Chapter 52 - Childhood Playmate

After their stroll on the beach, Mason brought Kelsey to a street food fair downtown. Together, they tried different types of food - Korean, Moroccan, Indian, Japanese, Mexican, and more - and they were all delicious. For dessert, Mason asked Nina to get them two tickets at the famous all-you-can-eat dessert place in town. They were bloated by the end of the day but they certainly had a blast.

Before the day was over, Mason brought her to one of his favourite place to go to as he was growing up. He held her hand and led her to the rooftop of his grandmother's house.

"Wow, this is beautiful." Kelsey gasped out as she stared at the rooftop garden. There were all types of colourful flowers and Kelsey was amazed at the view.

"Right? I always go here to think. It's my haven, I guess." Mason admitted as he sat on the ledge that was surrounded by a fence to prevent anyone from falling forward.

Kelsey carefully touched the blue roses and stared at it in awe. "Where's your grandmother anyway?" She asked him.

"She's out of the country for awhile. You know, doing some business transactions. I still haven't thanked her for what she's done." Mason uttered as he looked at the rooftop view.

"In a way, we both owe her, don't we? Not only did she fix your relationship with your father, but she also played cupid and fixed us." Kelsey said as she made her way towards him and sat down.

Mason smiled and took her hand that was resting on her lap. "I will forever be grateful to her because of this. She's always been my guardian angel. I guess she still is."

There was a moment of peaceful silent as they held each other's hands and focused their eyes on the view below them. The sun was starting to set and the horizon was slowly turning orangey-pink. They were both watching the sunset when Mason remembered a topic that he was unsure if he was allowed to discuss again. But out of his curiosity, he asked anyway.

"Remember when you told me that when you're ready, you'll tell me about your father? Since we're talking about fathers, I was just curious if you're ready to tell me about yours." Mason carefully asked her, not wanting to ruin the peaceful and comfortable atmosphere they had.

Mason saw the hesitation and discomfort in her face and body language. So before he could ruin her day, he gave her hand a little squeezed and shot her a small smile. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me." He assured her.

"I hate him." She suddenly blurted out, taking Mason off-guard. "I hate him for leaving me, for leaving my mother when she needed him the most. I hate him for giving up on our family, that he didn't even fought for it. I hate the fact that he has a son who's fighting for his life in the hospital but he doesn't even know he exists. I really hate him." She paused to calm herself down, not wanting to break down in front of Mason.

"But you know who I hate even more?" She suddenly asked him as she looked at him dead in the eyes. "I hate myself." She confessed to him and glanced away from him, staring off at a distance again. "I hate myself because despite what my father has done, I still miss him. I still long to be in his arms. I still hope that our family will be fix and whole again." She admitted as she felt the longing in her heart. She felt a tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. If there was one thing she had promised herself, it was to never shed a tear for her father, who she had learned to hate over the time. But lately, after finding out about what truly happened to him and how big his heart still was after all these years, made Kelsey long for her father again. She refrained herself from telling him who she really was because the last thing she wanted was to rely and depend on him again.

Mason took her head by his palms and looked at her straight in the eye. "I'm sure your father misses you too." He sincerely told her with an assuring smile on his face. Mason placed a peck on her lips and cuddled her into his warm chest. Right then, Kelsey couldn't ask for anything better. She was always so happy and secure whenever she was in his arms.

Kelsey stared at the far end side of the rooftop and an old wooden playhouse had captured her eyes. She was intently looking at it and before she knew it, a scenario flashed before her eyes.

"Wow! It looks amazing up here." Her young self blurted in awe, with her mouth slightly agape. She ran to the edge of the rooftop and leaned forward.

"Woah!" Ems quickly took her by the shoulders and moved her away from the ledge. "Be careful now, you don't wanna fall, do you?" He sarcastically asked her. She chuckled and shook her head in response.

She looked around the plants and touched the blue roses that had caught her attention. She always did love the colour blue. Something about it brought calmness within her, like the sound of the waves of the ocean.

She was attentively staring at the roses when she heard some noise coming from the far end side of the roof that was slightly hidden because of the white painted wall that extended from the house. She glanced around and noticed that Ems was gone. Her curiosity got ahead of hers, as usual, and she strolled towards the direction of the noise before she could stop herself.

Kelsey moved closer and saw a wooded playhouse that was big enough to fit ten kids in it. She wasn't exaggerating or anything, the playhouse was really huge. She took a few more steps closer to it and ran her palm on the smooth surface of the wall.

"You like it?" Ems suddenly asked from behind, causing her to jump from getting startled. She glanced at him for awhile before returning her gaze at the inviting playhouse.

"Can we go in?" She eagerly asked him as she stared at him with hopeful and excited eyes. Ems chuckled and nodded his head. He twisted the knob of the door and held it open for her.

Kelsey stepped inside and couldn't help but feel even more amazed. It was no ordinary playhouse, that was for sure. The walls were painted sky blue with glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on the ceiling. There were colourful beanbags on the floor and a small centre table that was slightly higher than the beanbags. There was a small bookshelf on the side and it was filled with books. But what really caught her attention was the wooden treasure box on the far left side of the house.

She walked towards the treasure box and stared at it interest. She was a curious child full of questions in her mind. Of course she wanted to know what was inside and her hands were starting to grow itchy as she peered at the mysterious box. "What's inside?" She asked without moving her sight from the box.

Ems stood beside her and stared at the treasure box as well. "My memories." He nonchalantly answered as he moved away from it. He turned around and plopped himself down on a nearby beanbag.

Kelsey, who was unhappy with his answer, snorted in response and glared at him. "What kind of memories?" She kept on going.

Ems released a long breath and briefly closed his eyes in relaxation. "Memories that I treasure the most. That's why they're in a treasure box."

"Well...can I look inside?" Kelsey questioned him with expectant and pleading eyes. However, Ems was unaffected by it. Even if she begged him to, he wasn't going to allow her to even take a peek.

"No." He simply replied and stood up from the bag.

"Why not?" She whined.

"Because I said so."

"But-"

"I promise that I'll show it to you when we're older. Okay?"

"Promise?" She pouted as she held her pinky finger out.

Ems smiled and hooked his pinky finger with hers. "I promise."

Kelsey abruptly stood from the ledge, surprising Mason in the progress. "What's wrong?" He worriedly asked her. She couldn't take her eyes off of the playhouse. She was so sure it was the one she and her childhood friend, Ems, would spend time playing at.

Unable to hold herself back, she found her feet automatically moving towards the playhouse as if it was sucking her in. The closer she got, the clearer she saw the playhouse and she was certain it was the exact one. It couldn't be a replica, could it?

"Kelsey?" Mason called out, pulling on her forearm causing her to spin around to face him. "What's going on?" He asked her in concern as he stared at her bewildered face.

Kelsey glanced at the playhouse then looked back at him. "This playhouse, Mason. This whole rooftop..." She said gesturing to the place. "I've been here before, I can't be mistaken." She determinedly told him as she felt a sense of déjà vu inside of her.

"Are you sure?" Mason asked her in confusion.

She walked closer to the playhouse wanting to go in and confirm but saw that it was locked. She pleadingly looked at Mason, gesturing at the lock. "Can you unlock it? I really want to see what's inside." She desperately begged him and Mason studied her in both bewilderment and anxiousness. He didn't know what exactly was running through her head. "Please!" She insisted.

Mason quizzically glanced at her before pushing a heavy wooden box near the wall of the house. Underneath the ground that was covered by the box was a tiny book. Mason opened the book and the pages were carved out into a shape of a square where the key was hidden. He took the key and unlocked the door.

"I gotta warn you, I haven't been here for a while so it might be very dusty and dirty." He informed her before taking the chains out that was looped around the door and pushed it open. He fished his phone out of his pocket and turned on his flashlight since the sun had already settled down and darkness had coated the sky.

Kelsey warily entered the playhouse and the air in her lungs seemed to have hitched in her throat as she regarded the place. It still looked the same. The coloured beanbags, the centre table, the bookshelf that was full of old, mouldy books, and the one thing that really confirmed Kelsey's doubt. There sat the wooden treasure box that her childhood playmate wouldn't allow her to take a peek in.

She strolled towards the treasure box and ran a finger over it, sweeping some of the dusts that had formed overtime. "This is the playhouse I used to play at, Mason." She told him as she glanced around the place in both amazement and disbelief. "I've been here before."

Mason stared at her in puzzlement and unconsciously scratched the tip of his brow as he tried to comprehend the situation. He shook his head in confusion before asking, "Are you sure? Because the only other person who's been here before is my childhood friend..." Mason halted as realization finally sank in.

Kelsey and Mason stared at each other in incredulity. Both were thinking how strange their situation was and nobody knew what exactly to say to one another. "You're Kace?" Mason whispered in disbelief as he intently studied his supposed childhood playmate.

"And you're Ems?" She asked him.

For a second, they were only staring at each other in uncertainty, trying to wrap the situation around their heads. Then, when realization had settled in, they both foolishly grinned at each other in awe. "You mean...we've known each other ever since?" Kelsey asked him in shock.

"I guess so..." Mason answered in amazement.

"And I called you Ems because?...."

"Because you couldn't pronounce my name properly." Mason replied and chuckled as he remembered how hard it was for little Kelsey to pronounce Mason. "That's why you decided to call me Ems instead. Mason Emerson King." He explained as Kelsey nodded in remembrance.

"I remember now!" She excitedly squealed. "And you used to call me Kace because you wanted to call me by a name that nobody else's uses. You wanted to feel like you were special by calling me by a nickname you've made up yourself." She teased him as they both laughed at how ridiculous Mason's excuse was to give her another name. At least, her excuse for having such a hard time in properly pronouncing his name was more reasonable.

They grinned at each other as they reminisce their childhood memories. Then Kelsey's eyes wandered at the treasure box once again and gestured at it. "Do you remember when you promised me that you'll show me what's inside when we're older?"

"Wow, you still remember, huh?" He asked her since she was pretty young when they used to play with one another. He figured he wouldn't have remembered and would have forgotten her very early childhood memories.

"A promise is a promise, Mason. And I never forget a promise." She told him as she scooted closer to the treasure box. "Now show me what's inside." She demanded.

Mason chuckled and reached for the lid of the box. He slowly opened it as it squeaked from the rusts that had started forming on the hinges. He flashed the light that was illuminating from his phone on it and Kelsey kneeled down beside him to take a look inside.

The box was pretty empty, to be honest. It was mostly filled by photo albums of Mason when he was young and a gazillion photos of himself and his mother since she used to like taking photos of him and getting them printed out. However, beneath a photo album, Kelsey's eyes caught something shiny.

Kelsey pulled the tiny shiny box that had rhinestones on it, which reflected on the light. "What's this?" She questioned him as he stopped midway from looking at his photos and glanced at what she was holding.

Mason was quick in his feet and snatched the box from her grasp. "Hey!" Kelsey whined and reached back for it. "What is it? I wanna see what's inside! You promised you'll show it to me!"

"I promised you that I will show you what's inside the treasure box, not what's inside this box." He informed her while she kept jumping for it as Mason was holding it high up in the air with his long arm.

"Oh c'mon! I just wanna know what's inside." She pouted at him. "Please!" She pleaded with puppy-dog eyes and pouted lips.

Mason chuckled and shook his head. She was cute when she was pouting but it wasn't going to work on Mason. "Nuh-uh."

"Pleeeeeaaassee!" She begged again.

"No!"

"Pleeeeeaaasssseeeee!!!!"

"I said no, Kelsey."

"Fine!" Kelsey whined as she placed her arms across her chest and childishly stomped her feet in annoyance. "I guess I'll just take this photo and send it to the press." She threatened while she held up a baby photo of Mason fully naked in a bathtub with his private part sticking out.

Mason's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the photo. He tried snatching it from her but Kelsey was quick on her feet and existed the playhouse. She ran around the rooftop as Mason chased after her, begging her to give the photo back to him. She was hysterically laughing and watched Mason's face scrunched up in disgust every time she would make kiss-y faces on the photo.

"Kelsey, please give me back the photo." He panted.

"Not until you show me what's inside that box." She said gesturing to the tiny box he didn't even realize he was still holding.

Mason glanced at the box and sighed in defeat. "Fine." He agreed then reached his hand out for the photo. "Hand it over and I'll show you what's inside."

"Nuh-uh. Give me the box first." Kelsey retorted.

Mason glared at her in annoyance. "Exchange at the same time."

"Okay."

"3..." Mason started counting.

"2..." Kelsey spoke after.

"1!" They both screamed and exchanged objects.

Kelsey hurriedly ran at the other end of the rooftop, afraid that Mason might snatch the box from her again. She opened the box in suspense and her heart skipped a beat as she regarded the items inside the box. That was right, items. Inside was the black braided leather bracelet that they both have with 'E & K' engraved on the back of the metal piece of it. The other item was a silver ring that had the engraving of 'E & K' as well on the inside of the band.

"I bought the ring six years ago on your eighteenth birthday." Mason suddenly spoke from behind. Kelsey spun around to face him, her eyes still fixated on the ring. "Remember when we were kids, I told you that when you turn of legal age, I'll marry you?"

Kelsey laughed at the memory and nodded her head. "And I told you that when you propose, I will certainly say yes." She remembered.

Mason took the box from her hand and held it in his. "I looked for you, Kelsey. I was really wishing that I'll be able to see you again before your eighteenth birthday and I was hoping that you didn't have a boyfriend. But when I couldn't find you anywhere, I guess I gave up on the idea of marriage. Then I met Claris and thought maybe I could move on from you. Being around her, I guess it made me forget about you for a short while. I thought maybe Claris was the one for me, but when she left me to chase after this guy in order to reach her dreams, I completely erased the idea of commitment in my head. That's why I became a playboy." He explained and it all finally made sense to Kelsey.

That was the reason why Claris had always been a touchy subject to him. Because Claris was the only other girl who had a special place in Mason's heart. Because Mason thought that Claris could mend his broken heart that had become incomplete when his childhood friend, Kace, disappeared.

"I still can't believe that you're Kace." He smiled as he stared at her in admiration, as if she was the only girl in the world. It brought butterflies in her stomach and made her weak in the knees. She unconsciously bit the bottom of her lip and Mason groaned in frustration.

Mason ran his thumb on her bottom lip, causing her to release it in between her teeth. He stared at her lips for awhile then seek for her eyes as if asking her for permission. She smiled at him and that was enough approval to him. He leaned down and captured her soft, luscious lips. Their lips danced against each other as Mason held onto the nape of her neck and her waist, while Kelsey wrapped her arms around his neck. They enjoyed each other's presence and Mason really missed her. If only she knew that she had always been the last person he thought about before he went to bed every single night.

They pulled away from the kiss and rested their foreheads against one another. Then out of nowhere, a realization, a mood-killer, had settled inside Mason's head. "Wait." He said as he held her by the shoulders. With creased brows, he asked, "So that means your father is...Sir Lucas?..."

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