Chapter 15 Sebastian #2
I looked over the table. Those stupid purple roses next to my grey ones. The chicken and tomato cobbler, with an array of roasted potatoes, honey roasted carrots, and the worst vegetable in the world. Broccoli. I mean, who eats that? They looked like little trees. Aria knew I hated it.
In fact, thinking about it, I don’t think I’d ever eaten cobbler in my life.
“Aria, this is beautiful,” Callum said, after taking a mouthful. “It reminds me of Mum’s.”
“How is your mum?” she asked, taking a bite.
“She has good days and bad days. I try to see her as much as possible.”
“I’m really sorry, Callum.”
Fuck this. I knew he was referring to Jason being dead. I wasn’t having her feel guilty for anything that had happened to her. None of that was her fault.
“Aria, don’t do that. None of it was on you. Please remember that. I don’t blame you for anything,” Callum said softly, getting there before me.
What a piece of shit.
“So, what brings you to London, Callum?” I asked, changing the subject.
His lips curled into a small smile. “I’m looking to buy a few businesses around here. Expand. Something I’m sure you’re familiar with, with your line of work.”
“Callum knows you work in private equity as the CEO of your family business,” Aria added.
“You’ll have to let me know when you’ve got some good investments going. I might have to add some money too.”
Like fuck I’d want his dirty money running through Luxe Corp. It was a legit place of business. I never mixed it with the Organisation and never would.
“I’ll let you know if something comes up.”
We sat in silence for a moment. Everyone was eating but me as I sipped my whisky, watching every move Callum made.
“You’ll never guess what I saw the other day when I was picking up some bits in Leeds.”
Aria arched her brow at him. “What?”
“You remember you told me about that tiger teddy your dad got you as a mascot? You took it to every netball game you played, right up until you were sixteen. It was one of those—the same one, I swear. I should have bought it.”
Her eyes widened. “No way. Oh my God, you should have got him. He disappeared when I moved to London. I think he got lost somewhere. I was so sad.”
I sat up, leaning forward in my chair.
“Wait, you played netball?” I asked her.
“Didn’t you know? She went to all the tournaments and won medals. She played centre. One of the best, I reckon. She said that Tiger was her lucky charm,” Callum explained for her, as if he knew everything about her.
“I started in primary school, continued into secondary school, and stopped when I moved here. It was a massive part of my life.”
My eyes widened slightly at the revelation.
I’d never really known much about Aria’s life before I met her.
She’d told me a few odd bits, but that would have played a massive role in her life, and she’d never shared it with me.
My heart sank. Was it because I’d never really shared much of my own childhood with her that she felt she couldn’t with me?
“Thank you, Callum,” Aria said.
She leaned over, placing her hand on top of his and squeezing it. I shifted in my chair, unsure what I was seeing.
“For what?” he replied, squeezing her hand back.
“Everything you did for me when I was with Jason. For taking care of me when I needed it. You were always there for me, and I never got the chance to say how grateful I was.”
His eyes flicked to mine for a split second. “You know I’d do anything to keep you safe.”
The glass slipped from my hand, smashing into shards on the table as it hit the side of my plate.
“Fuck.”
“It’s fine.” Aria started to pick up the broken glass. “Oww.” She sucked in a breath and shook her hand.
My lips parted, my eyes widening at the blood coming from her finger. Callum grabbed a napkin and wrapped it around her hand.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
I sat there frozen, unable to get a word out, just focusing on the blood. I’d hurt her. Something I’d never imagined myself doing. Sick rose from my stomach, and I swallowed hard to push it back down. What was wrong with me? I’d vowed to protect and keep her safe; instead, I’d just made her bleed.
“Let’s get this cleaned up,” Callum said, helping her.
I watched as Aria said her goodbyes to Callum at the door. When he was gone, she spun on her heels and glared at me. “What was that?”
“What was what?”
“Tonight. You were really stand-offish with him.”
I scoffed and turned to walk away.
“Where are you going?” She chased after me as I reached the kitchen.
Grabbing a glass and a bottle of whisky, I poured, then took a sip.
I was going to need the whole bottle after tonight.
She stood there, arms folded, looking at me. “Are you just going to ignore me?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re referring to. I thought I was pretty pleasant, actually.”
She blinked a few times. “No, you sat there looking like you were moping, and when you spoke, you were short and snappy.”
Callum wasn’t even here anymore, and we were arguing about him. If only she really knew why I was that way towards him—then she wouldn’t be questioning my actions. But I couldn’t tell her. Not now. She’d never forgive me for lying to her.
“Look.” I placed the glass down and ran my hands up and down her arms. “I’m sorry. Today at the office was a shitty day, and I shouldn’t have been that way during dinner.”
“Sebastian, he really does mean a lot to me, and you need to realise he was a big part of my life before you.”
I was her life before she even met him. I was the one who was there for her. The one who took care of her when she needed it. Protecting her. Keeping her safe from anything that could hurt her.
He’d had no right to take my place.
My heart sank into the pit of my stomach.
Except I’d left her, and she’d ended up in that situation. If I hadn’t left, she’d never have met Jason.
It was fucking hard, trying to keep all this from her. Especially now Callum was sniffing around. I didn’t trust him at all. He shouldn’t be around Aria, and he knew that. He was only doing it to get under my skin.
“I understand,” I said faintly, then kissed her forehead. “I care so much about you, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“You don’t have to worry about Callum. He’s not like that. He’s only ever wanted to protect me. Nothing more.”
“I just—”
“It’s always been you, you know that, right?”
I rested my hands on her jaw, stroking my thumbs over her cheeks, and gazed into her eyes.
“I know, Nyx. You’re everything I didn’t know I needed in life.
I may not have felt it until four years ago, and I shouldn’t have left you that night, because if I hadn’t, a lot of things would have been different.
It wasn’t our time then, but now …” I paused for a moment.
“We were meant to be together, and nothing in this world could ever break us, no matter how hard it may try.”
I leaned in and kissed her softly. She meant everything to me, and I never wanted her to feel like she had to be cautious of anyone she spoke to. I wasn’t that type of man. I just wish it wasn’t Callum fucking Brown.
My phone started to ring, and I pulled it out of my pocket. I looked at Soran’s name for a beat before rubbing my forehead
I let out a breath. “Sorry, Nyx. I really need to take this.”
She gave a tight smile. For a split second, she looked hurt, and it sent a pain through my heart—a way I never wanted her to look at me.
I swallowed hard to push that feeling down and made my way out of the room.