I sighed. “Basic understanding of what relationships are like should tell you it's not good."
"Basic understanding of what relationships…" he began in a mocking voice, twirling his finger around in a circle to show how much he cared about that idea. "Chill."
"You're insufferable."
"Ah, but so are you. Yet here we are. Me not getting annoyed, and you just exasperated. One might think we managed to get our feelings out without a serious problem."
I could tell I wasn't going to get anywhere with the discussion, not with Mason anyway. I couldn't in good conscience accuse him of not taking it seriously, because despite coming off as sort of dismissive and not caring, it was clear that was exactly how he felt about things. I guess that just because I was taking things seriously in one way didn't mean he wasn't doing the same in his own way. Not that it made it less irritating. He could take things as they were without being bothered, but that just screamed...not caring. Yet he was caring, but he didn't...ugh, it felt like my head was going around in circles. How the fuck could someone care about something enough to stick by his attitude but still come off as though he couldn't give a fuck?
Too much complexity for my alcohol ridden brain.
He sighed heavily. “Can you go even five minutes without getting pissed at me?"
"Can you go five minutes without doing something to piss me off?"
"I'm not trying to piss you off."
"No," I said, sighing, knowing it sounded far more tired, "you just manage it naturally."
He blinked at me and laughed. “God, sometimes I understand how you and Moira were attracted to one another and why the two of you didn't work out in the end."
I stared at him, trying to get my head around that and running into a jumbled mess in my head. I knew what I thought were the reasons Moira and I hadn't worked out, but that had to be different from whatever Mason had cooked up in his head. "Uh...what?"
"You're similar in all the right ways, and all the wrong ways. You both treat every issue like it's either a world-ending or life-defining problem. It's so hard to get laughter or enjoyment from either of you, because someone has to watch to see when you're actually enjoying yourselves. You both get so irritable and testy when things aren't going the way you think they should, and your tolerance for other ways of looking at things is...low. I'd bet most of your arguments were because you were both so stuck in your ways, neither of you could see that the other might have a point."
Okay, that was irritatingly accurate, and I twitched. “And you're any better? You're just pointing out why you think I'm wrong...and why she's wrong."
He shrugged. “People can be wrong according to how I think things should be done. Sure, sometimes it gets on my nerves, and I get pissy about it, but it's not a big deal. People are always going to get on each other’s nerves, that's just one of the many prices you pay for dealing with people. I just don't get hung up on it."
"Sometimes it's good to get hung up on shit," I frowned.
"You mean like...your son?” he asked, glancing at my pocket. "Did you think I didn't notice that your background picture is Micah?"
My hand stole to my pocket, covering my phone as if to protect it from giving away something personal. "Maybe something like that."
"Something," he repeated, and I glared at him. "What?"
"Nothing," I grumbled. I’d already snapped at him enough, and after our little...make up, I wasn't feeling all that ready to fight. Though knowing how it was between Mason and me, I would find my anger in no time.
He grunted. "So, are we going to get to one of the other big reasons you're pissed off?"
"What, I didn't have enough?" I grumbled, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms.
His brow arched slightly. "Really? Nothing uh...big happened lately? Nothing that might change the course of your life?"
"That's dramatic."
"And not far off the mark either. You've been quiet and moodier than usual, which isn't a problem by itself, but Kayden has been watching you like a hawk. That guy doesn't get worried, no matter how much you snarl and get all...intimidating. The only time I've seen him worried was when you walked into the hotel and lost it on me for the first time in years."
"You deserved it."
"Not the point. If Kayden is worried about youandtrying to hide that he's worried about you, then that's a clear sign."
"Of what?"
"Did you lose your job or are you still suspended?"
I closed my eyes, feeling my arms tighten over my chest, and forced myself to take a breath. I really should have known that eventually the subject would come up. Mason couldn't help but see more than I wanted him to, and didn't have the...what?Patience? Decency? Or just plain tact not to talk about things I wanted to be silent about. I could try to make him stop, but what was the point? The asshole would find a way to rile me up again and get me snapping and breathing fire until I finally broke and told him the truth. I might as well save myself the trouble and tell him now.
