I may not be Sebastian Hayes’s biggest fan, but I can’t ignore the fact that he’s even hotter than he was when we wereteenagers. He’s grown into all his features and carries himself with a sense of confidence that borders on cocky but isn’t.
I let myself fall into memories of my teenage years.
“Mom, can I bring Sebastian with us to the cabin this year?” Walker asks as we sit at the dinner table.
My cheeks immediately heat, and I duck my head, hoping my hair hides my reaction. The last thing I need is my brother knowing I’ve developed a crush on his best friend. He’d completely freak out and would never bring Sebastian around the house, which means I wouldn’t get the small glimpses I do now. It’s just a stupid crush. There’s no way Sebastian would ever feel the same way about me, but I’m going to enjoy the fantasy while I can.
“Does he not have plans with his mom?” Mom asks.
Walker shakes his head. “She has to work over Christmas. She said that if you said yes, he could come, and they’d do Christmas afterwards.”
“I don’t see an issue with it,” Dad says. “We’ll need to bring the air mattress. I don’t think that top bunk is gonna be big enough for both of you.”
Walker nods, and I bite my lip to hide my excitement.
Sebastian is standing in the entryway with his bags packed and ready to spend the next two weeks with us at the cabin. My stomach is in knots, and I don’t know what to do.
“Kids, start packing the car,” Mom calls from upstairs.
I grab my bag and start making my way to the front door, but Sebastian stops me, taking it from me and saying, “I’ve got it.”
I blush and mumble, “Thanks,” unsure of what else to say.
I follow him out to the car and press my toe into the driveway beside the trunk as I watch him load our bags, putting them in any small space he can so more fits in the car. When he’s done, he turns to me, and I feel his eyes skate across my skin. My blush deepens.
As he opens his mouth to say something, Walker comes bounding out of the house, his bag in hand as he tosses it into the trunk.
“Lise, you get middle. You’re smaller.”
No. No. This cannot be happening. How am I supposed to be pressed up against Sebastian for six hours? I can’t do that. I’m going to do or say something stupid. But I don’t get a chance to protest, because Mom and Dad are now out and telling us to load up. What would I even say?I can’t sit beside Sebastian because I have a huge-ass crush on him?I don’t have a death wish, nor do I want to completely embarrass myself.
Sebastian smiles at me and tips his chin for me to get into the car, and then he waits as I do my seatbelt before he slides in beside me. I hold back my squeak when his hand brushesagainst my butt as he does his seatbelt. I press closer to Walker, wanting to put as much distance between me and Sebastian as possible. Walker shoves me over, and my entire side presses against Sebastian. I glare at my brother and sit up.
Sebastian offers me a small, knowing smile, and I take a deep breath.
We’re about two hours into the drive when I feel something brush against my thigh. I look down, and I’m not sure what it could be. Nothing’s there. It happens again, and I swear I see Sebastian’s pinkie move away as though he had just been brushing it against my leg. My brows furrow in confusion, and I shake my head.
I’m letting my crush and the small space get to me. There’s no way Sebastian Hayes is trying to find ways to touch me.
It happens again an hour later, and this time, the thought that it could be Sebastian doing this on purpose has my heart picking up speed. I look anywhere but where the touch is happening against my thigh, wanting to live in my delusion that he’s doing it on purpose and it’s not just him adjusting himself in this cramped space. The back seat isn’t exactly roomie when it comes to seating three teenagers for a six-hour drive.
Every time I feel that brush against me, I bite down my smile as my heart races and my cheeks warm. As soon as we get to the cabin, I rush out behind Walker, needing space and to get my head on straight. As I bound up the steps to the porch, I look over my shoulder and catch Sebastian watching me. A shiver travels up my spine, and I wonder why he is looking at me like that.
“Lise?”
Sebastian’s voice pulls me out of my memories. I give my head a quick shake before turning to him in the kitchen.
“Dinner is done,” he says, and I push off from the floor and move to the kitchen table where he has everything all set out. I didn’t bring anything fancy with me for this trip, I just stopped at the grocery store and grabbed easy to make foods and a ton of snacks on my way, but Sebastian has seemed to make it all work with a pasta dinner and toast.
It’s dark outside now. The light beside the front door illuminates just far enough that I’m able to make out through the window that it’s snowing again. The cabin is lit by soft lighting that’s always made it feel warm and cosy, but right now, it feels more intimate than it should.
Sebastian joins me, and we serve ourselves before he asks, “Which Christmas classic are we watching tonight?”
The way Sebastian smiles and asks the question as if all of this is completely normal has me thrown. Today has not gone as planned one bit, and I need to get my shit together.
EIGHT
SEBASTIAN
