to the boy who once had a dream, i hope he knows how much heâs achieved, changed the lives of many and brought joy so contagious. but this is not a goodbye but rather see you later, DR â€ïž
Firstly, I want to start by saying thank you. Joining McLaren was a big deal for me, a team rich in history with a fantastic fanbase, and you embraced me from day one. Signing on the dotted line for this team and climbing into the car for the first time were proud moments, and I'll always carry that with me.
I also want to thank you because above anything I'm a sports fan, and I know how it feels to ride with someone through adversity and struggle. I know what it is like to support and cheer for someone when it isn't going well, it ruins your Sunday. Through all of that, I've still felt an overwhelming amount of support from you all. You've remained super loyal, and I want to say thank you for that. It would have been easy to jump off the bandwagon, but you've been pretty much unconditional all year. Don't ever underestimate the impact of your support, I certainly havenât ever taken it for granted.
We'll always have Monza. The win in Monza was a fairy tale, but what's so great about that day is that it wasn't a selfish fairy tale, it wasn't just me, it was the whole team, with Lando getting second and us having the fastest pit-stop. It was the perfect weekend, and that made up for a lot of the more difficult ones because we were rewarded with the highest of highs.
Off the track, it's been a lot of fun and I want to say thank you to the team. When you've been racing with a team, you're connected for life. Sure, you switch teams, you move on, you change, but those connections you make are forever, whether it be with the mechanics, the engineers or any other team members I've worked with. These people have poured everything in over this two-year period, and I won't ever lose the connections I've made here. There is a part of McLaren that I'll always hold close to me. Even with the results this year, we lay that to rest, it is what is, and we move forward. The personal side is that I have a lot of fond memories at McLaren.
I've really enjoyed my time with Lando, not only as teammates but as people and friends, we've had some great times together, and that friendship has blossomed. There's been a lot of great moments between us both on and off camera, and I'm sure you'll all have your own favourite. It started with us banging some drums together and making terrible music, and along the way, we've stuck some rubbish tattoos on each other and were let loose with space hoppers, although Lando might not have loved that so much!! We've had a lot of laughs, we've driven some fast and exciting road cars together and giggled our way through it all.
Finally, I am excited for the future because I feel like I have dealt with the highs and lows from my time here and come out of it. On a personal level, it has not been 'all good, all ways', it has tested my resilience, but I have gotten through it, and now I'm excited to see how I take on challenges moving forwards. All of the tests that I have encountered here and everything that I've learned will only help me.
As much as I'd have loved to have won every race, I am grateful for these experiences. My journey with McLaren may be coming to end, but weâre connected for life now.
Alrighty, back to racing. Time for one last ride, let's do everything we can to finish on a high.
Notes: This series will contain fluff, smut & angst.
After pulling up in the car park and helping you carry your blankets and pillows over to your car as there was nowhere to park near it when you got back, you made sure you had fully cleared out Masonâs boot before pulling his back seats into place again, leaving no evidence behind of your little cinema date.
âIâll walk you back upâ he said with a yawn as he shut the boot of his car.
âItâs ok, you get yourself homeâ you told him, locking up your car now everything was packed away as neatly as possible.
âNo you canât-â he began, but you cut him off.
âMase, you donât need to. Itâs late and you have training tomorrow, itâs fineâ you smiled.
âI donât mind, itâs just-â he tried to argue again.
âMasonâ you said a little more sternly, âIâm a big girl I can walk back up to my hotel roomâ.
He looked at you with a little pout on his lips, but he had no energy to argue anymore with you, instead reaching for your hand and pulling you closer to him as he leant back against the side of his car, his hands pulling your arms over your head before settling on your waist.
âOk, well text me when youâre in your roomâ he urged, âIâm not leaving until you doâ.
âOkâ you chuckled, âI promise I willâ.
âThanks for tonightâ he murmured, his arms wrapping around your body as you pressed up against him.
âDid you enjoy yourself?â you asked him.
âVery muchâ he smiled, âDid you?â
âOf course I did⊠I was with youâ you blushed, your fingers coming to play with the back of his hair.
âIâve missed thisâ he breathed; his eyes locked on yours.
âMe tooâŠ. I felt, lostâ you confessed.
He nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile as he appreciated your honesty, especially as heâd felt the same way when you werenât in contact with him, but at least you were getting back on track finally.
âOk, Iâll let you get your beauty sleepâ you chuckled, noticing he was trying to suppress another yawn.
âText meâ he uttered, his hands holding your hips so you couldnât move.
âI promiseâ you whispered, before you leant forward to kiss him.
It was a simple yet loving kiss, your lips brushing his gently as his hands gave you a little squeeze, and just as you pulled away you littered his face with little pecks which brought a smile from him.
âNight Masonâ you breathed.
âNight princessâ he smiled.
You began walking in the direction of the hotel doors, and as you turned to look over your shoulder you noticed he was still stood watching you leaning against his car where you had left him.
You retracted your steps, quickly walking back over to him and once you were stood between his legs again, you wrapped your arms around his neck and leant in to give him another kiss, his hands sliding around your waist to hold you tight against him.
âYou going to stand there all night?â you smirked as you pulled away from your kiss.
âNoâ he muttered.
You raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to elaborate, your nose almost brushing against his.
âJust until you text me to say youâre in your roomâ he mumbled against your lips when he leant in closer.
Once you had given him another kiss and said goodbye again, you disappeared inside of the hotel and made your way to your room. Once you were inside and kicking your trainers off, you sent him a text just liked heâd asked, letting him know you were safe.
After a few more messages whilst you got ready for bed and saying goodnight to one another, you slipped into your hotel bed, knowing you were picking up your keys for the flat in a few days so you could start the process of moving in slowly, thankful there was finally light at the end of the tunnel.
*
It had been a couple of days since your cinema date with Mason on Sunday, and whilst you pulled up into the Ikea car park with Amy sat in your passenger seat, you both sighed as you dreaded how busy it was going to be inside the store, even for a Tuesday afternoon.
âOk, so what do we need?â she asked as she pulled out a notepad and pen from her bag, intending to make an organised list.
âI need to look at beds, but Iâm thinking of getting that from somewhere else anywayâ you told her, âBut mainly we need new plates, glasses and cutlery if we want to start completely freshâ.
âYes, yes, and yesâ she hummed as she wrote down what you said, âStorage⊠and maybe a rug for the living room to match our new sofa?â.
âYesâ you nodded, âIâm going to get a few bits for my room for when itâs ready⊠and then maybe just see if anything else takes our fancyâ.
âOkâ she smiled, finishing off her list before putting everything back in her bag.
Your flat wasnât completely finished, but the kitchen and living room area was, along with Amyâs bedroom, so you had started moving things in to make the process easier, and all that you were waiting on was the plaster to fully dry in your bedroom so it could be painted, and the bathroom to be finished off.
You grabbed a trolley, and set off on your journey around the store, slowly adding things in that you both agreed would fit in the flat.
âSo when are you next seeing Mason?â Amy asked as she looked at some shelves for her room.
âTonight I thinkâ you hummed, he goes to Spain tomorrow for an away game so I wonât see him then until the charity night.
âWhat are you wearing?â she asked.
âIâve got a long black dress⊠itâs simple but itâs really nice, I think Mason will like itâ you smiled, âIt has a completely open back, you can almost see my butt crackâ.
âI bet thatâs why heâll like it thenâ she joked.
âHeâs a bum guyâ you shrugged.
âYou do have a great assâ she winked, âSo what are you doing with him tonight?â.
âGoing to his I think⊠he finishes training early today so he said he was going to cook us somethingâ you affirmed.
âWhere can I find a Mason?â she pouted in jest.
âWhat about Ben?â you questioned after hearing about them bumping into each other when he turned up at the flat looking for you last week.
âHmmmâ she hummed, keeping her cards to her chest with that one, so you didnât push for an answer.
You continued walking around the shop, watching as Amy added photo frames, plants, flower vases, and more plants to the trolley, before you realised you were going to need another by the time you got to the large furniture floor.
Once you had settled on most of the furnishings for your flat, along with a set of drawers you liked for your bedroom, you both made your way towards the bedroom section whilst you had a look at what options they had.
âYou need Mason here to help you test them, I donât want you buying one that makes loads of noiseâ she joked.
âAmyâŠâ you scoffed.
âHave you fucked him yet⊠since you forgave him, for doing nothing wrongâ she rolled her eyes.
âOk well for a start I never said heâd done anything wrong, it was just a shit situation and I needed to take a step back, but no we havenât had sex yet, I canât stop thinking about it thoughâ you admitted.
âMaybe thatâs why heâs cooking for you⊠to try and woo you over and get you in his bed finallyâ she teased, sitting herself down on one of the wooden beds.
âI donât think it will take much wooâingâ you smirked.
âIs he good?â she asked, not having had the chance to speak about the topic much before now.
âMhmmâ you hummed, glancing over the bed next to where she sat.
âHow good?â she pushed.
âBest Iâve hadâ you shrugged.
âReally? Even better than Sam?â she asked, referring to an old friend with benefits you had just after University that you always claimed was the best sex of your life.
âYes, by a mileâ you laughed.
âWhat makes him so good?â she questioned, raising an eyebrow as she wanted more details.
You looked around, noticing there werenât many people in the section you were in, and you sat down next to her, pretending to test out the mattress and frame, before speaking to her quietly so nobody could hear.
âWell⊠I get turned on from just looking at him which is always a bonus, but he just knows what to do. He knows where to touch me, how to kiss me, heâs not afraid to ask what I want either⊠and then he does exactly thatâ.
âYou mean⊠if you say donât stop, he doesnât change what heâs doing?â she joked.
âItâs really annoying when they do that isnât it?â you laughed.
âSo fucking annoyingâ she groaned.
âHeâs almost made me⊠you know, just through sex alone, which is a first for me, I usually need some helpâ you confessed.
âYeah me neitherâ she told you, âWell, now Iâm even more jealous of you, is there anything heâs shit at⊠besides bringing girls you donât like back to your villaâ.
âI hope notâ you chuckled.
As your decided to leave the beds for the time being, you were coming to the end of your shopping trip, realising you had bought more than you had intended on originally.
âI donât think weâre going to fit all of this in Malcolm the Mini, even with the roof downâ you sighed.
âMe neither⊠can Mason help, his cars big?â she suggested.
âI can askâŠâ you mumbled, and just as you pulled your phone from your bag you realised heâd already messaged you whilst you had been too busy trying to decide if you wanted grey bathroom towels or navy.
As you finished up paying for everything, including finding some packets of M&Mâs you found in the food section as a little treat for Mason, you made your way outside to the car park, putting the roof down to try and make a little more room for everything until Mason turned up, and it wasnât much long after when he started doing you to see where in the car park you were.
âHeyâ you said as you answered his call.
âI canât see youâ he said immediately, not bothering to say hello as you could tell you were on loudspeaker in his car.
âWeâre over near the entrance⊠thereâs an empty space next to us at the moment. Amyâs wearing a green tracksuit and Iâm in a-â you tried to explain but he cut you off.
âOh my godâ he gasped.
âWhat?â you gulped, assuming something was wrong.
âSorry, just seen a really good-looking girl⊠beautiful in fact, in a grey tracksuitâ he teased, âSheâd got an amazing bum⊠sorry, what were you saying?â.
You frowned, presuming he meant you and he could see you, but as you spun around to look for him you couldnât see his car.
âWhere are you?â you asked, looking at Amy confused whilst she frowned at your expression.
âTo the leftâŠâ he said, and you turned in the direction heâd told you he was in.
âIâm looking to the⊠ohhhhhhâ you finally grinned as you saw him flashing his headlights at you.
He drove his car over to the empty space next to where you were parked, and as he jumped out and opened his boot, Amy wheeled the trolley with all of the large flat pack boxes on closer to his car.
âWhat time do you call this?â she joked, before walking back over to the other trolley.
âYouâre lucky I came⊠I could have been busyâ he quipped.
âToo busy for y/n? I donât think soâ she laughed, âSheâs got you wrapped around her fingerâ.
She went back to sorting out the things sheâd bought, and you turned to look at him with a little blush on your cheeks at her comment, knowing she was right as he probably would drop anything for you, even if you would never expect him to.
âWhatâs up?â you asked him, seeing his pout as he leant against the side of his car.
âIâm waitingâŠâ he murmured.
âWhat for?â you raised an eyebrow.
He puckered his lips together, reminding you of his text earlier and what he wanted, and you rolled your eyes in jest at him.
âIn public? Weâre not in Ibiza anymore Masonâ you chuckled.
âI donât think anyone in Ikeaâs car park is interested in seeing me kiss someoneâ he quipped.
âYour fans are pretty crazy; theyâll hunt me downâ you joked.
âIâll fight them offâ he winked, before pulling you close.
You chuckled, stepping between his legs and pressing your body against his, before you gave him a quick kiss on the lips, not wanting to overdo things. It was one thing being in your Ibiza bubble when you were away, but it was a whole other ball game being back at home around people that more than likely knew who he was.
âGet a room you twoâ Amy joked, putting some of her plants carefully on your backseat so they would be safe on their journey to the flat.
âI canât help it if this oneâs needyâ you mumbled against his lips before giving him another quick peck.
âIâm not needyâ he said quietly so only you could hear, âIâm just starvedâ.
âOf what?â you countered.
âAttentionâ he whispered.
âAwww, Iâll give you some laterâ you quipped, pulling a grin from him immediately.
âCome on then, whatâs going in my car?â he asked, his hand tapping at the side of your thigh so you would step out of his way.
He helped you lift the bigger boxes into his boot, managing to fit most of the flat pack furniture you had bought into his car, whilst putting the smaller items in yours, plus all of Amyâs plants.
âMeet you at the flat then?â he asked as he pulled his driverâs side door open once you and Amy had returned from putting the trolleys back.
âIâll come with you Masonâ Amy grinned, pulling open his passenger side door, âI need to pick your brains about Benjamin Chilwellâ.
He laughed before looking at you, to which you rolled your eyes, but you were happy they weâre already getting on well, you couldnât have asked for more from your best friend and the guy you were⊠dating, so you shrugged, accepting that you would be driving back alone.
âMeet you thereâ you smiled, stepping towards him and giving him another quick kiss.
You made your way over to your car, and as you both set off on the journey to yours and Amyâs flat, you couldnât help but think over how helpful and thoughtful Mason was, and especially how good he looked in his grey joggers.
Once you pulled up outside your flat, you all carried your shopping up to the flat in a few trips before Mason disappeared to his car to fetch something he said heâd left in there. You sat down on your kitchen counter you were still waiting for your new bar stools, whilst Amy pulled out a mug for your each to make a drink.
You heard the front door open and close, before Mason reappeared with a small box in his hand, sitting it down on the side next to you.
âSummer made them yesterdayâ he smiled.
You opened the box quickly, intrigued to see what was inside, and when you saw the homemade cookies your heart warmed at the thought of her little hands making them.
âWho helped her?â you asked, pulling one out and taking a bite.
âUncle Masonâ he affirmed.
âYou make it so hard for me to not like youâ you mumbled with a mouthful of cookie, your hand smoothing over the top of his head before tickling the nape of his neck.
âThatâs the aimâ he breathed a laugh, smut with himself that heâd made you happy.
You passed Amy a cookie, and once you had finished the one you were eating you gave him a quick kiss and said thank you, your heart doing somersaults at the thought of them both baking cookies together, and Mason saving some for you.
âThanks for helping us Masonâ Amy told him whilst patting him on the back.
âNo worries⊠do you need a lift with anything else?â he asked you both.
âHow about I make you a tea or a coffee, and you help us put everything together?â she suggested with a grin.
âI can tryâ he shrugged.
âAmy do you really think Mase knows anything about flat pack furniture?â you joked, before reaching for his wrists and turning his palms over for her to see, âLook at these handsâŠâ.
âOiâ he pouted.
âNever seen a hard days graft in your life, have you Mason?â she joked, turning to flick the kettle on.
âI feel like Iâm being picked onâ he narrowed his eyes, pretending to be upset as he looked up at you.
âYouâre going to have to get used to it I thinkâ you smiled, pulling his hands around your back so heâd give you a hug whilst you slid your arms over his shoulders.
âI guess I have no choiceâ he said as he rolled his eyes in jest.
After Amy had made you all a cup of tea and the three of you made a plan of what order to try and do everything in, you unboxed all of the kitchenware and put it away, before Amy suggested she would sort things in the living room, mainly her plants, whilst you and Mason made a start on the set of drawers and the mirror you had bought for your bedroom.
âWhat colour are you having it?â he asked as he looked around the empty space, his eyes glancing over the half dried plastered walls.
âIâm thinking either all white⊠or maybe a teal green, something differentâ you said.
âNiceâ he hummed, âHave you sorted your other furniture?â.
âWardrobes are ordered⊠theyâre coming at the weekend I think. I just need to find a nice bed and everything else I can buy once Iâve moved back inâ you told him.
âA bed hmmm?â he hummed, before walking over towards you.
âYesâ you nodded, âI saw one online but itâs sold out, I didnât like any of the Ikea ones thoughâ.
âShow meâ he urged.
You pulled out your phone and leant against the wall, Mason standing in front of you, close enough for head forehead to almost touch yours as he watching you search through the website you were on.
âThis oneâ you said, showing him the gorgeous suede bed frame, in the perfect shade of teal to match the room colour you were debating.
âI like thatâ he said, âAre there no others similar?â.
âNot reallyâ you pouted, putting your phone back in your pocket, âIâll be sleeping on the floor at this rateâ.
âYou can always borrow your bed at mineâŠâ he smirked, âOr just stay at mineâ.
âOh really?â you said quietly as you bit your lip, âThe guest bed was pretty comfyâ.
âYour bed, but yes it is comfyâŠâ he smiled.
âDid you stay in there after Ibiza?â you asked, remembering the time you had to drop his suit off and seeing the room was being lived in.
âYeahâ he nodded, âI missed youâ.
âI knowâ you mumbled against his lips, âIâm sorry for dragging it outâ.
âDonât be sorry, you needed some spaceâ he said before giving you a small peck on the lips.
âIf only I could buy the bed from Ibiza⊠now that was comfortableâ you breathed a laugh.
âAnd it didnât make much noiseâ he quipped.
âTrueâŠâ you smirked, âWouldnât mind being back there now to be honestâ.
âDoing what?â he growled, pressing himself against you a little more as he kissed you again.
âOh you know⊠sleepingâ you teased before you dragged your teeth over his lower lip.
âIs that what weâre calling it?â he questioned.
âMhmmâ you hummed, pressing your lips against his as your hands slid around the back of his neck.
He kissed you, and it was a needy kiss, but you didnât mind because you were just as desperate too. Feeling a wave run down your body as you slipped your tongue into his mouth, his hand coming to the side of your face whilst he pressed himself against you and pushed you back into the wall with more force.
âIâm so fucking hornyâ he mumbled, forgetting you for a moment you were supposed to be taking baby steps, getting lost in the moment.
âMe tooâ you breathed.
Your small moment of intimacy was soon disturbed when you heard the sound of something falling, followed by a shriek from Amy, leaving you both stood in shock as you listened out for anything else. Â
âIâm okâ she called out loud enough for you both to hear, âJust clumsyâ.
You both chuckled, laughing to yourselves at her swearing and muttering to herself after sheâd clearly dropped something by accident, but you left her to it when you knew she was ok, although both realising this wasnât the time of place to be doing anything other than build furniture.
âShe likes youâ you mumbled.
âI like her tooâŠâ he smiled, âBut I like her best friend a whole lot moreâ.
âWell she likes you a lot tooâ you admitted.
âGoodâ he breathed, pressing a small kiss to your lips.
After calling an end to your little moment against the wall, you set out to put together the set of drawers you had bought, pulling everything out of the box one piece at a time, then laying all of the screws and other bits neatly, before opening the instructions and reading through them.
âShall we just put this together with this..â he said, his hand reaching for one of the pieces of wood as he grew impatient.
âMason⊠please donât touchâ you warned him politely.
His eyes snapped up to look at you, hearing the seriousness of your voice as you asked him not to get involved at this stage whilst you were still reading through the paperwork.
âSomeoneâs bossyâ he joked.
âWhat youâll soon come to realise Mason is Iâm an organised person, and I like to do anything like this the right way⊠so I need to read the instructions and not have you stick your nose inâ you told him.
His hand came to cover his nose, joking about your comment, pretending to be offended as he watched you count out everything on the floor. Â
âLeave my nose aloneâ he pouted.
âCould you pass me that screwdriver please?â you asked, nodding over to the small box of opened tools.
âNo, Iâm not sticking my nose inâ he frowned.
âMasonâŠâ you sighed.
He shook his head, leaning back on his hands as he was sat on the floor, confirming that he wasnât going to do anything for you right now.
âPlease?â you asked.
âNopeâ he shook his head again.
You crawled over to him, slotting between his legs and bringing your lips only inches apart, and when his eyes looked down at your mouth, you smiled as you knew he was waiting for a kiss.
âIâll get it myself thenâ you murmured, before reaching to the side of him for the screwdriver you needed.
âYouâre teasing me todayâ he growled.
âNothing you donât deserveâ you chuckled to yourself.
âIâll go see if Amy wants my help thenâ he scoffed in jest.
âWhy donât you make me another cup of tea?â you suggested, wanting to make him feel useful and trying to keep him busy.
âOkâ he nodded, before heading into the kitchen to do just that.
*
A couple of hours later and the three of you were sat on the sofa exhausted after finally putting everything together without hurting each other in the process, Mason sat scrolling through his phone whilst you and Amy bickered over the amount of plants in the room.
âIsnât this like the bed you want?â he asked, holding his phone up to the two of you.
âYeah⊠but thatâs a bit priceyâ you smiled at him trying to help, before going back to complain you would have to water all of Amyâs plants whenever she was away and she was very particular about how it had to be done.
âAre you busy this weekend Amy?â Mason asked curiously. Â
âNopeâ she responded with a pop.
âFancy coming to the charity night?â he added.
âI thought it was sold outâ you frowned as you had tried to get her a ticket when Tony had said you were going in Jaydenâs place.
âIt is⊠but she can have Jaydenâs ticketâ he told you.
âAt least he wonât be thereâ Amy sneered.
âBut⊠Iâm going on his ticket?â you added, confused.
âDid you really think I hadnât already reserved you a ticket when we were away?â he countered.
âBut your dadâŠâ you mumbled.
âDonât worry about what my dad has been doing to try and get us friends againâ he smirked, âand Lewisâ.
âYour suit?â you questioned when he mentioned his brother.
âYou didnât need to get it but⊠I thought if you went to the house you might realise you missed being thereâ he blushed, feeling a little embarrassed to admit that in front of Amy.
âWell⊠what am I going to wear?â she interrupted, âIâm going to have to go shopping tomorrowâ.
The two of you were sat discussing your outfit options, showing her the dress you had bought and the heels you had planned to wear with it, when Mason interrupted you both, growing bored of listening to your girly chat.
âIs anyone hungry?â Mason added.
âYesâ Amy agreed, before turning to look at you, âWhat are you both doing, going back to Masonâs for food?â.
âWell, we can get something with youâ Mason suggested.
You looked at him, wondering if he was just being polite, but when he made eye contact with you and smiled with a shrug, you realised he was being genuine and didnât want to leave Amy out if she was hungry too.
âWhat about Nandos?â you asked.
âYes!â Amy grinned, âWe can go pick it up and watch something on TV?â.
âSounds good to me, I donât fancy sitting in the restaurantâ Mason affirmed.
âSortedâ you smiled, standing up from the sofa and looking for your car keys, âIâll driveâ.
You all grabbed your coats and trainers, making your way down to your car, and as you unlocked it from a few metres away, Amy called shotgun, leaving Mason frowning at you disappointed with himself.
âSorryâ you mouthed over the roof of the car, seeing his pouty expression before he climbed into your very small and cramped back seats.
Once you had picked up your food with Mason pulling his face at the fact you and Amy wouldnât accept his offer to pay after heâd helped you out today, you all got comfy on the sofa with your food, putting something on the TV for you to watch whilst you ate.
An hour or so later, and the three of you were falling asleep where you were sprawled across the comfy cushions, Masonâs hand on you at all times as his fingers gently tickled either your leg or your arm, depending on what position you would move into when you tried to rearrange yourself every so often.
âIâm going to get goingâ he yawned quietly as he nudged you to get your attention.
You nodded, deciding it was getting late and you needed to head back over to your hotel and get in bed, so you both left Amy as she was going to stay at the flat that night and go back home for a shower in the morning.
You gave him a lazy kiss and thanked him for all of his help today, before you both got into your cars and went your separate ways, making the trip across London with your music playing quietly. As you got back to your hotel, you text Mason just as heâd asked again, letting him know you were in your room safely and ready to get into bed.
After a brief exchange of texts, being surprised, shocked, and overwhelmed at him admitting heâd ordered you the extremely expensive bed heâd managed to find available, you fell asleep with a lot of love in your heart for the footballer who you had a strong dislike for only a few months ago.
*
When you woke up on Saturday morning, ready to face your very exciting day, you sent Mason a quick text to let him know you were thinking about him, before going about your day.
Once you were ready, you and Amy met up for some breakfast before heading off to do some last-minute shopping and pick up the dress she had ordered last minute for the Charity night after Mason had invited her on Tuesday.
You both went for a manicure and a pedicure for the occasion, before stopping off for a coffee and talking over how you were going to get there, settling on an Uber into the middle of London as you didnât want to sit on the tube in your dresses.
She dragged you in a few other shops along the way, including a few lingerie stores, and after demanding you bought at least a few new sets of underwear, you gave in and treated yourself to a few simple pieces, along with a couple of sexier options too, hoping to make some use of them sooner rather than later, before you made your way to the flat to get ready as your bathroom was finally complete.
You showered, washed and blow dried your hair, perfectly curled it and took your time with your makeup, making as much effort as possible, and as you made the finishing touches to your lipstick, a text came through from Mason, confirming just how nervous he was.
When you were finally ready to get dressed, you pulled your long gown out of the dress bag it was hung up in and stepped into it, slipping it up your body and your arms through, before you tried to guide the side zip up your waist when you heard a strange noise that nobody wants to hear when youâre about to go out.
âNo no no noâ you squealed.
âWhatâs up?â Amy asked as she popped her head around the door.
âMy dress, the zip⊠itâs brokenâ you whined, trying to get it unstuck in a panic before the zip broke off the dress entirely.
âShitâ she gasped before stepping over to try and help you.
After lots of fiddling and several attempts at trying to fix it, you both gave up and accepted that your dress wasnât fit for purpose tonight, and it needed to be sent back to the store, leaving you stressed and upset that you had nothing to wear for the event you were supposed to be leaving for in thirty minutes.
âI might have somethingâ she mumbled, trying to think of what she could lend you.
âNo Amy⊠youâre smaller than me, we know my bum wonât fit in anything of yoursâ you muttered.
âDid you bring anything else?â she asked, hopeful you had a backup option.
âNoâ you groaned.
âOk think⊠what do you have at the hotel, if you know exactly what youâre going to wear it wonât take us long to stop in the taxi whilst you get changedâ she said, trying to conjure up a plan.
âErmmmâŠ.â you tried to think, your mind spiralling.
âCome on, you must have something you havenât worn beforeâ she added.
âI have something from Ibiza⊠Mason bought it me but itâs not exactly the vibeâ you uttered.
âWhatâs it like?â she asked intrigued.
âBlue, an off the shoulder dress⊠itâs nice, pretty, and fairly simple, but I wanted something long for tonightâ you uttered, knowing the dress really was lovely but it wasnât quite what you had in mind.
âIt sounds perfectâ she nodded, before helping you get your stuff together for the taxi that was arriving in a few minutes.
After shoving on a tracksuit, you both made your way down to the taxi and asked the driver to take a detour past your hotel, before you ran inside and quickly got changed into the dress in question, along with changing the underwear Mason wanted you to wear to a simple white lace thong and ditching the bra due to the fit of the dress.
It didnât take long before you were sat back in the taxi, feeling a little less stressed now you were ready, and it felt like you were pulling up outside the building in the blink of an eye. You stepped outside the car and made your way up the steps, before walking into the main foyer looking for the room the event was being held in.
âYou ready?â she asked as she nodded over to what looked like the entrance to the gala, linking her arm under yours.
âMhmmâ you nodded.
As you walked inside, you could see the whole room was lit up blue, with big large tables with eight places on each one set out across the floor, with space for a small dance door in front of the stage, and a bar situated at the back of the room.
It looked incredible, and now you felt even more underdressed, especially standing next to Amy in her gorgeous black glittery number, but you had to suck it up and get on with it, as thatâs not what you were here for.
You found your table, and realised you were both sat on the table with Lewis, Jaz, Sam, Debbie, Tony and last but not least, Ben.
âBenâ Amy mumbled as she glanced over the place card next to her seat.
âWhat a coincidenceâ you smirked.
âI donât even like himâ she rolled her eyes, but you knew she was lying.
Before you had chance to respond with something witty, Jaz and Debbie had spotted you from the bar and beckoned you over. Amy followed you, and as you both greeted them and introduced your best friend to Masonâs family, Debbie could see your eyes were looking around the room for him.
âHeâs over there talking to someone from⊠oh I canât remember; heâll be back in a secondâ she grinned.
You looked over in the direction she pointed, and you spotted him immediately, your heart pounding at the sight of him.
He was dressed in a grey suit, with a black tie and what appeared to be black boots, with his hair freshly trimmed and his beard perfectly groomed.
He looked the best youâd ever seen him, and if you didnât already know you were falling for him, you did now.
âFuck, I feel so underdressed nowâ you gulped.
âYou look beautifulâ Jaz reassured you, before Amy went on to explain what had happened with your dress whilst you still stood watching Mason shake hands with people you didnât recognise, his big white grin visible even from where you stood as he laughed and joked about something.
As he was listening to somebody speak, his eyes glanced around the room, and when he finally realised you had arrived, his eyed widened before he smiled over at you, your heart pounding in your chest when you knew heâd seen you.
He excused himself from whatever conversation was taking place, before he stepped away from the two men heâd been engaging with, his hands fiddling with his blazer as he walked over towards you, anxiously plying with the buttons and then the sleeve cuffs as he got closer and closer to where you were stood.
âStill shitting it?â you blushed as he stopped in front of you.
âYeahâ he breathed a laugh, before leaning in to kiss your cheek, âYou look beautifulâ.
âThank youâ you smiled, âYou donât look too bad yourselfâ.
He winked, before greeting Amy and making a comment about where she was sat and if she was happy with it, which earned himself a scowl from her, and a little laugh from you.
He apologised for having to leave you again before he disappeared across the room after Lewis had pulled him away as he needed to go and greet some of the sponsors that were in attendance to thank them for their support.
You and Amy grabbed yourself a drink from the bar before going to take your seats at the table, ready for the night to begin. The evening consisted of a few speeches from the Charity the night was in support from, along with a small auction, and then it would finish with a live band playing music.
As the auction came to an end, you were sat sipping on your Gin and Tonic whilst Mason was making his way up onto the stage to thank everyone for coming before the eveningâs entertainment would begin.
As he made his speech, you couldnât take your eyes off him, and you had never felt anything like it as you watched him. The amount of admiration you had for him, you felt proud to know him, and also ashamed to have mistaken him for a bad person when you first met, but you were grateful that you had been dealt with an opportunity to fix things, with the flood in your apartment being a blessing in disguise.
âI have a few small thank youâs to finish off with too, for the people that helped put all of this together. So firstly I want to thank my brother Lewis and my Dad⊠Tony because this would still just be an idea without themâ he explained, just as the two of them were given a bottle of champagne each from one of the waiters that was helping out.
Everyone in the room clapped, before Mason then went onto thank his mum and Jaz for helping out too, with a different waiter handing them both a bunch of flowers each for all of their hard work on the run up to the evening.
âAnd lastly, I have another special person to thank⊠because sheâs the only person Iâve ever met that refuses to blow smoke up myâŠâ he paused, and your eyes locked on his as your heart began to best frantically, âbut mainly⊠just becauseâ he smiled.
Your heart felt like it had stopped as he winked at you, before you were snapped out of your daze when a man presented you with a bunch of white roses, your hands attempting to hold them as they trembled through nerves, your skin burning up as you felt all eyes on you at that moment in time.
Amy cheered the loudest, even throwing a wolf whistle in just to really embarrass you, before Mason then thanked everyone for coming tonight and making it as successful as it had been.
You rolled your eyes at her, whilst noticing Mason was making his way off the stage and heading over to one of the tables on the opposite side of the room, giving you no time to thank him for your flowers.
You, Amy, and Ben all whilst the band took to the stage, before Reece, Kai and Sophia ended up sitting on the now empty seats on the table next to you and introducing themselves. It was agony being in the same place as Mason and not being able to speak with him much, and as much as you knew he would be too busy, it didnât make it any easier for you.
You and Amy got to know the others, and you came to realise that Mason did seem to have decent friends, not just the ones heâd had to ditch because of their bad attitude towards you, and it came to our surprise to anyone but you, that Kai and Reece knew exactly who you were as you learnt Mason never shut up talking about you at training.
As the evening was coming to an end and Amy was engrossed in a conversation with Ben, you realised Mason was sat at the bar on his own waiting to be served before head planned to come and join you finally. You stood up from your seat, leaving your flowers on the table for now, heading over in his direction as you wanted to speak with him alone for the first time tonight.
âThere she isâ he grinned.
âMasonâ you nodded with a smile, acknowledging him as he leant in to kiss you on the cheek.
âAre you ok?â he asked you as you kissed his cheek in return.
âYesâ you smiled, âHave you had a nice night?â
âIâm glad you cameâ he smiled, his eyes watching you as you remained stood between his legs.
âWhen?â you asked, trying to suppress a smirk at your innuendo, poking the inside of your cheek with your tongue.
He raised an eyebrow, before you fully smirked, seeing his expression from the corner of your eye whilst you focused on adjusting his collar, your fingers coming to play with his tie to neaten the knot, before smoothing out the front.
âIâm glad I came tooâ you added.
âYou look beautifulâ he breathed.
âThank youâ you smiled, âDo you like my dress?â.
âYeahâ he nodded.
âI heard your favourite colour is blueâ you winked, referring to one of your Instagram stories you had recently posted in your blue underwear.
âIt isâ he whispered, the hand on his lap subtly sliding down his thigh until he reached the side of yours, his thumb delicately brushing over it.
âI wish I could kiss youâ you breathed.
âKiss me thenâ he smiled.
You inhaled a deep breath, taken aback at his words, but you felt anxious, suddenly wishing you werenât in a room surrounded by people, especially people Mason knew.
âHere?â you gulped, your eyes looking around the room at everyone.
âI think my tie is ok nowâ he breathed a laugh, pulling your hands away from his neck.
âSorryâ you blushed, realising you had been fiddling with it for longer than usual.
âNervous?â he asked, his eyes watching your face as you struggled to make eye contact with him.
âMhmmâ you hummed, but his hands holding yours put you at ease almost instantly.
âItâs just meâ he murmured, trying to reassure you.
âI know⊠thatâs why Iâm nervousâ you confessed.
âLook at meâŠâ he urged.
You inhaled a deep breath before looking him in the eye, seeing those warm brown irises gazing back at you as you began to melt, his thumbs softly brushing over your hands as he tried to reassure you.
âI have a question for you Miss y/l/nâŠâ he smiled.
âGo on Mr MountâŠâ you encouraged.
âDo you want to stay at mine tonight?â he asked.
You nodded at him with a smile, and just as you did, he lifted your hand to his mouth so he could kiss you knuckles, your heart almost bursting as you watched his lips litter your hand with kisses.
Once the night was finally over, Tony and Debbie had offered to drop you and Mason back at his as he hadnât been drinking tonight, to which you accepted the offer on Masonâs behalf when he was saying bye to the last of the guests.
Ben had agreed to get Amy safely home, whatever that meant in his head, which meant you were free to go back to Masonâs house without needing to worry about her.
You and Mason climbed in the back seat with your flowers, and he held your hand the whole way, sporadically lifting it to his mouth every so often and resting his mouth against your knuckles just like before. You barely spoke a word for the whole journey, just watching Masonâs either kiss your hand, or admire the way he traced shapes over the back of it whilst he engaged in conversation with his parents.
When the car pulled up onto Masonâs drive, you thanked Debbie and Tony for a lovely evening and the lift back, before giving them both a quick kiss on the cheek and saying bye. You followed Mason to his doorstep and watched him look for the right door key, and once heâd placed it inside the lock he turned and looked at you.
âFeels weird doesnât itâ he smiled nervously.
âYeahâ you nodded, agreeing that it was a little strange to be going back to his house, together, after everything you had been through.
Once you were both inside, he offered to make you both a drink, a night cap if you will, so you followed him down towards his kitchen, stepping across the marble floor in your heels.
âIâve missed that soundâ he smirked.
âWhat sound?â you frowned.
âThe sound of your heels on the floor⊠it used to drive me crazyâ he confessed.
âReally?â you chuckled, lifting yourself up onto the kitchen island.
âYeah⊠then seeing you going out, all dressed upâŠâ he said as he shook his head embarrassed, âYou still donât realise what you do to me, do you? â.
âI have a question for youâŠâ you asked as you watched him pour the tonic into your glass.
âGo onâŠâ he nodded.
âAm I staying in your room, or my room?â you asked as you bit your lower lip, waiting for his reaction.
âWell, that dependsâŠâ he said as he looked at you with a mischievous glint in his eye.
âOnâŠâ you said as you watched him step between your legs, his hands resting at each side of your thighs.
âHow much sleep you wantâ he breathed against your lips.