12
Miss.
In which Sebastian misses Mira after time apart.
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FOR THE NEXT 6 DAYS I didn't see Sebastian at all. With just under a week left of the cuddle pact, I had an inkling, for just a moment before I dismissed it, that maybe he was getting tired of seeing me every day.
Well, I was definitely tired.
Over the six days, I had only managed to get 4 hours of sleep a night, but it was fractured since I kept waking up and then falling asleep again. I tried to cocoon myself in pillows and blankets, but it seemed like I had gotten used to Sebastian's arms around me, his scent, and the faint feeling of him leaving once I was asleep.
Since I wanted to refrain from calling him 24/7, I decided to give him his space after my first ignored call. And to pass the time, I took up the violin again. It was either that or the saxophone, and the latter was too loud.
Yanked from my reverie by a customer waving their hand at me, I blinked a couple of times before I came to the realisation that Sebastian was standing in front of me with dark glasses shielding his eyes.
"Sebastian?" was my response to him, my hands itching to touch his face that held a flowering bruise. Knowing my shift was done, I signalled for him to wait there as I went to the back and rapidly changed.
Upon my arrival, he had ordered himself a cup of coffee, an American baseball cap secured on his head. He stood when he noticed me, a smile glossing his lips before he winced and pursed his lips in a tight line.
"Walk with me?"
Exiting the shop, he was quickly flanked by his bodyguard and Kale, which triggered a thought in me. How had someone been able to land a hit on his face if he always had his bodyguards with him?
"What happened to your face, Sebastian?"
"What? I'm not handsome anymore?" he joked, clearing his throat before answering seriously and a tad bit bitterly. "Let's just say James has one hell of a right hook."
I gasped and felt my chest tighten. "Why would James punch you?"
When his car came in sight, I placed my Oyster back in my bag and watched Kale and Sebastian's bodyguard, who seemed like a giant in comparison to me, walk to a car parked two spaces behind.
Sebastian started up the car and turned the heater on. "We had a disagreement," at the sight of my curious expression, he shook his head. "Which you don't need to worry about now, but you'll probably find out eventually. You busy today?"
The past days that I hadn't seen him allowed me to do all my errands and actually spend some time with Ada and some other friends. But, it seemed like he was desperate for my company so I hummed an affirmative.
Taking his cap off, he raked a hand through his hair, that looked freshly cut, but not too short and regarded me with an easy smile. "I'm sorry I haven't seen you for nearly a week. I'll make up the nights." His hand reached out to stroke my face tenderly before he realised what he was doing and retracted his hand slowly. "I missed you."
"Missed you too," I smiled with closed lips, feeling the uncomfortable atmosphere sink in the air, which lead me to change the subject. "What are we doing today?"
"We're taking Avery to the zoo."
Before long, Sebastian had pulled up into his brother's house. He examined his face in the rearview mirror, wincing at the purple that stretched across his cheekbone.
"It's not too bad, right? I don't want to scare Avery."
Leaning towards him, I inspected the bruise as an insecure expression climbed across his face. I resisted the urge to press a kiss to his cheek, pulling back with a small smile. "Makeup does exist, Sebastian."
He chuckled. "Let's go."
We stood in front of the door, Sebastian raising his closed fist and rapping on the door. Flynn opened the door, tension swimming in his chocolate brown eyes.
"Hey, Ash." He mumbled quietly, sidestepping to leave space for us to walk in. "Morning, Mira." He opened his arms.
"Hi, Flynn." I hugged him momentarily.
"Isla's at work, but I was getting Avery ready before I go to the office." He spoke to Sebastian, avoiding his gaze. "Give her the best day, Ash. And take a lot of pictures with her camera."
"Okay," he laughed uneasily before seeing Flynn's serious expression. "Flynn, it's fine."
The whole conversation seemed too personal, and that was clear when Flynn lowered his voice to a whisper so I busied myself by looking at the house's decor, but I couldn't help but listen to snippets.
"I mean it, Ash. She wants to know you're okay. Make her feel happy and forget what happened last week."
I guessed what had happened the week before was what lead to Sebastian avoiding me like I had the plague and James punching him, but I decided that if he wanted me to know, he'd tell me himself.
"Uncle Seb?" Avery's voice travelled from the stairs, a flash of dark blonde hair falling over the banister. "You're back!"
He beamed at her, well as best he could with his sore cheek, and held his arms out for her to jump into once she bounded down the stairs with a speed I was in awe of, even with her prosthetic leg.
Groaning quietly when she laid kisses across his face, their gazes met when she pulled back and pressed gentle fingertips to his cheekbones. "Ouch?"
He bit into his lip momentarily. "I'm good, princess. You excited for the zoo?"
Her eyes lit up and her lips parted in excitement. "Can I show Mr Snuggles to the penguins?"
They continued to have their conversation for a few more moments before Flynn let out a chuckle. "Leave before she bursts in excitement."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Avery eyed the lions with wide eyes whilst Sebastian captured another picture of her. A melancholic smile dotted his lips before he turned to me. The shutter of the camera made a barely audible click as his dark brown eyes held mine.
"A picture lasts longer." He uttered, placing the strap over his neck and taking Avery's hand. "Do you want to see the penguins now?"
Before a moment of silence could pass, she was already dragging Sebastian towards the penguins as soon as she saw the signs, and didn't forget to grab onto my hand.
If I thought Avery was enthralled with the lions, she was hypnotised by the penguins. Sebastian made sure she wasn't too close to the glass that separated us from the water the penguins were swimming in prior to taking a stand next to me.
"Even if I tried to talk to her, she wouldn't notice." He laughed quietly. For the next few moments, he stared at me in silence. A weird vibe had settled between us and he sighed tiredly. "Pumpkin, look-,"
"We don't have to talk about it if you're not ready, Sebastian. I'm fine with you telling me in your own time."
His eyes danced across my features and he tilted his head slightly in an attempt to figure me out, just like I had done days ago. "When you do find out, you'll be glad I went awol on you for 6 days. I was such a jerk that even my own best friend couldn't refrain from decking me."
Avery tugged on my hand, beaming up at me with a bright, wide grin. "Can you take a picture of me and Uncle Seb and the penguins?"
Albeit knowing I wasn't going to refuse, there was a hint of desperation in his eyes that passed over as soon as it appeared. Taking the camera from around his neck, I waited until Avery was secured in Sebastian's arms with the penguins as a backdrop.
"Say penguins!"
A woman who was standing with her small son smiled warmly at the sight, taking a step to the right to get out of the frame before I snapped a couple of pictures of them. Avery squirmed out of his arms as she skipped over to me, reaching for the camera.
"Your turn with Uncle Seb, Mira."
A nervous laugh fell from my lips. "You sure?"
She beckoned me down with her finger and pressed her cheek to mine to whisper in my ear. "You're a part of the family now, just like Uncle James is. Only I don't think Uncle Seb likes you the way he likes Uncle James."
My heart swelled and I reciprocated the hug she gave me before walking towards a grinning Sebastian. "What did she say?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I flashed him a smile as he threw an arm over my shoulders, curling me in to him until all I could feel was his warmth.
"Smile, Mira." He repeated my words from the day before with a teasing grin, pressing his pointer finger and thumb to each side of my lips and stretching it into a makeshift smile as I released a laugh the same time I heard the click of the camera.
He kept his arm around me when Avery padded over to us, and our close proximity was almost rendering me breathless. He had to be, hands down, the most handsome man I had ever had the privilege of getting to know, and the fact that I liked his personality as well was amazing.
The rest of the day went without a hitch, Avery was the epitome of exuberance and Sebastian couldn't stop showering her with love. They had an incredibly close relationship, which I was in awe of.
Once Sebastian dropped Avery home, after her declaration that he was the best uncle in the world, he returned to the car with a melancholic smile. I knew my boundaries, and didn't press him since he was a very private person, but my hand rested atop his hand in comfort.
He tilted his head towards me, the corner of his lip rising just slightly. "You're perfect."
The dark hue of my skin masked the blush that spread across my cheeks, a playful smile playing on my lips. "You're pretty special yourself."
He laughed and withdrew his hand to grip the steering wheel as he pulled out of Flynn's driveway. "You know what I was thinking? I have the whole of The Walking Dead back at my penthouse, and I'd hate to watch it all by myself."
Hearing Justin Bieber's voice seep from the radio, I tuned him out and grinned at Sebastian. "Um, hello?" I started. "I'm a diehard fan of The Walking Dead."
A smile stretched across his face. "It's a date."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
He held a heap of blankets and pillows in his arms, tossing it onto the floor beside me where I lay in an oversized Hogwarts hoodie and pyjama shorts. Rearranging everything, he laughed at my slightly groggy state, lifting me up into his arms prior to placing me on the blankets.
"If you fall asleep on me, I'm eating all the pizza myself." He warned, grabbing the TV remote and lying next to me.
When he attempted to wrap an arm around me, I rolled to the side. "If we cuddle, I'm definitely falling asleep, and I want that pizza."
He chuckled and opted to stay as close to me as he could.
Before long, the pizza arrived and there we were, lying on a bed of blankets and pillows with the fireplace burning brightly in the far side of the room, and a large box of pizza opened in front of us.
It felt a little too intimate for just friends, but I shook my head of those thoughts and focused on the first episode we watched. I was too engrossed in the show to realise Sebastian's head tilted in my direction, and that his lips were a hair's breadth away from my cheek.
Glancing at him through my peripheral vision, I inhaled softly and wanted nothing more than to turn my head and press my lips to his. "Don't start anything you can't finish, Sebastian." I murmured almost under my breath, but due to his close proximity, I knew he heard me.
"What if I do intend to finish it?" he countered, lifting his hand to cup the other side of my face. My heart soared when he turned my head to rest his forehead against mine. "If I died tonight, my only regret with you would be not kissing you when I'm sober."
My hands shook lightly as I gripped the sheets, my lips parting in anticipation. He gradually closed the distance in between us, his lips moving against mine slowly. After a few moments, he accommodated our position by seizing my hips in his hands and lifting me to rest in his lap.
His kiss did something to me. I was aware of everything going on around me, but the only thing I could focus on was his scent encasing me like a dream. Just as I felt the tip of his tongue touch my lip, his phone rang.
A few more moments passed of his tantalising kiss before he drew back, handing me an apologetic glance as he answered.
"Kaia, you have the worst timing ever." He grumbled at his sister, the stirring in his groin dying down at the sound of his sister's voice.
Choosing not to listen in on his conversation, I made a move to take myself off his lap before he stopped me by tugging the waistband of my shorts. His hand rested on my bare thigh as the rapid beating of my heart failed to slow down.
I eased my head onto his shoulder when he continued talking to his sister, a disappointed sigh falling from my lips at the realisation that my eyes were dropping tiredly.
When he had gotten off the phone, he must've thought I was asleep because I knew what he said wouldn't have been revealed to me had I been awake.
"You have me so hooked," he sighed quietly, reaching up to run his hand through my hair. "That the only person I want to sleep with is you."
Looks like we were less like friends than I realised.