Chapter 32
Lily
I’m lying on the sun bed and pick up my phone for what feels like the millionth time.
Still no messages.
I’ve sent Sebastian several texts, and he usually answers right away, or whenever he’s done with practice.
Today, though, it’s been radio silent.
I’ve tried calling him, but I was sent straight to voicemail, which means his phone must have been off.
I even called Luke to ask if he’s heard anything, but he just told me that sometimes the coach springs a twenty-four-hour challenge on his team, where they won’t have their phones and will be solely focused on football.
Sounds rather extreme if you ask me, but what do I know?
He didn’t have anything like that when I was there, but Luke told me it’s only done once a year to shake things up a bit.
Still, I feel antsy not having talked to him since yesterday.
“You’ll have no nails left soon if you keep that up,” Mira says beside me.
I hadn’t even noticed I’m biting my nails; my anxiety is through the roof. I should be relaxing, enjoying the beautiful day as the sun shines down on us.
Instead, I’m a nervous wreck, worried about not hearing from my boyfriend for a few hours.
“Shit, I might have to go and buy myself a drink. Maybe the alcohol would soothe my nerves.”
“Sure you don’t want a Coke Zero instead?”
I must be hallucinating, because that voice sounds just like the man in my heart.
I quickly whip my head around, and right there, Sebastian is standing, wearing khaki shorts and an open shirt, looking like any other tourist on this island.
He’s here!
I jump up and run straight into his arms, finally feeling my nerves settling down, only to start right back up as my heart beats in my chest.
I hug him tight, breathing him in as his arms circle around me.
I lean back, looking into his eyes as he smiles down at me.
“You’re here,” I say, not quite believing my own words.
I wasn’t supposed to see him until over two weeks, which felt like way too long.
“I’m here,” he says before pressing his lips to mine and making everything feel right again.
This is right where I want to be.
In his arms.
When we break apart, Sebastian looks down at Mira, who’s observing our exchange with a smile on her face.
She’s been teasing me about being a love-sick puppy ever since I got back.
“Nice to meet you, Mira. And thanks for the help.”
Help?
She knew about this?
“You knew about this?” I ask her, disbelief in my voice.
“Yeah, your man needed some help locating our hotel—wanted to surprise you.”
Christ, I love him so much.
Knowing he’s gone out of his way to make this happen.
How he’s even pulled it off is something I plan to figure out, but for right now, I’m just soaking up the feeling of being back in his arms.
Mira gets up and takes off for a swim, leaving us alone.
Kait and Wendy are off to the spa for massages.
Sebastian looks down at me, softly pressing his lips against my forehead.
“I forgot to tell you something, back in London.”
I feel my heart pounding in my chest.
The number of times I’ve regretted not telling him how I felt before I left England is countless.
Even more so, I didn’t tell him that I wanted to stay.
If these weeks apart weren’t enough, the clarity has never been this obvious as he stands in front of me.
“I love you, Lily.”
He presses his lips to mine before I have the chance to say it back, which we can’t have.
I end our kiss quickly, pressing my hands into his chest and my forehead against his.
“I love you too.”
His smile is breathtaking, and as our lips melt together again, we chuckle when our teeth clash—neither of us able to contain our grins, which makes kissing a little more difficult.
It’s perfect.
～
Turns out, all the girls knew about Sebastian coming here. Mira has never been the best at keeping secrets, but I guess the most important one to not tell was me.
We’re all out in the water, enjoying a swim, and I’m grateful for my friends’ support and approval of having a man on our trip.
Even though I’ve tried my best to put on a smile during our trip, they’ve seen firsthand how much I’ve missed him.
“So, Sebastian. How did you two meet?”
This should be fun.
Kait and Wendy still don’t know our history together; they probably think I went to London and fell for the handsome footballer.
“We met when we were little. I’m her brother’s best friend.”
The girls let out a sigh, always up for a romantic story.
Sebastian looks up at me. I’m wrapped around his body, my legs behind his back, with his arms around me as he holds me against him.
“Fell in love with her somewhere along the way, and now we’re here,” he says, mostly to me, his look of tenderness matching my own.
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I fell for this man. It happened gradually and suddenly, all at once.
I’ve always been drawn to him, his character, and warmth toward the people around him.
His playful and flirtatious side is an added bonus.
The girls keep asking Sebastian questions, and I’m grateful to see them all get along so well.
We’re in the middle of a discussion about our evening plans when I feel Sebastian’s fingers moving dangerously closer to my cunt.
He can’t be serious.
We’re in the middle of the water, my freaking friends around us.
I look down at him, and he solely looks at me with a smirk on his lips before lifting a single eyebrow.
I’m experiencing a wave of déjà vu as he slowly moves his hand inside my bikini bottoms.
The last time we did this, the dark of the club, the noise of the music, and all the people around us masked the noises I was making.
Now we’re in broad daylight, and even if no one can see his hand beneath the water, I’ll have to stay quieter than I’ve ever been.
When he pushes his finger inside me, whilst continuing his conversation with the girls like nothing is happening, I nearly lose it.
It feels so good to be with him again.
And even though I’d love for us to have some privacy, I’ve also always loved our adventurous side.
We’ve had some great FaceTime sex over the last couple of weeks, but nothing compares to having his hands on me.
I stay as still as I can, letting Sebastian find the perfect rhythm as he adds a second finger to the mix.
“We should check out one of the restaurants on the dock,” Kait says, and Sebastian curls a finger inside me.
I grip his shoulder tightly, struggling to control my movements and sounds, but hanging on to him as he continues pleasuring me.
“Yeah, Lily loves trying new restaurants, so that would be nice.”
Just as he finishes his sentence, he circles my clit with his thumb, and I bite my lip to stifle the sounds wanting to escape.
Just as I think I’ll either have to stop him or simply come undone in front of my friends, I’m saved by a group of guys riding their jet skis fairly close to us.
The girls turn around, watching them, and as the noise intensifies, so does Sebastian’s movements.
“Come on, baby. Give me your pleasure,” he rasps in my ear, sending me over the edge.
I lean into his throat, biting down as I come, not being able to hold back the moan escaping me.
Luckily, the jet skis seem to drown out my sounds to anyone else besides Sebastian.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he says, kissing me.
I hum against his lips, feeling drunk from his touch.
“I’ve missed you as well—and your fingers.”
I wink at him, making him chuckle.
～
We’re lying in bed, Sebastian running his hands down my sides after the best wakeup call I’ve ever had.
Yesterday, I wanted to stay in and let him ravish me for the whole night, but he insisted that we hang out with my friends, telling me that he didn’t want me to compromise my time with them even if he’s here.
He told me he’d reward me afterward, which he did.
There hasn’t been much sleep, both of us desperate for one another after the time spent apart.
“How would you feel about coming back with me— or coming after your trip—and staying in London?”
He’s going back tomorrow, and I’ve been wanting to bring it up, but honestly have been too caught up in him to even think about anything else than being in the present.
“I’d love to, Sebastian. I never wanted to leave in the first place.”
He grabs my hand, kissing my palm before he tells me about his battle of wanting me to stay, but also not wanting to stay in the way of my dreams.
Is it possible to fall in love with a man a second time?
Neither of us wanted to be the one to burst our bubble before I left, but it’s clear that both of us have been struggling with the distance.
The first week wasn’t too bad, as I was busy with meetings, catching up with the girls, and my family.
Whenever I had a moment to breath though, the longing returned and hit me hard.
I’ve grown to love my life in London.
Where Sebastian thought my wanderlust was all about travelling to different places, I’ve realised it was more about finding the place where I felt like I belonged.
I found that in London.
“Besides, we still haven’t checked off the Harry Potter experience on your list.”
“Yeah, then the list will be complete,” I say, leaning in to kiss his chest.
“I’ll make another list—make sure you can’t leave me again.”
Sebastian pulls me on top of him, my body draped over his as a blanket.
“Sounds perfect.”
～
For the first time ever since I left London, I feel at peace again.
Then, the emotion starts building as I realise the changes to Sebastian’s apartment since the last time I was here.
My favourite chair from my own apartment downstairs is now sitting in the corner of his living room.
All the small souvenirs I’ve picked up over the weeks are scattered on his bookshelf.
The kettle I’ve used to make my tea, along with my basket of different varieties, is sitting on the kitchen counter.
Before I left, he told me he’d keep the apartment and not to worry about leaving anything behind, as it could be in the apartment until I came back.
Now, I’m realising he’s bought it all up here.
I feel the tears prickling at the back of my eyes, my hand going to my mouth as I take it all in.
“You okay, babe?” Sebastian has concern written all over his face as he comes over, soothing his hands down my own.
“Yeah, just my stuff.”
I sniffle whilst he dries away the tears as they escape.
“Is it too much? I’ve terminated the lease, but if you want your own place again, I’ll make it happen.”
Gosh, this man.
He’s everything.
“No, Sebastian. It’s perfect. I was just surprised,” I tell him.
“Okay, then. I’ve put away all your things and clothes, but you can just rearrange whatever you want.”
There is a slight knock on the door, and Sebastian has a fond smile on his face as he tells me to go get it.
I squint my eyes at him, wondering what he’s up to.
When I open the door, I’m greeted by the biggest bouquet of red and white roses I’ve seen and a delivery guy who is barely visible underneath it.
“Delivery for Lily Hastings.”
I grab the flowers as best I can and set them on the counter as Sebastian closes the door.
I look down at the beautiful bouquet of flowers, Sebastian coming up behind me and resting his head in the crook of my neck.
“There is a card,” he tells me, and I start roaming around carefully to find it.
I find a small folded paper and look to Sebastian, who shrugs his shoulders before gesturing for me to open it.
London isn’t the same without you. Will you move in with me?
- Sebastian
“Like permanently?” I ask him, my excitement
overflowing.
“Like permanently,” he confirms, his own grin matching my own.
“I’d love that,” I tell him, pressing my lips hard against his.
I turn around in his arms, and he grabs a hold of my ass before setting me on top of the counter, careful not to push over the flowers.
“Harriet will be here soon.”
This day just keeps on getting better.
I’ve missed her almost as much as Sebastian.
“Perfect,” I murmur, running my tongue along his bottom lip before biting gently.
“Yeah, everything is now.”