Owned By Her Triplet Bullies
(Bk 2) Chapter 72

Mason's

POV

I turned towards the pot bubbling over the gas to check on the food. But, when I glanced back, Lexi and Mady were nowhere to be found.

"I didn't know you could cook so well. Things like this make me realize how far apart we've been. It feels like I never knew anything about you," Rachel said as she stood beside me. But, I paid no attention to her. All I could think of was how Lexi avoided my touch. I couldn't wrap my head around why she would do that. I thought we were past all that. Last night was amazing. The best I've had in forever and I'm sure she felt the same way. So why...

"I can't cook half as well as you do. I think I need cooking lessons. Will you teach me?" she asked. She avoided my touch in front of Rachel. Was Rachel the problem or was she scared of people finding out about us?

"Mason," she called out, gently tapping my arm.

"You can afford to hire a chef," I replied, turning off the gas.

"You did hear me after all but you chose to ignore me," she responded.

"We are enjoying a home-cooked meal again. Wow! I was getting tired of eating junk. What would we have done without you?" Torres asked with a smile but I didn't respond. I was still worried about Lexi. My phone suddenly rang and I picked it up absent-mindedly. "You finally decided to pick up my calls today," I heard Mum's voice say in surprise. I sighed. I picked up her call unknowingly.

"Hi mum," I said walking out of the kitchen.

"You remember you have a mum," she muttered sadly.

"Don't be dramatic. It's been barely three days," I replied.

"That doesn't sound like a long time of not speaking with me to you. I tried calling you and your sister severally. Why weren't you picking up?" she asked.

"Things have been very...hectic over here mum. We are still trying to settle in," I explained. So many things have happened within these past few days that it was impossible not to think it was over a week.

"Why? Is something going on?" she asked worriedly.

"We are fine. Don't worry. We've only been trying to adjust properly," I replied.

"Alright. How have you and your sister been doing? Are you both fine? Have you been sleeping properly? How about food? It's almost 10 a.m. You know Mady can't eat breakfast late. I insisted the chef come along but you both..."

"We are fine Mum. I cooked breakfast and I will ensure Mady eats. You have nothing to worry about," I assured her calmly. We both knew the chef that would come along would do nothing but spy on us for our parents which was why we didn't agree to their suggestion. It was good that I didn't. They would have found out about Lexi by now and I couldn't let that happen. Not right now.

"How about you? Are you doing okay?" I inquired.

"Apart from being exhausted from work, I'm doing great," she replied.

"Is everything okay at the pack house?" I asked skeptically.

"Absolutely. Although, the house is deadly quiet. I'm used to the constant chatter but with you and your sisters gone, It feels quite lonely," she responded.

"I'm sure it isn't that bad. You have our fathers to keep you company," I said.

"I guess you are right. How about Mady? Where is she?" she asked.

"In my room. Wait a minute, I will pass the phone to her," I said walking towards my room.

"Mady, mum's on the phone..," I started pulling the door open but I was surprised to see her and Lexi looking like they were having a very serious conversation.

"Who?" she asked, turning towards me. I tore my gaze away from the flustered Lexi.

"It's mum. She wants to speak with you," I replied. Her eyes widened.

"Did you tell her I didn't sleep at the hotel last night?" she whispered anxiously.

"If you did nothing wrong, why should you be anxious? The storm and the log did stop you from coming back right?" I asked doubtfully. I couldn't tell what exactly it was, but something didn't feel right.

"O..of course. Why would I lie about something like that? I was just worried Mum might find out and get worried. You know how she can be," she retorted defensively, taking the phone from me. She walked out of the door and gently closed it behind her. "What was she telling you?" I asked immediately if Mady left.

"N..nothing," she stuttered.

"No lies Lexi. I can tell she was telling you something," I insisted. It was so obvious something was wrong with her.

She sighed. "She was asking me if there was something going on between us." she finally admitted.

"And?" I probed.

"I didn't get the opportunity to respond before you walked in," she replied.

"If you did, what would you have told her?" I inquired. She glanced at every other thing in the room but me. I could tell she was anxious.

"I don't know. If she asked you, what would you have said?" she asked.

"This isn't a game of questions Lexi. If there's something going on, let me know and we can figure it out together. I saw the way you moved away from my touch in front of Rachel. Are you afraid of people finding out about us or is there something else?" I inquired. "What would you have me do? Should I have told her about us? Are you okay with that? Weren't you the one who didn't want to let your family know that we were mates?" she retorted. I stared at her in disbelief. It wasn't the same thing. I already told her the reason why I didn't want that to happen. How could she bring it up now?

She closed the distance between us and hugged me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so mean." She was standing on her tip-toes and I could tell she was struggling to stand still. I bent down a little bit and wrapped my arms around her.

"It's okay. This is also partly my fault. You aren't the only one to blame," I replied.

"I don't doubt your feelings for me and I'm not scared of anyone finding out. I just want us to get some time to ourselves before we become the gossip of the entire school," she explained. I nodded in understanding.

"I also need time to prepare myself against your fangirls. I don't want them pulling my hair out," she said with a frown.

I sighed. "I've never hated being popular more than today."

She chuckled. "You just have to bear with it for now. We can tell everyone later. Before anyone notices we've been gone for a while, let's go. I will go outside first," she said, trying to walk past me but I held her hand. "What?" she asked.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I asked with a raised brow.

"I don't think so," she replied.

"You promised you were going to give me a kiss this morning," I reminded her. She smiled.

"Really? I don't remember making such promises," she said. I pulled her towards me.

"You might not but I do. You might not have said it in plain words but you meant it. Fulfill your promise quickly," I urged.

She glanced at the door. "What if someone comes in or they find out we've been gone for so long?" she asked.

"No one is going to find out," I replied, closing my eyes and leaning towards her. I waited for a while but all I felt were a pair of warm lips on my cheek. I opened my eyes to her staring at me innocently. "That's it?" I asked. It wasn't what I was expecting at all.

"You didn't like it, right? That was how I felt this morning too," she replied. The door suddenly opened and Lexi hurriedly moved away from me.

"Mason? We've all been waiting at the...oh, you are also here," Rachel said. Lexi nodded.

"I was about to come. You should have started eating before me," I replied.

"Actually, I came here for an entirely different reason," she said with a smile stretching something towards me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I got us tickets to the movies just like old times. I promise you are going to love it," she replied cheerfully.

"I don't go to the cinema anymore," I deadpanned.

"It's fine. We can go somewhere else..."

"I will be in the living room," Lexi said as she walked out of the room.

"I don't want to go anywhere else," I muttered coldly trying to go after her.