Love at Last

10 | Week Five

AT MIDNIGHT, I FOUND MYSELF STANDING ON THE PATIO, WAITING JUST AS THE NOTE INSTRUCTED. I stared off into the steady crashing waves and looked up at the tiny, sparkling stars.

The sound of light footsteps made me turn around. Standing behind me, fully highlighted by the moon, was Dominic Rostov. His eyes looked as dark as the midnight ocean, and as he stood there, staring at me and breathing heavily, I wondered what was going through his mind.

He took a step towards me and stumbled; I gasped and quickly caught him. “Dominic,” I said, “what on earth are you doing?” I helped him stand up but held him by the elbows in case he was still unsteady.
His eyes had a wild but lost look to them, one I had seen a few times in Sebastian’s eyes. He mumbled something incoherently before he leaned down and kissed me.

I was in utter shock and stood there, not moving an inch, heart racing. Then, I tasted the sharp tinge of alcohol on my lips and I gasped. The man was drunk! Once my brain decided to work again, I scrambled away from him and wiped my mouth.

Dominic stood there confused as he mumbled a word – a name – under his breath.

I was scared. I didn’t know this man. I didn’t know how he reacted when he was drunk. I didn’t know why he decided to drink. I didn’t even know how much he had had to drink!

I grabbed him by his hand and pulled him into the kitchen where I hoped Janette would be. I already had been in a very compromising position with Dominic, and I wasn’t about to let that happen again. What if Sebastian had seen me? Would I have been able to tell him the truth? Would he believe it? I didn’t think that he trusted me enough to believe me.

I quickly pulled a drunk and stumbling Dominic into the kitchen and dropped him onto a barstool, startling Janette. “He’s drunk and a mess.” I said, panting. The man was in serious shape; he was tall, muscular, and heavy. Janette nodded and knew exactly what to do. She thanked me and told me that she would handle it and sent me on my way.

I raced back onto the patio, noting that the whole affair had only taken a few minutes. On the patio, waiting for me, in the same position that I had originally been standing in, was Sebastian.

“Hey.” I said, walking up to him.

He turned around and smiled when he saw me. “Hey.” he responded.

Cocking my head, I asked him, “Did you tell me to meet you out here?”

He yawned as he nodded yes. “I just needed someone to talk to, and quite honestly, you seemed like the best person.”

A wave of panic spread through my veins like wildfire. Did he only view me as a friend? Did I want him to view me as more than a friend? Was Michaela right? Did I truly like Sebastian? What if he didn’t like me?
Sebastian’s sigh brought me out of my internal panic.

Putting my thoughts aside, I put my arm on his back. His muscles tensed under my touch but relaxed quickly. “I’m here,” I quietly said.

Sebastian stayed silent for a while, and I leaned my head on his shoulder.