TALK ME DOWN → SEBASTIAN STAN

twenty two | real life

Riley sat on the sofa, her legs draped lazily over Sebastian's lap. She was exhausted after the long day and the jet lag was sinking in; all she wanted to do was sleep. Yet she couldn't. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she was here, in the presence of probably her hugest celebrity crush ever. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that a magazine had written an article about their so-called relationship.

He glanced over at her as she stared blankly at the TV screen. Her blonde hair was thrown back into a messy bun, her blue eyes glinting in the light of the screen. His mouth dried at how beautiful she looked in person — it was something a phone couldn't replicate. Yet she looked so troubled and he couldn't help but wonder why.

"Riley?" He asked, his deep voice startling her. She looked over at him, her cheeks retaining their familiar rosy colour. "What's up?"

At first, she shook her head, not wanting to trouble him. She didn't want him to feel guilty, which she could tell he would be if he found out why she was worried. Then, he slid his hand over her lower leg, squeezing it reassuringly, and she was putty in his hands. Shivers ran through her body, her heart stammering at the feeling of his soft hands on her leg. "Come on, Riley, we're friends," he said softly. "I want you to feel comfortable, okay?"

"The article," were the two words she uttered, which made his eyebrows furrow.

"Article? What article?" he said, frowning at her. "Was it talking about us?"

She nodded, biting down on her bottom lip. "I'm just not used to this public attention," she said softly, looking up at him. His soft blue eyes stared into hers and he gave her a sensitive smile, his eyelashes fanning the top of his cheekbones. "It's not your fault, by the way."

"I knew there was this risk," he said.

"It's fine, Seb," she replied, resting her hand over his and rubbing her thumb along the back of his hand. His eyes darted down to their touching hands, his pink lips parting. "It's just that they caught us at a bad time. It looks like we're ... like we're lovers."

Sebastian placed a hand over his heart, not daring to move the one she was touching, and feigned a hurt expression. "And here I thought you loved me," he said, pouting at her. "The truth comes out."

"Aw, poor you," she replied, moving her hand from over his and patting him on his rough, bearded cheek. His eyes searched hers, his mouth almost hanging open at the contact. "Thank you for letting me stay here. I've been meaning to get away from everybody at home for a while now." She thought for a few moments before grinning at him. "You came into my life at the perfect time, y'know?"

A smile spread onto his lips; her smile was infectious for him, and whenever he saw her he couldn't help but grin. "And why is that?"

"I had just came out of a long relationship with my fiancé," she admitted quietly.

These words made his head whip up from where he gazed at her hand and his mouth fell open completely that time. "Fiancé?" He asked, unsure about why he was so surprised.

At the sound of his shock, her face fell and she averted her eyes. "Uh, yeah," she said. "Fiancé. High school friend, turned college girlfriend, turned fiancé." She sighed and forced a smile onto her lips. "And now ex-fiancé."

"Uh, what happened," he asked, before adding, "if you don't mind me asking, that is."

"You got any alcohol?" She asked. A smile crept onto his lips again and he nodded. "I want a little bit of that before I explain."

"Your wish is my command, m'lady," he said.

^^^

She was completely drunk when she finally decided to continue talking about her fiancé. Sebastian listened keenly the whole time, still quite sober.

"His name was Andrew," she confessed. "I was best friends with him in high school. He knew everything about me and he was everything I wanted in a man. I did have a bit of a crush on him in high school but I didn't want to ruin our friendship. The next year he asked me out in college and I said yeah."

Sebastian was staring at her, his blue eyes bright and shining. His cheeks were slightly flushed, due to the alcohol. "Anyway, we dated for about three years before he proposed and I was an idiot."

"You're not an idiot," he told her, shaking his head profusely. His long messy hair was tossed around his face before he pushed it back.

"I got engaged to a man who had been cheating on me with my best friend," she said. The admission surprised Seb, whose eyes widened as his mouth fell open. She didn't seem to care though, more thinking about the time she found the two together. "He cheated on me with my roommate."

"Oh God," he said as a response. "Oh my God."

"She still doesn't know that I know," Riley told him, lacing her fingers together. The pair of them were sat side-by-side on the couch, their legs pressing together and Riley's head rested on Sebastian's shoulder. "She thinks that I think it's some random woman, but I know it was her. I saw them together. He—" she choked out a sob, burying her face in her hands, "he was insistent on protecting her."

Sebastian didn't respond, sliding an arm over her shoulders and pulling her against him. Her head lulled against his chest and she began to shake, crying. "I was in love with him, Seb," she sobbed.

He held her against him, ignoring the way his chest tightened when he heard her say she was in love with her ex-fiancé. "He didn't deserve you, Riles," Sebastian said, holding the back of her head with one hand and her waist with the other. "You're funny, smart, and you're beautiful. You're really beautiful."

She leaned back, her tear-filled eyes meeting his shining blue ones. "You mean that?" She asked. "You're not just saying it because I'm upset?"

"I mean it, Riley," he said, holding her eyes the entire time. Then, taking him by surprise, she pressed her soft lips to his. He was startled, his heart stammering at the feeling of her lips on his. Her fingers wound into his long hair, clutching at the gentle brown. As they continued to kiss, he clutched her waist, squeezing it tight. A whine left his parted lips when she drew back, her eyes holding his.

"Let's get you to bed, alright? You can stay in my room and I'll sleep out here," he found himself saying, moving away suddenly. She's drunk, he thought, the words taunting him, she doesn't mean it.

With the nod of her head, he sighed like she had and took her hand, helping her to her feet. She stumbled a bit, and he wound his arm around her waist. Then, he hitched her up so she was in his arms. "Let's go, Sleeping Beauty," he said, smiling fondly down at her.

As he began to climb the stairs, she was already nodding off. He lay her down under his duvet, drawing the fabric over her. Just as he went to leave, she caught him by the wrist and whined. "Don't leave, Sebby," she whimpered softly. "I want you to stay."

He stared down at her, his gaze lingering for a while before he decided to stay. Tugging off his jacket, he let it fall to the ground and crossed the room to the other side of the bed, laying down on his mattress. His plan was to lay on that side, while she lay on the other side but in her drunken mind, she had other ideas.

As he stretched his arms above his head, she rolled over and lay her head on his chest, in the crook of his neck. His heart skipped a beat and he didn't know what to do. Eventually, he decided to curl his arm around her shoulders, feeling her legs entwine with his. Soon, they were both asleep, not leaving each other's grasp all night.