Chapter 17 Sebastian
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SEBASTIAN
The cab couldn’t get me to Lily’s parents’ house in Kirkliston fast enough. I was glad the airport wasn’t far from the village.
Even though it had been a mere four days, it felt like I’d been gone for longer. Maybe it was because I’d seen so much of Lily over the last few weeks. Or maybe it was because being home to see my parents’ latest craziness in action was so bloody exhausting and upsetting.
I felt like I no longer knew the people who’d raised me.
My insides churned and I tried to throw the thoughts away.
The truth was I shouldn’t have gone home for a long weekend, but my parents had insisted.
Lily knew I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it and wanted to check in on me, so she’d invited me to Sunday dinner at her parents’ house upon my return.
I could have said no. Probably should have, given my foul mood.
Yet, I couldn’t help my curiosity. I wanted to see where Lily grew up. I’d met her mother briefly and saw her now and then at the library, but I was interested to know more about how Lily became Lily.
The street the cab driver pulled onto was like many streets in the country.
Rows of closely packed detached villas most likely timber-framed and clad with light-colored bricks.
They were perhaps fifteen to twenty years old, going by the style.
I knew which one was Lily’s parents’ house by the blue bicycle chained up outside. The sight of it lightened my grim mood.
After paying the driver, I grabbed my backpack and strolled up the Sawyers’ driveway.
I looked around the neighborhood, imagining Lily as a little girl riding her bike up and down the street.
It was a good thought. From everything she’d told me (and she’d seemed reluctant to at first because of the state of my parents’ relationship), her folks were still very much in love.
She remembered a bad patch when she was little, when they seemed to fight quite a bit.
But they’d gone off on holiday to the US and returned closer than ever.
There had been disagreements here and there over the years, like with any couple, but none that made Lily feel like her parents would ever split.
I hoped for her sake that was true because it turned out, it was shit watching your parents go through that at any age.
I rang the doorbell and perhaps only five seconds later, it flew open.
A girl not much younger than Lily stood in the doorway, one eyebrow raised comically as she looked me over.
She was dressed in a sequined rainbow-colored minidress with big puffy sleeves, like something out of a Disney movie.
Black tights and black Doc Marten boots were a dichotomous choice to pair with the sugary-sweet confection of a dress.
She looked like a lollipop on top of two sticks of black licorice.
Her outfit was so startling it took me a minute to realize she was as beautiful as Lily. Same olive skin, same dark hair. Her eyes, however, were dark brown, not light hazel.
“You must be January. I’m Sebastian, Lily’s friend.”
“I know who you are.” Her eyes dropped down my body and back up again. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Confused, I asked, “Decided what?”
“Whether you’re worthy to be in my sister’s life.”
My lips twitched. Lily had warned me her younger sister was overprotective. “Ah.”
“Ah.” She mocked me, eyes narrowing hilariously. “You do know my sister is the greatest person who ever lived and that I’m like a sneaky elven watchdog who can curse your dick to fall off if you hurt her?”
Trying desperately not to laugh, I nodded. “I do now.”
“Good. You may enter.” She stepped to the side to allow me into the house.
“You’d get along well with my sister Juno,” I told her. “And nice dress.”
Before she could reply, Lily appeared at the end of the hallway that branched off into several doors. The sight of her made me realize I’d been carrying this huge weight on my shoulders all weekend, because it suddenly felt as if she’d taken it from me.
I smiled affectionately. “Hey, Sawyer.”
“Thorne.” She strolled down the hallway. “I hope my sister wasn’t interrogating you at the door.”
“Not at all.” I dropped my backpack so I could pull her into a hug. Her hair was down, and I buried my face in it as we embraced. Lily gave me a squeeze and I ignored other feelings at the press of her body to mine and took comfort in her affection.
“All okay?” she whispered before I forced myself to release her.
I gave her a tight smile, not wanting to talk about it in front of her sister.
She seemed to understand and smoothed a hand down my arm. “Come meet my mum and dad.”
Lily led me into what appeared to be a new addition on the house.
It was a large open-plan family kitchen/dining/living area with bifold doors onto a larger garden than I would have expected.
The kitchen was fairly new, very modern, and a bit of a showpiece, really.
Gleaming white quartz countertops, dark green cupboards with brass fixings, and an expensive white and brass range oven.
Beyond noticing that, my attention was taken up by the couple in the kitchen.
I knew Lily looked like her mother but now I realized she was a perfect combination of her parents. Her father was grinning at Lily’s mum, and he had dimples.
His grin, however, disappeared when he turned to find me standing next to his daughter.
He eyed me behind a pair of smart spectacles with the same suspicion January had.
Didn’t her family realize we were just friends?
“It’s okay, Dad,” January announced as she strolled in behind us. “I warned him. He’s duly terrified.”
Their father nodded. “I trust you did.”
“Sebastian, it’s so nice to see you again.” Lily’s mum put down the knife she was using to cut vegetables and rounded the island to greet me. She pulled me into a hug, and I relaxed a bit when she said, “It’s always nice to meet one of Lily’s friends.”
“It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Sawyer.”
“Oh, call me Liv, please. I’m not even Mrs. Sawyer at the library.” She gestured to her husband. “Nate.”
Lily’s dad wiped his hands on his apron and strolled over. He was shorter than me, perhaps only five ten or eleven, but for an older guy he was all lean, wiry muscle. I remembered then Lily told me her dad was a martial artist.
“Sebastian, is it?”
“Yes, sir. Nice to meet you.”
Her dad nodded. “I hope you like veggie burgers.”
“Sounds great.”
“Lil tells us you’re a member of the royal family.”
“Dad!” Lily looked as if she wanted the earth to swallow her whole as Liv groaned at her husband.
“What?” He shrugged. “It’s the only thing I know about him so far and it’s interesting.”
Chuckling, I smoothed a reassuring hand down Lily’s back. “It’s fine.”
Nate Sawyer zeroed in on my hand on his daughter’s body so fast and sharply, I dropped my arm back to my side.
“Yes.” I shrugged, sticking my hands in my pockets. “My mother is the daughter of Princess Mary.”
“The Queen of England is your great-aunt?” Nate was visibly surprised as he rounded the island again. “When Lily said you were a distant member of the royal family, I thought she meant distant, distant.”
“Well, I am distant. I’m thirtieth in line to the throne.”
“That’s not that distant.” Nate chuckled.
“So, you’ve, like, talked to the Queen of England?” Jan asked, hopping onto a stool at the island.
“Stop it.” Lily turned to me, true concern in her eyes. “I didn’t tell them in a gossipy way. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have told them at all.”
“Forgive my family for being rude.” Liv shot her youngest daughter a scolding look. “Subject change.”
“It’s fine. Really. I understand why people are curious about it. And yes.” I looked at January. “I have spent lots of time with Queen Anne. We get on well.”
“Surreal. That’s very surreal,” she said. I supposed to her it was.
“Subject change,” Lily repeated her mother’s words.
“I know a way to get to know your young man.” Nate pointed a knife at me, and I almost took a step back.
“He’s not my young man.” Lily gritted her teeth. “Sebastian is my friend.”
“Sorry. You’ve never brought a male friend home before. I’m struggling to readjust my perspective.” Nate lowered the knife but smirked, even though the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. “Usually, I hate the blokes my daughters bring home. Dad prerogative.”
“Absolutely.” I felt agreeing was the best thing to do since he was holding a weapon.
“Dad—”
“Sebastian gets it.”
I gave Lily another reassuring look.
“Anyway, as I was saying … let’s play Would You Rather.”
“Oh yes. Genius idea, Dad.” January held a fist out to her father, and he reached over to bump it with his own.
“Um, no.” Lily shook her head.
“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun,” Liv agreed.
Bemused, I queried, “What’s Would You Rather?”
“A game Nate and I started playing when we first dated and then it became a family game. Here, we’ll start.” She nudged her husband. “Would you rather read The Iliad for the rest of your life or not read at all?”
“The Iliad.”
“Really?” Jan asked. “The Iliad? It’s like five million pages long and barely understandable.”
“It’s better than not having anything to read. And if you concentrate, there are some interesting stories in that poem.”
“What poem?”
“The Iliad.”
“That’s a poem?”
Liv pointed a spatula at her youngest. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”
“What? What did I say? I’m not a history student. I’m a fashion student.” She gestured to her rainbow confection.
Until Lily told me her sister was doing a BA in fashion, I didn’t even know that was a course Edinburgh offered.
“Did you make that?” I asked.
“I make most of my clothes.”
“That’s really clever.”
She considered me, her chin lifted haughtily as she looked down her nose. Then, “Okay, a point in your favor. Well done.”
I tried not to laugh, but it was a struggle. Lily’s little sister was funny without even trying.