I smiled at that. I was obscenely proud of the work I’d put into my house. While the little craftsman-style home might not be considered fancy, I’d fallen in love with the place despite its run-down condition when I’d first looked at it three years earlier. It’d been a labor of love to return the small house back to its former glory, but I’d relished every moment of it.
“So you’re only renting from Mrs. Fererra?” I asked.
Sebastian nodded. “I needed to get out of the city for a bit, but I’m not sure if I’ll be staying in the area or not. Mrs. Fererra wanted to wait a little longer for the real estate market to improve before she put the place on the market, but she also really wanted to move to the East Coast to be closer to her kids, so it kind of just worked out for the both of us.”
I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that his situation was a temporary one.
“What kind of dancing do you do? Is that why you’re thinking of moving? To pursue your career… once you’ve recovered, I mean?”
Sebastian was silent for several long seconds before saying, “Um, no, the dancing… my career, it’s… I had to retire.”
The guy was in his mid-twenties at best. “Had to?” I asked gently.
Sebastian’s hand settled on his knee. “Yeah. I am…wasa ballet dancer. But the damage to my knee is permanent… I can’t dance anymore. At least not professionally.”
“Fuck,” I murmured. “I’m so sorry, Sebastian.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I was lucky,” he said quietly. “It could have been worse.”
I ran my fingers through my hair but before I could say anything, Sebastian wasclimbing to his feet. “I’m sorry, I need to lie down for a bit and maybe put some ice on my knee before tonight.”
“Right,” I responded. “Of course. Kirby and I will get out of your hair. And I’ll make sure to get the fence fixed right away.”
“No rush,” Sebastian said. He seemed to not want to look at me. Instead, he called to Kirby who came bounding over to him. He carefully squatted down, using one hand to support himself on the chair he’d been sitting on. “I enjoyed the company,” Sebastian added before crooning “Bye, sweetie,” to my dog as he scratched his wiggly body. I almost reached to help Sebastian stand up again, but I didn’t because I got the impression he wouldn’t appreciate the assistance. “It was nice meeting you, Devon.”
“Yeah, you too, Sebastian,” I said. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” I added. “Take it easy tonight, okay?”
Sebastian nodded stiffly. “Yeah, happy Valentine’s Day.”
I watched him limp through his sliding door. My fingers itched to grab him and do something…anything… to put that easy smile back on his face. But the sadness in his expression, in his every movement, seemed too overpowering to overcome.
And truth be told, I was really fucking confused as to why it bothered me so much. I wasn’t someone who typically got overly emotionally invested in people unless they were close friends.
Or, of course, my family.
But Sebastian was a stranger.
A kindhearted, sweet, gorgeous stranger, but he was still, in fact, astranger.
Oh yeah, and aguy.
Why the hell did I keep forgetting that one particularly important fact?
And why the hell diditsuddenly seem like the least important obstacle to overcome at the moment?
Chapter 2
Sebastian
Don’t even thinkabout crapping out on me tonight, Sebastian, or I’ll—
I hit the delete button on my phone before any more of the message could play. There’d already been half a dozen more like it that I’d only partially listened to because they were just repeats of the conversation I’d had with Rick that morning.
The sad thing was that I’d listened to those other messages in the hopes that they’d somehow start off with different words.
Like,I’m sorry, Sebastian.
Or,I messed up, Sebastian.
