The Next day was filled by uncertain of what was happening and what we were and Mason started small, just a look held a little too long across the breakfast table, a brush of fingers as we passed each other in the hallway.Till the night came...

my heart pounded when I opened it, standing there in an oversized t-shirt and shorts, feeling utterly exposed.

"Can I come in?" he whispered, his voice soft, his eyes searching mine.

I didn't even answer. I just stepped back, letting him slip inside.

"I missed you" he said looking at me as I tried to hide my smile

"I have been with you the whole day" I said

"But you have not been really with me" he said grabbing my hips slightly and going in for a kiss. I didn't protest, I just caved in missing the way his lips tasted

"Can I sleep here?" he asked as we finished the kiss, I felt his lips curve into a smirk making me give in

"Only if you are quiet" I said as a smile cropped in my face

"Oh I'll be so quiet" he said lifting me up effortlessly and laying me on the bed

From that night on, we became experts at sneaking around. It was like living in a movie-our own little secret world, hidden in plain sight. Mason would knock softly on my door, two taps, sometimes three if he thought someone might hear. Or I'd slip out of my room, padding barefoot down the hall to his.

There was one night when Aiden almost caught us. I'd just slipped into Mason's room, my heart already racing, when we heard footsteps outside. Mason grabbed my hand, pulling me into the closet just as the door creaked open.

"Ay, Mase, you asleep?" Aiden called.

"Yeah," Mason said, his voice steady. "What's up?"

Aiden muttered something about the next day's plans, and I held my breath, pressed up against Mason in the dark, his hand still gripping mine. When Aiden finally left, Mason leaned down, his breath warm against my ear.

"Close one," he whispered, a grin tugging at his lips.

I shoved him lightly, but I couldn't stop smiling.

Our dates were just as secretive. One night, Mason woke me up by tossing pebbles at my window like something out of an old rom-com. When I peeked out, there he was, standing in the moonlight with his finger pressed to his lips and motioning me to came down to the beach.

Sometimes we could escape, an go on rides in his bike, feeling a bit free and together.

Other times we would just walk down to the beach, hand in hand, the world silent except for the waves. One time he spread out a blanket he'd brought and pulled a bottle of cheap wine from his backpack.

"This is so cliché," I teased, though my heart was racing.

"Hey, if I'm doing this, I'm doing it right," he said, his grin boyish and disarming.

We talked for hours that night, about nothing and everything. He told me about his dreams of starting his own business, about how he sometimes felt like he didn't fit the "player" reputation everyone gave him. I told him about my comfort of being ordinary, of never standing out due to what had happened before, with my ex which made him very angry and wanting to know his address and beat him up.

By the time the sun started to rise, I was curled up against him, my head on his shoulder, and for the first time in years, I felt like someone really saw me.

The thrill of sneaking around never really faded. Every touch, every kiss felt electric, amplified by the knowledge that we could get caught.

There was one afternoon when everyone else had gone into town, and we had the house to ourselves. We didn't even bother trying to pretend that day. We sprawled out on the couch together, laughing at some ridiculous action movie Mason had picked.

When the others came back earlier than expected, we scrambled like guilty teenagers. I dove into my room, and Mason stayed in the living room, looking impossibly casual when Aiden walked in.

"You've been here the whole time?" Aiden asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yep," Mason said, popping a chip into his mouth like he didn't have a care in the world.

But it wasn't just the sneaking around or the stolen kisses. It was the way Mason looked at me when no one else was watching, like I was the only person in the world. It was the way he'd brush a strand of hair out of my face or press a kiss to my forehead when he thought I was asleep.

One night, as we lay tangled together on his bed, the window open to let in the ocean breeze, he murmured, "You know this is crazy, right?"

"Completely," I whispered back.

"But I don't care," he said, his voice low but steady. "I don't care if it's wrong or hard. I just want this."

I wanted it too, more than I'd ever admit to anyone.

"You stopped smoking" I realized as I turned in the bed to look at him watching him smile

"I think I did. I had more important things to do" he said laying his arm on my waist

"Oh see... you're life would be so boring without me" I tease

"I have to agree"

"Oh my... but you love to disagree with me" I joked

"I do" he smiled as his finger got to my nose tracing its lines "I also love to see this cranky nose" he said with a smile but his eyes were lost then he moved his finger to my brows tracing them slowly "and to see this frown" he chuckled "when you are jealous"

"I do not frown when I am jealous" I frowned

"Yes you do, and when you are angry too" I rolled my eyes giving in and knowing he was right

"You are so obsessed with me" I joked but he simply smiled not taking my joke

"I so am" he said making me roll my eyes and my cheeks heat up

"You are so cheesy"

"You love it" he said storming my hair

"I do" I whispered as I got close to him and he involved me in his arms

A we cuddled here in the quiet of my room, the weight of the secret feels heavier than ever. Summer's almost over, and I don't know what happens next. I don't know if we can keep this going or if we'll have to let it go, like something beautiful that only existed in the bubble of these few months.

But as wrong as it might be, as impossible as it seems, I know one thing for sure: Mason has my heart. And whether this summer ends with a goodbye or a promise, it's a summer I'll never forget.