MASON!
eyes widened, impressed as he learned so much about her in so little time– a childhood in switzerland and a life dedicated to the pursuit of a passion, a talent. mason’s had been spent in the high ranks of d.c. and eastern society, attending political events, campaigns, charity galas: nothing like althea’s. he let out a low whistle. “damn.” he wanted to ask why she had returned to rose hollow, then, instead of continuing her life in switzerland– but as someone made of secrets himself, he decided not to ask or press for questions that she might not want to answer. eyes fell to the floor yet again ( a nervous habit, to avoid eye contact, as if it made things any easier ) and he rubbed his hand on his neck, bashful. “uh, yeah– yes,” mason stumbled out, flustered. “sorry if that was–” an exhalation has he did not know what adjective to finish his sentence off with. too forward, too much, too strange. all of the above. he flushed slightly at her words, for a number of reasons: her kindness, which was a welcome level of different in his life. he supposed he was making a life for himself: a new one. guilt tinged at his heart as he knew she did not see him for who he was ( or where he came from, more like ) in actuality: someone with a trust fund and a family who had made the cover of forbes magazine, with a grandfather on capitol hill. “thank you,” he replied kindly, truly taking her words to heart. “uh– i guess i’ll just… here we go.” still flushing, he turned ever so slightly to unbutton his shirt, leaving just the cleaner white t-shirt he wore beneath the blue uniformed stitched top. clearing his throat gruffly, he picked up his jean jacket from the chair behind the counter and pulled it on. “uh– we can head out. manager’s in the back, i’ll just– tell him i’ll be back later.” mason tucked his head into the back and let his manager know of his plans before turning to face althea once more, moving to open the front door for her. he gestured out of the lobby, southern gentlemanly manners evident once more. “after you.”
a trademark smile stayed etched on the blonde’s features, soft chuckle leaving her as she took in his widened hues. she liked his eyes, the depth in his brown optics was one her ocean like ones could not contain - and to think that she often thought her eyes were as deep as the ocean but his surpassed that depth, they were expressive and they continuously pulled her in. ❝ yeah... i loved it there but i was all alone. ❞ althea’s voice was soft, barely audible as it let out the last few words. bright optics studied his own, that is, until mason’s gaze was peeled away from hers and a slight frown covered her features. had she said something ?? done something she wasn’t supposed to ?? however, as his voice filled the temporary silence that had settled amongst them, her smile returned and she shook her head. ❝ no, no. it was fine, thank you. ❞ she breathed out, fingers playing with the hem of her light blue top as she spoke. it was nice to be around someone who didn’t know who she was, who her brothers were, who her parents were. someone she could introduce herself too and didn’t already have an assumption. althea made it a point to always remind others that she was not her family and she was not their wealth. she was althea rose jakobson and there was more to her than those little things. confusion would take over light optics at the switch of emotion in his dark gaze but as soon as it had made itself known, it was gone and she decided not to prod. with her smile still in tact, the lithe blonde would nod her head at his instructions. ❝ okay. ❞ she’d move to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, smile brightening as he neared her. she hadn’t noticed how tall he actually was until he passed by and moved to open the door causing a grin to take over her smile as she slipped by. ❝ thank you. ❞ she had grown up with doors being opened the minute she showed signs of departure but this was different, he was different. turning around to wait for him, she’d glance around slowly before blue gaze settled back on him and his tall stature. althea chuckled, always surrounded by men six feet or above and he seemed to be no exception, not that she’d have it any other way. ❝ do you want walk or ?? ❞