“I returned it.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want it anymore.”
“It was a gift!” Bart snaps.
“Then give it to your wife.”
Ouch.
Bart’s eyes bulge and then fall to me. Oh crap, he’s wondering what I know about the two of them.
“Umm. I’m going to get going.” I stand.
“Good idea,” Bart says, his eyes firmly locked on Jeremy.
“Sit back down.” Jeremy grabs my hand.
“No, I really need to go.” I bend and kiss Jeremy’s cheek. “See you on Monday.”
I take out my purse. Bart holds his hand up. “I’ve got it.” He slinks into my seat, not wasting a single second.
“Are you sure?” I frown.
“Completely.” He just wants me out of here.
“Okay, thanks.” I give Jeremy a wave, and he narrows his eyes at me.
Sorry.
I head outside to the taxi rank. The line is long, and thunder rumbles in the air. Fuck it, I’m not in the mood for this shit. I take out my phone and order an Uber. I cross the street away to wait for its arrival.
I can smell the rain as it comes, sprinkles and then heavier and heavier.
Damn it.
I wrap my cardigan around myself and peer up the street, letting out a defeated sigh. At least Bart is pursuing Jeremy and trying to make amends.
Polar opposite of my situation,
Sebastian doesn’t give a literal fuck about me.
He’s a douche.
But deep down I know he’s not. Only to me, which is worse, I guess.
I shake my head. I hate that I keep thinking about him. I’m going over and over the last week, wondering if I over reacted, trying to analyze his behavior and what it all means.
Fucker.
The car pulls beside me, and the window rolls down. “April?” the driver asks.
“That’s me.” I smile and get into the backseat just as the rain comes down.
I stare out the window as we pull into the traffic, glancing back at the restaurant to see if I can see Jeremy and Bart. I wonder if they’ll get through this.
I face forward again.
Oh well. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?
With my track record, I should be Godzilla by now. Strong enough to take down the world.
The car pulls into my street. “Just up on the left,” I tell the driver. I catch sight of someone sitting in a parked car when we drive past. I turn my head.
Wait, was that…?
The car draws to a stop and I climb out. “Thank you.” I close the door and squint my eyes to focus on the car.
What?
Before I can stop myself, I march across the road in the rain and knock on the window. Sebastian looks at me and winds it down.
“What are you doing here?” I snap.
“Stalking you. What does it fucking look like?”
20
April
More attitude.
I give up, I throw my hands up in the air in disgust. “Go home, Sebastian.” I turn and storm toward my building.
Wait a minute.
I stop and look around the street before I march back to his car. “Where is your security?”
“Don’t fucking start.”
My eyes widen. “Are you stupid? You snuck away from your security guards?”
“I had to see you.”
“And now you have.” I hold my arms out wide in exasperation. “Go home, you idiot!”
Furious, I turn and march toward my building. This man is the living end. What next?
I’m so glad taxpayers’ money is funding his security team.
What an asshole.
I hear his car door slam, and the alarm beep, telling me he’s locked it.
I walk faster but he runs to keep up with me. “Will you wait?”
“No.” I march up the front steps and swipe my key. The doors open, and Sebastian is hot on my heels.
I walk into the elevator and turn toward the front. “If you don’t have anything worthwhile to say, Sebastian, don’t bother.” I’m wet and angry. This man is beyond infuriating.
With his cold eyes locked on mine, he gets into the elevator and turns to face the front, too. We ride to my floor in silence with adrenaline screaming through my veins.
Is my apartment a mess? I don’t even remember how I left it, and he hasn’t been here before.
Great.
I open the door with him standing behind me. I walk in and look around, relieved that it’s not as messy as I imagined it would be.
He remains silent.
If he’s here and wanting to talk, he’d better make it worthwhile.
“Do you have something to say?” I ask.
He stares at me for a moment. “Where were you tonight?”
“I went out for dinner.”
“With who?”
“A friend. Don’t go there, Sebastian. Not after what you’ve done this week. Don’t you dare.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He gasps.
“You deny it?”
“Deny what?”
Seriously?” I drop my head into my hands. Honestly, this is pointless. “Just go home.”
When I look up, his eyes search mine. He seems unsure what to say. So lost and sad.
“Seb,” I sigh.
His lips twist, like he’s holding something in.
Empathy fills me. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but he’s struggling with whatever it is.
“Are you going to say something?” I ask softly.
He looks around the room, unable to make eye contact.
“Sebastian,” I urge. “Look at me.”
His hands are clenched into fists by his sides, and he drags his eyes to meet mine. “Don’t give up on me,” he whispers.
I get a lump in my throat, “You gave up on me.”
We stare at each other.
“I just—”
“Did it work… sleeping with her? Are you over me now?”
“It’s not what it looks like.”
I roll my eyes. “Please,” I mutter under my breath.
“I stayed at another hotel so that I wouldn’t get on my knees and beg you.”
“Beg me for what?”
“For you to feel the same as I do!” he cries as if outraged.
“And how is that?” I scoff. “I’m not a mind reader, Sebastian. Stop talking in riddles.”
“You think I like this?” He throws his arms in the air “I hate being like this, and I hate that I fucking care about you.”
I frown, surprised. Okay…not what I was expecting him to say. “When you didn’t come home…”
He screws up his face in disgust. “How the hell could I sleep with someone else, April, when you’re all I can fucking think about? I let you assume that because I knew it would make you walk away.”
“Why is this so hard?” I whisper. “It shouldn’t be this hard.”
“I don’t know.”
I step toward him, and he takes a step back as if I’m some wild animal. I know for certain that if I want this to work, I have to step up and help him. He can’t do this alone. He’s broken. Maybe more than I am, and that’s a lot.