Chapter 14

I was on my way to the hospital using my old 2004 Toyota Corolla that sounded like actual death. I got up extra early to avoid any run-ins with him.  My mind wouldn't let me not think about what happened with Seb last night in my bedroom. He kissed me and I wanted to kiss him back. The scariest part of this all was that I wanted to pull him back to me. I had to swear to myself that I wouldn't let that happen again.  I pulled up to the hospital and parked my car. When I entered the hospital I talked to the receptions about where my dad's room was before going up the elevator.  The doors open and I got out, walking down the hallway to his room. I softly knocked on the large door before opening it to see him reading the newspaper in the hospital bed.  He appeared to be more filled out, which is a good thing since he'd lost too much weight because of the cancer. The gray and white stubble was coming back on his face. He lost his hair on top from the radiation, but it appeared to be coming back. His glasses were settled nearly the tip of his nose.  "Hi, dad." I said with a smile.  He looked over to me with wide eyes and a wide grin. "Christy , what are you doing here?" He asked.  I walked over to him and bent down to hug him to which he returned by wrapping his arms around me. "I'm only here until tomorrow. I had to come see you." I said, pulling away. I felt overcome with emotion that I hadn't realized the tears streak down.  "Oh my, sweet girl, I'm so happy to see you." He said, grabbing my hold and giving it a squeeze. "How's your mother?" Despite the fact that Olivia completely left my father and I behind, he still asked about her. I always asked how he could even think of her after what she did to us, but he always said that he pitied her and that was greater than any anger he had for her. He was too busy raising me to be angry at a sociopath.  I shrugged. "The same," I said. I couldn't tell him that she actually managed for me to dislike her more.  "Well the summers more than half over so you'll be coming home in a few weeks." He said, trying to see the brighter side of things.  If only he knew...  "About that... I um, was thinking about accepting a internship there for the rest of the year." I lied.  He looked surprised with a flash of sadness going through his eyes before hiding it with a proud smile. "I think that's a great idea, Christy ." He encouraged.  I gave a smile smile and nodded, feeling incredibly guilty for not telling the truth. "Thanks, dad."  After spending nearly seven hours here at the hospital it was finally time for me to leave. Dad had to start his daily routine of medicines and other therapies.  I gave him one last hug and kiss on the cheek before pulling away and walking out.  "Oh, Christy ," dad called out. I turned back around, standing in the doorway to hear him. "things will all work out in time. They always do," He said with another smile.  I smiled at him. "Love you," I said to him before leaving once again.  ~>~  I opened the front door and shut it behind me as I walked in. "Hello?" I called out, but the silence remained. I walked over to the living room and then through the house to the kitchen. No one was here.  I picked up my phone to call Debbie ... then Kayla ... then Seb. Yet no answer.  I looked out the back door window to the backyard and still no one. When I turned back around I noticed a yellow sticky note on the fridge. I unstick it and read it.  Took Sebastian sight seeing. Be back soon if you beat us home!  Debbie My phone began ringing and I thought it would at least be one of them calling me back, but no, it was actually Chris.  "Hello?" I answered.  "Why did I have to hear it from Amelia that you're back in town?" Chris questioned.  I laughed. "I'm sorry, it was a last minute trip."  "Every thing seems to be last minute with you lately." He said. "You're engaged?" His voice sounded down, like he was upset. We were close and he'd met all the guys I went on dates with after him, disapproving of nearly all of them. He was more of a brother at this point.  I sighed. "Wanna talk over coffee?" I asked.  "Sure, I'll pick you up. I'll be there soon."  A few minutes later he pulled up in his 2002 Ford blue truck. I opened the door and the familiar squeak was back as I swung it open.  "Hey," He greeted as I shut the door and settled in, pulling my seat belt over my chest. He drove off back on to the main road. I knew he was taking me to our usual spot which was 'The Red Diner'. It was a small and local restaurant that was a popular destination for locals. I remember always being there after school and other events like homecoming or prom.  "Lets not beat around the bush, Christy . What's going on?" He asked seriously.  "A lot," I tried to joked, earning me a glare. "Alright alright. It's complicated," I said, debating on whether to actually tell him the truth or not. Chris always had a tendency to over react and I didn't want anything being mentioned about the engagement to anyone but my family, besides my dad of course.  "Don't give me that bullshit." He scoffed, knowing me too well.  "I'm serious, Chris. There's a lot going on right now and in time I'll be able to tell you."  "So you just go to New York and get engaged two weeks later? What the hell does that snake have you doing?" He persisted, referring to Olivia .  "Chris, please."  He looked over to me and then back at the road heavily sighing. "Fine, but I want answers as soon as you get back for good."  I nodded. "You will,"  When we got to the diner we sat in our usual booth near the back in the corner. I slid on the cool black leather of the booth knowing my legs would soon stick to the material.  "Who we got here? Long time no see!" Lisa, a waitress that's worked here longer than I've been alive.  "Hi, Lisa. How are you?" I asked.  "Same ol' shit around here, Christy ." She said, her voice raspy from the countless cigarettes she smoked. "Glad to see you 'round here, missy." She gave a warm smile and a pat on my shoulder.  "Wow, Sue, I never get a greeting like this." Chris joked.  She rolled her eyes. "I like Christy," with that she walked away.  "She didn't even take our order." Chris said with amusement.  No one would ever say it, but she was actually a terrible waitress. Her humor and kindness always brought people back though.  "So how have things been?" I asked.  He shrugged. "The same. I start a new teaching job at the middle school in a few weeks when school starts again." Chris had always wanted to be a teacher and he was definitely smart enough to be one.  "That's awesome, Chris." I said.  "Got to use my degree at some point I guess." He said with a smile.  I nodded. "You'll do great, you always do."  He gave a small smile and looked out the window onto the busy street. "I have to tell you something." He said, looking back at me.  I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"  "When I saw you with that guy on the news... I was more than angry." He admitted. "I realized I was jealous and that... I want you back, Christy ."  I cleared my throat awkwardly and folded my hands in my lap to twirl my thumbs Are each other. I was nervous and unsure how to respond. "Chris, I-I don't think that's a good idea." I mumbled. "Plus, I really am engaged." Even if I wasn't in this arrangement with Seb, I didn't want to get back together with a Chris. We had many clear differences in how we saw our lives. I knew that didn't change and I didn't want our friendship to be ruined. Though Debbie would probably be thrilled.  He let out a jagged sigh. "Think about it? Please?"  I bit my bottom lip, not wanting to even consider it. "Okay," I lied.  Chris and I eventually ordered and luckily talked about other things. He soon drove me home and didn't bother sticking around since Seb was here now.  I got out of the car and opened the door, this time seeing people here. Kayla was sat in the living room while I could see Debbie in the kitchen.  "Hey," I said.  Kayla turned to look over her shoulder before looking back at the TV. "Hey,"  "Where's Sebastian ?" I asked.  I wasn't trying to avoid him anymore. In fact, after hanging out with Chris I actually wanted to see Seb.  She pointed to the kitchen area so I walked over there but only saw Debbie cooking something that smelled delicious. "Oh, hi, how was seeing your father?" She asked.  "It was great. I loved seeing him." I looked around the kitchen and down the hall. "Where's Seb?" I asked her.  "Oh, downstairs. He wanted to freshen up before dinner. Hungry?"  I shook my head. "No, I went to go get a late lunch with Chris." I turned to go down the basement stairs and heard the shower running.  I sat on the couch waiting for him to come out. I didn't know what time we were leaving tomorrow and I needed to know to see if I'd have enough time to see my dad again tomorrow.  Almost twenty minutes later Seb walked out, dressing in a pair of jeans and a casual, white t-shirt. His hair was still damp.  "You take the longest showers in all history." I said.  He smirked and walked over to me, plopping next to me on the couch. "It's good to see you too."  "Where'd you guys go?" I asked.  Seb raised his arm and slung it over the couch behind my head. We were sitting close enough to where our sides were pressing. "Debbie wanted to show me around." He said.  I nodded. "Sorry, my family can be a bit much."  He shook his head. "I like them, they're good people." I felt his hand touch the back of my head. I glanced over my shoulder too see him twirling a piece of my hair between his fingers. "What did you do today?" He asked    "Well I saw my dad and that was really great. He's looking so much better."  He smiled. "That's great, Christy ."  I nodded. "It is. I also met up with Chris and got lunch-"  "Chris?" He questioned? His tone lowered and eyebrows furrowed.  I nodded and leaned to the side slightly to create some sort of distance. "Yeah, we just talked." I don't know why I didn't want him thinking anything happened between Chris and I.  "What'd you talk about?" He asked, sounding unconvinced.  I shrugged. "Random things,"  "Like?"  I rolled my eyes. "I don't know, Sebastian . Does it matter?"  He nodded, leaning his face closer to mine. "Everything you do matters to me."  My breath hitched in my throat at our closeness. His eyes had the same look in them as last night, but the scariest thing was is that I had the same look in mine. "Seb," I breathed out.  "Hm?" He hummed, inching closer until his lips hovered over mine. "I'm not going to kiss you," He said, taking me by surprise. "until you tell me to."  My eye lids fluttered slightly as I realized his words.  Until you tell me to.  I instinctively bit my bottom lip. "Kiss me," I whispered.  I felt Sebastian graze my lips with his before a boom sounded through the basement and the sound of rushing water. I pulled away immediately to see one of the water pipes burst open.  We basically jumped off the couch and ran over to where it was, covering it with anything we could get our hands on.  "Shit," I cursed as the now soaked towel I was issuing was no good.  "What happened?" I looked over to see Debbie standing at the stairs, watching as the basement started to pool with water.  "Hold this," Seb said, handing over an abundance of towels he had gotten from the bathroom.  I fumbled with them, dropping one of them in the water. "This towel is almost soaked." I said. I was soaked at this point. My hair and face dripping with water.  Seb was knelt down in the water, messing with something down there. Well whatever he was doing worked because the water died down and then completely stopped. He stood up and shook out his hair, raking a hand back through it. "Well that was interesting."  I dropped the towels and moved my wet hair from my face. "That's one way of putting it."  "How in the world did this happen?" Debbie was standing at the stairs still, looking over the basement which was not covered in water that was enough to make at least half of the room completely damped. The damage was done and I knew the carpets would and furniture would have to be replaced due to the fact that everything would mildew over soon.  I shrugged and looked around. "I'm not sure,"  She let out a sigh. "When It rains it pours."  "I'll have this fixed, don't worry." Sebastian said, making Debbie and I both look at him.  "I couldn't let you do that. This will be a pretty penny to fix." Debbie said.  He shook his head. "It's the least I can do, please, I'm insisting."  "Sebastian that is very kind, but, I'd feel terrible." Debbie was never one to ask for help when she needed it, she was the strongest woman I know. Debbie offering to fix the basement was beyond words, but I understand where she's coming from. This was an expensive fix and even I'd be uncomfortable accepting that kind of money.  Seb shrugged. "Consider this already done, I'll speak with some people in the morning." He said, leaving no room to argue.  Debbie gave him a small smile. "Thank you," She said before walking back upstairs. Knowing her she most likely felt over emotional and didn't want him seeing her like that.  "Seb, you didn't-"  He had grabbed the sides of my face and kissed me, cutting me off and surprising me yet again. But this kiss wasn't quick. It was slow and tender. His lips were soft yet firm on mine. His hands moved from me face and my waist, pulling me in closer. I raised my arms and wrapped them around his neck. My hands raked through it hair.  I felt his lips swipe across my bottom lip, but I didn't let him deepen the kiss. He tried a couple more times before groaning against my mouth. His hands squeezed my hips lightly before circling around and lowering to give my behind a squeeze causing me to gasp and ultimately letting him deepen the kiss.  I couldn't complain, it felt amazing to feel his tongue against mine as we continued kissing. But all too soon, he was the one to pull away, leaving us both panting. His lips were slightly swollen and I knew mine also had to be.  "If we keep going I won't be able to stop." He said.  I nodded, not really being able to respond. He left my head spinning and I felt weightless when I was around him. I didn't care about that deal or what would happen when we leave this soaking wet basement. All I cared about was right now and how perfect his body felt up against mine.  "Come on, let's go upstairs and get you in dry clothes." He said with a smirk.  I rolled my eyes, but walked up the stairs with him.  Debbie had finished making spaghetti and set out plates for us. "Sebastian , I know you were sleeping in the basement, but that no place for anyone to stay right now." She said.  He nodded. "It's not trouble, I can get a hotel room."  She shook her head. "No, no that won't be necessary. Christy , you can let Sebastian stay in your room. We have a blow up mattress you can set up in there." She has no idea what she's setting up...  "Thank you, Debbie ." Sebastian said before I could protest. He turned to me and gave me a wink that made me blush. I knew he was enjoying this.  ~>~  "You're really going to make me sleep on the clothed air?"  I rolled my eyes. "It's an air mattress, Seb. And yes I am." I turned on the air and it slowly began lifting up.  He said something, but I couldn't understand him over the loud noise.  "What?" I said and he repeated, but I still couldn't understand. A moment later it was completely filled and I turned it off, sealing the mattress so it wouldn't lose any air. "Okay what did you say?"  He chuckled. "I said I will sleep on this thing with one condition."  I raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"  His smirk graced his face. "Sleep on it with me."  I scoffed and put my hands on my hips. "No,"  He stuck his lip up to pout as he attempted walking around the air mattress, but I took up so much space in my room there was little to no walkway room. His eyes narrowed. "You're lucky this is blocking everything."  I rolled my eyes, but smiled. "It really isn't that bad." I said, pushing down on the mattress. "Look," I got on the mattress laying down and smiling at him to encourage the idea of sleeping here. "see?"  He smirked and quickly laid beside me. "Hm," He hummed. "This could make it more comfortable." He swiftly stuck his arm under my head and brought me to his chest, turning me on my side so my head was laying on him. "Yes, much better."  I looked up to glare at him while he just smirked down at me. "Seb," I said warningly.  He raised an eyebrow. "Don't act like you're not enjoying this just as much as I am, babe."  My nose scrunched at the nickname, but it also gave me a warm feeling. "Don't call me that." I muttered.  "Oh sorry, I meant baby."  I rolled my eyes. I would never admit it, but he was very comfortable to lay on. He was warm and I definitely would be able to sleep here. "Seb, come on, I'm going over there." I tried getting up, but his arm pulled my closer to him.  He sighed. "Christy , just let me hold you tonight. I promise I won't do anything."  My heart was going to burst.  "Fine," I said, giving in. "but no funny business."  He nodded with a victory smile. "Deal,"