[chapter_26]
Bella is never, ever going to forget the way Masen gasped for air when the anaphylactic shock set in, the way red crept into his face, into the whites of his eyes, as he struggled. She lays awake thinking about it in the nights to follow, fists clenched in her duvet, cold sweat creeping along her neck. It's difficult to think of Masen like that - vulnerable when he's so larger than life all the time. It's hard to think of him as anything other than utterly invincible, but she'd seen the proof herself, and it haunts her a little bit.
The fact that he confidently, even carelessly, eats so much take-out frightens her. He ate at the dining halls as a student, he and the rest of the boys practically live off of Garrett's food truck, and he seemingly does it all without a second thought to the fact that a trace of shellfish could be lurking in his food. It's unfathomable to Bella, who now stares are her plates, trying to search for any trace, any sign, that there is cross-contamination.
She doesn't find any, of course, and that must be why Masen is still so free with his food consumption. As long as he's prepared, then he'll be okay.
Except he wasn't prepared at that lunch with his parents, and it's all Bella can do to try to come to terms with the fact that his continued brilliance really does hinge on the fact that a meal doesn't kill him.
It's unthinkable.
She doesn't think she's capable of accepting a world without him in it.
Madly Ever After
Go to sleep
The Missus
How did you know I wasn't?
Madly Ever After
Your last retweet
And you just confirmed it
The Missus
Stop being so slick
Why aren't you asleep?
Madly Ever After
Projects
I could ask the same question
The Missus
Thinking about you
Worrying
Madly Ever After
I'm fine
The Missus
Did you know you can buy
Epi-Pens OTC in Canada?
But you can't here?
It's unfair!
Madly Ever After
It's capitalism
The Missus
Masen
Be serious
Madly Ever After
I am
You don't need to worry
I'm fine
The Missus
I'm going to worry
There's nothing you can do about it
Because
You know
Madly Ever After
I see
Worry less, then
The Missus
I'll try
Madly Ever After
Go to sleep
The Missus
So demanding!
Madly Ever After
Yes
The Missus
:o
Goodnight
I love you
Madly Ever After
I love you too
By the time Friday rolls around, Bella has mostly made peace with Masen's near-death experience. Mostly. And by that, she means that she isn't struck with anxiety over it in the middle of the night, so she certainly must be...not getting over it, but acclimating to the fact that its part of her reality. A part of her reality she never wants to be unprepared for, but a part of it nonetheless.
This tentative acceptance turns out to be a good thing because she's completely forgotten about the fact that this Friday is the official release of Menagerie, and by the time she sweeps into the Midnight Sun office that Friday morning, she finds she doesn't have time to think - or worry - about anything else.
It's pure chaos inside, more so than usual, and she's glad that Rose and Alice aren't here to see it. Or Leah, who would surely have a conniption at the vast amount of disorganization. It's hard enough for Bella to stand at the threshold and try to wrap her mind around the scraping of desks and chairs into tighter clusters so there's more room on the floor. Alistair is wandering around with white cardboard boxes, the ones with the lids, and instructing everyone to clear off their desks. When he spots her, he makes a lazy beeline and hands her a box of her own.
"Clear off your shrine," he instructs her, distracted as he keeps an eye on the evident clean-up process. "Then move your desk over to Graphics for now."
Bella takes the box with both hands, a little thoughtless. "What's going on?"
Alistair casts her an offensively surprised side-eye. "Menagerie's official launch party," he answers slowly, as if talking to a toddler. Bella suddenly understands why Emmett always gets so worked up when he's around Alistair. "Investors will be by tonight. Reporters are coming. We've ordered catering. Masen went out to buy champagne."
Bella blinks. It's already October and she isn't sure when that happened. She's been so caught up in everything - classes, the internship, her projects, Masen and the girls - that she hadn't even noticed time passing, but here it is. She admittedly hadn't had much to do with the creation of Menagerie, not in comparison to what the others have done, but she does hear a thrill of excitement that the launch is happening.
Her lips spread into a smile now that she understands the point of all the movement and noise. "The beta testing went well, then?"
Alistair nods and walks away, leading Bella to her swan-themed desk. "We're launching on time, aren't we?" he asks rhetorically, before frowning at something Liam and Charles are noisily going across the room. He sighs and looks fit to get on their case about it, but he doesn't get two steps from her little desk before he turns around and casts a speculative eye over Bella. "You aren't wearing that, are you?" he asks, and Bella feels every ounce of his English pedigree judging her casual jeans and mottled basil green hoodie.
How unique. Usually, it's only Alice or Rose asking that question.
Bella shoots him a look. "Of course not. I know how I should dress for a cocktail party, kind of."
"Good," he says, and then, when he sees Bella has put her box down and stepped away from her desk, he frowns deeply. "Where are you going?"
Bella parts her lips, brow furrowed. "To...go get clothes to change into later."
"You can't do that," Alistair tells her. "You're needed here. I have a whole list of things I need you to help me finish, and that's before Masen comes back from running the other errands with Peter."
"Well, what do you expect me to do?" she demands with an incredulous laugh. "It's not like I can borrow your clothes!"
"Figure it out!" Alistair says as he walks away. "And then come help me after you've packed up your desk. Boxes go in the stairwell!"
Bella huffs at his back but does as she's told. She swiftly packs up the shrine, secretly very pleased that she has an excuse to get rid of the embarrassment and hoping she won't have to restore it when the party is over. After she takes the box and stacks it up with the others under the first-floor stairs, she pulls out her phone and sends an SOS to Alice.
Alice's response is predictably eager. Don't worry about it. I'll have your clothes sent right over.
Reassured, Bella finishes the task of pushing her desk into the corner under the Graphics Department neon sign and then returns to Alistair's side. He and Emmett have evidently been tasked with the office clean-up to make room for mingling and catering staff, and they have a certain aesthetic they want to reach. With the desks cleared off of personal effects and input devices, such as keyboards and mouses, tucked away into boxes in the stairwell, the desk clusters themselves look neat and clean. The problem now is what to do with the rolling chairs. Evidently, Masen plans to use the conference room to present the pre-recorded demo to the investors, as well as to conduct the official count-down launch of when it will be available for download at app stores, and Emmett will be in charge of monitoring the immediate sales counter to communicate to the investors. But that means the conference room can't be used to store the chairs, and with the stairwell already full of boxes, it leaves them short of storage space.
"We should just leave them," Emmett is saying when Bella arrives. "What if people want to sit?"
Alistair scoffs. "You don't sit at a cocktail party. It simply isn't done. And certainly not in rolling chairs."
"Okay, Fancy Pants, then what do you think we should do?"
"Line them up in the back of the building," Alistair answers.
But Emmett shakes his head. "In full view of the parking lot, Al? So the investors can see? I don't think so. And what if it rains?"
Alistair presses his lips together. "Why don't we have any bloody storage in this building?"
Bella chooses this moment to pipe in. "Can't we just put them upstairs? Half could go in the common room on your floor and half could fit on the third floor, probably."
Both of the men make a face because this is clearly an option they had thought of and discarded, but in lieu of another workable option that won't clash with their vision or Alistair's sense of pomp and circumstance, there really isn't any other choice. So the next several minutes sees a troop of chairs going up the stairs, the feet loudly dinging on the stairwell, and Alistair muttering about scuffs on the walls. Bella pats his back in comfort, then asks what else she can do.
It turns out, there's a lot. The refrigerator needs to be emptied, the counters need to be cleared, and the entire office floor needs to be cleaned. Apparently, Midnight Sun is also expecting a delivery of tall cocktail tables, which will be set up in strategic places, as well as a rented bar - and barkeep - that will need to be set up before the caterers arrive and take over the kitchen with their heated chafing dishes, which will be placed on the long counter facing the office. And as Alistair said, these are only the things that need to be done before Masen and Peter come back around noon with what Alistair calls the "ambiance" and company-wide dry-cleaning.
Bella volunteers herself for kitchen duty and quickly excuses herself before Alistair can come up with more tasks that need to be completed. She throws out leftover food, moves the perishables that are still good up to Masen's refrigerator in the loft, and uses three more boxes to pack up all the countertop appliances in the kitchen, which are then moved into the stairwell, too. Bella gives the kitchen a thorough scrub and sweep, then goes around the office with a garbage bag and collects whatever trash should be taken out. A fine sheen of sweat as worked itself onto her brow by the time she comes back in from tossing the trash into the dumpster and she's sure her hair is a mess, especially since she hadn't thought to do anything more than wind it into a bun this morning and she's on day three of her last wash.
She really needs Alice to pull through on those clothes. And she also needs to borrow Masen's shower. Hopefully, Alice will over-prepare as usual or use some of her fashion foresight to throw in the haircare and beauty products Bella would need to clean up well enough for a semi-fancy work function. She's actually about to text Alice about just that when Masen and Peter return, each of them weighed down with stacks of pressed suits, shirts, and ties from a local dry-cleaning place.
And right there in Masen's hand is a familiar white mesh zippered tote from Bella's cubby in the dorm bathroom, as well as a coral garment bag she recognizes from Alice's closet.
She closes her eyes briefly, a tiny wash of heat ghosting along her cheeks. When she asked Alice for this favor and Alice said she would handle it, she didn't think Alice would make Masen the messenger boy. How does Alice even have Masen's number? How -
Ah. Of course. Peter. Or rather, Alice told Leah and Leah reaches out to Peter, and since Peter was with Masen...
Well. Too late for regrets, now. At least Bella should conceivably have what she needs for tonight.
Masen seems to think so, too, because he greets her with a kiss on the cheek and an offer to use his bathroom to get ready, later.
Bella nods, folding the garment bag and the toiletry bag carefully in her arms. Something heavy is at the bottom of the bag, thumping against her shins, and Bella just knows Alice probably loaned her some awful - if not pretty - high-heels for the occasion. "I'll do that in a bit. How else can I help?"
Masen casts his eyes around, taking in the progress with a satisfied air as Peter works through getting all the dry-cleaning to the right employee. Masen looks back at her. "How are you on a ladder?"
"What?"
It turns out the "ambiance" is the installation of these long, thick white curtains dotted with hundreds of tiny fairy lights, which are summarily hung along the back walls and the foyers to hide the back and stair doors, between the side entries of the kitchen and around the back of the long counter to hide the kitchen from view, and around the desk clusters. Draped artfully around the desks and spread thin enough so that the computers are only just visible, the neon department signs help cast the desks in an ethereal, almost out-of-touch manner. It all looks very classy, especially by the time the cocktail a dozen tables are set up with clever trifold brochures of the Menagerie characters in the center.
Being light and tall, Bella and Peter are tasked with hanging these curtains while Emmett and Masen balance the ladders, a task which takes the next two hours to complete to everyone's satisfaction. By the time they're done, there's only five hours before the party is set to begin and plenty more that needs to be done. Masen, still as calm as ever, excuses himself to fine-tune the presentation and set up the projector in the conference room before Charles and Liam come back from the corner store with cold sandwiches and chips for lunch.
The entire company eats standing up, all of them a little mussed and tired and excited.
But the break only lasts for a while, because soon enough the caterers are arriving and the barkeeper needs help setting up in the space between the foyer and the kitchen, and then Emmett spends the next hour messing with the lighting in the office until it's just dim enough that the fairy light curtains soften the room and give everything a subtle glow.
Alistair, who has been in charge of the task list the entire time, double-checks everything with Peter's chin digging into his shoulder and then dismisses everyone to go home and get ready, but to be back by six because that's when the reporters are going to start arriving. One by one, the employees of Midnight Sun gather their dry-cleaning and depart, and the only ones left in the building are the caterers, the people who actually live in the apartments upstairs, Bella, and the barkeeper, who is currently smoking outside.
"I need a shower!" Peter declares.
"No jerking off," Emmett warns. "We all want hot water."
Peter feigns offense. "Why, I would never," he declares with a gasp before he departs, slipping under the curtain in front of the stair door.
Alistair rubs his wrist. "I liked it better when he was full of gay angst."
Emmett snorts. "That's because you're a sore loser."
As Alistair and Emmett bicker, Masen runs a smooth hand down the length of Bella's spine, dipping down so his lips reach her ear. "You go shower first. Take your time. I'll be up in a bit."
There's nothing explicit - or even implicit - about what he says, but Bella feels the heat rising in her cheeks anyway. She nods, face red, and beats a path upstairs with the things Alice had sent over.
Masen's bathroom is just as neat, clean, and minimal as she remembers it, with the single exception of a second toothbrush sitting beside his own. It's a soft shade a pink, much different from his grey, and clearly meant for her. She stares at it for an embarrassingly long time, absorbing the implications of it, before she manages to get into the shower.
From there, it's all routine, even if the scent of the soap is deliciously sandalwood-cinnamon, just like Masen. She doesn't waste too much time in the shower, knowing that she needs her hair to dry as quickly as possible. She has it wrapped in a towel before she gets out and ends up exchanging it after she wiggles into the floaty, deep mauve cap-sleeved tea-length dress Alice sent for her. Bella recognizes it from something Alice had made last winter when they were snowed in for three days and while it's not a perfect fit, it's good enough for such short notice. The shoes, on the other hand, Bella holds a grudge against. She's pretty sure the shoes are Rose's, a nude pump with a subtle shimmer on the pointed toes. She puts the heels on, wobbles, and steps right out of them, deciding she'll just put them on before the party starts and not a moment sooner.
As for the rest, she digs through the cosmetics bag, frowning at the products someone - probably Rose, who loves her make-up - thought to throw in. There's some kind of cream blush Bella doesn't have the first idea of how to use, as well as some kind of facial spray that promises "dewy" skin. She looks at it all skeptically, takes out the muted rose-pink matte stain and mascara she does know how to use, and decides to give a subtle champagne-colored eyeshadow a shot. Everything else is unnecessary.
By the time she's carefully applying the lip stain, Masen comes through the loft to lean against the bathroom doorjamb, watching her with a placid sort of calm. She meets his eyes in the mirror and his lips twitch. Fortunately - surely sensing that make-up application isn't one of her strong suits - he remains silent until she caps the product and tosses it back into the toiletry bag. Only then does he step into the bathroom properly, closing the distance between them to gently thumb at the side of her bottom lip.
"Smudge," he says by way of explanation. He says it so casually too, as if that little touch wasn't enough to send searing heat right into her cheeks.
Bella pouts at him, just barely maintaining her cool by a single internal thread. "They sent over so many things and I don't know how to use them."
"You don't need them," he tells her simply, pressing a kiss between her brows. "But I do need the bathroom. Unless you'd like to stay?"
She slaps at his chest lightly and hastily retreats to the sound of his huffing laughter, her face still hot as she settles onto the couch as the shower in the bathroom squeaks on. Feeling the dampness still lingering, she settles for a loose braid side braid, which she coils up behind her ear on one side of her head, pinning it in place with the bobby pins that came with the rest of the cosmetics. The result feels both loose and secure, and she decides it has to be good enough because the day has been long and she no longer has the bandwidth to care much more about how she looks.
Bella scrolls through her social media accounts, distantly hearing Masen's soft clinks in the bathroom as he cycles through all of his after-shower products, and then the slide of the bathroom door and the rustle of clothing in the bedroom. When he comes back to the front of the loft, he's wearing a sharply-cut deep navy suit with a lightly checked grey-and-sky-blue shirt underneath, which he leaves unbuttoned at the top collar. Bella knows that he's just standing there adjusting his cufflinks, but her breath catches anyway. He is, she acknowledges again, a stunning human being - and all the more because of the deft intelligence in his eyes.
Masen offers her a tilted smile, his eyes flickering down to her bare feet. He spots the nude pumps by the coffee table and moves to kneel before her to help her into the heels. Bella has very strong flashbacks of Cinderella, except she bets that Cinderella never felt a flash of heat when Prince Charming's fingers lingered on the delicate bone of her ankle. She and Masen are both silent as he helps her, the quiet between them thick with a new kind of tension.
And then he holds out his hand as he stands in front of the couch. "Let's go."
Bella takes his hand, his bracelet dangling from her wrist - and tries very hard not to feel like they are about to step into their future.
It's just an office party, press release sort of thing. It's not that deep.
But her heart feels otherwise, feels full and fit to burst.
Downstairs, the scent of food is wafting gently through the air, a herbal, spicy sort of scent that has her mouth-watering. She doesn't know what the caterers are able to make in a kitchen that has no stove or oven, but she supposes they must have their own equipment in the parking lot, maybe something like Garrett's food truck. Whatever it is, she wants a taste of it as soon as possible. But of course, the food isn't ready and all Bella can do is throw a longing glance at the covered chafing dish as Masen guides her further into the office where most of the employees have already arrived and loiter in suit-and-tie groups. They all clean up very nicely.
"It's weird to see this room full of people and not a single person is wearing anything with a pop culture reference," she whispers into Masen's shoulder.
Masen tilts his head down just slightly. "You say that only because you haven't seen Peter's bowtie."
Bella follows his gaze, and sure enough, Peter is wearing a suspiciously familiar-looking red bowtie and a deep brown suit, almost black. It takes her a moment to place why the combination looks familiar, and then it's all she can do to stifle a laugh. "Is he dressed like the Eleventh Doctor?"
Masen hums.
Alistair turns up from her other side, apparently having overheard her as he trailed behind them from upstairs. "I tried to talk him out of it," Alistair grouses, and for once the haughty planes of his face match the high-classed English of his accent. Alistair crosses his arms over his chest and sniffs derisively. "I told him this wasn't Comic-Con and the wanker had the gall to laugh at me."
"It's very subtle," Bella tells him, trying to be reassuring. "I'm sure the press and the investors won't notice."
Alistair doesn't appear convinced. But of course, he's from England - and from what Bella hears, everyone knows about Doctor Who there. She's not as well-versed in it as she could be. The whole show is more of Leah's domain.
She's about to say as much to Alistair when a sudden shout echoes through the room and draws everyone's attention. There is a blue or movement as Peter dashes forward excitedly, and she only just manages to turn around to see him practically jump into Garrett's arms before, much to her shock, Peter and Garrett lock lips very passionately in the middle of the room. There is definitely a hand straying much lower than it should in a crowd, not that Peter seems to mind. All Peter does is cling onto Garrett, wrinkling the shoulders of Garrett's stark black-on-black suit, not that Garrett seems to mind that, either.
Even with the bustling of the catering staff, a pin could drop in the office and everyone would be able to hear it.
After much too long - a truly shameless amount of time for any form of PDA - Peter and Garrett separate, and Peter grins up at Garrett like a flower to the sun. Garrett isn't much like the sun, however. Maybe more like a night-blooming flower to the moon, then. Either way, there's no denying that Peter looks deliriously happy, and while Garrett's face is as cold as ever, there's something soft about the way he looks at Peter.
It actually kind of reminds Bella of the way Masen looks at her when there's nobody around.
All the same, Bella and Masen would probably never be like that in public. Not even a little bit. She can't even imagine it.
She's evidently not the only one, because Emmett's booming voice pipes in from near the conference room. "Don't do that shit when the investors are here, Pete!"
Peter turns around, arms spread wide, and though his stance is challenging, his attitude is nothing short of jovial. "I'm here and I'm queer. Got a problem with it?"
"We don't care you're as gay as a basket full of rainbows," Charles says. "Congrats, man! And scary man!"
Liam curls his lip and skulks around the other side of the room, likely as far from Peter as he can get. "We do care if we have to see it, though."
"Don't be homophobic," Charles chides.
"Fuck you," Liam retorts. "It has nothing to do with homophobia, I just don't need to see anybody's tongue entering anybody's mouth."
Charles looks very sad for Liam. "This is why you're still single."
Peter, naturally, is quick to agree with Charles, and for some reason Emmett is inspired to get involved in the squabble, defending Liam's side, and half of the rest of the room joins in about what kind of PDA should be allowed in the office. Garrett is the only one who doesn't seem to care, his gaze steadily riveted on Peter.
Well, Masen actually appears to have the same intensity, although it's directed in a decidedly more productive direction.
"Are the press here?" Masen asks Alistair, blithely ignoring the rest of the room.
Bella fairly gapes at him, alarmed by his one-track mind, but also more than a little impressed over it. What had Alice said over the spring? That Masen treated people like air? It's never been more true than it is now.
She probably shouldn't find it attractive, and yet.
Alistair answers in the affirmative and Masen gives out quick directions for Alistair to let the press in, which Alistair hurries to do, and then Masen shoots a witheringly cool glance at the rest of Midnight Sun, who calm and fall quiet under his stare.
She probably shouldn't find that attractive, either.
From there, the night is a blur. The press interviews go on for an hour before the investors show up and the entire time is spent with Masen and Emmett ping-ponging answers off each other, promoting the company, and answering questions without giving too much information away. Bella watches and listens with awe as Masen manages to cultivate interest and excitement with carefully-worded phrases that evoke more curiosity. The press eats it all up. She can only imagine what the papers and blogs will say tomorrow.
Masen's silver-tongued charade continues when the investors arrive, and Bella is arrested at the sight of him effortlessly charming men who are double, sometimes triple his age, with an easy, affable smile. At some point, Alistair comes to her side with a plate in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. He hands her the plate and keeps the glass, and then says, "It's strange, isn't it?"
She makes an inquiring noise around some kind of sausage-stuffed mushroom.
Alistair nods to Masen. "Watching him be like this, schmoozing. He can turn it off and on so easily."
At this, Bella can't help but agree. "Like a chameleon," she says with open admiration.
Alistair sighs. "I'm surrounded by lovesick idiots."
She giggles at him. "You sound like my sister."
"Then she must be smart."
"She's the one who gave you all those peanuts," Bella reminds him.
Alistair makes a face. "Well, nevermind then." He takes a look at the expensive watch on his wrist, then says, "Hurry and finish your food. The presentation and the launch is about to happen."
Bella follows his directions because Alistair has never led her astray before. In the conference room, he deposits her near the projection screen then goes to join Masen, Emmett, and Peter at the front of the room. The presentation itself is clearly designed for the investors, the sort of explanation laypeople would be able to understand, but the demo Peter cues up is breathtaking. Bella watches it unfold and feels pride. She helped design some of this; she helped make choices that contributed to this game, and the fruits of their collective labor are brilliant.
Apparently, consumers seem to feel the same way, because, within five minutes of the official launch, there is a veritable blow-out of success in how many people have downloaded the game from mobile app stores. The much-anticipated second release from Midnight Sun seems destined for success and the investors look more than pleased.
After that, there's a lot of mingling and self-congratulations, the press swarming around to take quotes. Occasionally, Peter or Emmett will read out the first batch of reviews that are pouring in from Twitter. Masen shakes a lot of hands and seems to be genuinely enjoying this success along with the rest of the company, and all Bella can do is smile.
She's part of this too.
Yet, as the night stretches on, and the warm bubbling of champagne is washed away by water, Bella begins to feel tired. Fortunately, the even seems to be winding down, so she steels herself and continues making polite small talk with one of the press - a local video game blogger - who recognized her as Swanning. It's not hard to do, but she's glad all the same when the office building once again empties out until it's just the Midnight Sun employees.
"You've all worked hard," Masen tells the room at large. "We have more work to do, but for now, enjoy a long weekend. Don't come back until Tuesday."
The men all cheer at Masen's generosity, many of them appearing truly gobsmacked, but not hasty to second-guess the decision. Soon enough, even the Midnight Sunners clear out, many of them taking the leftovers from the catering staff with them.
Bella yawns, leaning against one of the cocktail tables, and kicks off her shoes, hissing at the stretch of the tendons in her feet. Masen is almost immediately at her elbow, bending to pick up her shoes. "You're tired," he observes, passing the pumps to her, eyes studying her carefully. "Go on up."
"M'kay."
It's an easy enough directive, but getting up two flights of stairs feels more challenging than it probably should. She must really be out of shape if one day of physical activity has exhausted her so thoroughly. Or maybe she's just tired from happiness and satisfaction. Menagerie has successfully launched, and now they can all focus on the DOW2 demo.
Bella drops her shoes by the door and stumbles through the loft, searching for her clothes in the bathroom and frowning when she doesn't find them. She thinks to check the bedroom and, yes, there they are, folded neatly on the foot of Masen's bed. But because Bella wants nothing more than to change out of this dress, of course, the zipper chooses that very moment to get stuck.
She huffs and wiggles, stretching her arms backward and tugging, silently cursing the design of the dress that makes it impossible to pull over her head or step out of. The next time Alice sends her a dress, Bella will make sure to specify that the dress is easy to get out of. Growing frustrated, Bella continues to pull ineffectually at the zipper, and she's so consumed by the task that she doesn't realize Masen has come back until his hands brush hers away.
"Let me," he says, almost inaudibly. There is a firm tug and then the catch of the zipper as it's pulled down to just below her shoulder blades.
Masen exhales softly, his breath washing over her skin and making her shiver. She swallows and dares to look over her shoulder. Masen meets her eye and strokes a single finger down the knobs of her spine, from the nape of her neck to the line of her bra. Holding her gaze, Masen dips down to kiss the curve of her shoulder and then presses another closer to her neck. She arches into his touch.
"I want you," he says, the zipper of the dress lowering all the way to the base of her spine.
The only thing holding up her dress is her arms pressing the bodice to her front. She seriously debates just dropping her arms for a moment, then licks her lips, fighting a shiver under his attentions. "Masen..."
She can feel the upward turn of his lips on her neck and she feels dizzy for an entirely new reason. "Not all at once," he amends. "I'd like to savor you. There's something to be said about delayed gratification."
"Will you touch me?" she asks and it feels like her skin is on fire. She can't believe she actually said that. She can't believe she wants it, but she does and she can't deny it. Her body is quivering for more than just a glancing, ghostly touch. She wants something that lingers, something that makes her shiver, something that she will only ever share with this person - her person.
"Do you want me to?" he murmurs against her skin, and there's no denying that it's a slow sort of seduction, one meant to lure her into the promise of something she hasn't even imagined. His breath washes over her nape while he waits for her answer, his fingers just barely tracing the dip of her spine between the parted zipper of her dress.
"Please," she breathes.
Masen is seemingly very happy - eager - to oblige. He was waiting for permission, she knows. She can tell by the way his hands turn hot and heavy on her skin, skimming her dress off her hips, learning the shape of her waist, and the weight of her breasts through padded fabric. His chest is pressed against her back as he lavishes kisses on the other side of her neck, skillfully teasing and stroking her into a state of heaving, lust-heavy breaths and a squirming, heated sort of ache between her legs. When she makes a noise of frustration after he purposefully traces over her most sensitive place, a touch lighter than a feather, it spurs him into action - and soon enough, Bella finds herself on his bed, legs spread to accommodate the wedge of his hips, his mouth prying hers open and muddling every thought in her head.
She grips at his shoulders, his arms, nails digging into the fabric until it occurs to her that she can be feeling his skin, too. She struggles with the buttons of his shirt, pushing it off with a huff, and then muffling a sound of pleasure when his hips buck into hers. Her back arches, hips rising and falling with the rhythm he sets, and she pulls him down into a fiercer kiss, breathing him in. Masen manages to undo the clasp of her bra, and then it's his mouth on her, suckling and nipping as she clutches him closer, holding him in place.
"Ah-" Bella breaks off as his hand dips beneath her underwear, drawing out the slick of her, fingers sinking in deep at a luxuriously slow pace, curling inside in time with each brush of his thumb over her swollen clit. Her head drops back against the pillows and she loses all sense of rational thought for a while, mewling under Masen's attention. His hardness registers against her thigh, though, and she manages to push him away by the shoulders, her nipples glistening and red, his grey-green eyes dazed. Bella licks her lips and his eyes follow the movement. "You too," she manages, breathless, reaching for the button of his slacks.
Naked together, they lay side-by-side, her leg hooked over his hip as he continues working his hand between her thighs, his mouth dedicated to the crest of her collarbones. Her shaking hands trace along the subtle, soft muscles of his body, finding the strength there, feeling the pounding of his heart, then the trail of hair leading down to his -
She breathes in deep as Masen grinds the heel of his palm against her fluttering center - and then returns the favor by bolding grasping at his length. He's wet too, at the time. She didn't know that happened to men. He's also achingly hard, the skin soft and hot, and when she clumsily strokes from root to tip, he groans into her skin, his hips driving upward against her. She clenches inside, trembling as heat skitters down her spine coiling, waiting for just one more bead of pressure to push her over the edge. She squeezes at him unconsciously and the suddenness of it must come as a surprise, because the fingers inside her jam upward with more force than before, and she tumbles into a rush of pleasure, her head thrown back with a loud, high-pitched gasp.
She's still quivering from her climax when she finds herself again on her back, with Masen again between her legs. There's a dark, liquid heat in his eyes, his tongue flicking at the fingers that had been inside of her.
It doesn't escape either of their notice that all it would take is a single push for them to -
But Masen doesn't do that. He captures her lips - they are salty now - and hooks an arm around her back. With his hips holding her legs open and his strength enforcing her position, it takes nothing at all for him to grind his length against her slick center, the wet glide almost embarrassingly loud amid their gasps. Or it might have been, had Bella not been overtaken by that rush of too-pleasurable overstimulation that has her twitching in his grasp, meeting his every thrust and grind. Sometimes, the head of his cock will brush against her clit, and she will cry out under his mouth, raking her nails across his shoulder blades. He seems to delight in this, pulling away to draw his still-wet hand down to her center again, rubbing insistent circles against her until she is coming again - this time with warmth spreading over her belly, the sound of Masen's groans in her ear.
Breathing hard, they lay side by side, Masen's cum cooling just below her belly button, her thighs slick, the smell of sex in the air.
Because they'd just had sex. Maybe not proper penetrative sex, but there's no doubt about it - this was sex. Better and more intense than what happened before, especially now that Masen had gotten his, as well. And Bella had gotten hers twice.
She looks down the length of her body, taking in the sex flush rising on her milky skin, the red marks from Masen's mouth and his slow-growing stubble - and the small, cloudy puddle pooled on her stomach, rapidly cooling in the air. Somehow, her body still finds a way to blush about it all.
"Should get cleaned up," Masen says after several moments, reaching up to stroke her hair away from her face, running a thumb over her kiss-swollen lips. "You were beautiful."
Bella smiles, bashful. It's one thing to be called beautiful during the day and quite another to be called beautiful at a time like this. But she doesn't doubt that Masen fully believes what he says. She doesn't quite have the words to say how much she appreciates him or how beautiful she finds him at this moment, too, all his walls down and fully mussed, looking far more human than he ever has. So she leans up to kiss him, the touch of their lips almost comically chaste compared to their previous exchanges.
"You too," she says as she pulls away, her heart thumping loudly.
God, but she loves him.
"Share a shower?" she offers. "Conserve water to save the planet?"
Masen's answering smile is surprisingly boyish. His lingering touches in the shower, however, are not.
Bella ends up staying the night, tucked against Masen's chest as they fall asleep.
[BuzzFeedNews- Arts & Entertainment]
Menagerie Is the Mobile Game We've Waited Our Whole Lives For: An Objective Review of the Latest Midnight Sun Release
October 3, 2020
Tia Benjamen
When Midnight Sun first released Pagan Immortals over the summer, the enthusiasm was off the charts. With a cult following cultivated over several small-time releases of helpful software designed by Midnight Sun founder and CEO, Masen Cullen, Pagan Immortals was already set up for success before it even hit the app stores. The game blew up and brought the gaming community to a screeching halt - but many critics were divided on whether this rookie start-up could possibly stand up to their own reputation, so it was with bated breaths that the world was waiting for Midnight Sun's second release.
Menagerie is the pseudo-follow-up to Pagan Immortals, a sequel mind-bender first-person RPG that threads mystery through the entire gameplay. Eagle-eyed gamers will spot the Easter eggs for Midnight Sun's first release - in particular, the statues of Pan and Circe's demise from the final level of Pagan Immortal's main quest - as they level through this fast-paced game, which has left many gamers wondering if Midnight Sun is about to create an entire universe of interconnected mobile games.
I won't be mad if they do, because Menagerie is everything Pagan Immortals was and more! Without giving away any spoilers, Menagerie has obviously taken inspiration from the likes of Castlevania with a gothic horror twist and dark humor that will have players saying, "What just happened to me? Am I the monster?" at 3 AM when they really should be sleeping (I regret nothing).
In an exclusive BuzzFeed interview last night with Midnight Sun's CEO, Masen Cullen said, "Castlevania was huge when we were growing up. Our head graphic designer, Alistair Anderson, spent his entire childhood playing the game, and our head programmer, Peter Charlet, has the entire collection of every Castlevania release. We wanted to honor the game, but also put our own spin on it."
The spin, if you were wondering, is a huge spoiler, so I can't say anything about it. However, I can confirm that Menagerie's gorgeous gameplay isn't the only thing drawing excitement from gamers. According to Cullen, Menagerie's software contains a first-generation optimization engine to lower the stress put on graphics chips during gameplay. In other words, Midnight Sun has come up with a way to save your display, stop your phone from feeling like it's on fire, and prolong your battery life.
If you think that's impressive, then you're not the only one. I got a chance to speak with some of Midnight Sun's veteran investors after the official launch - which had a quarter of a million downloads in the first 5 minutes, including my own - and they were all collectively amazed. They expect to see "more great things" from Midnight Sun in the future.
Methinks there's something else coming down the pipe and I can't help but speculate if it has anything to do with those Volturi rumors we're all not talking about. If Midnight Sun collaborated with Volturi in the rumored sequel to Dawn of Warcraft, I think my head might possibly explode. Considering that Menagerie manages all the sophistication of a PC game and with twice the artistry, I can't imagine what they would be capable of creating with a full-scale game produced by Volturi.
For now, gamers will have to content themselves to unraveling the mystery of Menagerie until Midnight Sun releases more information about its next project.
Comments
13TexRex
bro you aren't kidding i thought my phone was going to explode because the graphics are *that* beautiful, but it was so smooth!
TooTrue
I'm not afraid to admit that I stayed up all night playing the main quest and Holy Shit
leonerd
Yes! Holy Shit! I didn't see the ending coming! And there's more - I just started the first branch quest and I could cry from happiness
Salsasasa
can Volturi please partner with Midnight Sun for DOW2? idk how they're deciding who to collaborate with, but it needs to be Midnight Sun
pumosumo
I have a cousin who has a friend who says Volturi is looking at Midnight Sun and some other company in CA for collab rights. Personally I hope it's Midnight Sun.
View More Comments
Bella gets back to the dorm early on Saturday morning, early enough that the dining halls are still serving breakfast. It's the first Saturday of the month, which means the nearest dining hall is serving Belgian waffles, and with or without sleeping in Masen's bed, nothing is going to get between Bella and those waffles. Except, maybe, her nosy roommates who, much to her surprise, seem to have camped out in the common room, sprawled across the beanbags with pillows and comforters spread across the floor.
Either Bella missed their plans for a sleepover, or the girls had a spontaneous one. She's betting on the latter, especially given the devious glint in Rose's eyes as she sits up gracefully, flicking blonde hair over her shoulder with a saucy smirk.
Bella has a bad feeling about this.
"So," Rose drawls out, running a speculative eye over Bella's wrinkled clothes and the slightly-tangled wave of her hair where last night's braid had fallen out. Rose lets the word rest in the room for a while, waiting for Alice and Leah to sit up, watching as Bella clutches her book bag and the garment bag to her chest. Satisfied that she has everyone's attention, Rose finishes her question. "How was it?"
Yes, Bella does have a very bad feeling.
She isn't blind to the implication, but she also wants Rose to say it out loud. She plays a little dumb. "How was what?"
"The sex," Rose says bluntly.
Leah grimaces.
"Rose!" Alice squeaks.
Rose snorts. "What? She's got the glow. It's rude to not point it out when it's so obvious."
'What glow?" Alice asks.
"Please don't say it," Leah mutters.
"The freshly-popped-cherry glow," Rose says knowledgeably, gesturing broadly to Bella's entire person.
Bella would wonder how Rose just seems to know these things, but then again - Bella did sleepover at her boyfriend's house last night, so it isn't exactly a leaping conclusion to draw. Still, she does wonder if maybe she does have this alleged glow, or if she and Masen haven't gone far enough. Or maybe Rose is just trying to stoke up the drama for her own entertainment. Bella honestly doesn't know, but it's probably a little bit of both.
Leah groans, pulling a pillow over her face. "Ugh. You still said it. My ears are bleeding."
Bella also pulls a face. "That is not a thing," she says firmly. "And no, I don't, because THAT didn't happen."
And then, because the best way to prove everything is normal is to be normal, she weaves through the common room to deposit her burden on her desk and claims her own bean bag, reaching over to steal Leah's pillow to hug it to her chest. Rose watches this all, utterly unconvinced because she really is very smart.
"Oh, really? What what did you do all night at Masen's place? Play Jenga?"
Bella laughs. "Why would anyone play Jenga? It's the literal worst."
"Jenga is pretty boring," Alice agrees.
"Better Jenga than private parts touching," Leah grouses, and then sticks her tongue out when they all stare at her.
Rose rolls her eyes, shrugging. "I don't know," she says with a wondering tone. "Maybe you did play Jenga. Sexy Jenga."
Bella's brows lift. "What is Sexy Jenga?"
"It's like regular Jenga, except every time you move a block, you have to do something sexy," Rose explains.
Bella titters. "Well, as fun as that sounds, nothing really happened. I was there for the launch party, remember? We just slept."
Rose's blue gaze sharpens. "In the same bed, though?"
Bella bites her lip.
Rose claps her hands together. "I knew it! Good for you, Swan!"
"Congratulations, Bella!" Alice says cheerfully. "If you're happy about it, that is!"
Leah stretches on the floor, looking plaintively at the ceiling. "Why do I have to be here for this conversation, again?"
"Because you love your sister," Alice reminds her.
In response, Leah holds out a fist for Bella to bump.
Bella smacks her hand away, cheeks on fire. "You're all being ridiculous! It's not a big deal!"
It's kind of a big deal. Bella isn't sure what base she and Masen got to last night, but it's more sexual than anything she's ever done in her life, which she supposes is cause for some sort of congratulations. She would just prefer those congratulations to be silent, if possible.
And yet, she's clearly friends with too many extroverts for that to happen.
Rose's gaze dips to Bella's neck and her look grows disbelieving. "Not a big deal? Then explain this," she says, reaching out to poke at Bella's neck where, sure enough, a hickey has bloomed beneath her hair.
Bella smacks her hand away too, pulling her hair back over her shoulder to cover the mark better. Her face is on fire. "It's no big deal," she says again.
"I can see that you're lying. You're a terrible liar. You know that, right?"
Bella pouts. "I am not."
Leah barks out a laugh, bending her head backward to get a better look at Bella's face. "Rose is right, you do have a certain glow. I've never seen you so red."
"Because I'm embarrassed and you all suck!" Bella cries out, now throwing her stolen pillow in her sister's face.
"Just admit you had sex!" Rose says around a laugh.
"Admit it! Admit it!" Alice cheers.
"I didn't have sex!" Bella bursts out. "Just a really good orgasm!"
"Gross!" Leah shouts. "I didn't want to know that!"
"Are you kidding?" Bella demands, wishing she had another pillow to throw. She reaches for one and throws it at Leah, too. "You guys are the one asking!"
"I didn't think you'd answer!" Leah defends, tossing a pillow back and missing spectacularly.
"Wait, back up!" Rose cuts in. "Orgasm, but no sex?"
Alice appears a little thoughtful, coming to Bella's defense. "Well, there are ways, right? Like, how strict are we defining sex?"
"Penetrative and oral count," Rose says definitively.
"Oh. Well, then, Bella?"
Bella buries her face in her hands. "Wouldn't anything resulting in an orgasm count as a sexual activity? Do we have to go into the details? Can't we just be done with it?"
Rose shoots her an imperious look. "This is what girlfriends are for, to gab about our sex lives and how to take down the patriarchy. Today just happens to be a day where sex is the topic."
Alice, meanwhile, is tapping her finger against her chin. "Are you considered sexually active if you're giving yourself orgasms, or do you need a partner?"
"That's a good question," Bella admits. If she goes to her GYN-OB tomorrow and she's asked about her sexual activity, will she have to say she's sexually active or not? She thinks she would say she is, considering last night, but maybe it's all semantics at this point. She isn't sure. "If you're sexually active once, does that mean you're considered sexually active all the time? Or does it change if you don't have a partner?"
Leah shakes her head. "Another debate I just can't care about."
Rose is contemplative - and sharp enough to call Bella out. "I know what you're doing," she says. "And while the debate is super relevant, I know you're only entertaining it to distract from the real issue, which is your Schrodinger's virginity."
Bella sputters, caught, and hastily scrambles out of the bean bag chair. "Anyway! I should go now, take a shower so we can get to the dining hall. Did you know it's Belgian waffle day?"
Rose cackles behind Bella as she escapes to the bathroom. "Make sure to use a Ph-friendly soap while you wash off your man's-"
"Ugh!"
The last thing Bella hears before she finds refuge is Leah saying, "My asexual ass did not need to know any of this."
Bella is helpless to agree - but even for all the teasing, she's glad that this is what she gets to come home to. Friends who are without judgment, who want to know her and welcome her and support her. Even if it's a little uncomfortable in the moment.
A/N: Update 3 of 3! Friends are like that. If they can't give you a hard time, then what do you have them for? But on a more serious note, there is a serious question here: What are your thoughts about being "sexually active"? Do you need to have a partner, or does it count if you're solo? The true answer, according to Google, is sexual activity is determined by the risk of exposure to an STI - which means you do need to technically have a partner and share bodily fluids. And yes, being sexually active can turn off and on based on how long it's been since you had a partner. Just FYI, for those with male partners, semen can live inside the body for up to 5 days and your doctor can definitely find traces. (This is also why it's so much fucking bullshit that rape victims only have 24 to 48 hours to "collect evidence" with a rape kit and are discouraged from showering until afterward - the evidence, scientifically, is there if no protection was used. Upsetting, but true.)
Other notes on the chapter: Bella has obviously changed Masen's contact to "Madly Ever After", both because she knows the boys call him Mad Hatter and because she's Happily Ever After in love with him. It's both sappy and a fun play-on-words. These kids are so precious.
On to other things - let's talk about voting, specifically your voting plan. If you have not done so already, send in your request for your absentee or mail-in ballot today, right now, by searching up your county's election board (Google Name Of Your County Vote). Complete your request now so your ballot can get to you on time. Also, double-check that you're registered to vote, particularly if you live in a "red" state because things are getting hinky there. To be safe, check your registration status once a week, preferably by Monday so you have more business days to get things sorted out.
Now, on to your voting plan. Obviously, the idea is to use your mail-in ballot to vote by mail, but since that is still up in the air, the best thing for you to do is find your local ballot drop box and drop your vote there as soon as possible (you can find this drop box also at your county's election board). Of course, if you would prefer to vote in person, then look up your state's early voting dates and make sure you can attend. Early voting is less crowded, so it's safer for COVID. . And be sure to follow the directions on your mail-in ballot! You will have your ballot, which you will fill out and then place into the Secrecy Envelope, and then the Secrecy Envelope is placed into the Mailing Envelope, which you need to seal, sign, and date - DO NOT send in your ballot unless it is in BOTH envelopes, signed, and dated. Absolutely essential that this happens.
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it. Stay safe, stay inside, stay healthy - and stay on your toes. Don't let go of your outrage, it's the only thing saving you from complacency.
~Rae