Meant to Crash | ✓

Chapter Thirty-Nine

One random afternoon, Sebastian went up to my desk and asked: "Are you hungry at all?" 

"I'm fine."

"Did you get something to eat already?" 

It was lunch time. 

"I didn't," I said honestly. "I'm fine."

"You've gotta be hungry."

"I'll be okay."

He winced, but there was a smile on his face. "I wish I knew that before."

"Why?"

"I planned something for us."

"What? Where?"

"At Golden State Park."

"That place is so crowded on a day like this..." I squinted up at him, rubbing my eyes from any tiredness that had overcome me. "I appreciate the thought, though."

"You say that like we're not going anymore." He held out his hand, stopping me from saying anything.  He instantly dropped it once I tried reaching for it, looking around the office to see if someone had seen us. No one had. 

"Hold that thought." He suggested," Before you decide on your next set of words, let me take you there first."

I nodded, not saying a word.

The joy that sparkled in his eyes was too bright for me to dim and damper with new plans. We went to his car and started our drive up to our location. Getting comfortable in my seat, I waited for him to arrive to the park. I'd gone there once when I first moved to California. There were beautiful big trees, rolling hills that you could tumble on forever, and homages to both Chinese and Japanese heritage. It was a place you felt transported in, entranced by the luscious green pastures, and forgetful of the towering skyscrapers stretched out in the distance. You were in a whole new world.

I let out a yawn when we got to the familiar winding roads that led to the park. But one thing that struck me as a shock were the lack of cars going up and down the lane to the left of us. On a usual day, its streamlining with cars, jam-packed and bumper to bumper. You'd see mothers in baby strollers, joggers with their headphones or dogs to their side, and teens skateboarding down the hot pavement.

Today, though, it was a ghost town.

"What...what did you do?"

It was all I could ask.

He had everything to do with this – I knew it.

"I pulled a few stringers and got the place to ourselves."

"What's that supposed to mean? I need that translated into words someone in my tax bracket can understand."

He laughed, but only for a second, covering his growing grin with his fingers. "Don't say that about yourself."

Was this even Sebastian? I was beginning to question if I got in the car with a stranger who stole his face. This couldn't be the same person I was working for. Wasn't he worried some helicopter, full of paparazzis, would snap a photo of us? Almost as if reading my mind, he stated that there was a no fly zone in the area, meaning drones couldn't even come by if they wanted. 

"I...I don't get it, I thought you were marrying Connie. And now, this? You don't make any sense. If this was your plan all along, then why d—"

"You're asking a lot of questions." He cut me off. "I thought you would be happier that we got alone time." 

"You never seem to answer any of my questions." I turned to the window, huffing up a storm so he knew I was more upset than I was glad. "I'm mad." 

"That's not true."

"Well, then I'm upset that I don't know you very well."

"Also not true." 

"I feel like I know as much about you as I did when I first met you."

"That couldn't be further from the truth."

"Oh, yeah? Prove me wrong."

"Did you know I was adopted before?"

"Even when you told me, you kept hiding things from me in that moment and I didn't push you to tell me either. It was very surface level."

"And I thank you for not pushing me," he sighed, "I have a hard time letting people in."

"You could say that again."

"I'm not kidding. It's something I need to work on," Sebastian admitted, deflating into his seat. Finally, we had gotten to the main entrance that was being closed off. There was a male security guard in a bright vest waiting for us. He motioned for the car to move in closer to the gate. After Sebastian briefly spoke with him, he let us in once he moved the blockades out of the way.

When we were away from the guard, he rolled his window up and said: "I want to do better, and I know that can take a long time for you to really believe that. But it's true, I want to be more honest with you."

"There's a lot more things you need to work on than being honest."

"Enlighten me," he egged on, sneaking a look at me as though we shared a secret. "I want you to tell me what's on the chopping block."

"Your attitude."

He sucked a breath through his teeth. "You're one to talk."

"Exactly my point."

"I'm playing," he admitted, "Go on. What else?"

"Your treatment of people of a lower class than you. You have this air of superiority around you like you're better than everyone else."

"I am," he paused, "Not."

"Thank you."

"It's never serious. I thought it was obvious."

"Maybe to you, but not to everyone. You give off a persona that's unwelcoming, harsh, and lacks any real warmth."

"Whoa, whoa. Just go for the jugular already. Call my mom ugly, too, while you're at it."

I covered my mouth to stop the sight of a smile being seen. 

"Anything else?"

"Your engagement to Connie needs to be put on the chopping block." 

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