09
Promise.
In which Mira promises something to Sebastian.
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OVER THE NEXT WEEK, MY BODYGUARD and I fell into a routine. In the mornings, we would go for a run in the park close to my apartment. Being the sociable person I was, I would always spark up a conversation and picked up a few things about him.
He had served in the army and knew the Harringtons very well. He was divorced, but had no children and was in his early thirties. Other than Sebastian, he was good company.
"I have to say, Kale," I panted as we stopped at a tree. "I'm glad you're my bodyguard."
Kale smiled a small smile, adjusting his shirt and ruffling his black tufts of curly hair. "You're definitely one of the few who I actually like."
The rumours had slightly subsided since Sebastian had his interview, but people still came up to me and I remained very much in the spotlight. If I had bothered to check social media, I would notice the surge in my followers and it was slightly scary.
With 2 weeks left of the cuddle pact, I had begun to think about how my life would be without seeing Sebastian every single day. Ever since that night, we were attached at the hip unless Sebastian had to be somewhere work-related.
"You're going to be with me tonight at the club, right?"
Kale nodded. "It'll be hard since you have to stay near me at all times, but you need to have fun. Just stay with your friends."
I acknowledged his words, feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket. Seeing Sebastian's name, the grin slowly made its way onto my face.
"Hey," he greeted sleepily.
It was seven in the morning and I liked running to get my mind off things that were troubling me. I knew I had to get a part-time job whilst I was setting up the restaurant so the day of the viewings, I had gone around local coffee shops that were in need of staff and handed out my resume.
"I know you're spending the night with Lena, but do you want to spend the day with me and James?"
I mulled over the offer, knowing that Sebastian wanted me to meet James properly. "Sure," I agreed after a few moments. "What are we doing?"
"It's a surprise, pumpkin. See you later."
By the time I had showered and changed, the sun was slanted high in the sky, an unusual but welcomed heat in the air. Adjusting my skirt, I slid into the car and greeted George with a warm smile.
"How come you aren't with Sebastian?"
George rendered me with a requited smile through the mirror. "Mr Harrington requested me to get you to his penthouse first." The formalities kicked in since Sebastian was technically his boss during the day.
Before long, the car journey was up. It had seemed to go quickly as it was filled with conversation. When I opened the door, Sebastian and James were standing outside the building, leaning against a sleek, black Range Rover.
Glasses shielded Sebastian's dark brown eyes, but a small smile dotted his lips when I stood out of the car, a very light breeze fanning the skin of my bare legs when I advanced towards them.
To say I was nervous would be an understatement. They were both staring at me, not saying a word before I broke the silence.
"Well, I'm riding shotgun."
Sebastian pushed his glasses back and chuckled softly. "Mate," he turned to James. "Looks like you're sitting at the back."
James shrugged and made a move to open the backseat door. Sebastian, however, momentarily stopped me with a quiet murmur. "I know you don't need my opinion, but you look amazing."
My heart flared and I felt my stomach bottom out with anxiousness. Smiling softly, I whisked an errant strand of hair behind my ear. "Thank you."
Sliding into the passenger seat, I clipped my seatbelt in and almost laughed at how fast my heart was beating. It was early days, but I wondered how he'd make me feel once I had solid feelings for him.
"What's always coming, but never here?" James leaned back in his seat as he asked the question.
"Tomorrow," Sebastian answered without a thought, breathing out a soft chuckle. "If you're going to tell us riddles, make them harder."
I tilted my head to glance at James. "I've got one," I spoke, momentarily staring into his azure eyes. "A man wanted to enter an exclusive club but didn't know the password that was required. He waited by the door and listened. A club member knocked on the door, and the doorman said 'twelve'. The member said 'six' and was let in. A second member knocked and the doorman said 'six'. The member's response was 'three'. Thinking he had heard enough, the man walked up to the door, and the doorman said 'ten'. The man replied with 'five' but wasn't let in. Why?"
Sebastian breathed out a whistle. "Damn that was a lengthy one."
Once I had repeated it enough for them to understand it, Sebastian stopped the car at a traffic light, his eyes lighting up. "He was meant to say three." He began, laughing at James' confused expression. "Twelve has six letters, six has three letters, and ten has three letters. The man just assumed it was half the number the doorman said."
James swore under his breath. "I hate riddles."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Aboard the helicopter, I was too enthralled with the view to notice that there was a lack of conversation. Turning to face Sebastian and James, I was met with small smiles.
"It's so cute how you're hypnotised by the view." Sebastian laughed, leaning towards me to stare at what had caught my attention seconds before. "I forget that you've probably never seen London from this angle."
My cheeks flamed with this weird warmth. I had seemed to catch their attention and when they had begun talking, Sebastian often spared a glance my way with a laugh as James watched me with an unwavering curiosity.
"Sebastian, stop staring at me." I desperately wanted to press my cool hands to my cheeks, but the desire to keep my highlight intact stopped me from doing so.
Sebastian sent a gleaming smile my way, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I was staring out of your window, actually." He said matter-of-factly. "Can I not enjoy the view too?"
My teeth sunk into my bottom lip and I quickly turned back to the window. The temperature had dipped slightly and I could feel the goosebumps prickling on my skin. Noticing my near shivering state, Sebastian shrugged off his jacket, and silently placed it around my shoulders.
"Here." James offered, holding a camera in his hand. "So you can have memories of it that actually last."
The smile dotted my lips before I could realise it and I eagerly took the camera from his hands, excitedly muttering a 'thank you'.
A plethora of pictures later, the helicopter began to descend, the ground becoming closer and closer with every blink of an eye.
Feeling on a high, I could practically feel the surprise roll off the two men standing in front of me when I brought them into a group hug. "That was amazing!" I felt like a little kid again when I pulled back, securing Sebastian's jacket around my shoulders.
He was left with his white Tommy Hilfiger jumper and a pair of washed-out blue jeans. Throwing his head back with a laugh, he draped his arm around me. "My chest hurts from laughing so much."
James' attention was instantly on Sebastian and as soon as we made eye contact, he gave me a warm smile when we all proceeded to make our way to the car. "Mira, Lena was going through some old magazines she has in her apartment, and I'm pretty sure I saw you in it. Have you done modelling before?"
He looked at me as if it was a given that I had dabbled in modelling. At the thought of both James and Sebastian finding me pretty had butterflies swarming my stomach.
I gulped almost audibly as I nodded. It had been a swimsuit spread and knowing James had seen it made my cheeks warm. "It was when I was fresh out of university."
"You did a modelling shoot?" Sebastian asked curiously. "I have got to see this."
As the day progressed, I had gotten to know James better and I could confidently say that we were alike in many ways. Albeit having a lot of things in common, I knew we didn't click in any way other than friends and James didn't seem to be crossing any boundaries.
My breath had been taken away more times than I could count with Sebastian constantly touching me. It was little gestures like his hand brushing mine or his arm linking with mine in an attempt to have me closer.
Needless to say, my nerves skyrocketed.
"Your pizza—," he cut his sentence short, shaking his head. "I can't believe you only got cheese and tomatoes."
Glancing at his pizza, I eyed the pepperoni and pineapple among the other toppings that decorated his pizza. I had never tried pineapple on pizza since it was a confusing concept, but when he lifted a slice and held it near my mouth, I set out to try it.
Holding a tissue under my mouth, I bit into his pizza, allowing the taste to sink in before I sighed blissfully. "That is surprisingly delicious."
My heart catapulted in my chest when he proceeded to eat the same slice I had bitten into, a lazy grin gracing his face. "You're welcome."
"Pizza is so overrated." James piped up, contently eating his southern style BBQ pork sub. He leaned back in his chair, stretching and my eyes fell to the taut skin of his toned stomach, which had me thinking.
"I know this is random, but are you going on a mission anytime soon?"
James took a sip of his milkshake, shaking his head with a trace of a frown on his face. "Hopefully in six to seven weeks if everything goes well. It's going to be my last mission since I want to pursue another career."
Sebastian clamped a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Everyone is relieved with your choice. Now, I can spend as much time with you as I can."
Their moment seemed too intense so I directed my gaze elsewhere. It was nothing romantic but they acted like brothers more than anything.
When his phone rang, Sebastian looked down before excusing himself with a charming smile sent in my direction. I almost felt lightheaded when James spoke.
"You like him, don't you?" A smirk was painted on his face. "I know you know he doesn't do relationships, and even though I hate the reason he doesn't, you're different."
I cocked my head to the side, half curious and half confused. "Different how?"
"Well for one," James began. "He's constantly with you and he calls you pumpkin. He only gives pet names to his girlfriends."
"We're not dating, James," I said with a bitter undertone.
James let a laugh fall through his lips. "Obviously I know that, but I think it's just a matter of time before Sebastian gives in."
I highly doubted that he would, but James probably knew him better than anyone since they had been best friends since they were teens. That didn't mean I could allow myself to hope because nothing good ever came of it.
When Sebastian returned, he quickly glanced at his watch. "I'll drop you off at your place. Have fun tonight and stay close to Kale."
Gathering our things, we all made our way to Sebastian's car before he turned the radio on. Rihanna's voice slowly flooded the car and I leaned back in my chair in bliss.
The car ride was over in 20 minutes and a small inch of disappointment settled into my chest. Spending time with Sebastian had to be the highlight of my day, and it wasn't even because I was developing feelings for him. It was because he was a person I was quickly growing attached to; it was like he was Ada, but a male version.
"I'll see you later," Sebastian uttered, leaning in to place a chaste kiss on my cheek.
I didn't miss the way James leaned back in his chair with a Cheshire Cat-like smile, throwing a wink my way when Sebastian pulled back. "Bye." I smiled. "Bye, James."
"Bye, Mira!" he sang with excessive exuberance, laughing loudly when I rolled my eyes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
When Lena had introduced Ada and me to her friends, I quickly learnt that they were all models. I had to just appreciate their beauty.
Mara had dark skin, but what made her face pop were her naturally blue eyes. Her cheekbones were high and her lips were supple and coated in a layer of matte lipstick. Adorning her body was a white dress that ended mid-thigh and showed off her hourglass figure.
I could already tell that Kale was whipped.
Kira was a Vietnamese model with hazel eyes and long chestnut hair that reached her rib cage. She was roughly the same height as me and had a captivating smile. She also looked drop-dead gorgeous in her dress that hugged her slim figure enough to show the subtle curves.
After greeting the pair of them, I turned to Kale with a budding smirk when I caught him sneaking glances. "Feel free to have fun too."
Taking a seat at the table, I took the time to scan the quaint setting. It had a 150 people capacity and was certainly on a smaller scale to the nightclubs I had previously been to. After 10, the restaurant turned into a club.
Ada was sitting beside me, a small smile climbing onto her face when a waiter came to take out orders. "He's hot." She whispered behind her menu.
"1-10?" I questioned curiously.
Ada scrunched up her nose slightly and cocked her head to the side as she scanned his face one more time. "A solid 6."
Before I could speak any further, my phone flashed with Sebastian's name. Reading the text, I couldn't help but allow a bright smile to grace my features.
'On a scale of 1-10, you're a 9 and I'm the 1 you need'
Accompanying the text was a picture of my swimsuit shoot and I felt my cheeks heat up as I typed a response back.
"Who's got you smiling like that?" Lena inquired with a small smirk since she knew who it was.
"Maybe a guy whose name starts with an S and ends in ebastian." Mara joked, giving me a pearly white smile. She was seated next to Kale (which he totally made happen) and briefly glanced at him with the same facial expression.
I playfully rolled my eyes, turning my phone screen off and proceeding to say my order to the waiter. Kale sat silently in front of me, fidgeting with his fingers.
Upon noticing that he wasn't ordering, I deduced that he thought his night would be him solely protecting me. Remembering back to one of our conversations, I picked the closest to his favourite meal.
"You should get the creamy smoked salmon and lemon pasta, Kale."
Lifting his head to glance at me, confusion swam in his deep green eyes. "Uh, I'm working, which means I didn't bring any cash with me."
"It's not even that expensive," Mara began, rendering Kale shocked when she continued. "I'll pay for you, and you can just pay me back later."
I shared a quick glance at Ada when Kale protested, repeating that he wasn't on his own time. But, he relented when Mara mentioned that he could take her to dinner and pay then.
Whipped with a capital 'w'.
Kale pulled on the collar of his shirt with a tense smile. "I'll have creamy smoked salmon and lemon pasta, please."
The rest of the night went without a hitch until I started to feel a little bit hazy. People surrounded me, and I could barely make out the blurry face that was Kale. He had been keeping an eye on me all night despite the fact that he wanted to initiate a conversation with Mara once more.
The all too familiar feeling came suddenly, my teeth sinking into my bottom lips as I tried to stop the grimace from marring my features. Before long, Kale had advanced towards me quickly, leaving Mara within seconds to help me catch my bearings.
"You need air, Mira."
His hand hooked onto my arm and he proceeded to push passed the bodies as he pulled me out of the quaint club. His green eyes met mine soberly. "Breathe with me. Come on."
Despite him uttering the words Sebastian had the last time I had a panic attack, it failed to soothe me, my chest tightening almost painfully. I felt like I was going to throw up when I closed my eyes shut, a wave of dizziness crashing into me.
Kale frowned deeply as he quickly got his phone out, dialling his boss's number. "Mr Harrington, it's Mira." He paused and shook his head. "She isn't in any physical danger, sir. But, I think she's having a panic attack." When my breaths became laboured, he nodded furiously. "No, I know she's having a panic attack."
He placed his phone in my hand, ushering me to put it close to my ear.
"Pumpkin, take deep breaths. You're fine, Kale is with you and I'm talking to you. Just focus on my voice." His deep voice was like music to my ears. It slowly soothed me, but my breaths still fell from my lips in shaky tremors. "I'll come to get you, where are you?"
Kale told him the address as he spoke once again. "Just stay on the phone with me, pumpkin."
He continued to talk to me as I heard the background noise of his car. I leaned against the brick wall, huddling next to Kale to keep warm.
"I'm sorry I took you from Mara."
A blush sunk into his skin. "She's beautiful, but you're my priority tonight. I am your bodyguard after all."
Before long, Sebastian had pulled up, a frown marring his handsome features. He stepped to me with wide steps, pulling me into his arms. His faint heartbeat seeped into my ears and I sighed.
"Thank you for coming," I mumbled into his chest, feeling it vibrate with a laugh.
"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" he questioned, draping an arm across my shoulders. "I'll text the girls to tell them I came and got you. Kale, you can have the rest of the night off. Have fun."
"Have a good night, sir."
When he had returned to the club, Sebastian and I had climbed into the car. Before I could click my seatbelt in, Sebastian pulled my hands into his lap, blowing into them to warm them up.
"I worry about you sometimes," he confessed, his brown eyes meeting mine. "I know the cuddle pact helps you, but I feel so bad for making all of this happen. I haven't known you for long, but I sure as hell know that the panic attack you had at the restaurant was a first in a long time. I'm just so sorry."
I rendered him with my warmest smile. "I wouldn't have met you, and I literally can't sleep without you." He joined me in a short laugh. "The cuddle pact is the best thing that's happened to me this year."
Sebastian released a long sigh, a trace of mint wafting up my nose. "Promise you'll always call me when you're in trouble."
A thought flew into my mind. The attachment that I had growing for Sebastian had to stop. We were clearly just friends and as I thought earlier, nothing good came from hoping.
He squeezed my hands. "Promise me, Mira."
A hesitant tone of honesty rippled into my voice. "I promise."