me. “It’s you.”

I could imagine Leslie and Noah looking at each other when he said it. I could imagine them getting off the couch they were lounging in and approaching us. I could feel their presence behind me. “Have you two met before?”

Mason’s thick lips twitched into a grin. “Remember the girl I told you about, Les?”

It was as if his words triggered a memory to his sister. I felt a hand on my arm, turning me around forcefully. Leslie’s blue eyes were suddenly bright with excitement as she looked at me, as if seeing me for the first time. “Oh my lord, you’re the girl he wouldn’t shut up about? You’re cliffhanger?”

She said it with such exaggeration that I just wanted to melt in a puddle and slip under the door and hide. Or maybe slip into a drain and vanish into the sewers just so I could get away from all the attention that was suddenly on me.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I mumbled, looking down on my feet, suddenly feeling so small and shy, “and you know what, I think I should really think about this before anything. I should just…I should go. Noah, c’mon.”

Noah didn’t even hesitate. She followed me out of the room, no questions asked. She knew that I would spill when I wanted to and didn’t want to force the answers out of me. She lived with me long enough to know and understand how I dealt with things.

We were near my car when Mason rushed out of the building. He was running to where we were and in my haste and panic, I scrambled to get my keys from my pocket, trying to jam the damn thing in the keyhole to open the car. But my anxiety had spiked up and I could barely keep myself calm enough to perform such a basic task.

A hand fell on my shoulder. He didn’t force me to turn to face him but the hand on my shoulder was enough to let me know that he was near. “Look, I didn’t mean to scare you away like that. I just…I’m surprised that I finally saw you again.”

“You say that as if you’ve been looking for her for a long time,” Noah butted in the conversation, knowing that I was a little uncomfortable with what was going on. That, and I was nearly having a panic attack and Noah had witnessed that enough times to sense the beginning of it.

Mason placed a hand behind his neck and let out a small chuckle. “It’s not like that. I have mentioned you to my sister but not in the way that she seemed to put it. I just didn’t think that this would be how the universe would let us meet again.

I swallowed, feeling my throat going dry. I wasn’t sure why I was anxious to meet the guy. Maybe it was because in the short time that we’ve talked, I was actually comfortable in his presence. A first for me, because I was never comfortable with guys unless they were my brothers. Then, he ended up kissing me and I dashed out on him.

It was later in the night that the realization struck me that I made out with a stranger. Luckily, there weren’t any onlookers. But I didn’t want to bump into the guy that I made out with and dashed out on. It was like how no one really wants to bump into someone they had a one-night stand with unless they liked the person.

“I’m sorry for wasting your time. It just occurred to me that I might not be able to afford the rent with what I have. It was a wistful thinking and a surge of confidence,” I muttered, making up excuses as I finally managed to get my key in the slot and open my car.

He let out a small exhale. I was about to leave, thinking that my sorry-ass excuse was enough but he remained rooted where he stood and I felt uncomfortable leaving him behind like that. I was already inside my car and Noah was settled in her seat too. All I needed to do was jam the keys in the ignition and turn it on and back out of the parking space. But I didn’t.

He knocked on the window of my car and I rolled it down. He took a deep breath and then flashed me a smile. “Hi! I’m Mason James. I’m the owner of this building and my sister told me that you were thinking of leasing one of our commercial units.”

“What in the world,” Noah muttered behind me, staring at him as if he grew another head. 

I narrowed my eyes at Mason, wondering what he was playing at but I didn’t ask the question out loud. His smile softened. “You can characterize me as a landlord and not as the guy who kissed you at that party. Let me play a different role in whatever story you have in mind.”

He remembered. Beside me, Noah reacted first with what he said. “Wait, hold up, and rewind. Did he just say that he’s a guy that kissed you? He’s the guy that kissed you?”

I grimaced at what Noah said and how she put it. I never really intended to mention Mason to her or the fact that there was this guy in the first office party I attended that kissed me. But alas, my drunken self had other ideas.   Ignoring Noah, I focused my attention on Mason.

“I was interested but it’s the split second contemplation that made me change my mind.”

Mason nodded his head, as if he didn’t mind the rejection. Then he leaned closer and I got the whiff of his fresh scent. “So if I can’t play as your landlord, can I interest you for a date?”

I blinked, unable to comprehend where he was getting his confidence from. But then again, he was Mason- fucking- James. Practically every woman in California wanted to sleep with him. Minus Noah and I. Noah, because although she’s bisexual, Mason wasn’t her type. And me, because he was Mason- fucking- James.

Had he been someone else, maybe I would’ve considered.

Mason pursed his lips and there was this sparkle of amusement in his eyes as he leaned back, tapping the roof of my car. “Alright then. But if you want to reconsider that offer, you have my sister’s number.”