Neither of us says Maddie’s name, but it hangs there anyway, unspoken, heavy. We both know she’s the one who asked me to take him in.
As we stroll side by side into the warm evening air, Sebastian seems to find a little calm. His voice is soft, thoughtful.
“Don’t worry, Remi. I have no intention of coming between you and Maddie. I respect you both too much for that. Besides… after what I put her through, I’m the last person who should talk.”
I cut him off. I hate where this is going.
“Seb, I appreciate how decent you’re trying to be, but you need to stop beating yourself up over something you did when you were basically a kid, in a really complicated situation. It’s not fair.
And honestly, I think if you talk to Maddie, she’ll tell you the same.”
“But,”
“No buts. And as for what’s going on between me and her…” I pause, taking a breath. “I’m not ready to talk about it yet. But when I am, you’ll be the first to know.”
He nods slowly, letting the words settle, then starts walking again. The silence that follows feels less heavy now, like maybe we’ve laid down a little of the weight we’ve both been carrying.
“For now, just know we’re not together anymore. It was hard, painful, even, but I’m convinced it was the right thing to do.”
He frowns, clearly surprised, but true to his word, he doesn’t press. He simply nods and says Maddie had already mentioned the breakup.
I steer us gently back to what he was saying earlier. “You still haven’t told me what risk you took tonight…”
We reach the gates of Regent’s Park, and Jamie’s comment from earlier flashes back in my mind.
“Wait, is this about that Scriabin piece?”
Sebastian stops in his tracks, caught off guard. “How do you know that? I thought you didn’t know anything about classical music?”
I give him a sheepish smile as we continue walking through the quiet, nearly deserted park. “I don’t. But Jamie does, he’s a dancer, remember? When we read the programme, he pointed it out. Called it a risk, actually.”
Seb raises a brow, amused. “Good for Jamie. I’m impressed. I’ll have to tell him next time I see him.”
Seb already seems more at ease as we leave the noise of Marylebone behind. His tone shifts, more reflective now.
“Scriabin is definitely a niche composer. His music’s technically demanding, and honestly, it doesn’t appeal much to a mainstream audience.”
I nod, thoughtful. “So… basically the kryptonite of pianists?”
Sebastian bursts out laughing, wiping actual tears from his eyes. “Remi, I swear, you’ll be the death of me.”
He finally calms down, though my exaggerated pout keeps a smile on his lips. “Okay, yes, it was a bold choice. But it wasn’t just that. I’d already added Piazzolla to the programme, which was unusual, but not totally out there. May grumbled, but she let it slide. Then I told her about Scriabin…”
He shifts uncomfortably, rocking on his heels. Instinctively, I rest a hand on his shoulder.
“She threatened me,” he says finally.
“What?!” I explode. “That witch, wait till I see her again, I swear,”
“Remi!” he cuts in, rubbing his eyes with a sigh. “Calm down and let me finish. Then you can threaten her all you want.”
He waits until I’ve composed myself.
“She told me that if the audience hated it, I’d have to take full responsibility and find a new agent.”
“That witch,” I mutter again, then clamp my mouth shut before I interrupt him any further.
“Wait, it gets better,” he adds dryly. “If it was a success, she’d reduce her cut. Since, you know, the idea was mine alone.”
