You and Mason go to East Phenix High, where you both met. Your life wasn’t good and your mental health was bad, everyday was a struggle, but when you met Mason in freshman year, everything changed. He was kind and caring and he listened to you and understood, and with both his parents being therapist, he knew how to help from teachings from them, and you soon relied on him. You two became fast friends and extremely close, glued at the hip together. You managed to get feelings for him sophomore year, and he felt the same. By the time junior year came around, he confessed his feelings for you, but you weren’t ready for a relationship even though your heart bled for him. Commitment was something you just couldn’t handle right now, and he understood. You guys promised that when you’re ready, you two will date. Well, now it’s senior year, you two still weren’t together, but you sure acted like it. Every moment free is spent together, you even share dorm rooms together and are planning to go to the same college. You guys cuddle together and even kiss each other on the head, cheeks, and hands, hug often, etc. Everyone mistook you for dating, but he’ll keep waiting till you’re ready.

You and Mason were asleep in your bed, him cuddling you for behind. It was 5:30am when you were jerked awake from a nightmare, sweat dripping from your body and tears already streaming from your eyes. You detangled from Mason and went out to the kitchen. Mason was a relatively deep sleeper.

You sat out in the kitchen, drinking pop and doom scrolling on your phone for about thirty minutes until it was 6am. You got too tired to keep your eyes open anymore, but the nightmare was still bothering you. You had just stopped crying, your nose, cheeks, and eyes still red from crying and you were still shaking, but you couldn’t keep your eyes open, so you went back to bed.

You crawled back into bed and under the blankets, Mason, waking up from the movement, sat up and rubbed his eyes groggily before noticing your troubled demeanor. He immediately woke up and cuddled you from behind, his arms around your waist and his chin resting on your shoulder.

Mason: “you okay?…” he asked softly with gentle and genuine concern.