Chapter 27 #2
“That’s not fair. You won't even let me explain.” I stomped a foot into the grass.
He tapped a finger to his chin. “Huh. Sounds familiar. Kind of like that time when you wouldn't let me explain myself when I really, really wanted to—needed to.”
My demeanor shifted into one much more solemn. “Seb…”
“Actually, I believe you said something along the lines of leave me the fuck alone.”
Opening my mouth to counter, I only clamped my jaw as words escaped me.
“Actually, you told me to get the fuck out. That doesn’t really apply here, but surely you get the point I’m trying to make.”
Loud and fucking clear.
“Let’s just talk—”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Maeve. I don’t know if you kissed him for revenge against me or something, but it doesn’t matter.
I was stupid to think you and I could actually make this work after what I hid from you.
You're one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever met, so I truly don’t know why I ever thought we could get past this. ”
“That's not at all what happened, Seb.” My pitch fell to nearly inaudible as a single tear tracked down my left cheekbone. “We can get past this, Seb. I want to. That’s why I told you about what happened with Sawyer. I wanted to start fresh, with honesty and—”
He cut into my apology once more. “You kept saying that we were just friends, and I didn’t believe you.”
It was then that he turned his back to me and called over his shoulder, “I should have listened.”
Anywhere I was, Sebastian was not.
Anywhere Sawyer was, Sebastian was nowhere to be seen.
Put the two of us in the same room, you may have thought Sebastian fled the kingdom.
It had been days of him pretending like I didn’t exist, and each second that passed tore my heart a little bit further.
“He’ll come around,” Pia assured, passing me a glass of water from the bar cart in the common room.
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“He will,” Delani confirmed, though her assurance didn't mean much in this scenario. She hardly knew Sebastian Hawthorne.
“He shouldn't," I stated. “Why should he?”
“Because he loves you. And you both have been through loads of emotional, traumatic, life-altering, death-cheating crap the past few months. If that isn't an excuse for mistakenly kissing your best friend, then I dunno what is. Been there done that,” Pia answered with a half shrug.
Kohen shot her a look that had me confident he would be asking her to elaborate on that later.
“There is no excuse.” My voice fell flat.
“He says I’m stubborn, but has he met himself?
” I slugged down my entire glass of water to replace the three glasses of wine I had consumed last night.
“I mean, gods. He was so back and forth with me all of last year because he was too stubborn to admit that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him.”
“No offense, Maeve. But you aren't really in a position to be mad at him here,” Kohen joined into the conversation—uninvited.
“Well aware, Kohen. Thanks.”
I knew I fucked up. We all knew that I fucked up. And sure, there was emotional reasoning behind why I kissed Sawyer back, but it didn’t matter. None of it changed the fact that I could have stopped him the very moment he leaned in, but didn't.
“What are we talking about?” Kade strolled into the lounge, plopping into a free space on the sofa.
“Girl stuff.” Pia brushed him off with a wave of her hand.
Kade's black eyebrow rose. “With Sharpe?”
“He gets included in girl stuff.”
“Not by choice,” Kohen added.
Silence swelled in the air while I shared a brief, but awkward glance with Kade.
He nodded slowly, a devilish smirk creasing divots into his cheeks. “Ah. We’re talking about the incident.”
“What incident?” Sawyer’s voice was a pitch over normal when he, too, entered the lounge.
“The one where you and Willawood sucked face, and then she told Hawthorne who now refuses to talk to her,” Kade responded almost too nonchalantly.
Sawyer’s attention swallowed me whole. “You told him?”
My forehead creased. “You didn't know that? He hasn't spoken to either of us in days. Where the hell have you been?”
“I thought he was just brooding because you hadn’t taken him back yet.” Sawyer shrugged, stepping straight for the bar cart and pouring himself a tall glass of whiskey on the rocks.
“Nope. Brooding because I kissed his best friend.”
“Understandable reason to brood.” Sawyer sucked in a breath along with his lips. “I should talk to him. Explain that I just had too much to drink at the party.”
That was a lie if I’d ever heard one.
“Don’t bother,” I replied, tracing the rim of my empty glass with my fingertip.
“I’ve tried. More than once. After the funeral.
At breakfast the morning after. This afternoon before he went to train with Kohen.
” I shot Kohen a look that severed the line between apologetic and aggravated.
“He won’t listen. And I don't blame him.”
Sawyer scratched the back of his neck. “Why hasn’t he tried to murder me yet? The fact that he hasn’t is arguably scarier than him trying to.”
“Knowing Seb, he’s probably trying to come up with a strategic plan so he can make it look like an accident,” Kohen answered.
“He probably thinks there is more going on between you and Maeve, and doesn’t want to kill you because he would rather her be happy than you be dead,” Pia said without looking up. “If I had a guess,” she added with a shrug.
My eyes jumped towards her, a brow arched. “Guessing you talked to him?”
She paused before nodding slowly, and that made my heart sink.