I can't stop thinkingabout the arboretum.
About the way Sebastian's voice cracked when he said I scared him. About his hand in mine. About the fact that for two years, I've been operating on incomplete information.
I was wrong about freshman year.
Not completely wrong, he did spend two years being cruel. But the origin story I'd built in my head, where he asked me out as a joke, where I was just another conquest to mock? That wasn't true.
He actually wanted to date me.
And I destroyed him for it.
The realization sits heavy in my chest as I shelve books in the library's basement. It's Tuesday night, three days after the cooking class, and I've been replaying that conversation on an endless loop.
You were the first person who ever saw me clearly.
Did I, though? Or did I see what I expected to see, another rich boy playing games with scholarship students? Did I let my own insecurities and defensive walls turn a genuine moment into ammunition?
"You're thinking too hard," Marcus, the night supervisor, observes. "I can hear it from here."
I look up from the cart of books. "Sorry. Just distracted."
"Sebastian Thornhill, is the cause of that distraction, I'm guessing?" At my shocked expression, he laughs. "This is Thornhill University. Everyone knows about the auction and everyone's watching to see how this plays out."
Great. Just what I need. An audience.
"It's complicated," I mutter.
"It always is with Sebastian." Marcus leans against a bookshelf. "I've known him since we were kids. Our families run in the same circles. And I can tell you, he's not the person he pretends to be."
"Everyone keeps saying that."
"Because it's true. He's been playing a role for so long, I'm not sure he knows how to stop." Marcus adjusts his glasses. "But I've also never seen him like this. The way he talks about you, looks at you... that's real. Whatever else is fake between you two, that part isn't."
"How does he talk about me?"
"Like you're the only real thing in his world. Like you matter more than his last name or his trust fund or any of the expectations crushing him." Marcus pushes off the shelf. "I'm not telling you to trust him. I'm just saying... maybe he's worth the risk."
He heads back to his desk, leaving me alone with the books and my spiraling thoughts.
Worth the risk.
Am I really considering this? Considering Sebastian Thornhill as something other than my enemy?
My phone buzzes. Speak of the devil.
Sebastian:Random question. What's your favorite movie?
I stare at the text. We've been messaging sporadically since Saturday, nothing deep, just small talk, but this feels different. More personal.
Me:Why?
Sebastian:Movie marathon is Friday. Thought I'd get your input on what we're watching.
Me:It's your place. Your choice.
Sebastian:But it's our date. Your preference matters.
Our date. Not the date. Our.
