Fated (EXCERPT - MOVING TO GALATEA 9/9/2026)

The sound of the phone ringing instantly made me groan. I checked the ID and loudly exhaled when I answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"You had better be dying."

"Jas! Get your butt up!" Mason yelled through the phone. He was too excited and I wasn't in the mood. I looked at the time on my phone and groaned. It was 8:00 AM and I'd planned to sleep in.

I repeated my original sentiment, "Mason, are you dying?" I turned onto my stomach and dropped the phone on the bed next to my head.

"Jasmine! Get up! You said you'd help me shop for my mom's gift." Mason continued to yell as if he didn't understand the concept of lowering his voice. I could just picture that stupid grin on his face. He knew he was disturbing me and he was getting a kick out of it.

Now it was my turn to yell.

"At eight in the morning?! Have you lost your mind?!" I ended the call and pulled the covers back over my head. Mason knew I HATED to be woken up, especially since I had insomnia. When I can sleep, I take full advantage. I had just fallen back to sleep and I felt the covers fly off of me.

"WHOA!" Mason was frozen, mouth agape and eyes bulged. He dropped the cover on the floor and locked in on me.

I was so shocked and pissed that I sat up on my knees, demanding an answer from him, "MASON! Have you lost your mind?! What are you doing?"

He didn’t say a word. His eyes traveled up and down my very naked body. They came back up to my eyes and he stared at me. The look on his face was a mixture of appreciation and apprehension. Mason squinted and it was as if he was seeing me for the first time and didn’t know what to do with me.

"MASON! GET OUT!" I screamed.

I threw a pillow at him, hitting him in the face. This snapped him out of his reverie. He made a hasty escape and closed my door. I walked to my bathroom and got in the shower. As my hands slid over my body, I thought about Mason's face as he drank my body in. How when he looked back in my eyes, I saw desire and his tongue peeked slightly between his lips. By the end of my shower, the anger had dissipated and I laughed.

Seeing him want me put a little boost in my ego. I mean, I know I got it, but it’s always nice to be noticed. Now I wasn’t stupid enough to think Mason actually wanted me. He was just a man caught up in seeing a naked woman, best friend or not. I had a nice build, thick in the places I needed to be, and that included my waist. Never got any complaints, though.

I wanted to make him squirm and couldn't wait to give him a piece of my mind. I wasn't mad, but Mason didn't need to know that.