37. Lilian
Chapter 37
Lilian
“And Elijah decided to extend the trip another week!” Gemma refills her and Mary’s champagne glass. “I almost didn’t want to come home.”
“That sounds so romantic,” Mary says. “Did you do any of those fancy couples’ activities, like swimming with dolphins or romantic sunset cruises?”
“We did both, actually. The dolphins were so sweet,” Gemma says.
Will Sebastian and I ever have a honeymoon? What am I even thinking? It’s not like we’re engaged.
Over the past weeks, he and I have been in a, I guess, what you can call, relationship. We go on dates, cook together, sleep together, and relax on the couch, me reading and him watching football.
We do late-night sewing sessions almost every day. Me on his lap, his arms around me. I don’t know why, but with Sebastian, the monsters are gone. No nightmares. And yet, I feel bad for taking up so much of his time. Time he should use resting because he’s such a workaholic.
Something is on his mind. Even when he’s here, he sometimes looks like he is somewhere else completely .
I stand at the stove, stirring the simmering pasta sauce harder.
“Lil?”
I whip my head toward Gemma. “Yeah?”
“Everything okay?”
On cue, my phone buzzes with an incoming text. Wiping my hands on a dish towel, I pick it up from the counter.
Sebastian: Can’t make it home for dinner tonight. Big deal that needs my attention. Sorry, princess.
I’ve grown so used to his presence over the past couple of months that every time he’s late, the apartment feels empty.
Lil: No worries, I understand. Good luck! We’ll save you leftovers.
Sebastian: We?
Lil: Gemma and Mary are here.
Sebastian: Good. I’ll see you later.
“And what is my brother saying?” Gemma asks.
“He’s stuck at the office again.”
“Again?” Gemma frowns. “He works too hard. I keep telling him to take a break once in a while.”
I nod, poking at the simmering sauce without really seeing it. I could bake cupcakes until he’s home, and then we could eat together. Or…
I whirl around to my best friends. “Would it be too clingy if I brought dinner over to his office?”
“I think he’d love it,” Gemma says.
Mary puts up her pointing finger. “It’s thoughtful, not clingy.”