mason-lockhart:
Mason said nothing at the other rules, merely offered a nod here and there before accepting the pen. He looked down at the list, taking a deep breath. This was what he wanted. Wasn’t it? Without a second thought, he lifted the pen and signed his name beside hers, marking the document as officially as he could. He tossed the pen into the container afterward, waiting for the ink to dry before carefully folding up the document. He didn’t know what they’d do with it. If they lost it, would it make their rules any less significant? And if they didn’t, would they still have its hold? Mason didn’t know. All he knew was that he found himself agreeing to her plan. “One last time,” he agreed, handing her the paper.
Mason rose from his spot, pulling on the discarded jacket he’d taken off when entering her room. “Let’s do it now. Just get it over with,” he said. The sooner this was done, the sooner they could move on. Yet, when he turned back, he didn’t know whether to offer his hand or to just gesture forward. How did they work as friends? They had been enemies and lovers for so long, Mason didn’t think he remembered. He offered his hand regardless. “Once and for all.”
Lily didn’t know the rules anymore as he held out his hand to her. The rules between friends cloudy when it held him as the subject. She hesitated, thoughts churning as she decided. In the end she found herself stepping forward and linking her fingers through his, as she would’ve done with Carter. “We should go now, before someone else comes along,” she said. The Billings girls, while now under her rule, could still be demanding. Lily lead them both out of her room, staying silent as they made their way across campus hand in hand.
It felt so formal, so definite, the contract between them set in place like the last nail of a coffin and there was no going back. Blue eyes settled on his, the feeling of every mistake made with him sinking into the pit of her stomach as she stepped away from him and tugged on the door to Gwendolyn Hall. Her lungs filled with air as she took one last breath before entering, the dark hallway smelling of dust and stored memories. She didn’t turn to meet his eyes when she felt him step in after her, instead she held her head high as she made her way towards the room that served as their own. “I heard they’re thinking about tearing this place down.” She said, dragging her finger across a dusted covered table. She could remember every kiss shared with Mason in this room, the way goosebumps would spread across her skin when his lips grazed her neck, her heart racing at the thought as she swallowed hard. “Probably for the best.”
















