TALK ME DOWN → SEBASTIAN STAN

forty six | real life

It was a few weeks later and Riley was thumbing through an old book, her eyes scanning the page from behind her glasses. Her heart was slamming in her chest extremely noticeably, and she knew exactly why. Sebastian hadn't texted her since yesterday evening; while she knew there was probably a reasonable explanation, she couldn't help but wonder.

Finally, the anticipation became too much and she slammed the book down, glancing at her phone. The last conversation they had was at lunch time yesterday, before Seb said he had to go somewhere. Now that she was looking at it again, he sounded quite snappy. Her heart stuttered and she gnawed on the inside of her cheek, biting down almost hard enough to draw blood.

As she flicked through the text messages, she wondered if she'd been too pushy or if she'd said something and she managed to find something everytime. Doubt filled her and she brought the end of her thumb into her mouth, chewing it anxiously.

A sudden knock surprised her, her thumb jolting from her mouth and her head turning suddenly. She was folded onto her armchair by the window, able to feel the cold a little bit but not enough to bother her. Before she rose, she sighed and pushed herself up, letting her blanket fall from around her. Janie was curled up in bed at this time in the morning, so Riley was on door duty.

Eventually, she reached the door, undoing the bolt and pulling the door back. At first, her eyes met the edge of a collarbone sneaking out from beneath a gray shirt. Then her eyes snaked upwards along a sharp jaw, over familiar lips, and then greeting a pair of smiling blue eyes.

Sebastian.

"Oh my God!" She squealed, throwing herself against her boyfriend and squeezing him tightly. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like forever, too enraptured with each other's presence to even comprehend talking. His arms felt strong and alive around her and she felt tears sting her eyes, unable to believe he was there. Her senses came alive.

Sebastian's hands flattened on the small of her back before moving around to hold her waist, leaving a trail of sparks behind it. When his hands tightened on her waist, she moved back and slammed her lips against his. It felt like fireworks were erupting around them, despite how cliché it seemed. Her fingers wound into his messy hair and his hands moved down to her hips, his body pressed against hers. They fit together perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle.

They drew apart and Riley let her hand clap against his cheek, the slap taking him by surprise. "Oh, okay, hi," he said, startled.

"You son of a bitch!" she exclaimed, shoving him playfully. "When the hell did you decide to come here? And why didn't you tell me?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise!" He replied, chuckling as he held her waist again. "Didn't realise I would get a slap for it, you little devil."

She smirked and searched his eyes. "I'll show you a devil."

Somebody made a gagging noise and Riley peered around Sebastian, seeing Anthony miming retching. She laughed and pressed her forehead against Seb's chest, balling his shirt into her fist. "I didn't need to see you two makin' out," he said, rolling his eyes when Riley glanced at him. "I'm only the driver, because Sebby here was too nervous to drive and Lizzie was tired."

The second Elizabeth's name was mentioned, Riley gasped and jumped away from Sebastian, seeing her friend approaching with her suitcases. When their eyes met, Elizabeth gasped like Riley had. The pair clashed in a tight hug, laughing as they held onto each other. "Hi!" they both exclaimed, continuing to laugh.

For a while, they just hugged each other, still giggling like five year old girls. Riley was aware that her boyfriend was stood right behind her, but she hadn't seen Elizabeth since they left for the airport and she had missed her. "I've missed you so much," Elizabeth said when she pulled back, grinning.