𝓔𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓼𝓾𝓷𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮
ᴳᵃᵐᵉ ⁿⁱᵍʰᵗ

The living room was alive with the sounds of laughter and shuffling cards as Elena dropped a stack of board games and a deck of Uno cards onto the coffee table.

"I'm telling you, I'll destroy you both," Aaron declared, slouching dramatically into the armchair.

"You mean you'll lose first," Elena teased, tossing a cushion at him.

Aaron caught it and rolled his eyes. "We'll see about that."

Elena glanced at Mason, who had already claimed the spot next to her on the couch. He leaned back, smirking. "Guess it's you and me, star Girl."

"Careful, Mason," she shot back, settling beside him. "I'm not teaming up with anyone. I'm in it to win it."

"Who said I'd team up with you?" Mason teased, nudging her shoulder. "You'd just slow me down."

"Yeah, because you're such a pro," Elena said, feigning offense.

Aaron groaned from the chair, running a hand through his hair. "I should've invited literally anyone else. You two are exhausting."

"That's because you can't keep up," Mason quipped, grabbing the Uno cards and starting to shuffle.

The first round was chaos from the start. Mason wasted no time stacking a +2 card and then a +4 on Elena. She narrowed her eyes at him, leaning across the table.

"You're targeting me!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in mock outrage. "This is sabotage."

"It's called strategy, star Girl," Mason said smugly, flicking the edge of his card for dramatic effect.

Elena retaliated by throwing one of her cards at him, which Mason caught effortlessly.

"Nice aim," he teased, stealing a piece of popcorn from her bowl as he leaned back against the couch.

"Hey! That's mine!" Elena said, laughing as she swatted his hand away.

"It tastes better when it's stolen," Mason said, popping another piece into his mouth.

"You're impossible," she muttered, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her amusement.

Aaron groaned again. "Do you guys realize I'm sitting right here? I can't believe I'm third-wheeling in my own house."

"You're always third-wheeling, Aaron," Mason shot back, grinning.

As the second round kicked off, Mason reached out and grabbed Elena's wrist just as she was about to draw a card.

"Don't do it," he said, his voice low and teasing.

Elena froze for a moment, feeling the warmth of his hand on hers. Her breath hitched slightly before she recovered, pulling her hand free. "You're such a cheat," she said, flustered but trying to sound annoyed.

"Only when it's fun," Mason replied with a grin that made her heart skip.

Aaron threw a pillow at them, breaking the tension. "I swear, you two are unbearable. Just play the game!"

By the third round, Mason's teasing had grown softer, more deliberate. At one point, he looked over at Elena and smirked.

"You know, you're kind of scary when you're competitive," he said, his tone casual but warm. "But it's... cute."

Elena blinked, caught off guard. Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly looked down at her cards. "Don't start," she muttered, trying to hide her smile.

"Who's starting?" Mason said innocently, though the glint in his eyes said otherwise.

Aaron wasn't oblivious to the way Mason kept sneaking glances at Elena—or the way she didn't seem to mind.

"Mason," Aaron said suddenly, pointing a finger at him. "Stop making goo-goo eyes at my sister. It's weird."

Mason burst out laughing, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Goo-goo eyes? Really, Aaron?"

Aaron nodded firmly. "Yeah. She's off-limits, dude. Find someone else to mess with."

Elena groaned, tossing a pillow at her brother. "Aaron, stop. You're embarrassing yourself."

"Me? I'm saving you!" Aaron declared dramatically, dodging the pillow.

Mason leaned closer to Elena, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "If looks could kill..."

Elena glanced at him, her heart doing a little flip at the closeness. "You're lucky I like you," she whispered back, her tone teasing but warm.

Mason chuckled, leaning back with an easy smile. "I'll take it."

The night ended with Aaron flipping the Uno cards in frustration, claiming the game was rigged against him. Elena and Mason shared a knowing look as they cleaned up the cards, the unspoken connection between them growing stronger with every passing moment.

And as Elena grabbed the empty popcorn bowl and glanced over at Mason, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe—just maybe—there was more to his teasing than just playful banter.

— ETERNAL SUNSHINE —