“I’m glad you found a new home in Seastone,” Sebastian said. “And I’m glad we met.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Can I hug you?”
I chuckled because a hug felt so out of nowhere, but that didn’t stop him from wrapping his arms around me.
His slow breaths washed over my skin. Our clothes rustled together. The embrace caught me so off guard that I didn’t manage to return it before he leaned back.
Acting as if nothing had happened, he pulled his legs in and rested his head on his knees. “Now, let’s talk about something fun.”
The sky grew darker by the minute. We watched in silence, letting all the things we had confessed settle.
“So,” Sebastian eventually said. “Music, huh?”
We both chuckled.
“What about it?” I asked.
“Do you still compose stuff?”
“Do you still sing?”
He nudged his left foot toward me and pulled it back again. “Not publicly.”
“Just for family and friends?”
“Hell no. I’d rather die,” he laughed.
There went my hope of ever asking him if he’d be interested in recording some vocals for me. “That’s too bad.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Why?” His head, which had still been resting on his knees until now, lifted.
Shit.“Uh… because…”Damn it. I’ve already blown it anyway.“Because I really like your voice.”
“Well, let me tell you, my speaking and singing voices arenotthe same.”
“They’re both beautiful.”
“When haveyouheard me sing?”
“I heard you humming to yourself. That counts, right?”
“When did I…” He paused, thinking about it for a moment.“…when I walked up the driveway earlier! You heard that?”
“Guilty.”
“You must have pretty good hearing.”
“Painfully good, yeah.”
“So…” His pained expression shifted into a smirk. “You like my voice?”
“If you hadn’t just said that you don’t want to sing anymore, I’d have asked you if you’d be open to recording some lyrics for me. But I’ll spare myself the rejection.”
“Just based on some humming?”
I couldn’t tell him in full detail what his voice actually did to me. That would only creep him out. “Call me brave. Or stupid.”
“I’ll stick with Alex for now.” He stuck out his tongue, grinning. “Oh fuck it.” He rummaged around and pulled his phone from his pocket. “You’ll regret what you just said.”
He tapped the screen, and two seconds later, rough guitar chords spilled from the tiny speakers. For a college rock song, the guitar was surprisingly soft. Sebastian pulled in his lips,scrunching up his whole face. Our eyes met for a split second before he squeezed them shut as if bracing for impact.
