I was in serious trouble.
“You okay?”
I scrubbed a hand over my jaw, trying to hide my mounting panic. “Yeah, sorry. Just thinking.”
“About?”
I couldn’t tell him the truth.
“About how nice this is,” I said instead. “Sitting here with you. I missed having someone to talk to. Or rather, I missed talking toyoulike this.”
Surprise flickered over his face before he masked it with a small smile. “We should probably head downstairs soon.” He began stacking our used plates and rearranging the silverware and condiments, studiously avoiding meeting my eyes. “Check-out is in an hour.”
The idea of leaving this room and never seeing him again made my chest constrict with something that felt dangerously close to panic.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, I wasn’t dumb. I’dknownthis moment was coming. It wasn’t like we could stayholed up here forever, ignoring the outside world and our responsibilities.
It was time to say goodbye.
Sebastian stood. When he finally looked at me, his expression was carefully neutral. “Taylor?—”
“Don’t,” I whispered. “Whatever you’re about to say to try and make this easier, just … don’t.”
He nodded once, then turned to the cart and began loading it with the remnants of our breakfast as my heart broke all over again.
CHAPTER 10
TAYLOR
Standingat the back of the elevator, I felt every inch of Sebastian’s body next to me—the heat of his shoulder against mine and the shift of his weight when his arm lifted. For a second, I thought he might pull me into his side the way he had upstairs, but then his hand dropped back down to his side, where he hooked our pinkies together.
I squeezed gently before letting go.
His jaw flexed, his eyes staying glued to the numbers counting down to the lobby until the doors slid open to reveal standard hotel check-out chaos. Sebastian’s shoulders squared the moment we stepped into the crowd, his expression settling into a guarded mask.
I understood—I did, really—but the shift stung.
His phone rang, and when he pulled it out of his pocket to see who was calling, my eyes flicked nosily to the screen. Thankfully, it wasn’t that asshole Wyatt. This goodbye was going to be hard enough as it was; I didn’t need him butting in and making everything worse.
Sebastian lifted the phone to his ear, murmuring a quiet greeting. “Hey, Jace. I’m just getting out of an elevator. Can Icall you back in a few minutes?” He paused. “Great. Talk to you then.”
He ended the call and slid his phone back into his pocket, taking a few steps off to the side and tilting his head in invitation for me to follow him toward an unoccupied spot near the empty concierge desk.
“I hate to do this, but I really have to take this call.”
“No worries,” I told him, glancing down at my watch to check the time, feeling the weight of our departure looming.
Our flights didn’t leave for another few hours, so we’d decided to grab one last drink at the bar before sharing a taxi to the airport. Depending on how long the call went, we might not have time for it now.
You should leave, I told myself.Avoid what’s going to be an awkward goodbye at security.
As if he could read my mind—or maybe just my body language—his hand lifted toward my face, and for a split second I held my breath. Then his hand shifted course, landing on my bicep, gripping it tightly.
“Don’t leave yet. I … uh …” he murmured, his attention falling to where his fingers dug into my skin. His eyes stayed locked there for a beat, and then he dropped my arm like he’d been burned, his gaze darting around the lobby.
His eyes, when they met mine again, were wide and pleading. “Just … wait for me? Please?”
The tightness in my chest loosened. Who was I to deny Sebastian anything when he looked at me that way? Every extra minute I spent with him was one minute more than I’d ever expected to have.
