Drawn from afar

[laceandcogs]

"I'm glad you like my place, Mason- feel free to look around if you want." Cara was settling and arranging the flowers, enjoying the pretty mixed bouquet- it's exactly the sort of thing a man with no clue and a lot of nervousness would gratefully accept from the gentle, helpful hands of a florist, and it pleased her immensely that Mason had been that sort of man over her.

"But I promise, you don't have anything to make up for, really... We got off to a bad start, but we're quite properly square now." She slipped out of the kitchen, tapping up beside him. "Would you like the tour? It won't take long..."

 

[zpitt27]

"Tour?" Mason heard himself actually say aloud.

'Wow,' he thought. There was no need to tour his place. You could see just about every corner of his little apartment no matter where you stood ... and in his place, most of the time there were very little spaces one could actually stand without having move aside some sort of junk. Mason wasn't intimidated by the fact that Cara obviously made more money than he did. He lived that kind of lifestyle his entire life, and had become used to not being the richest person around. He was content, and that's all he could ever really ask for.

"Sure," he said. "I'd love to see as much of this place as I can," Mason said, smiling at Cara. His smile was half for Cara, and half because he knew there would be a lot more of her heels clicking against the wood floor, and he could never have enough of that.

 

[laceandcogs]

Obligingly, Cara showed him the large, comfortable living room, which appeared to contain the window he so often watched her through. She directed him up the four stairs that led out of the slightly sunken kitchen/living room into a hallway which branched off into an office- sleek, modern, full of intimidating books and a thrumming, high-test computer system with tablet drawing interface, as well as several cloaked canvasses on painter's easels.

To the left of the office was a bathroom with a tub that some might be tempted to call a pool, a glimmering, sparkling confection of porcelain and chrome in a perfect circle six feet in diameter. The bathroom was surprisingly non-girly, save for the neat rows of shelving housing her extensive nail polish collection. The vial of blue that she had used to do her toes sat on the edge of the tub, forcing Mason to wonder if she'd been naked and up to her neck in bubbles while she did them.

At the end of the hall was her bedroom, and Mason might have cheerfully killed to live just two apartments further down the hall so he could have peeked into the massive window here. Her bed was a four-poster brass affair with an airy ivory net canopy and crisp white sheets that looked ironed. More pillows than he could possibly imagine needing, each in a perfectly inviting ivory satin case, and a down duvet covered in an ivory and dove-grey pinstriped cotton. Her clothes were neatly hung and organized in a massive wardrobe that suggested a British country house, and a plush, well-loved red leather armchair and ottoman occupied one corner.

"So, this is home sweet home... " Cara shrugged, with the attitude of those who are past apologizing for well-earned wealth. "Obviously, tricking people into falling in love with candy-bars and sheet sets is lucrative."

 

[zpitt27]

Mason followed closely behind Cara, taking in all the sights of a well maintained, beautiful apartment. He felt more embarrassed than ever that he hadn't been able to keep his place looking this neat and tidy for their introduction. But then again, there were other matters at hand, so he felt that he did the best job he could have.

Upon entering the bathroom, Mason noticed the extensive collection of nail polish. His mind began to wander with the possibilities of painting Cara's toenails for her, followed by blowing them dry. He wanted to sneak closer to the tub to snatch the blue polish to see what brand she purchased. 'Who knows,' he thought. 'Another gift idea out of nowhere,' he told himself.

When Mason saw Cara's bedroom, he couldn't believe how many pillows there were on the bed. He'd gotten used to the size of her apartment rather quickly, and he knew that with its size, everything else within would be bigger than anything he could ever afford. "Must take forever to make that bed every morning with all those pillows," Mason said.

He began to walk around the room, taking in all the sights, when he couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't a place this big ever get lonely, Cara?"

 

[laceandcogs]

Cara was surprised by the bluntness of Mason's question. "Well, yes, of course it does. But I haven't found a man who kept my interest, wasn't intimidated by my work, -and- was not already married to some lucky bitch." Trying to keep her smile light, she suddenly felt very small, and very insecure. Mason might have a few too many beer cans and crumpled shirts on his floor, but at least he didn't have to fall asleep all alone in a giant bed in a giant room.

"But I don't make my own bed. I hate cleaning, so I have a cleaning woman. She comes every morning as soon as I leave for work, and I am almost certain she irons my sheets. Which is astounding, because I don't own an iron."

 

[zpitt27]

"The only reason I ask is because my little place is extremely lonely, and it's nowhere near the size of this," Mason said, hoping he hadn't asked the wrong question at the wrong time.

Mason began counting the pillows that were on her bed, when he heard Cara mention that she had a cleaning woman. It hadn't really occurred to him that Cara would also have the luxury of having someone clean up after her. It made him wonder how dirty her place would be without a cleaning woman.

"I could let you borrow my iron sometime, if you'd like, Cara. I just ironed for the first time in my life right before I came here," Mason said. "And I only scorched one shirt in the process," he admitted. "Sadly, though, I scorched the only other dress shirt that I own."

 

[laceandcogs]

Cara's upset was rightly soothed by Mason's own unselfconscious admission of loneliness. "Thanks, Mason. I hope to never really need to iron. And I'm glad that that shirt survived the iron- you look really good." It was only partially an ego-stroke, because Cara did rather like the way Mason looked in that color, and the messy pieceyness of his hair- her fingers ached to run through it, just once...

Before that particular thought could get too far, Cara was saved by the shrill ring of her office phone. Rolling her eyes and offering Mason a smile, she held up one finger. "I've got to get that, Mason- but I will make it quick. We have bars to be in!" Hurrying into her office, Cara closed the door, leaving Mason with free roam of the other rooms....

 

[zpitt27]

Cara's words stuck with Mason long after she left the room to answer the phone. 'She said I look good,' Mason kept repeating to himself. 'I can't believe she thinks I look good.' He was standing alone in her apartment, smiling like an idiot in complete shock. It took him awhile to realize that the ringing stopped, and he had a chance to do whatever he wanted in her apartment.

"Bathroom," Mason whispered to himself. He slipped into the bathroom, and for the first time in a long time that he can remember, Mason actually looked himself over in the mirror. He shrugged his shoulders. He still thought he looked like a tool, but it was more important that Cara liked how he looked.

Mason went over to the tub and grabbed the bottle of nail polish. He resisted the temptation to shove it in his pocket, knowing that the bulge would be visible to Cara ... and tonight, Mason wanted there to be as little embarrassment as possible. He set the nail polish back on the tub, making a mental note to pick up some nail polish for his apartment just in case.

He looked in the mirror one last time and said, "Don't fuck things up. Have a good time with her."

Mason walked out of the bathroom, and stood in the hallway, waiting for Cara to return.

 

[laceandcogs]

"Trust me, Steven, you want the cerulean. Don't second guess me. No, periwinkle is going to make it look feminine- you'll alienate the insecure yet vain male 18-23 that we have so carefully... Fucking Christ on crackers, Steven, I'm not explaining this to you again. If I come in tomorrow and see those letters in any shade other than cerulean Pantone #137, I will repaint the whole damn package in your blood." Cara hung up her phone, hoping Mason hadn't heard much of that. Come to think of it, he was awfully quiet...

Popping open the door to her office, Cara was startled to find him waiting in the hallway, aimlessly and sweetly waiting. He really did look nice tonight. "Are you ready? I want to get out of here before that phone rings again. And just to show them that I'm serious..." Cara fumbled her smartphone out of her pocket and snapped the battery out with a precise, definitive flick of her fingers. She held it out to Mason. "Put this in your pocket, will you? That way, I can tell them that some dashing stranger found my mobile in a taxicab and only be half-lying."

 

[zpitt27]

Mason held Cara's battery, elated that she had trusted him with something that she valued...that, and he believe he heard something along the lines of being called dashing. It might not have been a direct comment on his appearance, or him at all, but Masonw as going to take whatever he could get at this point. There was a part of Mason that wanted to speak up to Cara. To let her know that he was content in her apartment with her alone. He really didn't see a need to go to the bar anymore. Not when the only person that he really felt like being around was standing right next to him. But this was the deal.

Mason cleared his throat. "So are you planning on leaving me alone at the bar, Cara? I only ask because you look so gorgeous, and I know there's gonna be a swarm of guys around you in no time flat. And, well, let's face it...you deserve a guy that looks a lot better than I do. I mean, that's cool if you wanna meet some guys and everything, because I don't want to keep you from meeting someone. But if that does happen, can you just give me a list of things to refrain from saying so I don't make a complete ass out of myself?"

 

[laceandcogs]

Cara's smile was soft, hesitant, and genuinely confused. "Mason, I'm going to the bar with you because I want you to learn to socialize. If I left you behind to go off with some random, that wouldn't teach you anything except that I'm a giant bitch. And since I think you've come to understand that one intimately already...no, I'm not going to leave you at the bar to go off with some other man, you adorable wreck."

She cocked her head toward the door, flicking off lights as they moved. Grabbing a very old, well-loved leather jacket with all sorts of buckles and grommets, Cara slid it on before leading Mason out.

"Do you want to walk, or take a cab? It's about twelve blocks."

 

[zpitt27]

A wave of relief washed over Mason. There was still a part of him, deep inside, that couldn't believe that Cara was being this nice to him. There had to be a catch. He honestly didn't believe it possible that Cara was able to brush away her initial anger with him so casually. But he took her at her word. What other option did he have? Even if she did abandon him at the bar, they still went there together.

He watched Cara slide on her leather jacket, wishing he had held it for her to put on. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized how much of life he was actually missing out on by not going out to meet new people. He knew not every night out would necessarily result in bringing back random women, but by never taking that first step, he knew he would likely never bring a woman into his bedroom at all.

"I don't mind walking," Mason said. "We could always hail a cab if your feet end up hurting on the way there."

 

[laceandcogs]

Cara laughed lightly as they walked into the elevator. "Mason, I have feet of steel. Someday, I'm going to make a chiropractor very, very happy, but right now I could walk for days." Leaning against the wall, she tried to casually gauge Mason's opinion toward her shoes. Just for fun, really, she began to tap her foot lightly on the floor.

She led Mason out onto the sidewalk, and fell into an easy walk beside him. Crowds parted for Cara- not all because of looks, though it did help- but because she moved as if she owned the street, the city, the world. Peeking over at Mason, she folded her arms over her waist and tried to draw his attention away from toenail polish and self-doubt. "So, tell me about the comic you're working on?"

 

[zpitt27]

'And I would force myself to keep up with you, if need be just to stay by your side,' Mason thought to himself. Luckily, he had managed to keep that thought to himself, not sure how Cara would feel knowing just how attached he was becoming to her in such a small amount of time.

Then that tapping came back. It drew all of Mason's attention. There were plenty of times he could not believe how weak he was, always looking at her feet when he got the chance. He felt like the only way to stop his gawking, would be if he got down on his hands and knees, and kissed her toes in the elevaor. He refrained, instead saying, "I mean, those are really sexy shoes and all, Cara, but I just know they're meant more for show than comfort." Mason made himself stop staring at Cara's feet to look at her beautiful face. He felt extremely lucky to be the guy that got to spend most of the night at the bar with her.

His luck became ever more apparent when he hit the streets with Cara. He had to push his way through the crowds of men to catch up with her. There was even an instant Mason had to step onto the street just to get around a group of men staring at Cara's ass. He had to rush to catch up with her.

Mason was taken back by Cara's interest in his comic. Since conceiving the idea, he had thought about his pitch and what he would say to any interested companies looking for new material. Though he knew the history of his story and its characters, the timing of her question seemed so out of place that it took Mason a second to collect his thoughts. "Well," he started, "it's a horror based story. It's about this realtor that stalks the families that purchase the house she sells them. It gets pretty gory at times and ... yeah. That's kinda it in a nutshell. I know it's a pretty cheesy slasher film kind of thing, but I get a kick out of how bad some of those movies can be. So I figured I'd try my hand at making a better version of the things I've seen. I don't know how much you'd like it, but that's what I've been working on," Mason said, nervous as to how Cara would react.

"Is this a really good bar, Cara?" Mason asked.

 

[laceandcogs]

Cara was irritated by the group that forced Mason into the street, and to prevent it from happening again, she smoothly linked her arm with his. It was easiest to take him by surprise this way, as instinct showed him how to bend his elbow, how to let her body nearly touch his to ensure the strength of the bond, before his mind could overthink it and fuck it up. "Sorry about that, Mason, some people are exceedingly inconsiderate."

 

[zpitt27]

'I hope she's not just leading me on,' Mason thought to himself as he walked arm in arm with Cara. The last couple days have succeeded in giving Mason a few "firsts" in his lifetime, and this was yet another one. With her body this close to his, her perfume filled his nostrils. He had to fight the urge to lean over to smell her hair. There was nothing in the world that could, or would, bring Mason down from this new high that he was experiencing.

"Not a problem, Cara," Mason said. "Besides, it doesn't matter now."

As they walked, Mason would drift in and out of his little fantasy world, where Cara was not just a helpful friend at the bar, but his girlfriend. If Mason had known the right words, he would've asked Cara to go out with him instead of going to the bar. He even opened his mouth to try, but the words didn't follow.

"Cara?" Mason started. "I...I just wanted to thank you again, for doing this. You could've chosen to write me off like most people I've met, but I'm so grateful you didn't." After that, Mason did something that shocked himself. He took Cara's hand in his, brought to his mouth and kissed it.

 

[laceandcogs]

First flowers, now a kiss on the hand? What's next, his letter jacket? Of course, Mason probably didn't -have- a letter jacket... and Cara liked that. Cara liked that a lot.

Stunned, Cara stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, those wide, bright eyes focused on Mason's. A smile tempted her lips, and she seemed about to speak- lost enough that she didn't hear the bicycle messenger's frantic shout. Though he tried to veer, it was too late- he swept into Cara hard enough to knock her from her feet, and as she fell heavily against Mason, they both heard the sickening, sudden -crack- of her ankle.

Breathless with the bright, sharp pain, Cara blinked hard, her body supported in a crush against Mason's that, in better circumstances, would have been very pleasant.

 

[zpitt27]

Mason caught Cara as she fell, and for a brief moment, he was the happiest man in the world. He had wanted to hold Cara in his arms from the moment they first met face to face. Granted, this wasn't the circumstances he wanted it to be under, but he could take what he could get. He was just relieved that he had been there to help her. Who knows what would've happened had she been out walking by herself?

Naturally, Mason gazed down at Cara's feet, but this time it was to assess the damage done to her by the idiotic bicycle messenger. Her foot had already swollen to twice its normal size, and it was bruised pretty bad. He winced at the sight of her foot, hoping that she was going to be fine. "I got you, Cara," Mason said. "Everything's gonna be fine."

Mason dug into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone to call the paramedics. "Shit, Cara. I'm so sorry this happened. Had we taken the cab, everything would've been fine," Mason said. He could hear the distant howl of sirens approaching them. He ran his fingers through Cara's hair, kissed her forehead. "I just want you to know I'll be at the hospital for you, Cara. "

Mason held her close until the ambulance approached, the siren at its apex.

 

[laceandcogs]

Within an hour, they were settled in a quiet, sheeted cubicle in the hospital ER. Cara was nearly grey with embarrassment, though the pain pills she'd accepted had given her a rather cheerful glow. "I am so, so sorry, Mason," she said, for perhaps the ninety-thousandth time since their arrival. Her shoes, which had roused a raised eyebrow from the nurse who worked them off, rested on the chair next to Mason, and even under the influence of some grade-A pharmaceuticals, Cara had been keenly aware of Mason's desire to steal the beautiful heels.

"I wrecked our nice date before it even started." This was a new argument, though- she hadn't called it a date before, and she clearly didn't realize she was doing so now. Slumping into the pillows, Cara glared holes in the dull plaster panels of the ceiling.

 

[zpitt27]

Mason hated spending any amount of time inside a hospital. Too many bad experiences had come from them. But there was no way he was going to abandon Cara. Not now. Although he knew they obviously weren't dating, he still felt the need to take care of her in her current situation. He had seen how lonely her apartment had been, and he knew that was no place to leave someone alone with a broken ankle.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Cara," Mason said, reassuring her.

He glanced down at her shoes, then back at her. 'Maybe she won't remember if I touch them,' he thought to himself. Mason could just imagine how warm her shoes must feel, after just having them taken off her feet. He wanted to hold them. Sniff them. Hold them in his crotch like he had with her flip flops. But he knew this wasn't the place to act out on his fantasy.

"You didn't wreck our date," he said.

'Date?' he thought to himself. 'Holy shit, she thought this was a date too.' Mason beamed with excitement.

He looked at her feet, both beautiful, but one was swollen and bruised. Mason cleared his throat. "Cara? Do you need anyone to, you know, help you out at home? Or is there someone I should call? I still have your battery, remember?"

 

[laceandcogs]

"Fuck." Cara hadn't really thought about how she would handle her everyday life for the next few weeks. "No, Mason, there's no-one to call- most of my family is several thousand miles away, and I don't make friends easily... can't imagine why, can you?" She winked heavily, her smile warm and just a bit drugged. "I can work from home, 'least, and since most of what I eat is takeout anyway..."

Trailing off into thought and the pleasant haze of narcotics, Cara closed her eyes. "Gonna rest my eyes a little bit, Mason, just a tad bit..."

 

[zpitt27]

In the past, Mason might not have realized that this was the perfect opportunity to get to know Cara better, and maybe start a closer relationship with her. But this time, he'd secretly been hoping that no one was close enough to help Cara. It was selfish of him, but he really wanted to be the person that was there for her through everything. It was the perfect time to get to know her better. To get to see whether or not her kindness had been just an act. "I wouldn't mind being there for you, Cara," Mason said. "I'm only right across the street anyways."

Mason stared at Cara's feet as she drifted off to sleep. He wanted to suck on her toes, but he also wanted her consent first. He'd already done enough in the past without her knowing it, and he didn't want to take advantage of her anymore. Mason looked over at Cara's shoes, and ran a finger along them gently.

He watched Cara sleep as if they were an old couple staying by each other's side in the hospital. Then, Mason closed his eyes too, wondering how much longer they'd have to stay there.

 

[laceandcogs]

Fortunately, not too much longer. Cara woke to the sound of footsteps, and hurriedly tried to make herself presentable- pushing hair behind her ears, straightening her shirt, just in time for a far too attractive doctor to enter. The good doctor informed them that he was ready to apply Cara's cast, and that they would be good to go very shortly after... and if he delivered this information with just a bit too much staring at Cara's tits, she wasn't going to hold it against him.

Cara leaned back to look straight past the doctor and to Mason, giving the lonely artist a smile bright enough to cool the doctor's attentions. "Mason, did you hear? We can go soon! Doctor, this is my friend Mason. He'll be trapped in my apartment with me for a while, watching me curse at crutches and be generally grumpy."

Pleased with the turn of events, Cara leaned back and let the doctor get to work. Here again was opportunity for Mason to be jealous- Cara's gorgeous if slightly damaged foot being stroked, pawed, wrapped in layers of plaster and gauze... enough to make his mouth water. Of course, Mason would be the one taking Cara home tonight. Maybe not to bed, but home- and that was at least step one in getting a lot closer to her gorgeous body, head to toes.

 

[zpitt27]

Mason was startled awake as the doctor walked into the room. He let out a deep sigh when he saw the man was far more attractive than himself. 'Come on,' Mason complained to himself. 'Why couldn't it have been the short fat guy I saw out there?' But he smiled at Cara and the doctor all the same. There was no use in letting her know he was jealous when she was still in pain. All the attention needed to be focused on Cara.

"Sweet," Mason said when he heard the news. It was a remarkably quick trip to the emergeny room. Mason hadn't thought they'd get the chance to go home for at least a couple more hours.

Mason watched on as the doctor applied the cast to Cara's leg. He was upset that the doctor was getting the chance to play with Cara's feet, until he remembered that someone had to in order to put the cast on. And since Mason didn't know how to do that, it couldn't be him. So Mason continued to watch on in silence, adoring her good foot, as it was the only one he could see.

He picked up her shoes and set them on his thigh, holding them in place with his hand. This was only to make sure that her shoes wouldn't get left behind. It'd be a pity to lose such a sexy pair of shoes. Besides, if she wanted to wear one of them on the way out, maybe she'd let him put it on her. If not, he would just hold the shoes, waiting for an opportunity to smell them. He couldn't wait to get back to Cara's place.

 

[laceandcogs]

Cara was still quite loopy from the painkillers as the doctor helped her into a wheelchair and told them that a cab would be waiting to bring them home. As grateful as she was for the truly beautiful cast job, her smiles were all for Mason. "Lookit how nice it is, Mason! Almost like a big white sock." The high-class private school accent had begun to decline slightly, like Eliza Doolittle in reverse, yet it remained charming.

She was still rather insistent on as much independence as possible, though she let Mason support her heavily as they hopped across her lobby and into the elevator. Cara let Mason lead her in, and then flashed her big green eyes up at him as she whispered the words he'd hoped to hear for weeks now.

"Can we go to bed now, Mason?"