TALK ME DOWN → SEBASTIAN STAN

sixty two | private

chris
did you sleep with her, seb?

sebastian
sleep with who?

chris
don't play dumb with me,
sebastian. your ex. we don't
want to jump to any conclu-
sions if you haven't slept with
her.

+++

Riley stared down at the phone, dumbstruck. Her heart was racing and her chest was growing tighter with every passing second. She was never one to snoop on other people's phones, but after Andrew and seeing that text. . . she had to know what Chris was talking about.

Her hand jerked back from the phone, almost like a spasm, and she flew to her feet. The second she was stood up, she gasped, her legs going to jelly beneath her. She pressed her back against the wall, struggling to draw in deep breaths. Tears stung her eyes, her entire body going weak as she struggled for air. Her soft tears soon turned to ugly sobs, her hand clutching over her heart when the panic attack finally took over. She was doubled-over, her body quivering, and wasn't thinking straight.

Soon, she found herself grabbing at his phone with trembling hands. The soft metal was cold against her fingertips, which were damp with the salty tears, and she cried as she threw the phone at the opposite wall. It shattered on impact, landing with a thump on the carpet, but she didn't check to see the extent of the damage.

She practically ripped her jacket off the sofa, throwing it on over her pyjamas. She didn't care that she was wearing her summer pyjamas or that the only things on her feet were fluffy boot-slippers; she just grabbed her phone and left.

The second she left the hotel, she went the opposite direction to where Sebastian was standing. He was holding bags filled with takeout for her and him to share, and was at a loss when he saw her running out.

"Elizabeth," she sobbed down the phone, turning a corner to see a taxi driving past. She hailed it, climbing in soon after.

"Oh my God, Riley," Elizabeth replied, her heart aching at the sound of her friend in turmoil. "He told you."

"He didn't have to," she said, burying her face into her hands as she sobbed. "Chris texted him asking if he slept with his ex."

"You don't know the full story," admitted Elizabeth.

Riley's mouth fell open and she cried once more. "Tell me the full story then," she said between breaths.

So Elizabeth told her the truth over the course of the journey before Riley reached Chris's flat. She thanked the cab driver, paid, and clambered out, ending the call with Elizabeth. She then knocked for Chris, who knew his error the second he saw her stood on his doorsteps. She practically fell into his arms, sobbing and shaking, and he led her inside. "Come on, Bear," he whispered, hugging her tight once he'd shut the door behind them. "I'm here for you bud."