Chapter Twenty-Nine - Sebastian
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Sebastian
OWEN HASN’T STOPPED boasting all night about his two touchdowns he ran in and I’m letting him gloat just like I always have. We’re lucky to have him. Maybe at some point I’ll call him on his shit, but at the current moment it’s not hurting anyone.
There aren’t enough words to explain how good it felt to be back on the field today. It’s always been the one place where everything disappears, and I feel completely in control. We demolished the other team to the point where I felt kind of bad about it until I spoke with the other team’s quarterback after the game. He explained it was the ass-kicking they needed to get them moving in the right direction.
The bar we’re at tonight is busy, but the VIP lounge is nice. Occasionally someone will ask for an autograph or a photo, but for the most part I’m left alone while I’m here. Other places I won’t touch because it’s too crazy.
Thalia’s at the bar ordering another beer, leaving me alone with Blake and Owen. I’m still nursing my first beer, unable to stop thinking about the conversation Owen and I had a few days ago. I honestly can’t blame him for questioning my intentions with Thalia, but I’d be lying if I tried to say it hasn’t stopped bothering me that he even felt the need to ask if I was ready. My answer must have been satisfactory considering he hasn’t brought it up again, but neither have I.
I know the timing isn’t great, especially with the press still in full swing.
Kiera finally made a statement to the media, taking some of the heat off of me, but the story has taken on a life of its own. It doesn’t help that she didn’t clarify the paternity of her unborn child, but she did admit I never cheated on her, nor did I leave her for Thalia. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to salvage my sponsorships, and get the front office off my back.
For me, everyone in my life knows the truth, and there’s no reason to add more fuel to the fire by commenting on her pregnancy.
I, for one, am sick of seeing my name in the tabloids.
Thalia returns with a new bottle in her hand, her hand brushing along my lower back as she slides into the seat next to me. “What’s the look on your face for? I thought we were celebrating.”
I don’t need to force myself to smile. It comes naturally from looking at her. “We are. I was thinking.”
“You’re always thinking,” she teases, poking my cheek playfully.
Owen shakes his head, chuckling across from me. “Bash is probably thinking about his mistake during the game. I swear, I’ve never met anyone more obsessive with watching game tape. ”
“I didn’t make any mistakes. The score at the end proved it.” I scoff, tapping my fingers on the table. “You’re one to talk, considering I’ve never met someone else as obsessed with themselves as you,” I reply cheekily, resulting in Blake sputtering, her drink caught in her throat.
Thalia laughs happily next to me as Owen rolls his brown eyes. “Fuck you.”
“You’re mad because I’m right,” I challenge, but thankfully, Owen smiles, shrugging his shoulders.
“I’m not saying you’re right, but I’m not saying you’re wrong either.”
“He’s totally right,” Blake muses, and Owen gapes at her in disbelief.
“Et tu, Brute?”
“Dude, you’re twenty-eight. At what point should I expect your ego to shrink to a normal size?” Thalia asks, and I think I just fell more in love with her, if possible.
“Well, you’re turning twenty-seven in two months, and…” Owen trails off, clearly trying to come up with something that only causes her to laugh harder.
“And what?” she prompts, snorting as she laughs harder. He frowns, drinking from his glass.
“I don’t like you.”
Thalia sticks her tongue out at him. “You don’t have to like me, but you are stuck with me.”
Blake shakes her head, turning to look at me, but this isn’t anything I’m not already used to. “Do I have any hope of them growing up?”
“Probably not,” I answer, draping my arm on the back of Thalia’s chair, twisting my fingers through the ends of her short hair. “It used to be worse, though. Thalia would beg to come play with us, except Owen hated the idea of her tagging along because he thought he was too cool for her. Their mom made him bring Lia one day to the park, and I can vividly recall how mad Owen was, so he threw the football at the back of her head when she turned away.”
Owen’s face twists into a grin as Lia shifts to sit closer to me. “Shit, I forgot that happened. Lia, you cried like such a baby.”
“Maybe because I was five? You also cried like a little bitch when Mom grounded you for a month,” Thalia replies quickly.
A laugh catches in my throat. “It was kind of a dick move, bro.”
He takes a drink of his beer, before looking me in the eye. “Well, you’ve made a lot of dick moves lately, so I guess you would know, bro .”
“Owen!” Blake scolds, immediately hitting his arm.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, looking away.
I’m not saying I don’t deserve it, but it’s a little uncalled for at the moment. I inhale deeply, calmly taking a drink of my own. I’m due for a refill since I’ve let this one sit long enough, it’s gone warm. “Thanks for that,” I say cooly, and my best friend at least looks guilty.
“Bash, I shouldn’t have said that—”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Thalia interrupts for me. I rest my hand on her thigh underneath the table, squeezing it gently to communicate my silent appreciation.
Blake shoots me an apologetic look as Owen stands up bluntly, wiping his palms on his thighs. “I’m going to the bar.”
“Is everything okay between you two?” Thalia asks, switching to French as she lowers her voice, resting her hand on top of mine .
“I thought so; I don’t know what that was about.” I shake my head, stealing a glance at Owen’s towering height as he makes his way toward the counter. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
Blake shifts in her seat, her demeanor a mixture of confusion and annoyance. “Hi, I’m still here, but feel free to continue with your private conversation in front of me. I’m going to go check on my husband.”
I squeeze Thalia’s hand reassuringly as the music gets louder in the background. “I’m sorry, Blake. I didn’t mean to shut you out of the conversation, but I should go talk to Owen.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she protests, but I stand up quickly, not taking no for an answer. Owen and I clearly have things we need to hash out.
“Please. I need to make things right with him.”
Thalia smiles reassuringly, and Blake relaxes into her seat, giving me the all clear to make my way toward my best friend.
My stomach is rolling at the possibility we might never go back to the way we used to be, but I’ve accepted that Thalia is worth it. I knew what I was doing when I got back together with her. Sometimes love is worth the risk.
“Hey,” I greet shortly, squeezing into the open spot next to him as Owen turns his head to acknowledge me.
“Just forget I said anything,” he grumbles, his attention sliding back to the bartender taking care of another customer.
I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “Owen, come on. What’s your problem? I thought we got everything off our chest the other day.”
“I don’t have a problem. It was a slip of the tongue. ”
Normally he’s better at bullshitting. “Yeah, sure it was.” I scoff, forgetting my patience for a moment.
He runs a hand through his blond hair exasperatedly. “We don’t need to talk about it—seriously, Sebastian. Go back to the girls.”
“Dude—”
Owen finally turns his whole body to look at me. “Go back to the table. I have nothing to say.”
Fine, if he doesn’t have anything to say, then neither do I. I don’t know what crawled up his ass, but I don’t want to make it any worse since that’s clearly all I’m doing. I shake my head as Owen looks away again, leaving him be to return to the girls.
My jaw tightens as I catch sight of the men occupying the open seats at our table. Blake is sitting on the edge of her seat as the guy next to her leans in, and Thalia is looking at the man next to her in disgust.
Oh shit.
I sidestep another patron on their way to the bar, but I don’t like the look of this at all. I’m a table away when the man next to Thalia makes the mistake of wrapping his arm around Thalia’s shoulders, and she promptly slams her fist into his nose.
“—ucking touch me!” she yells, and Blake slides out of her seat, looking relieved to see me so near as the other man moves to be closer to her again.
“She’s married, and if she wasn’t, she’s clearly not fucking interested,” I interrupt, fighting every urge in me that wants to throw hands immediately. He immediately backs away from her—which is probably a smart decision considering I could crush him like a bug without breaking a sweat. “Blake, you okay?” I check as the man next to Thalia holds his nose.
“I’m fine,” Blake says, moving closer to Thalia, who is shaking out her hand.
“Does this bitch belong to you too? She’s fucking nuts, man.” The guy next to Thalia scoffs, and I nearly see red.
“Are you fucking kidding me? I don’t belong to anyone, and you’re damn right, I am fucking nuts!” Thalia seethes as Blake pulls her back, grabbing her arm to prevent her from swinging at him again.
I’m not going to hit them. I’m not going to hit them. I’m not going to hi—
“Cockteases,” the guy who had taken Owen’s seat mumbles.
My entire body coils, ready to explode. “What did you say?” I ask, my voice deathly calm.
“I mean, just look at them,” he motions pathetically. “They’re both dressed like they’re in desperate need of a good lay.”
Despite having been punched already, the other guy decides to open his mouth again as he looks at Thalia. “I bet you’re a wild fuck.”
I grab him by the front of his shirt, his face paling as I lower my voice further. “You’re both pieces of shit. Regardless of how a woman is dressed, it doesn’t give you an invitation to touch them when they’re very clearly telling you no. Now get the fuck out of here before I change my mind about kicking your asses.” I’m barely holding onto the last thread of my restraint as I shove him away from me. He stumbles dramatically, clearly having had plenty to drink since I didn’t push him that rough .
I brush past the other to get to the girls, making eye contact with Thalia as the mouthy one grabs my shoulder, yanking me back. The thread of restraint I had been clinging to snaps as I turn, throwing my fist straight into his face. If Thalia hadn’t broken his nose with her punch, it’s definitely broken now.
He howls in pain, his friend eyeing me nervously now as he bumps straight into Owen, finally gracing us with his presence from the bar. “What the fuck?” Owen asks, as the guy attempts to swing at Owen.
I’m distracted by Owen dodging the hit, landing a solid one of his own, as the other guy recovers faster than I anticipated, my jaw taking the impact of a lucky hit. I swear under my breath, knocking him flat on his ass this time.
“Bash, stop, we’re fine!” Thalia says behind me, pulling on my arm. I exhale sharply, tearing my attention from the asshole in front of me to look at Thalia, needing proof that she is fine. She looks small in front of me despite the fury raging in her eyes at the mark surely on my jaw, but my anger doesn’t settle. Lia isn’t wearing anything inviting to anyone other than me, considering it’s my jersey she’s wearing; it’s bullshit to blame their ignorance on them. “I’m fine,” she echoes, and my heart rate finally starts to slow.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot officers breaking through the crowd, and I wonder how pissed my agent is going to be that I got into a bar fight. At least I can argue that I didn’t start this fight to make it look better.
“Officers, the—” I start to say as one stops in front of me, but my voice falters when he pulls his handcuffs out of his belt to tell me that I’m under arrest.
Fuck me.
~
After watching the tapes from the bar, Owen and I aren’t being charged with anything, but we also can’t leave until we’re picked up. Unfortunately, it was a madhouse leaving the bar so neither of the girls are here yet. So now…we wait.
Owen and I are sitting on opposite sides of the holding cell, not speaking to each other. My hand has already started to bruise, but I’m more concerned with how Thalia is.
I watched that guy grab her right before I got back, and I know she handled it just fine, but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed seeing it. Hearing the things they were saying was hard enough and I just… I don’t know . I snapped, and now Owen and I are sitting in jail.
I’ve never been arrested for anything, and to make matters worse, the officer watching over us has spent the entire time staring at Owen and I starstruck. He won’t let us out of our cell, though.
I’m leaning against the wall, trying to distract myself from where we are when Owen finally speaks to me. “Thank you for standing up for Blake,” he says gruffly, almost like it’s painful to say.
“Of course,” I answer automatically. There was never a question about it; Blake is family to me.
Owen sighs, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m worried. I know you think you’re ready, but I’m worried. I can’t help it—seeing you together after all these years is weird. I know you want it to work, and Thalia does as well, but what will happen if you guys can’t make it work?”
“I hear you, and it makes sense. All I can do is promise that this time isn’t like last time.”
He gives me a skeptical look. “You can’t promise that. I only hope you learned from last time, and that you’re done with the secret keeping shit. Lia’s not going to put up with it, and neither will I.”
“I love her,” I say honestly, and Owen gives me the faintest of smiles.
“I know you do,” he admits slowly. “I guess I might need some time to get used to seeing you together again. My brain is trying to play catch-up since it’s still trying to tell me that you’re with Kiera.”
I shake my head, chuckling under my breath. “I’m not going anywhere. She’s it for me, Owen. I was so wrong about Kiera, but everything with Thalia feels right. Take all the time you need, but if it’s not Thalia by my side, I don’t want anyone.”
He falls silent after that, and I take advantage of the time to rest my eyes.
I’m so fucking ready for things to slow down.