Chapter 14 Lily #2
“Okay. But you’ll need to be quiet because Maddie will be asleep.”
He pressed a finger to his lips in promise and I let us in.
I kicked off my trainers, leaving them by the door, and locked the door behind us.
Sebastian removed his shoes and wandered off.
I shook my head, smiling at his nosiness as he poked his head into the kitchen and bathroom and then the airy living room.
The bedrooms were off the spacious hall, mine abutting the living room.
“Can I see?” Sebastian whispered, gesturing to my bedroom, having guessed it was mine because the door was open, and Maddie’s door was closed.
I nodded, hoping like hell I hadn’t left underwear lying around.
The room wasn’t huge. While it had high ceilings, the double bed was tucked up against the window so you could only get in on one side.
That left room for a wardrobe and a desk and a little floor space to maneuver around.
Because of that, I kept the room organized and tidy.
Except for my books. I had piles of them under my bed, neatly stacked.
My e-reader sat on the desk by my lamp, my Tbr pile of paperbacks lying next to it.
Sebastian’s gaze danced across the walls where I’d tacked up posters of the city and of my favorite bands. Interspersed between them were photographs of my friends and family. Photos that spanned years.
I sidled up to him as he bent to peer at a photograph of me in high school.
It was my fifth-year prom, and I’d worn a red dress that was way more daring than anything I’d worn since.
Jan had talked me into it. My dad had a fit when he saw me in it, and Mum had reluctantly allowed me to leave the house.
My boyfriend at the time was older and he’d picked me up after the prom and …
well … let’s just say he hadn’t been very nice to me about the dress.
But the photograph of me and my high school buddies was one I tried to look on fondly.
I was proud of the girl who had dared to wear that dress.
Mum said I looked like a dark-haired Jessica Rabbit in it.
I didn’t know who that was, so I’d googled her and had been weirdly flattered by the comparison to a cartoon.
“My fifth-year high school prom,” I told Sebastian.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow and grinned cheekily. “I imagine you made the male teachers in attendance very uncomfortable.”
“Don’t say that,” I whisper-shouted, smacking his arm.
He laughed unrepentantly. “You’re the stuff of fantasies in that dress. Did you have a date?”
Just like that, my mood dimmed. “Nope.” I shrugged. “Well, this is it. Do you want to call an Uber?”
His brows drew together but after a few seconds, he went with the subject change. “Actually, since I need to be at my studio around the corner tomorrow first thing, would you mind if I stayed here? Juno is in my bed.”
My heart jolted. “Stayed here, here?” I gestured to my bed.
Sebastian lifted his palms. “I promise I’m not making a pass. I’m just shattered. I meant I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Our couch was a tiny two-seater that had seen better days. Plus, the extra blankets and pillows were in the cupboard in Maddie’s room. I said as much.
“It’ll have to be my bed.” I bit my lip.
“No funny business, I promise.” Then he grimaced. “Bugger, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’ll go.”
“No.” I reached out to grab his arm. “It’s fine. But you’re taking the window side.”
“So you have easy access to get out to pee, right?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Well … actually … shut up.”
His laughter followed me out of the room as I left to go pee.
Once I’d brushed my teeth and washed my face, I gave Sebastian one of the spare new toothbrushes Maddie kept in the bathroom. He raised an eyebrow, and I explained, “They’re for family guests, not one-night stands.”
“The guests you have nowhere to put? Yes, I don’t believe you,” he teased. “I’ve listened to your podcast, remember.”
Rolling my eyes, I shut the bathroom door in his face and on his laughter.
Quickly, before he returned, I changed into pajamas. I didn’t let myself overthink what I chose.
I waited awkwardly on the edge of the bed for him to return so he could take the window side. Butterflies fluttered crazily in my belly, and I shook my head at myself. What was I nervous about? It wasn’t like we were about to have sex.
Sebastian treated me like a sister.
When he returned, he flashed me a weary smile before closing the bedroom door. “God, the tiredness just hit me.”
Did it?
Because I was tired until this scenario.
I gestured to the bed and Sebastian got in. Not overthinking it, I slipped in beside him, keeping my distance as I pulled the duvet over us. Then I switched off the bedside lamp. Moonlight shafted through the too-thin curtains over the window.
Sebastian lightly plumped the pillow behind his head, and he closed his eyes with a smile. “This is cozy, Sawyer.”
He was completely unbothered by the fact that he was in bed with me.
I stared at the ceiling, trying to stave off the ache in my chest. Maybe Mum and Aunt Jo were wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t have pursued this friendship when my feelings were too friendly.
“Lily?”
“Oh, good night, Thorne. Sleep well.” I turned on my side, giving him my back.
“Night, Sawyer. Thanks for sharing your bed.”
His rumbly voice wrapped around those particular words caused a tingling between my legs. I shifted restlessly for a moment and then started counting to a hundred in my head.
By the time I was done, Sebastian’s breathing had evened out into sleep.
Turning around to face him, I rested my cheek on my hands. Because of the light spilling in from outside, I could make out his features clearly in the dark of the room. He looked younger in sleep. And so bloody handsome, I could cry at the absurdity of my current situation.
I’d met my unicorn.
The guy who made me feel so comfortable I could talk to him about anything.
And yet whom I was so attracted to, I felt like every fiber of my being came alive in a way it never had until him.
A bloody unicorn.
Yet he didn’t feel the same way.
Of course not.
I should have known when I finally found him, he’d only want to be friends.