Sebastian’s sigh cuts all the way down to my soul, but I plaster a smile on my face and force it to stay there.
“Okay, Rosebud. We don’t need to talk about this tonight, but wedoneed to talk about it.”
That’s what he thinks.
“Should I bring a tote bag?”
“You look pretty,”Sebastian says when I open the door. His gaze rakes over my sneakers, slightly baggy jeans, and the navy blue chunky-knit sweater I’m wearing over a hot-pink mock-neck tee.
He looks delicious in loose fit jeans, a tight gray Henley, and an open plaid flannel in shades of gray, blue, and green. It’s all I can do to keep myself from drooling. My heart does alittle clench, and so do other parts of me, which is inconvenient. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Sebastian’s lips twitch, then he extends his hand. “Shall we?”
I hesitate, staring at his open hand like it’s a trap, before gently placing my palm in his. Warmth radiates from his skin and across my body when he links our fingers and tugs me toward his SUV. It has nothing on the warmth that spreads through me at the sight of his smile.
“You’re going to love this place. There’s a stall that sells the freshest bread I’ve ever tasted. And a few have all sorts of delicious cheeses…” His sentence trails off as he opens the passenger door for me, then he hurries to get in on his side. “I’ve missed seeing you while we were on the road.”
“You saw me last night,” I tease.
The fingers on his right hand twitch before he wraps them firmly around the steering wheel. “It’s not the same.”
I clear my throat, needing to get us away from the dangerous ground Bash is leading us to. “What’s your favorite stall?”
The sideways glance Sebastian sends my way is heavy, but I pretend not to feel the weight of it. “I guess if I had to choose, I’d say the chocolatier’s.”
“We’ll have to get some, then,” I say, turning my face toward the window so I can feign interest in the passing scenery. Not that I actually see any of it.
“So I was wondering something…” he says slowly after a few minutes of silence as he pulls into a parking spot and cuts the engine. His fingers flex against the steering wheel, knuckles white.
Why is he so nervous?
“What’s up?”
Sebastian glances my way before he opens his car door, hops out, and circles the vehicle. He opens my door and extends a palm to me. “Would you and Lola come to our next game?”
The air in my lungs solidifies, and I struggle to breathe. “It’s a playoff game.”
“Yeah.” His lips twitch. “I’m aware.”
“The tickets are crazy expensive, if you can even get them.”
That earns me a full-blown smile, and once again, it’s back to being difficult to breathe. “I’m not sure you know this, but I have money now. Kind of a lot of it. And I already bought two tickets. I’ll sell them if you don’t want to come.”
“What? No, I didn’t say that.” Lola would kill me if I passed up the chance for us to go to a playoff game. Not to mention, I’d kick my own ass.
How many times did I imagine doing this as a teenager? Sebastian and I would date through college, he’d ask me to marry him, then I’d be there to cheer him on at all the important games.
So what if we’re not together? We’ll never be married, but I have my best friend back in my life, however temporarily, and I can finally cheer him on at an important game.
“We’d love to go, thank you.”
The eager April sun has nothing on Sebastian when he smiles this brightly. “Good. That’s great. Good.”
Did he really think I’d say no?
With a light touch on the small of my back, Sebastian guides me toward the bustling farmer’s market. Delicious scents waft from the open-air market, and people meander in couples and groups. It’s crowded—everyone must be eager to enjoy the mild weather—and I take a steadying breath.
As much as I love doing things like this, I don’t love crowds. People get a bit oblivious when they’re in large groups, and as someone on the shorter side, I’m used to being bumped into and pushed to the side.
