After dating him for about six weeks, she came to find out that Mason has a very quirky little habit.
Well, at least Emma judges it to be quirky, she had never come across anyone else with such a proclivity.
It was not something normal, like along the lines of rolling pens between his fingers whenever boredom strikes in class or whistling a bubble-gum pop song to himself when he thinks no one is listening.
It was no secret that Mason Jennings, her boyfriend and childhood friend, had more wealth than he could possibly need, but she did not think that his, well, profligate behaviour was so pronounced.
Mason has a habit, and that habit was to buy Emma every single thing he thinks she might like.
When she complained about it to her sister, Mackenzie, she laughed out loud.
"I really do wish I was kidding!" Says Emma, face completely deadpan as she stares at Mackenzie from across the table. "He buys me everything. We went to the mall together yesterday and he saw me very briefly glance at a box of chocolates at that expensive chocolaterie on the second floor. Next thing I know, he's dragging me to the cashier and buying not one—"
"I'm guessing not two." Her coloured hair sister says, finding the situation quite ridiculous.
"Not two! Not three either, because that boy has too much money on his hands!"
"Four?"
Emma presses a palm to her forehead, leaning on the stuffed armchair she was sitting. "Try five."
Mackenzie laughs loudly once more, falling back on the couch as she takes deep breaths to steady her voice and allows her to talk normally again. "You are living the dream of every girl in your cheerleading team."
"Don't be judgy!" The older one berated. "They aren't all vapid sugar babies."
The younger girl raised an eyebrow.
"Fine, Lauren definitively is vapid and high-maintenance, but not all of them. Ava's in the team, she dated Mason and they broke up."
"Yeah, I wonder what that is all about." Mackenzie responds, in a sarcastic tone.
"Well, my argument stands." Emma counters.
"And mine does too. I know girls who would kill to have someone like Mason Jennings." The painter points out, matter-of-factly. "Rich, handsome, popular and absolutely whipped. I mean, I know the boy my whole life, and I can't say a single good thing about him besides those four. That's gotta be it."
The former cheerleader glared at her sister, who shrugged.
Emma sighs. "Look, it's not that I don't appreciate what he does for me, but sometimes..." She trails off, falling silent in search of the right word. "He's a bit..."
"Too much?" Mackenzie suggests. "Too rich for your liking? Too rich for human decency?"
"He spoils me too much." Emma mutters, and she does not know why, but saying it out loud has her cheeks flooding pink. "I don't really feel like I deserve it, and I don't want him to think I'm with him because he buys me stuff."
Mackenzie gives her an unimpressed look. "Look, I might not care all that much for the Jennings. I might think you could do better. But I can see that boy adores you, sis. He would punch his plutocrat dad's face for you if you asked him to."
Emma raises her eyebrows. "Would he?"
"Well… You might have to be a little insistent, and he had to have a bit of a death wish." Mackenzie shrugs. "Point is, he'd do anything for you. He'd obviously buy anything for you, as he has so kindly proved."
"Well, what if I don't want him to?" Wonders Emma, her voice a little desperate-sounding. "I haven't even finished half a box of the chocolates he bought me yesterday, and I still have unopened candy from last week, and that's after I gave you half my stash."
The youngest gaped. "That was half?! Goddamnit, who is he? The witch from Hansel and Gretel?"
She nodded, emphatically. "See?! It's too much!"
"Well, OK, I give you that, but have you considered telling him that?" She asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and it really was.
Emma scoffed. "Have I?! No matter what I say to convince him that I don't need a designer dress that happened to catch my eye for two seconds, or a nice camera my gaze lingered on for a little too long, he never listens. He marches right up to the cashier and slaps a blasted credit card onto the counter and then suddenly it's all mine for the taking."
Mackenzie looks terribly amused. Leaning forward, she settles her elbows on the arms of the couch to approach her sister on the chair and drive her point home by shrugging a petulant shoulder.
"He's a man in love, Emma. In love and a little stupid." She says, a single brow arched. "If he wants to show how much he loves you by spoiling you rotten with things you don't even need, then let him. It's not like it's hurting anyone, it's certainly not hurting you."
Emma swallows. Indignantly, she says, "It's hurting his finances."
Mackenzie only scoffs. "Well, that's his problem, and his dad's problem, to solve. Think of it as wealth redistribution."
"Our dad's a doctor, Mackenzie. I don't think we qualify for that." The oldest sister points out. "We might be in debt, but we're hardly lining up in front of a soup kitchen."
"The American economic system runs on reckless consumption, Emma. Think of all the families and small business that you could be helping by hinting you want a carbon fibre easel and an ink set from that store downtown."
"But I don't paint." She points out.
"Well, I do, and if you're done with the material consumption, I have a couple of things I want but can't afford on my allowance."
Emma hits her sister with a throw pillow.
"Ow!" She complains. "OK, got it, no art supplies. How about a puppy? We can call him Mason Jr."
"Dad's allergic. Mason Jr. would go straight to the pound." Emma, with a tinge of regret, reminds her sister. "And don't give him any ideas!"
Mackenzie rolls her eyes and points out the bay window with a wicked smirk on her face. "I don't have to. Look, here he comes now. I wonder what he may have brought for our delight."
Sure enough, when Emma looks towards where Mack was pointing, Mason is walking across the front lawn towards their home with his hands tucked behind his back.
The doorbell rings, and Mackenzie shouts, running towards it: "I'll take it! I'll take it!"
The youngest sister opens the front door widely and, with a smile, greets her brother-in-law. "Hey, Jennings, what's up?"
"Hey, Mack. I'm fine, how about you?" He responds, amicably.
"Oh, I'm hanging. See, I came with a business proposal. How would you like to invest on a budding local artist? I'm sure it would make my sister very happy…"
Emma throws her another pillow, that hits her sister straight on her head.
"Ow! Emma!" The youngest complained. "Damned shooting accuracy!"
"Stop trying to scam my boyfriend, Mackenzie!" She screamed from the living room.
"Ugh, fine!" The artist shouted back. "Emma's in the back. I'll be in my bedroom. If you need me, don't call."
The younger girl went up the stairs two steps at a time, and left Emma and Mason alone together. She flicks her eyebrows up at him and leans up when he stands in front of her to press a chaste kiss to his lips out of a greeting.
"What have we here?" She asks, trying to take a peek at what he holds behind him.
A prideful smile sneaks its way onto Mason's face. "Like the loving boyfriend that I am, I've bought you this."
And then he brings his arms to his front to show her what he has clutched in his hands: another bag from the blasted chocolaterie.
"More of the chocolate I bought you yesterday!" Announces Mason with excitement. "In case the ones I bought weren't enough."
Emma meets Mackenzie's gaze from upstairs.
"Whipped." Mackenzie mouths and pretends to hold a riding crop.