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Chapter 32: Brothers by Chance, Friends by Choice

Mason nearly died this morning. It wasn't from a vicious attack from a jealous love rival because his life is not that interesting nor was he the victim of a drunk driver like so many other wattpad novel characters. Instead, the cause of his near death experience was Will.i.am. Will.i.-fucking- am. Because the man just had to make a literal bop for the Rio movie called Hot Wings and Mason, not being coordinated in the slightest, almost tripped in the shower trying to dance to said bop. Mason's imitation of the Samba Will.i.am speaks of was subpar and that combined with the wet shower floor nearly sent Mason's head into the tiled wall. As he left the shower five minutes later, Mason contemplated what it would have been like if he'd died.

Mason Moore was well loved. A brother, son, and friend. We mourn his tragic passing. Death by botched Salsa is truly horrific.

Mason was still thanking every higher power for allowing him to avoid such an embarrassing death when he got a text from Mark.

Mark

Sorry I can't make it for our date today

A friend from the U.S. is visiting so I have to meet up with him.

Mason's slightly damp shoulders fell in disappointment. He understood why Mark could not come and wasn't mad, but he still felt really disappointed.

It's fine. We'll just make up for the time apart next time. Mason thought to himself with an evil grin.

Somehow, the dirty thought restored Mason's mood. With a cheerful smile, Maso went to get dressed for the day. He wouldn't be seeing Mark today, but he would still wear the cute new jeans he bought himself. They were a bit feminine because they were high-waisted and created the illusion of curves, a look which Mason loved. Mason tucked a short-sleeved white shirt into the pair of dark blue pants and grinned at his reflection in his full length mirror across the room.

After adjusting his look in the mirror for a few more minutes, Mason was finally satisfied. Without even thinking about it, Mason started checking his phone on his way to the kitchen. Mason saw post after post about what friends and celebrities would be doing with their weekends, reminding Mason that it was a Saturday and he currently had nothing to do.

Going into his contacts, Mason's first thought was to message Jasmine. She was his best friend but Mason actually hadn't met up with her in over a month. Much of his free time was spent with Mark these days and Jasmine didn't invite him out nearly as much as she used to. Mason scrolled through their recent messages, frowning at how dried up their conversation had become.

Today would be a perfect day to fix this. They could hang out, talk, and figure out why their schedules haven't been aligning recently. But, interrupting Mason's train of thought was the sound of his ringtone.

Almost immediately, a smile came to Mason's face when he saw the name.

"Mason! Hi!" Aiden screeched through the phone, making Mason wince to himself. Knowing that it wasn't even 12 pm yet, Mason found it rude for Aiden to be so loud. But because this was such an Aiden thing to do, Mason also didn't comment on it. "I feel like we haven't talked in forever! I missed my little baby brother."

Mason couldn't have helped the roll of his eyes if he'd tried. What Aiden had said might have been sweet if Mason did not hear Aiden's annoyingly teasing voice. He'd done it just to get a reaction out of Mason and it had unfortunately worked.

"I guess it has been a while. The last time we spoke was two weeks ago, right?" Mason commented, trying to focus simply on the truth in Aiden's statement.

"Three weeks ago actually. See, it was like you suddenly ghosted me because everytime I called you, you were busy."

"Well, if you called me at this time, there is a good chance I was just sleeping in with-" Mason said, cutting himself off before he revealed his current relationship with Mark. Unfortunately, Aiden hadn't missed the pause.

"Sleeping in with what?" Aiden questioned, making Mason's hands grow clammy and damp.

"WIth all of my free time." Mason lied swiftly, still clenching onto his phone tightly as he spoke."It's so relaxing not having gone to school this past year. I can really organize my schedule however I want." 

"That is nice. You should enjoy it while you can because the second you go to school or get a job, that freedom will be wiped away." Aiden told his younger brother, the logical advice reflecting a harshness Mason was not used to hearing from his brother.

"Who says I can't just become rich and famous so I won't have any responsibilities?" Mason shoots back jokingly, his smile reflecting in his voice.

"I know that your attention whore self would love that, but you forget how the lack of privacy would make you go crazy."

"Oh my gosh, you're right. And that pressure? I think I could only be famous for maybe a minute before I tried to quit."

A small laugh makes its way out of Mason's phone, bringing a smile onto his face.

"Anyway, I didn't call you to talk about your plans to sleep in for the rest of your life. I wanted us to go out. You know, go to that cafe with the really good muffins and just chill." Aiden suggested excitedly. Mason smiled again after hearing the suggestion. Aiden tried to make it sound special but this was the typical day for them if they went out.

"I'm surprised you even told me what we'd be doing since this is what we always do." Mason joked softly, earning a scoff from his older brother.

"No it's not. This is the first time in like six months that I'm not getting the same order. A friend from work told me that their new dark chocolate croissant is really good so I'm going to try it. Usually I just get the blueberry muffin." Aiden responded, trying to defend himself. But, judging from the silence he received from the other end, Mason wasn't buying it. "You know what, fine, I won't try to defend myself anymore. You never believe me anyway."

"Dramatic much! Classic Aiden, always jumping to conclusions." Mason laughed, holding no sympathy for his melodramatic sibling. "What time are you picking me up?"

"Obviously a grown man like you wouldn't want a ride from your dramatic older brother." Aiden responded, delivering the incredibly petty words with zero hesitation. "You can just take the train."

"Hey, wait! That's not fair!" Mason complained, sitting up as he was actually concerned that Aiden would make him take the transit. For a moment, Aiden didn't respond. Every second that passed, Mason became more sure that his brother was so offended, he really wasn't going to pick him up.

"I'm kidding." Aiden finally said, laughing at the audible sigh Mason let out. "I'll be there by three so don't keep me waiting."

"I won't. Bye, see you then."

"Bye, love you."

Mason repeated the short phrase back to Aiden before hanging up. In a surprise turn of events, Mason was going to be able to wear his cute outfit outside after all. Now that he was hanging out with Aiden, Mason wouldn't be able to meet his friends--or at the very least Jasmine--again this week. Although Mason thought she wouldn't mind this, he had this odd feeling in his chest about forgetting to reach out to her.

However, Mason had over-thought tons of things in the past. He and Jasmine had been friends forever, there was no way one day with his older brother of all people would hurt such a strong friendship. Now feeling more self assured, Mason finally put the worries behind him.

—————

The cafe Aiden had been referring to was the one closest to Aiden's place. It was a bit of a chain with two more locations in the city but Aiden always insisted that this was their best one. It wasn't very big, one of the smaller store's on it's street but still received a good deal of business. There was a short line of two or three people trying to order at all times and it was a bit difficult to get your hands on one of their chocolate muffins since they were so popular. Luckily for them, there was a free table behind the display window to the left of the front door. Aiden clambered to the closest chair, claiming it before anyone else got any ideas.

Mason followed behind slower than Aiden, a bit more aware of his public image then his older brother. He even sat down slowly, eyeing Aiden as the 23 year old man stared longingly at the displays.

"Oh my goodness, those croissants look so good." Aiden whispered, staring unblinkingly at the buttery pastries. "Yup, I'm going to get one."

Looking back at Mason who was calmly looking around the store, Aiden grinned.

"Come on, let's go order. I'm getting hungry."

Mason considered berating his brother for waiting until they got to a coffee shop before complaining about hunger but stopped when he remembered the sandwiches they always had on the menu. As Mason guessed, the first thing Aiden ordered after his usual soy milk iced coffee was a turkey sandwich, then he got a chocolate croissant and finally, his favourite blueberry muffin. Mason had a much simpler order, a hot coffee filled with cream and sugar and a sandwich. Mason and his brother both picked up the love for coffee only when extremely sweet and creamy but Aiden just happened to like having his chilled as well.

With their drinks ready in a matter of minutes, Aiden and Mason got their stuff and headed back to their table. Mason stared out through the front window onto the street as he took his first sip. It used to unnerve him sitting by the window, since anyone passing by could easily see everything Mason did. However, after coming here with his brother so many times, Mason got used to the exposure.

With an exaggerated moan, Aiden swallowed a bite of his chocolate croissant, staring at it with a pleased smile.

"This is so good. Mason, you have to try it." Aiden insisted, shoving the bread in Mason's face. Without hesitation, Mason took a bite, his eyes widening at the taste.

"That is good. I think the chocolate's kind of melted, even." Mason commented, impressed by the pastry. With every positive word Mason had to say about it, Aiden nodded his head, somehow feeling prideful over being right. Mason took another sip from his coffee with a hum. "They did a good job with that one."

They ate silently for a few more minutes, more focused on filling their stomachs than conversation, when Aiden broke the silence again.

"So how have you been? Has that nursing class been interesting?" Aiden asked his younger brother, watching him with curious eyes.

"Well, we finished that a few days ago but it was really cool." Mason explained with a soft smile. "I learned a lot and it was confirmation that I'm going down the right path."

"That's nice. My cute little brother is really growing up, huh?"

"You say that every two months, Aiden." Mason complained with an eyeroll. "It's a surprise you got a job with no understanding of life."

"It doesn't matter how I got the job, as long as I can pay for the Turkey sandwich you're currently wolfing down."

In typical younger sibling fashion, Mason just started chewing louder, causing Aiden to scrunch up his face in disgust. Chuckling at his brother's reaction, Mason finally stopped his obnoxious chewing.

"So how are things at work? You closed that case thingy right? With the insurance company?" Mason asked, his ignorance about Aiden's work apparent.

"Yes we closed the deal." Aiden confirmed through a laugh. "I even got a hefty bonus for it, which is why I got four things today instead of three."

"But, there was actually a specific reason why I invited you out today." Aiden continued, putting his cup down. "It's Aaron and I's anniversary this month and we wanted to do something extra special. We'll be playing laser tag then having dinner. You know, something to bring everyone together again."

Mason became a bit guilty when he realized he'd forgotten his brother's anniversary. They celebrated it every year whether it was just the two of them or their families combined, so the date should have been drilled into Mason's brain at this point.

On the bright side though, Aiden's plans sounded extremely fun. It's been a while since MAson had seen Mark's older siblings and he honestly missed them. He was already getting excited at the prospect.

"So you're inviting the usual group?" Mason asked, wanting to confirm his suspicions.

"Yeah, and our parents of course."

"Cool, when is it?"

"The Saturday after next, the 27th I think?"

Mason immediately pulled out his phone. Checking quickly, he confirmed his older brother's guess.

"Yeah, that's right." He told Aiden with a nod. Within a minute, Mason texted Jasmine, Mark, and Clark about Aiden's plans. Although there was a chance Aaron had told his younger siblings about it, knowing how Aaron Tyler operated, that was very unlikely. Putting his phone away, Mason focused on his sibling again. "You know, it's kind of crazy that you and Aaron stayed together for so long. When I first met him, I'd assumed he was straight."

"I did too!" Aiden laughed, speaking louder than he probably should have which was completely normal to Mason. "I also kind of assumed I was straight so that didn't help with anything." That got a good laugh out of both of them. Remembering the days of thinking they were straight was always funny to the queer brothers and today was no different. As Mason calmed down from his laughter Aiden peered at him through his lashes, a calculating glint in his eyes.

"So speaking of boys, have you been seeing any? Or anyone for that matter?" Aiden asked. He did so teasingly as always, leaning forward in his seat excitedly.

"No, I'm just as single as always so don't worry about me changing." Mason recited with a tired sigh. He was trying to mimic what he walsy said whenever Aiden asked. Aiden loved talking about dating and boys and this question was brought up frequently. However, this was one of the few times that Mason was actually seeing somebody. He just had to hope that his acting skills were up to par.

"Really?" Aiden said with a brow raised. He really drew out the word, conveying his skepticism. Putting a pout on his lips, he continued. "I was hoping that something had finally happened between you and my favourite and only brother in law Mark."

At the mention of Mark's name, Mason's brain stopped working for a solid two seconds. He tried to recover quickly but the shock had already started showing.

"Wha- no! Nothing's happened with Mark and nothing will ever happen." Mason insisted unconvincingly. He wanted to hold Aiden's gaze but was forced to stare down at his collar instead. "He's straight, remember?"

Aiden, who wore a light-hearted smile before, suddenly grew suspicious. Genuinely suspicious. He sat up in his chair, analyzing Mason with his inquisitive eyes.

"Wait a second. Usually you sound far more convincing than that." With an inaudible gasp, Aiden's eyes went wide. "Is something actually going on between you two?"

Mason considered trying to lie again. He'd been doing it for months so a few more hours wouldn't hurt right. Except, this was his big brother, the one he could always confide in. Mason gladly gave up on trying.

"Yes." At the sound of Aiden's squeal, Mason felt the need to quickly clarify. "Kind of, I mean. We're not dating but more like having a lot of sex with dates in between?"

"Oh my god! Wait, are you serious? I thought you guys were still virgins!"

Aiden's already loud voice rose into a yell. With a few too many eyes on them, Mason sunk down into his chair, hoping to suddenly get the power of invisibility. Unaware of his brother's embarrassment, Aiden continued to freak out. "Oh my gosh, I will never recover from this."

"Would you stop freaking out? You had sex with Aaron when you were, like, three years younger than me."

"So? I've known you since you couldn't say the word 'Graham Cracker,' okay? Finding out that you aren't the innocent little boy I still think you are will always be a shock. Just let me grieve for a second." 

Luckily, Aiden only took a second. He fake cried into his hands for a bit before taking a deep breath and wiping the imaginary tears away.

"Moving on, was this what you wanted, Mason? The friends with benefits thing?"

Mason had known that Aiden was a bit playful earlier. When talking to him, Aiden always was, wanting to be a person Mason could feel comfortable around. However, Aiden had never looked more serious. Or worried. So, Mason tried to be as honest as possible.

"I mean, it wasn't what I had in mind. In my wildest dreams I expected that Mark and I would have what you and Aaron have." Mason admitted a bit guiltily. "But, sometimes you gotta take what you can get, you know?"

With a sigh, Aiden placed his hand on his brother's from across the table, giving the pale brown hand a squeeze.

"Mason, you can get so much better. You're an amazing person and you can have a serious boyfriend if you want that. It just may not be with Mark."

"But I want Mark." Mason insisted, a stubborn streak making itself known. "I want him more than anyone else. Isn't that enough?"

Aiden didn't give him an actual answer, but judging from the look in his eyes, Mason saw what the answer was: No.

Aiden was conflicted. He had no idea how Mark felt about his brother so he couldn't make Mason lose hope. However, every fiber in his being wanted to save Mason from heartbreak and the entire situation looked like Mason was headed down that path.

"I don't want him to take advantage of you." Aiden confessed openly. Seeing how genuinely worried his brother was for him, Mason relaxed, rubbing Aiden's arm in what he hoped to be a comforting way.

"He's not taking advantage of anything, Aiden. I'm choosing to do this and you can't blame him for that."

Aiden wasn't satisfied with that answer, but realized that was the best he was going to get regarding the situation.

"Are you happy?" Aide asked, wanting to hear something to ease his concerned mind. Unknowingly, a warm smile grew on Mason's face at the thought of his relationship with Mark. For all of the stress, he immediately knew his answer.

"I am. Although we're not dating, we still spend a ton of time together. If anyone looked at us, they would assume we were."

"I guess I can't ask for more." Aiden told him with a soft chuckle. "I just wanted to know that you'll be okay while I'm gone."

Mason's face scrunched, suddenly confused.

"What, are you dying?"

"No, but that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about." Aiden said, chuckling a bit at Mason's assumption. "Aaron and I are moving to the U.S. for a year or two. His company is trying to start up a new branch over there and he needs to be there to oversee the transition and help train people."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Mason gasped, his smile growing at the news. "Where are you guys going?"

"L.A. It worked out perfectly because that's where Chris lives."

"That is perfect." Mason agreed, grinning as he bit into his sandwich. "You guys will finally find out what it's like to have summer all year round."

A bit of hesitation suddenly grew on Aiden's face as he rubbed his arm nervously.

"Honestly, I don't know whether to be nervous or excited." Aiden admitted. "I've never been so far from home and it will be an environment unlike either of us have ever known."

Mason scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes at his sibling's fear.

"You should definitely be excited." Mason stated with a confident look. "Just think of it as an extra long honeymoon with your husband. It's a beautiful place that you'll get to experience with the love of your life. And just you wait, I'll be coming to visit you, alright?"

"Sure, as long as you wash your own dishes." Aiden said, putting his hand out for his brother to shake.

"Deal." Mason agreed, giving his hand a firm shake.

——————————————————————

Hey guys! Long time no see!

I know it's been some time since my last update so I hope this news makes you feel better.

The end is finally in sight!

I've finally planned out the last chapters of this book, meaning that this will hopefully be finished before the end of the year.

That may seem like a long time to you but remember, it usually takes me four years at least to write a book so I take that as a win.

Also, side note, please don't feel afraid to bug me about updating. Unlike other authors who might have super good reasons for not updating, I don't and the reminders are actually very motivating.

It's nice to remember that you guys are actually reading this and ready to see these two happy like I am.

But yeah, thank you for sticking around for this book and caring about my work.

Anywhore,

Vote, Comment, Share, Follow, anything else you can do with this book and I will see you next time. Bye!!!

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