Chapter 18 Livy
LIVY
The rugby player Sebastian absolutely demolished during that first game I went to flashes me an easy grin like we’re old friends.
“Livy, right?” His accent is different from what I expected because I can’t exactly place it.
It seems like he’s trying to sound Irish, but something else is bleeding through.
I think I’m just a suspicious person and little things like that stick out.
The bottom line is that St. Killian is made up of a group of people from all over the world.
We’ve all had different upbringings and experiences.
He might just be like Kalen and Juniper, never staying in one spot for too long.
I nod politely, though my brain is already half turning back toward my laptop.
“Yeah, hi,” I finally say. I don’t ask his name or let on that I know who he is. The fact that he and Sebastian don’t get along is enough for me not to engage with whatever he wants from me. He leans forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table like he’s planning on settling in.
“I was hoping I’d run into you around campus,” he says, and I inwardly cringe. He better hope Sebastian doesn't see or hear any of this because I suspect he’s not the good natured ‘my girl can have guy friends if she wants’ kind of guy.
I don’t look up at him, which is probably rude. I also don’t throw my head back like I need to smoke a pack of cigarettes like I think Kalen would in this situation, so I feel like that’s balance.
Kalen doesn’t actually smoke, he just looks like he needs a whole carton to take the edge off every time I see him.
When I don’t look up or acknowledge Nathan, he starts chatting almost immediately, something about practice and classes and how he’s seen me walking to the library quite often.
This gets me to look at him, because why is he watching me so closely?
He tells me that he’s new to St. Killian too, and he was hoping we could bond over that.
I try my best to look busy, but my mind is racing.
This is so freaking awkward. Where is Juniper when I need her to chase this guy off?
Eventually he asks, “You coming to the next rugby match?”
I glance up again.
“Yeah. Sebastian invited me.”
If anything, that seems to amuse him instead of deterring him.
“Well, I know seeing your pretty face in the crowd will definitely help me play better.” I stop typing and just look at him because there’s no way that actually works on girls on this campus.
The one-sided conversation keeps going, and my hope of getting any actual progress done today slowly fades into nothing. After a few minutes, I start packing my laptop back into my bag, hoping the hint will be obvious.
Nathan doesn’t take it.
Instead, he launches into a story about a rugby party he’s hosting this weekend at the Ruck House and that it’s going to be bigger and better than any of the hockey parties.
I want to jam something in my ears so I don’t have to listen to this anymore. Instead, I open my mouth to excuse myself when a whispering voice interrupts us.
“Um, dear…are you Livingston?”
I turn.
The main librarian is standing beside our table, clutching a bouquet of flowers.
She’s a tiny, mousy lady with big glasses and a permanent look of nervous politeness. Her gray hair is wound up in the most impressive bun I’ve ever seen. I have long hair that dusts my lower back, and I can tell that hers is exponentially longer.
“Someone just dropped these off for you.”
My breath catches.
The flowers are hyacinths.
For a second, I can’t move.
My mom loved hyacinths. The memory floods back in one giant wave. When I was little, our entire house would smell like them every spring because she insisted on filling every room with fresh bouquets.
Without thinking, I take the flowers and bring them closer, breathing in their sweet scent.
Memories hit me so fast it almost hurts.
“Thank you,” I murmur softly.
The librarian smiles awkwardly before scurrying away.
Nathan tilts his head.
“So is Vale like your boyfriend, or are you just hooking up?”
The question makes me pause.
Because technically… I’m not sure what Sebastian and I are.
He’s said things that would make me think yes, he’s my boyfriend, but we haven’t actually established any of those boundaries.
I’m too new to the whole dating thing to really know what’s happening.
More importantly, now that Nathan has yanked me off of memory lane, I realize that even if the bouquet is from Sebastian, it’s weird that he would choose this flower.
“Yes. Boyfriend. Now get the fuck out of here.”
I gasp and spin around to see Sebastian is standing right behind my chair.
Nathan rises slowly, a smirk spreading across his face. He’d be handsome, I guess, if I didn’t hate his entire existence for being annoying.
“Worried I might steal your girl, Vale?” I do throw my head back in annoyance because now we’re definitely going to get kicked out of the library and I’m going to have to do research with Miranda and Ronan screaming as background noise.
Soph is right. Rugby boys are why we can’t have nice things.
Sebastian leans forward, placing both hands on the table. The movement makes his arms flex beneath his shirt, the muscle there tightening with the pressure. He’s so freaking big, I don’t understand why anyone would want to fight with him.
His voice is low, and there’s a deadly calm to it I haven’t heard from him before.
“Where do you want your remains scattered?” he asks quietly. “Cliff? Countryside? I’ll let you decide.” I would like to think that my maybe boyfriend isn’t a cold-blooded murderer, but I also get the feeling he’s like…genuinely asking the question.
Nathan grimaces, and he must realize that Sebastian is a live-wire because he doesn’t say anything back. He winks at me before puffing his chest out and walking away.
Two steps later he’s suddenly hurled sideways and crashes face-first onto the floor.
I blink in surprise and then I realize that the guy who shoulder-checked him is just Jeremy wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his forehead.
I hadn’t even realized he was there.
He grins at me, gives a little nod to Sebastian like they have some sort of agreement that I’m not aware of. He casually steps on Nathan’s back and then moseys out of the library like he was never here.
I slowly turn back toward Sebastian.
“Was he here watching me for you? I didn’t even notice him come in.
” I don’t know a whole lot about Jeremy Bennett, but I know he doesn’t hang out in libraries.
I look over to see if Nathan is going to make things worse when he gets up, but he’s apparently vanished.
That’s a relief that he isn’t going to hang around and play who has the bigger ego with Sebastian.
Sebastian doesn’t even hesitate to answer my question. “Absolutely, he was watching you. Just like we watch over Juniper for Kalen and Lakynn for Riven.”
My eyebrows knit together. “What? Who are Riven and Lakynn?” Am I in an alternate universe?
He sighs quietly before explaining.
“He’s a hockey player, she’s his wife. We help each other to make sure you girls are safe.
I couldn’t be with you this morning because I had to look into the surveillance footage at the Ruck House.
I didn’t want to scare you last night.” He says, “But someone broke in last night while I was out riding with the guys and smashed some stuff in my room and left a note. There’s a chance I didn’t lock up like I should have.
I’m way more careful when it comes to you than I am with my own stuff.
Either way, I need to know you’re protected at all times, especially with the text you got and then the girl that was found. ”
My stomach tightens. I can’t blame him for not telling me last night. If the roles were reversed, I probably wouldn’t have told him either.
“I’m not taking any chances with you,” he continues. “The guys won’t bother you, but they’ll be around when I can’t be. And I’ll obviously return the favor when they need it.”
His hand slides to the back of my head, his fingers threading gently through my hair.
The touch is unexpectedly comforting.
I exhale slowly.
“I had a weird feeling something bad was going to happen last night,” I admit quietly. “I guess I wasn’t too far off.”
Sebastian’s gaze shifts suddenly to the flowers still in my hands. He must have been so heated over Nathan bothering me that he’s just now noticing them.
His expression changes instantly. “Where did you get those?” I can’t tell if he’s joking because he sent them. Obviously, if he had Jeremy here watching me, then he knew exactly where I was. If not him, then who?
I smile faintly, lifting them to my nose again. “Very funny. I haven’t had a chance to thank you yet because you were busy threatening to kill your own teammate.”
“It wasn’t a threat. I need you to understand that I’m not playing around about you. I’ll kill him and never think about the fucker again. You are all I’m worried about,” he replies flatly. “He better leave you alone.” Then his eyes narrow. “And I didn’t send those.”
Oh no. This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening.
Sebastian takes the bouquet from my hands immediately, inspecting it carefully like he’s searching for something hidden between the stems.
“They were my mom’s favorite,” I whisper. “I’ve never told anyone here that. Not even Juniper.”
Sebastian’s jaw tightens. He doesn’t find a note, and without warning he tosses the bouquet across the room. It lands perfectly in the trash can.
I stare at him. “What are you doing?”
“There could be a tracker in them,” he says calmly. “Pack your stuff up. I want to talk to the librarian and find out who brought them here.”
His eyes meet mine when he says, “I don’t want you out of my sight.”
I should argue.
Normally I would if someone was this intense, but Sebastian is the only person I can remember in my entire life who has ever made me feel truly safe.
So I don’t fight him. Instead, I take his hand when he holds it out. His fingers completely swallow mine as he leads me to the front counter.
I let him do the talking, and I should probably feel embarrassed by the way I’m leaning into his side, my other hand coming up to hold on to his huge bicep. I’m not. I need this. I need him.
“It was a delivery person,” the librarian sputters nervously when Sebastian demands to know who brought the flowers. He has zero manners right now, and I’m just hoping she doesn’t shush him, because there will be yelling.
“What company?” he barks out the question.
She shrugs helplessly. “He had a blue uniform on. I didn’t catch the company name.”
Sebastian exhales sharply and without thanking her he turns and starts pulling me toward the exit. I look back at the older lady and I can see she’s flustered. I feel bad because I do think she’d help if she could.
“Sebastian,” I whisper. “You’re being rude. She was trying to help.”
He stops abruptly and looks down at me. Then suddenly dips low and brushes his lips softly against mine.
“But never to you,” he murmurs.
Chills cover my body at his reverent words, but I still feel the need to say to him,"Will you please stop starting fights? If you haven't noticed, I like to keep a low profile."
"He started it by being too close to you. I finished it. And livingston? Don't think there's a single thing I don't notice about you, baby."