His mother laughed, the sound wet and startled. “That’s terrible.”
“This isn’t the end of the world,” Sebastian said, speaking as much to himself as to his mother.
“You’re right. I just want you to have the best life, you know? I want you to be happy.”
“There’s no reason I couldn’t be happy here.”
“You said you’re allowed to visit me?” his mother said, after a little pause where neither of them seemed to know what to say.
“Yeah, I was thinking I’d come this Sunday and pack up my stuff. Is that okay?”
“Not sooner?”
“It’s just a few days,” Sebastian said, looking down at his empty plate. “Actually, I have a favor to ask you. Could you pack up some toiletries and a few clothes for me to tide me over until Sunday? Viggo said he would send someone by to pick them up.”
“You could come and pick them up yourself?” his mother suggested. Sebastian huffed out a laugh.
“Viggo’s house is like a two-hour drive from you. It would take me all day, and I kind of want to spend some time with him and Bjorn and get to know them. I’ll come see you on Sunday.”
“I just want to see you for myself and make sure you’re okay.”
“I know.”
His mother sighed, sounding very tired. “All right, I’ll pack up some things for you and have them ready.” She paused. “You know, if you can’t come here, I could come visit you. I’m taking the day off work anyway, and-”
“Mom, I know you’re worried, but I don’t think that that is a good idea.”
“I think it’s a very good idea.”
“Mom.” Sebastian made his voice firm, the single word enough to end the argument. “I’ll see you Sunday.”
There was a pause. “If that’s what you think is best.”
“It is.” Sebastian took a deep breath. “So what are you doing today, if you’re taking the day off from work?”
He didn’t askwhyshe was taking the day off, because that was obvious.
“I’m going to put copper tape around the plant boxes out in the yard to keep the slugs out. You know how they’ve been trying to get at my tomato plants.”
Sebastian was relieved at the successful change in topic. They talked for a while about her garden, a safe, neutral topic that she’d usually be happy to wax poetic about for hours on end, after which they ended the conversation with his mother extracting a promise that he would call her every day.
“I will,” Sebastian said. “Love you.”
Putting his phone down, Sebastian realized that it had been well over half an hour since he’d put his clothes in the washing machine. He made his way back to the laundry room and moved his now hopefully clean clothes into the dryer before heading back to clean up after himself in the kitchen.
Sebastian wasn’t typically one for housework, content to let the chores build up until he was forced to clean up or admit that he was a slob, but he needed something to take his mind off everything.
Once the kitchen was spotless, the dishes washed and the counters scrubbed clean, Sebastian wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Bjorn was still nowhere to be seen, and Viggo was at work doing God only knew what. Sebastian checked his email again, but there was nothing new in his inbox, and so with nothing better to do, he went back to the laundry room and sat on the floor in front of the dryer and played Candy Crush on his phone while he waited for his clothes to dry.
In between games, Sebastian checked the dryer a total of three times, and on the third time, he judged the clothes dry enough to wear.
Changing right there in the laundry room, hissing when the metal buttons on his jeans burned his fingers, Sebastian made his way back to the living room. Dressed in his own clothes, he finally felt like himself.
Taking a seat on the couch, he leaned back and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his newsfeed while wondering if he should give some of his friends a call and tell them about his new situation.
He decided not to. If he’d had abestfriend, he would have given him or her a call, but Sebastian didn’t have anyone in his group who fit that description anymore. He would havelikedto have a best friend, but he hadn’t quite managed to make that kind of connection with anyone since leaving college.
His previous best friend had married an anti-werewolf nut, and when her husband had found out that Sebastian had taken money from Life Mate to fund his mother’s cancer treatment, the asshole had demanded she end the friendship.
