Sebastian Bear (complete)

TWENTY

TWENTY

Madeline and Nolan hadn't always been hostile toward one another. There weren't always lies or irritated looks. There was a time that they were happy and in sync and a prime example of best friends. There were movie nights and so many slices of pizza. At one point in their young lives, they had shared everything, all the embarrassing secrets that came with growing up. Madeline may not have enjoyed hearing about Nolan's spontaneous erections in ninth grade which coincidently happened every time Hannah Moore entered his atmosphere but she was his best friend and that was part of her job description. Nolan had been there when Madeline was forced to tie his flannel around her waist to hide a certain time of the month that seemed to come out of nowhere. That's what made it all so hard. That's why Madeline couldn't just let it go.

Madeline hadn't been able to fall asleep. She had finished off her paperwork for school within an hour of starting it. She had gone to close her computer but something about the glaring blue screen pulled at her senses and she found herself moving toward Facebook where she robotically reactivated her account and looked up her old best pals name.

There were so many posts. Madeline scrolled through his feed looking at pictures of European landmarks. She read his moods through status updates. She saw his smile plastered across his page. It hurt her. She realized she had stopped longer than she'd meant to, her eyes scanning the joyous face praying to whatever god would listen that she might see some pain somewhere in the lines near his mouth or the glimmer of his enthusiastic stare.

Had he felt anything about the loss of their friendship?

Ten years and she looked at this dude like a stranger.

She wasn't even quite sure when it had happened but she didn't know him at all.

She scrolled further. She read status after status.

"I've never seen a more beautiful place with more beautiful people. I don't ever want to leave."

"Nothing like a quiet night in the French countryside."

"I swear the sky is different here. I feel like I'm on another planet."

"Don't know how I feel about German food. We will see."

Madeline cringed at the next photo, a beautiful dark-haired girl with her head on Nolan's shoulder. His smile was just a little wider next to the gorgeous female. The caption was wordless, instead decorated with a single red heart.

No. That had been enough. Madeline closed her laptop. Looking at his page had been a total mistake.

"Come to bed, Madsy."

Madeline jolted at Sebastian's sleepy voice. He was warm and cozy in her pillows, his shirtless body barely visible under her comforter. She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt seeing him there, so pleasantly clueless to her treachery. She missed Nolan, the old one that she shared so much time with. She hated the fact that he had ruined it. She hated that she couldn't just let him leave. She hated that she couldn't not think about him all the time. He was so good at not thinking about her.

"I have a spot right here," Sebastian flipped the cover down and gave the old mattress a pat. She smiled at him, ignoring the stingy tears playing at the edges of her eyes. "Don't make me come get you. I'm very tired and I can't be held accountable for my actions."

Madeline nodded, sliding the computer off her lap and crawling up to her purple-eyed boy. He pulled her close, guiding her chilled arms around his torso. Madeline took in a deep breath of Sebastian, her eyes sliding shut, a single tear fell down her right cheek.