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Chapter Twenty One

Two forty five.

That was the time on the alarm clock on the nightstand. I hadn't even gotten to stay for the end of Mason's party. Dad had announced that it was the twins bedtime and off we went back to the house. Kevin, Addy, and Mason had gotten back around midnight.

Our flight was scheduled for ten the next morning. Adding in travel time, that meant I only had six more hours to be in the same house as Mason.

And I didn't want to spend it sleeping.

I sat up and took a deep breath. I had done a lot of spontaneous things in my life but this one probably bordered on stupid.

I grabbed the comforter off my bed and yanked my window open. Mason's bedroom was on the other side of the house. I looked up.

"Here goes nothing," I whispered. I slung the comforter over my shoulder and grabbed onto the window ledge.

It took a lot of upper body strength and some quiet kicking and cursing, but finally I managed to hoist myself up on the roof. I stood up. I felt unbalanced, but I was there.

The whole world was dark. I slowly shuffled along the roof, praying that the new roof was thick enough that those below wouldn't hear my footsteps. At one point I crawled over the steepest part of the roof and slid down part of the way.

When I finally reached the other side, I took a moment. If I tapped on the wrong window this would be worse than bad. This would be---

I held my breath. There was noise. I was caught. Kevin probably kept a shotgun for the sole purpose of shooting critters off the roof. I was doomed I was---

"Shel?"

My eyes widened.

"Mas?"

There was a thump and then we were face to face, nose to nose.

"What are you doing?" Mason whispered.

"What are you doing?" I countered.

We smiled.

Mason held up his blanket. I held up my comforter.

"Great minds think alike," he said softly. I nodded.

We ended up spreading the comforter out. Together we fell back and stared at the sky.

"The stars seem so close up here," Mason said.

"Do you come up here often?" I asked. He smiled.

"I've done my share of thinking up here."

I took a deep breath. "I don't want to think tonight."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mason turn on his side. I looked over. He placed his hand on my cheek.

"Me either," he said quietly.

I leaned forward and kissed him...and not just a quick little kiss like we had stolen at the club. No, these were the kisses I cherish. Long, slow, and familiar. The type of kiss where you kind of forgot where you ended and he began.

Mason's arm snaked around my waist and I tilted my head just slightly as our kiss deepened. His hand pressed against the small of my back.

We didn't mention the fact that I was leaving in just a few hours. We didn't really talk at all. I felt like we had finally found a secret place all of our own.

My hands slowly slid down his chest. I broke away from his kiss and sat up.

His eyes followed my every movement. I lifted my tank over my head. I slid out of my pajama pants. Mason began to mimic my movements. When I was completely nude (as we he), we settled back down and I crooked my arm around his neck. His lips curved into a smile. A smile that I could feel as our lips brushed against each other.

This time was different then those times before. Our experience at the lake and in the truck had seemed so hurried...so much like a whirlwind. Tonight it seemed like we had finally found a way to make time slow, or rather go in reverse. Every touch drew out like the pluck of a guitar string or a brush stroke of fresh canvas.

"Shel," Mas whispered headily. His lips pressed against my bare shoulder. I stroked his face. My head felt like it had just emptied of everything but the moment.

"Tonight," I whispered back. We both knew what that meant. Mason reached up and I felt the cotton of his pajamas brush against my head. I heard the crinkle of a package.

"Got another from Larry," Mason whispered.

His thoughts hadn't been far from mine tonight.

Truthfully, his thoughts hadn't been far from mine since we were little.

Mason kissed me and he slowly hovered over me. The moonlight streaked through his blonde hair and I don't think I had ever seen anything more beautiful.

My legs wrapped around his waist. He ran his fingers along the side of my face.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," I said. It came out almost as a breath.

His lips pressed against mine and his hand ran the length of my thigh and for one split second there was a sting of pain and then the pain was gone and it was happening and we stared into each other's eyes and...

It was amazing. I closed my eyes and arched against him. I felt his heavy breath in my ear and I didn't want it to ever stop. My nails dug into his back. I didn't want it to end.

But it did. It ended with soft moans and declarations of love and me lying in Mason's arms wishing that we didn't live so far away and wishing that our parents weren't so anal and...

"Shel, are you okay?"

I wiped the tear that zig-zagged down my cheek.

"Did I hurt you?"

I shook my head. "No. It's not that...it's..."

My hand ran along his bare arm. I was pressed into him and I wished there was a way to permanently weld ourselves together so we could never be separated.

"I don't want to go," I finished in a tiny voice.

His lips pressed into my hair.

"It won't be for long. I promise," he said confidently.

He pulled me tighter and I let my head snuggle into the crook of his arm. I had to believe.

"Do you feel...different?" Mason asked hesitantly.

I paused. I still felt like the same old Shelby. Except...

"Yeah," I said.

"I love you more."

I looked up at him. He was smiling as if I had just told him he had won a car.

"I can't say the same."

Oh.

"Because I couldn't love you any more if I tried."

I smiled. He was the real deal. I was so glad I hadn't wasted my time with anyone else. I was--

Distracted. His lips were on mine again and we were officially not virgins and I would remember this night...

For the REST of my life.