Chapter 13
‘Mr. Murphy, Mr. Stevens is here to see you.’
The robotic voice of TECHA woke me up from one of the deepest sleeps I could remember ever succumbing to.
The bedroom, much like the rest of the space, was over the top. The bed was king-sized with goose-down pillows larger than I was. The sheets were silk, and the lighting was made up of recessed LEDs that hid under every edge or surface.
Sitting up to stretch, I reached for the mirrored end table and felt around for my glasses.
Checking my phone for the time, I frowned down at another text message that was waiting for me from an unknown number.
Unknown:
I see you made it through the neuroscan without any issues. Good work, Milo.
Groaning, I powered off my phone, not interested in dealing with that psychopath until I’d at least had something to eat.
I didn’t bother changing out of my flannel pajama pants, but I did have the wherewithal to tug on an undershirt and cover-up before stumbling sleepily into the hall to let Sebastian in.
Still rubbing my eyes as I turned the corner, I jumped slightly when I found him already standing inside the door to my condo with a takeout bag and a six-pack of beer.
He was looking as beautiful as ever, though dressed slightly more casually than he had been earlier. His perfectly tailored jacket was nowhere to be seen, and his crisp, white, long-sleeved shirt was open at the throat.
“Hey, sorry to wake you, I just wanted to make sure you ate something before work tomorrow. I know you must be hungry.”
I nodded frantically, as my mouth began to water at what smelled like curried chicken of some kind.
“Hope you like Indian food; if not, I can get TECHA to order something else.”
“No, I love Indian food,” I replied, resisting the urge to make a grabby motion for the paper bags as the scent of the warm spices began to fill the condo.
Sebastian chuckled at my clear eagerness and brushed past me, making himself at home in the kitchen.
I watched as he spooned the takeout onto a few plates and cracked two of the beers before putting the rest in the fridge.
He offered me one, and I shook my head.
“No, thanks. I’m not a big drinker,” I said politely, reaching for one of the plastic forks and digging in.
I couldn’t hold back the groan as the complex flavors exploded across my tongue.
Sebastian watched me eat with an amused twinkle in his eyes as he took a sip of his beer.
“You sure? It’s okay to have one. Unless you’re in recovery or something. I don’t want to pressure you. Just—I already opened it.”
“Oh—no, it’s nothing like that,” I replied hastily, dabbing at my mouth with a napkin. “I just… I’m not very coordinated on a good day. If I have one of those, my chances of face planting on these gorgeous floors increase by at least forty percent.”
Sebastian’s blue eyes sparkled, and the corner of his mouth hooked up in what felt like the first real smile he’d given me since I met him.
He leaned his elbows on the counter, which brought him closer to my level. He, like most other people, was quite a bit taller than me.
“I won’t let you fall, Milo.” He hummed, and my breath hitched.
A confusing mix of emotions swirled in my gut.
Was he… flirting with me?
I couldn’t be sure, and after everything I’d been through with Dylan, I didn’t want to risk leaning into it.
My cheeks heated immediately, which caused Sebastian’s smile to grow, and I suddenly didn’t know what to do with my hands.
Snatching up the beer bottle, I took a big sip to avoid responding.
“Mmm, this is good,” I said dumbly, unsure if I was referring to the lager or the butter chicken.
Sebastian’s amusement only seemed to grow at my evasiveness, and he took a smooth step closer, causing me to take a matching step back.
“How was your nap?” he asked, his sharp blue eyes never leaving mine. “Was the bed comfortable?”
“Uhm, yep, uh-huh. Super comfy, thank you,” I yammered, stuffing more butter chicken in my mouth to give myself an excuse to shut up.
“Good, that’s good. Like I said, I want you to be comfortable here… not like…” Slowly, his playful, flirty demeanor darkened to that strange, lonely sadness he seemed to keep regressing into, and I frowned, taking another large sip of beer to wash down the rest of my food.
The look on his face was so abruptly desolate, I found myself reaching out to touch his arm in an attempt to anchor him.
He froze, and I could literally see gooseflesh ripple up the side of his neck under his collared shirt.
I frowned as he almost stopped breathing for a moment, and his gaze dropped to where my hand was resting on his arm over his shirt, before darting back up to my face.
“Sorry…” I mumbled, moving to pull my hand away, but he snatched up my hand and pressed it back onto his arm, shivering slightly as my palm pressed into the fabric of his shirt.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he stared at where his hand lay on top of mine, almost in awe, and he gently ran his thumb over my knuckles tenderly.
“It’s okay. You can… touch me,” he breathed, almost as if he couldn’t believe that I was.
This was such an odd interaction. I had no idea how to respond, so I just sat there while he gently continued to run his fingers over my knuckles.
After a long moment, he seemed to come back to himself and shook his head, carding his hand nervously through those thick golden waves of his.
“Sorry,” he apologized, laughing awkwardly.
“I don’t know if you read the handbook yet, but employees aren’t supposed to really touch each other.
It’s meant to be a deterrent for excessive sexual harassment cases on campus, which in theory is a good thing, but in practice… I just… It’s been a long time.”
I frowned as a strange, niggling warning bell fired off in the back of my mind. But whenever I tried to focus on it, it seemed to dance away.
“Anyway, have you had enough to eat? Want to hang out for a bit before we call it a night? Want to play some pool?”
Shaking my head to rid myself of the strangeness of this place and Sebastian’s behavior, I nodded, giving him what I hoped was a confident smile.
“Uhm, sure. I’ve never played before. You’ll have to teach me.”
Sebastian’s eyes flashed, and he smiled.
“I can do that.”