Free Blackbird (a Sometimes Never novella) by Cheryl McIntyre

would he be with me when he could have these beautiful, normal girls that don’t hurt themselves? Girls his mom would like. That Kellin wouldn’t be afraid of. That he could have a good life with.”
          Guy clears his throat as he regards me. “Mason loves you. He wants you . He doesn’t want other girls.”
          “Yeah, but why? I feel like he’s only with me because he has this need to save everyone.”
          “No,” Guy says, his voice harsh. “He was head over heels before he knew about your demons. Jesus. Why are you trying to kill this?”
          I gape at him, speechless.
          “Seriously, Hope. This is such bullshit. You drop everything and everyone to move out here for him and then you pull this? Give the man some credit. He’s been with you for a year—” His eyes go wide with realization and I duck my head.
          “You dumbass. Get the hell up. We need to fix this now.”
          I shake my head. “It’s too late. We can’t go back from this.”
          “Shut up. You don’t get to talk anymore. I am so mad at you.”
          The door cracks open and I’m expecting to see Chase, but my gaze locks on Mason’s green eyes and my entire body trembles.
          “Chase called me,” he explains softly.
          “Ah, good,” Guy says. “Get over here. You two need to talk.” He stands up and as he passes Mason, he pauses. “If you can manage to not murder her, I’ll buy you dinner. If not, I’ll see you in ten to twenty.”
          Mason cocks a brow and reluctantly lowers himself beside me.
          “Hey,” he utters.
          “Hey.”
          Guy closes the door behind him and Mason and I sit in silence for a moment as I try to gather my thoughts. I inhale until my chest burns and let it out in a rush. My body won’t stop shaking and I close my eyes.
          “Is is too late for us?” I ask him.
          “No,” he answers immediately and I open my eyes. He’s watching me and there’s something in his gaze that makes my heart flutter.
          I lean forward, needing to feel the soft warmth of his lips. I mean for it to be a quick kiss, just something to give me the courage to say what I need to say, but Mason has other ideas.
          His hands grip my neck almost painfully, holding my mouth to his, and his tongue brushes over my lips. When I take a surprised breath, he uses it to his advantage, slipping inside and deepening the kiss. I shiver and a sound bubbles up my throat. 
          Mason growls and his mouth moves against mine fiercely.
          “Do you still love me?” he whispers into my lips.
          “Yes,” I moan.
          “Then it’s never too late.”

17 Mason
     
    One year later
          
          
          Because our one year anniversary was spent apart—I still count it even if we were kind of broken up—I’ve made sure that our second anniversary will be memorable in a much better way.
          I fill our apartment with tulips because Hope isn’t into roses—she insists they smell funny. Bringing in pieces of our first date, I light candles, and set our dinner of mushroom ravioli on the table. For desert, Oreos.
          Just to make her smile, I leave a trail of Skittles leading from the door to the table just a few feet away. Then I put on her favorite love song playlist.
          When I hear her key in the door, I glance around quickly and take a deep breath. 
          This is it .
          I’m met by a huge grin. She lets her eyes drift through the room before returning them back to me.
          “Happy anniversary,” I choke. Shit . My hands won’t stop shaking. My knees are even trembling and that just pisses me off. I need to quit being such a pussy.
          “Are you okay?” she asks, moving toward me with concern. “You’re really pale.” She straightens suddenly, placing her hand on my arm. “Are you shaking?”
          I grab her face and pull her into a