Chapter 11
Sebastian
I stand there, frozen by the sight in front of me.
She bought my jersey.
My team jersey.
With my name across her back.
And she looks perfect.
“Shit, I’m sorry. This might be a little too much. I’m—” I stop her before she can finish that sentence.
“No. It’s perfect, Lily. You’re perfect. I was just surprised,” I tell her honestly.
I was already on a high after a good game. Seeing her remove her jacket to reveal my freaking jersey under it might be my favourite moment with her yet.
She lets out a breath, and a beautiful smile takes over her whole face.
“Okay, then. Good. You looked like you’d seen a ghost, so you had me worried there for a second. Everyone told me I made a good choice choosing the player.”
Christ.
The need to kiss her has never been this strong.
The last few days with her have been amazing. Having Lily around is like having a ray of sunshine, even in cloudy London.
And seeing her with my name across her back, so freaking cute and proud, makes me want to march right over to her and kiss her senseless.
I can’t do that, though.
“Who’s everyone?” I ask, trying to distract myself from the longing burning inside me.
“Craig, Monique, and the guy at the store.”
We start walking towards the parking lot, whilst Lily tells me all about her new football friends, as she calls them.
I’m glad to see her make some new friends; she’s a social person, so I’m sure she’ll tire of me eventually and will want to find someone else to spend her time with.
She’s also learned the basics of football, and I curse myself for not explaining more to her before the game. I should have done that and given her my jersey so she wouldn’t have had to spend her own money on it.
I got plenty of them.
But it was a wonderful surprise.
Game day is always hectic, so I didn’t get to spend much time with her today, and I didn’t use the few minutes we had together to explain football rules.
She doesn’t seem to mind, and she took matters into her own hands, asking the people beside her.
I told her she could watch the game from one of the VIP boxes, but Lily insisted on staying in a regular seat.
No wonder she wanted to do that.
It would be harder to socialise with hardcore football fans from a VIP box full of celebrities, wives, and kids.
No, she’d rather be together with the rest of the fans, cheering us on whilst wearing the team merchandise.
When we get back to the apartment building and enter the elevator, I’m struck by the same feeling I’ve had all week.
Not wanting the night to end.
Even though my body is tired from a long day, I want to spend more time with her.
When she yawns as the elevator nears her floor, I realise she might be tired herself. The clock is nearing eleven in the evening, so it’s probably wise to go to bed.
“It was amazing watching you tonight, Sebastian! I can’t wait for the next game.”
This is the part I always struggle with.
How to say goodbye to her.
I want to wrap her in my arms, hug her tight, kiss her cheek, her mouth, whatever she would let me.
But I can’t.
Leaving me questioning how to say goodnight to her. She solves all my problems, as she does best.
Whenever I feel uncertain, she’ll let me out of my misery by deciding for me.
She wraps her arms around my neck, and this time, I don’t hesitate to bring my arms around her back.
Can’t have her questioning my hugging abilities again.
“Good night, Sebastian,” she whispers.
I give her a little squeeze to the waist.
“Good night, Lily.”
Then, she steps back and out of the elevator, with me contemplating if she feels the shift between us for each minute we spend together, the same way I do.
～
I’ve just woken up when my phone rings. I don’t even glance at the caller ID, expecting it to be one of my teammates.
“Hey, man,” Luke says on the other end. Travelling all across the globe with F1 means we call each other at all different times of the day.
“Hey, man. Which continent are you on right now?” I ask, stretching my arms across my head.
“Just got to Saudi Arabia.”
Luke enjoys travelling, especially after he met Jessica, as they get to experience the sights together.
My best friend is getting closer to being crowned the new F1 world champion with each passing race, and he’ll hopefully have his moment in Las Vegas a few weeks from now.
I make a mental note to check my calendar and see if I can travel to Las Vegas to support him.
It’s not every day your best friend can become the F1 world champion for the first time in his career.
I’m sure Lily would love to come along as well, with Luke being her brother and all.
It’s like Luke has telepathic abilities, if the next question out of his mouth is proof.
“And how is my sister? Driving you insane yet?”
He has no idea.
She is driving me insane, but it has everything to do with my attraction to her and her spirit.
It may be insanity, but it feels like the best kind, even though it tests my restraints like nothing before.
“Nah, we’re having a good time,” I tell him, feeling my heart pound in my chest.
God, why does she have to be his sister? Everything would be so much easier if she weren’t.
I don’t want to raise any suspicion from Luke, but keeping my tone casual has never quite felt like such a challenge as it is in this moment.
“Making sure she’s not picked up by any teammates or Brits?” Luke asks, a small chuckle escaping him.
I almost tell him that Lily is twenty-two years old and would probably get with anyone she’d like without me ever finding out.
She’s always had her ways of doing exactly what she wants and making it happen.
“Yeah, but I doubt I really could stop her if she wanted to,” I tell him honestly.
The whole “stay away from my teammates” speech wasn’t exactly a success.
“True. Ah, I almost forgot! Congratulations on your game yesterday, it was great.” I’m grateful when he changes the subject, and we start talking about all things sport.
I almost tell him that Lily bought my shirt, but I haven’t fully processed it yet, so I decide against it.
It’s also something that feels rather intimate—at least to me.
When we hang up, I hop in the shower before I make my way down to Lily’s apartment.
Bag thrown over my shoulder, I knock on her door, and she swings it open, before she rushes straight back to the stove, probably not wanting to burn any of the food she is cooking.
I take off my shoes before I take her in.
Lily is oblivious to my stare as she cooks away and starts talking about the cathedral she wants to visit, which, according to the site she was reading, has the best view of London.
She’s wearing a dark red leather skirt, paired with high boots that reach up to her knees. Black stockings cover her exposed skin from her knees to the hem of her skirt. To top it off, she has a tight black sweater and gold hoops in her ears.
Has she always dressed like this?
I realise I don’t actually know how Lily dresses. It’s not like I’ve seen her every day in the last few years.
The times I’ve seen her, she’s looked gorgeous, just like now.
If she’s going to dress like this, my attraction to her will only grow, but that seems to be the case either way, so I may be doomed no matter what.
“I’m planning on visiting the church after work, so I’ll probably not eat with you and Harriet today.”
I’m setting the table, and Lily brushes my side when she puts the frying pan on the table.
Just as quickly, she’s gone.
The brief contact leaves me buzzing, wondering whether she did it on purpose and feels the same rush as I do from a slight touch.
“We could do it together. I can give Harriet the day off, and we’ll make dinner ourselves?” I suggest as we sit down at the table, facing each other.
Considering my attraction to this woman, I should not insist on spending every available minute with her.
At the same time, we have a great time together, and I want to experience the city with her.
And I made a promise to myself to bring more fun into my life, and doing things with Lily seems to be the perfect way.
“That would be great, Sebastian. It’s a date.”
As soon as the words leave her mouth, she looks up to the ceiling and brings a hand to her forehead.
“Oh God. That’s not what I meant. I always say I have dates with my girlfriends, and I just meant it’s a deal.”
I chuckle because she’s usually the one making me say stupid shit.
It’s nice having her a little flustered as well.
“It’s fine, Lily. Don’t worry.”