Chapter Twenty-Four - Thalia
“THALIA. WAKE UP, or I’ll leave you out here,” I hear Sebastian’s deep voice say. I groan, pulling my arms up to cover my eyes.
“Go away, I’m sleeping,” I mumble, and I hear a gentle laugh.
“Yes, love, you are. You’re also on the kitchen table. I think my bed might be a little more comfortable, but it’s up to you.” His hand rubs my back, causing me to lift my head, squinting at him in the dim light. Did he call me love? What the hell?
“What did you just call me?” I ask, my vision slightly fuzzy with sleep.
That question earns me another laugh. “Don’t worry about it.”
I will worry about it, so that’s stupid to tell me. I rub my eyes tiredly. “I have to finish my paper.”
“Well, you weren’t doing that, so you might as well go lie in a bed,” Sebastian counters. I click the keypad to bring my computer back to life. All I have left is the conclusion and the proofreading. I’d prefer not to do homework on my birthday.
“Where’s Owen?” I ask, covering my yawn with my hand.
“He took a picture of you asleep on the table and then went to his room. I waited a bit before coming to wake you up because I thought the sound of all the doors shutting and us moving around would wake you up. My guess is Owen’s already sleeping. It was a long trip,” he explains. I smile up at him softly. I’m glad Bash is back; the apartment feels empty without both of them here.
“I missed you. I’m sorry you guys lost.”
Sebastian shrugs, trying to play it off, but I know better. “You win some, you lose some. They played better than us.” He brushes a strand of hair from my face. “I missed you too.” His dark eyes trail over my face, as if committing my features to memory.
I chuckle under my breath. Who have we turned into? “How pathetic are we? A few weeks of dating and then three days apart reduces us to a pathetic cliché where we can’t be apart for too long.”
“We are pathetic, but I’m not sorry about it.”
~
“Bash, I swear if you drop me in this water—” I leave my threat open ended as he holds me easily in his arms.I should become a mermaid. He’d always have to carry me on dry land. Sebastian would finally have a good reason to have all his muscles.
“You’ll what? Withhold sex?” Sebastian smirks, looking down at me. “Then you’re just denying yourself what you want, which is me.”
Yeah, I definitely do want him, but I’m not confirming that for Sebastian. I’d never hear the end of it.
I hit his chest with the back of my hand, a little harder than I probably should have, but that sounded like something Owen would say. “Maybe I will. Your dick is not the end all be all for me having an orgasm. It’s my birthday. You’re supposed to be doing everything I say,” I remind him as he continues walking farther into the water.
“Thanks for reminding me. I’ll be sure to give you twenty-one birthday spankings later,” he teases, and I gape at him. “I’m kidding.” Is he? Bash came up with that pretty quickly.
“I’m not sure you are.”
“We’ll revisit that later.” He shakes against me with laughter. “I guess since it is your birthday, I could put you down nicely, or I could be an asshole and drop you in the water. Just pretend you’re a mermaid,” he says, beginning to loosen his grip, and I wrap my arms around his neck to hold on. Can he read my mind?
“I regret what I said last night. I did not miss you,” I say sassily, and Sebastian smiles.
“Oh, little Lia. You missed me, so don’t try to deny it now.”
I shake my head adamently. “I did not miss you. I’m not little Lia anymore either. I think I prefer love to that nickname. I was perfectly content having the apartment to myself with the addition of Penelope and sometimes Blake,” I reply stubbornly as Sebastian proceeds to drop me into the water.
I come up sputtering, only to find Sebastian roaring with laughter. He’s smiling so widely that it almost makes me forget why he’s laughing. “I can’t believe you dropped me again! Asshole!”
“I don’t need you to speak English to know you just called me an asshole. I guess I deserve it.”
I glare unamused at my boyfriend. “You think? You’re not supposed to throw the birthday girl in the water! That’s against all the rules.”
Sebastian grins at me, an evil glint in his eyes. “If you’re all about following the rules, then I can bend you over my knee now to get on those spankings.”
I splash him with water as I wade deeper, the waves now hitting my shoulder. “Yeah, we’re not following that rule.”
“Why not? You just said we should follow the rules,” he taunts, splashing me back.
I swim farther out until my feet can’t touch the sand. I turn around as I tread water easily, looking to see what Blake and Owen are up to. Owen has the same idea as Sebastian and is carrying a shrieking Blake into the water. Men are so unoriginal. Penelope is chilling on the sand, working on her tan. She’s not a fan of the water, but she loves the beach despite it.
“Pretty sure neither of us can talk about following rules,” I remind Sebastian, who swims up to me. The only difference is that he can stand while I’m stuck treading. Outside the water, it’s a little chilly, but the lack of clouds in the sky creates an unusually warm October day.
I glance past Bash at Owen and Blake, who are far enough away. It’s nice seeing them together. They both seem happy, and because their backs are turned to us, I have no problem swimming forward to wrap my legs around Sebastian’s torso and my arms around his neck.
“Thalia, I’m trying to behave around you in that swimsuit because I haven’t talked to Owen yet, but you are making this incredibly hard,” he warns while I smile innocently at him.I bet that’s not the only hard thing right now.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about?”
Except I totally do. I picked this swimsuit out because I knew he’d like it. It’s a pretty blue that makes me look tan.
Sebastian leans forward to kiss my collarbone, and I let him even though we could get caught. I think that’s part of the thrill.I’m also done with hiding. I know we’re telling Owen tomorrow, but would it be so bad if he found out right now?
I’m honestly shocked we haven’t been found out yet.
“This is risky,” I warn as another wave laps at my shoulders.
“Your swimsuit is risky.” Sebastian toys with the strap of my bikini top. Yes, touch me, please. I don’t care anymore.
I look at him, biting my bottom lip, which immediately attracts his attention. “Bash, I think you seem to be obsessed with what I wear.”
“I’d really prefer it if you wore nothing, but sadly, I don’t think that’s an option.”
I toy with the wet hair on the back of his neck. “No, it’s really not.”
His dark eyes comb over every inch of my face, much like last night. His face softens into a look of contentment. “Happy birthday, Thalia.”
A glance over his shoulder, which I hate doing, tells me we’re in the clear. I lean forward, pressing my lips firmly against his. I cling to Sebastian as he supports me easily. At least this time, I’m already in the water, so he can’t drop me in again.
Bash playfully nips the bottom lip I’d previously been chewing on before pulling away. “Can I trade the birthday spankings for birthday kisses?”
“What if we compromise and do half and half?” he asks with a smirk.
“You can’t split twenty-one fairly, so my answer is still no.”
Bash smiles captivatingly, and I lean forward to peck his cheek. “Okay, love. Birthday kisses instead.”
Underneath the water, where no one else can see, Sebastian holds me in place tightly against him. His hand is running up and down the backside of my thigh. If I don’t move now, this will head in a potentially dangerous direction.
I pull my hands from around his neck to let them linger in the water. I can tell he’s not going to let me slip away, so I do the last thing he expects: splashing water in his face. Bash immediately lets me go to wipe his eyes, and I swim away as quickly as possible. I’m a strong swimmer, and I almost make it when he picks me up, slinging me over his shoulder as I shriek.
When I look over at Owen from where I hang over his shoulder, my brother is smiling at us. Maybe it won’t be terrible for us to tell him we’re together tomorrow.
~
I’m five shots deep, and I don’t even want to know what number Blake or Penelope is on. I’m not worried about Penelope because she can drink me under the table, but Blake is a lightweight. Owen’s been keeping her within arm’s distance all night, so I have no reason to worry.
There is absolutely no way in hell that I’m going to make it to twenty-one shots by midnight. I would die. I plan to tap out at seven, but I wouldn’t be mad if I didn’t take any more. There’s already a good chance I’ll end the night puking, but I know that Sebastian has been watching me like a hawk all night.
There are sorority girls and some guys from the football and basketball teams, including Landon, much to Bash’s dismay. To my dismay, Vera’s here. I didn’t want to invite her after how the other night went. Unfortunately, Vera already knew it was happening, so I couldn’t say don’t come. I’d never hear the end of it from Mom. Her best friend is Vera’s mother.
Owen warned the neighbors that we were having a party, so most of the people in the building our age are also here. I don’t care at this point; the more, the merrier.
I have a new disposable camera hanging around my neck after going through one. Hungover Thalia can look through them tomorrow.
I’ve been bouncing from friend to friend, never staying too long in one place until Penelope practically pulls me down on the floor next to her. “We’re playing spin the bottle. You have to play. Please,” she pleads. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sebastian hovering. Maybe if I get lucky, it’ll give me an excuse to kiss Sebastian a day early in front of everyone.
“I’ll only play if Bash plays too. Poor guy is so uptight you’d think he’s a virgin,” I tease, knowing fully well that he’s not a virgin by any means. He makes it so easy to get a rise out of him.
He rolls his eyes but refrains from verbally complaining while sitting down on the other side of me without argument. The feel of denim brushing against my bare skin makes me shiver.
The rules are relatively simple: you must kiss the other person for ten seconds, no passes, no respinning.
It’s tame enough until Blake’s bottle lands on me, and I smile, leaning across Penelope to kiss her. There’s plenty of catcalls, but it’s just a kiss. I’m too drunk at this point to care.
Penelope spins, landing on Landon, which I happily snap a picture of. “I need another shot.” I laugh happily, and Penelope is up and back in a flash.
We clink our cups together, and I down it quickly, shaking my head to get rid of the aftertaste. I’d be more worried if I couldn’t taste the alcohol, so bitterness is good for now.
“Little Lia, you are trouble,” Sebastian whispers in my ear, and I smile cheekily at him.
“Don’t call me that.”
He smirks, tilting his head. “What will you do about it?”
I purse my lips because I can’t do anything in front of everyone…yet. Maybe if I’m drunk enough later, I’ll kiss him in front of everyone just for the hell of it. I hate secrets, even if this one has been fun.
“Just spin the damn bottle, Bash.”
And then, to my unhappiness, it slowly stops, pointing to Vera. Are you fucking kidding me? I have no one to blame besides myself because I’m the one who dragged him into this game too. Karma really is a bitch.
She smiles coyly at him, confirming everything I suspect about her change in attitude related to Sebastian.
Vera climbs over the bottle and kisses Sebastian, but he makes no move to reciprocate other than staying still. When Sebastian pulls away, she frowns, lowering her voice. “Seriously? You couldn’t even kiss me back? I remember that being a lot more fun last time, Bash.” Her eyes slide to look at me, as if to make sure I’m listening, and my heart stops.
It takes my brain a second for the words to click due to the amount of liquor I’ve consumed in a short amount of time. Last time? When did they kiss before? I suck in a sharp breath and attempt to get up without stumbling, except the heels I’m wearing make that difficult. I need to think, and I can’t do that sitting next to Sebastian right now. “Lia, are you okay?” Penelope asks, giggling, and I nod once, plastering a smile on my face.
She didn’t hear what Vera said. I don’t think anyone else did, but even if they had, it’s not like they would know about us.
“I need a breather; it’s getting warm in here,” I stammer, using the arm of the couch to pull myself up onto unsteady feet.
“Thalia—” Sebastian tries to say, but I ignore him, pushing through people until I’m outside the front door. The cool air is so drastically different from the weather at the beach. It feels like today’s trip was a world away.
Oh my god. Sebastian has kissed Vera before. Why the hell would he not mention this?
I trip over a crack in the flooring outside the apartment, and a pair of familiar arms catch mine to help steady me. “Leave me alone,” I snap, shoving him away.
“Thalia, please listen,” Sebastian pleads, and I whirl around. I probably shouldn’t do that quickly; my head is spinning.
“Listen to what? You explain how tonight isn’t the first time you’ve kissed Vera?” I demand, and his face pales. His gaze drops to the ground, and my stomach sinks. “Did you fuck her?” I ask bluntly, except I already know the answer based on the way he’s acting now. I just need to hear him say it. “Did you have sex with Vera?”
“Love, it meant nothing—”
I cut Bash off, refusing to hear anything more. “You don’t get to call me that. I’m not love or little Lia. Did you seriously think I wouldn’t find out you screwed my childhood best friend? Fuck you.”
He’s silent, and I think I broke him for a second. I feel like I’m going to be sick, and I want nothing more than to be alone right now.
He drags his hands through his hair. “I was going to tell you. I tried—”
“Obviously not very hard!” I yell, and his face falls.
“It was a mistake. I was—”
“Drunk? Or were you being the most charming asshole ever to get her to sleep with you? Not that I think it’d take much convincing. You—I can’t believe you!” I attempt to walk away again, except I’m pretty shaky at the moment. I kick my heels off angrily, not caring where they end up. I’m not sure who I’m more angry with. Sebastian or myself for letting him in. I feel stupid, and I want him to go.
“You’re in no shape to be going anywhere. Please, let’s go back inside.”
I laugh bitterly because Sebastian has some nerve right now. “You don’t tell me what to do. Bash, whatever there is between us…forget it ever happened. Better yet, you could even say this was a mistake too.” That might be the biggest lie I’ve ever told, but I have felt so comfortable with him. I had no idea that Vera got to him first. It’s not even that she got to him first; he didn’t tell me about it.
“I’m aware I can’t tell you what to do, but you could get hurt if you leave. That’s the last thing I want. You’re drunk, and we need to talk when you’re sober. Please stay.” He’s reaching for my hand again, and I shake him off.
“You already hurt me, Sebastian. Congratulations! I feel so stupid because I thought there was something here. But who are we kidding? This was never going to work.” And how could it? This all started with a simple desire to have sex with each other. It wasn’t supposed to get this far.
Sebastian has the nerve to look torn, as if he didn’t make this bed in the first place. “There is something here. We can work. I don’t take just anyone to see my grandma, but I took you. I’ve never bought flowers for a girl, but I bought them for you. I have shown you parts of myself I have never felt comfortable sharing. You mean so much to me in such a short amount of time that it scares the living shit out of me. I don’t want to go back to how things were before. Please don’t be another almost in my life. There’s been too many already.”
I don’t care that there’s tears streaming down my cheeks. As drunk as I am, I choose my words carefully, making sure the venom in them is enough to hurt. “Except I am another almost. You almost made me fall for you. This was all a mistake. We are a mistake.”
Poof.