Before Rosaline(Book 2 of the Control Series)

Chapter 24

Sebastian

After Sebastian had left that day of Jared's confession about the pictures that were taken of him, Jared and Dylan, Sebastian handled it the only way he knew how. Bury himself in work until he passed out.

The next day he wakes up in his office with his head laying down on top of a pile of papers that are in disarray and he has a headache. It was suspected since he always got headaches when he took a nap on his desk in his office. He gets up with a groan and wipes off the slobber that gathered as a result of him sleeping with his mouth open. He had done it since childhood and has yet to stop.

He sits up and straightens out his suit and looks at the time. Sebastian's eyes widen when he sees it's one in the afternoon. He gets out of the chair and is seconds away from calling a taxi, as he was too tired to drive, when his office phone rang. He picked it up immediately.

"Sir." A panicked voice calls. It takes him a minute to realize it that it's his temporary secretary since he's been too busy to find one.

"Yes, what is it," Sebastian asks, sleep still clouding his mind.

"It's your brother Dylan, he's in the hospital."

Sleep left him quickly as he quickly asks the girl on the other side of the line what hospital he was in. As soon as she gives him the address he hangs up, grabs his jacket and hightails it to his car.

He's able to make it to the hospital in record time and when he entered the hospital he saw Jared pacing back and forth, tears falling down his face in rapid succession. Sebastian makes his way over to Jared, grabs him and pulls him into a hug. It doesn't take long for Jared to sob into Sebastian's chest. He gently rocks him back and forth and waits until his body racking sobs turn into small sniffles to pull back. Jared's eyes were swollen and red and his face was blotchy. Sebastian gave Jared a reassuring smile and brushed away the remains of his tears.

"Why are you crying," Sebastian asks softly, he doesn't want to let the anxiousness show and cause Jared to break down even more.

Jared sniffs and grabs onto Sebastian's wrinkled suit jacket into clenched hands. "I came here worried sick and begged them to let me see him, but they only will allow family in. I tried to convince them I was but they still wouldn't let me in." When he finishes he looks as if he's going to burst into tears again. Sebastian quickly pulls him into his side and rubs his arm with a gentle hand as he slowly walks them to the front desk.

"Excuse me," he makes his voice ice cold as the woman shifts uncomfortable. "I'm here to see my brother Dylan Reed. What room is he in?"

The girl hurriedly moves her fingers across her keyboard, before she blurts, "room 7." Sebastian nods and makes his way to the room Dylan was placed in with Jared burrowed in his side.

When he enters Dylan's room the sight that greets him; his bandages head, swollen eyes, the needle sticking out his arm, brings back unwanted memories. Jared removes himself from Sebastian's side and rushes over to Dylan's, tears raining down his face once again. Sebastian just stands in the doorway, watching. He's tempted to walk over and smack Dylan awake. This isn't the first time that he caused Jared to cry, because of his self-destructive actions.

In fact, he did multiple times, with barely any time in between. The first time it had happened, Dylan called Sebastian sobbing and screaming, blaming Sebastian for letting him party too hard and sleep with multiple woman. Sebastian was at friend's house at the time had to have walked back to his house where Dylan was having his breakdown. He entered the house, unworried and found Dylan on the floor eyes cold, an empty bottle of pills in his hand. Sebastian called his mom and he was taken to the hospital. Dylan came out alive much to his reluctance and after that incidents there was more, before it stopped. It was because of Jared. Jared had saw how damaged Dylan was and how much Sebastian was struggling to keep Dylan together. So, Jared helped Sebastian and together they got to see him smile again.

Sebastian thought that was done, guess he was wrong. Sebastian sighs and looks at the light and debates whether or not he should turn it off. He decided against it. The bastard could be blinded for all he cared. Dylan groans and Sebastian watches and Dylan shifts, before trying to lift his arm. The needle pulls and Sebastian wonders if he's going to yank it out. Sebastian grabs a nearby chair and drags it towards Dylan's hospital bed and sat down. Dylan doesn't yank out the needle. He puts his arm back down and turns his head, before he moans and opens his eyes. Dylan closed his eyes a second later and Jared frowns. It seems as if he realized why Dylan had the reaction he did, because he cries. "Oops, sorry." The guilty look on Jared's face makes Sebastian angry.

"Don't apologize," Sebastian says calmly. "I was supposed to turn down the lights."

Jared sighs and glares at Sebastian, though he doesn't care. "Then why didn't you," Jared asks. Sebastian shrugs and says, "because this jackass deserves to be blinded every time he gets himself into the hospital."

Dylan snorts as Jared turns down the lights.

"Okay, you open your eyes now," Jared says softly. Dylan takes his time to open his eyes and looks over at Jared, before frowning. He spares Sebastian a glance and it makes him even more angry, so angry he can't even contain his glare.

"Why-" Dylan's voice cracks and he clears his throat. "-am I here?" Sebastian wants to yell at Dylan. To tell him that he is in the hospital, because of his own stupidity. He doesn't however, and just sits back in his seat.

"You had an accident, where you hit your head," Jared explains. "Your maid called us, said you were drinking and..." Jared trails off and Sebastian can't help but frown. He wasn't told that. Why?

Jared grabs Dylan's hand and Sebastian narrows his eyes at Dylan as he watches him relax at Jared's touch. Where they close, he wonders. Closer than the bond between them.

"What's wrong Jared," Dylan asks, sounding awful. Jared offers him water. Dylan takes it drinks a sip, before setting it down.

"I- um what's going to happen about us." Sebastian tenses and wills himself not to give away any emotion that he was feeling towards the subject.

"We should just forget it ever happened," Dylan says and Sebastian's emotions start to boil.

He watches as Jared clenches his fist and his face goes red with rage. "What do you mean forget everything that happened," Jared yells. "Are you that much of an asshole that you would stomp over the feelings and love that we share."

Dylan opens his mouth to say something, but Jared beats him to it as he turns his desperate gaze to Sebastian. Sebastian was tempted to look away. "Right Sebastian? Don't you think Dylan is being an asshole?" Every fiber in his body is telling him to agree, telling him to share his true feelings. "I think," Sebastian says slowly. "We should forget." His brain said that if he said his true feelings it would cost them everything. Sebastian left the room, no longer able to be in the same room as them.

He gets in his car and drive to a place that he hadn't been to in a while. He gets out his car and enters his favorite bar and takes a seat in his usual seat by the bar. "Welcome back," Jefferey says. He had served Sebastian in this bar for years and always knew what to do. Which is why when he didn't get answer back he poured a glass of their strongest drink and slammed it down in front of Sebastian. Sebastian nodded in thanks and grimaces when someone takes a seat next to him.

"Hi," the girl says. "I can keep you company."

Sebastian looks over at the woman and gives her a once over. She's beautiful and his type. He downed the rest of his drink and held out his hand. "What's your name."

The woman smiled a pearly white smile. "My name's Scarlet."