“Mhm.” That suspicious little hum is paired with a look that makes me want to sink into the floorboards.
“Gonna shower,” I mumble, already halfway up the stairs before she can hit me with another loaded question. Because if she asks one more, I might actually tell the truth. And then I’m in trouble.Figures.
21
Sebastian
“Remind me again why we thought this was a good idea?” Bradley leans back in his chair, swirling the ice in his glass.
“Because the last time we let Harrison plan a big night out, Michael ended up crying into his beer, yelling Zoe’s name like a drunk poet,” Xavier fires back, clapping Michael on the shoulder. “Figured we’d go easy this time. No karaoke, no shots, no emotional breakdowns.”
Michael doesn’t even look up. Just flips him off and mutters into his drink, “That was months ago. Get over it.”
“Not a chance,” Xavier fires back, grinning like a menace.
“Agreed!” Harrison chimes in, lifting his beer in salute.
I smirk behind the rim of my glass, watching the chaos unfold. Honestly, it’s kind of nice not being the emotionally unstable one for once. Feels good, being around them—Bradley, Xavier, Harrison, Michael—the whole damn circus. They’re loud and relentless, always slinging jabs, but there’s comfort in it. In them. For a minute, I feel young again. Like the old days, beforeeverything got complicated, before responsibility settled across my shoulders like armour I never really got to take off.
Bradley’s deep in conversation with Xavier now, both pretending not to care about wedding centrepieces while casually arguing about whether lilies or gardenias are more ‘Amelia-coded.’ He’ll act indifferent, sure, but we all know he’d walk barefoot over hot coals if she asked him to.Definitely the lilies, of course.The wedding’s next month, and the jokes haven’t stopped since they sent out the invites—tuxes, speeches, who’s going to cry first.
My money’s on Bradley, even if he’d rather chew glass than admit it. The conversation rolls on around me, and I laugh when I’m supposed to, but my head’s not really here.
Olivia’s with Teddy tonight. Her idea, of course. She practically shoved me out the door, said I needed a night off, to stop hovering like a bloody shadow. I was going to drop him at Mum’s, but the second Olivia offered, he was vibrating with excitement. I haven’t stopped thinking about them since. She probably has him tucked up with one of his books right now, humming quietly while he listens. And that thought… that fucking thought has my chest tight.
“Sebastian!” Xavier snaps his fingers in front of my face. “You got any embarrassing stories about Bradley from work? I need dirt for the best man speech.”
“I’ve got plenty. Problem is, most of them are HR violations.”
“Oh, that’s bullshit,” Bradley deadpans from across the table. “Shouldn’t this be discussed in private? And there’ll be no embarrassing fucking stories. Her whole family will be there.”
“Which is precisely why there must be,” I shoot back. “That way, they know what they’re signing up for.”
The boys’ laughter rings out, and the moment passes in a blur of more drinks and shit talk, but even with the noise, it doesn’t settle the ache sitting just beneath my ribs. Because no matterhow many laughs go around, I’m still thinking about her. It’s been a week since the kiss.Oneweek, and I still can’t stop thinking about it. The way she pressed into me. The sound she made when I dragged her closer. The taste of rain, her skin, everything I shouldn’t want but can’t seem to stop craving.
I’ve had my cock in my hand more times this week than when I was seventeen and first discovered what late-night Wi-Fi could offer. Every single time, it’s her. That white singlet clinging to her body, and her goddamn laugh that got under my skin long before anything else. I’m sitting here, acting like everything’s fine when it’s not. Not even close.
I crossed a line.Theline.
The one I told Bradley I’d never go near. Now, I’m knee-deep in it. I stare down at my glass, the amber liquid catching the light. Xavier’s in the middle of ripping into Michael again when my phone buzzes on the table.Olivia.
The sound around me instantly disappears. I answer before the second ring.
“Everything okay?” I push my chair back, already half-standing. My brain’s already ten steps ahead—Teddy’s hurt, scared, something’s wrong.
She lets out a soft tut. “Why does there always have to be a problem with you?”
I raise a brow. “Well, is there?”
There’s a beat of hesitation before she exhales. “Well… yes. But everything’s fine.”
My chest tightens instantly. “What’s wrong?”
“Teddy’s got a bit of a fever,” she says quickly, like rushing the words will soften them. “But don’t freak out. He’s okay. He’s lying down with me, just a little warm.”
I’m already moving, grabbing my jacket. “I’m on my way.”
“No—Sebastian, you don’t have to. I didn’t want to ruin your night.”
