I can't even remember falling asleep. All I know is I have a huge smile on my face, even though I just woke up. Did I have a nice dream? I glance over to notice the left side of my bed is empty. Did he leave to go somewhere already? But it's only 8:30 in the morning. He's not an early bird, usually. I get up and walk into the kitchen. A smile appears on my face when I see what Sebastian has been up to this early.
The table is filled with different baked goods, some lit candles and juice. "Good morning!", someone suddenly says from behind me. I quickly turn around to see Sebastian, who has a large grin on his face. "Did you prepare all this yourself?", I ask and he nods his head proudly. "Of course. I wanted you to have a nice breakfast to start our date today." I chuckle and take a seat.
Sebastian hands me a plate. "You woke up a bit earlier than I expected, but it's okay. Just means we will have more time to do the other things I planned for us today!" "What do you have planned?", I ask him curiously and he wags his finger at me "I'm not telling." I grin and roll my eyes slightly.
Breakfast has never looked this good before. Usually I have just about enough energy in the morning to smear some Nutella on a slice of toast. I wonder how much time he spent to prepare all of this, just for the two of us. I would've never expected Sebastian to be such a thoughtful person, but he is. It makes me happy to know that he's not trying to rush me into making a decision just yet, and that we can enjoy time together anyway and get used to each other more.
"You like fishing, right?", he asks me. I quickly nod my head at him. "Of course! If I wouldn't, we might still be stuck in that little fight we had a while ago." He chuckles softly, then quickly hands me a little notebook with pictures of different fish glued onto each page. I look at him confused. "Are these the ones you want to catch?", I ask him after a closer examination.
He shakes his head at me. "Sam and I used to go fishing with his dad and these are pictures of the ones we caught. It was our little tradition. Unfortunately, his dad had to leave for his military service for a year when Sam and I were both 12, and after that, I guess we all sort of forgot about it...", he explains to me.
"I see. So why don't you wait for Sam to return from his vacation and ask him to continue with you?"
Seb laughs nervously in return "Well, that's the thing. I would, but I've completely forgotten how fishing works. It's been 7 years, after all... I saw you do it, and I think you could be able to teach me. Only if you want to, of course." My eyes widen in surprise and I jump up. "Yes! I'd love to! It's so much fun. Do you wanna go right now?" He gestures me to sit down. "Maybe you wanna eat your breakfast first, Sami?" I glance down at the nicely decorated table, and my plate filled to the brim with croissants and different cookies. He's right, why would I refuse to eat this up? It looks so good.
After eating breakfast and getting ready to head outside, Seb and I make our way down to the beach to lay in the sun for a bit before grabbing our fishing rods and getting to work. The fact that it was important enough for him to tell me about his little tradition and that he'd like to continue with it soon makes it my top priority to teach him and make sure he's as good as he used to be, perhaps even better. I want him to be proud of me, and I want Sam and his dad to be proud of Sebastian, too.
He still remembers a lot of the basics, but needs help finding the right timing. Makes sense, he hasn't practiced for a while so his brain probably just needs to get used to it again. While he's trying his hardest to find a technique that works for him, I'm listing as many interesting facts about the local sea life, and of course all the types of fish that exist out here. Sam and Sebastian's notebook only includes about 1/4 of everything that can be caught here.
It gets calmer after a while. Seb has his technique down and we're sort of just letting our rods float on the surface of the ocean. I glance over at him. He seems quite relaxed, but I can't help but feel as though something is still bothering him. The whole drama with Abigail is out of the way, he doesn't have to live with Demetrius anymore, so what else could he have on his mind? I hesitate before asking any questions, but I can't stop myself. It's important for me to know.
"Have you had the chance to talk to Maru?" He looks at me and needs a second to process my words, since we've both been sitting in silence for a little while. "Uh, no... why would I do that?", he asks in return. "You know she's not the reason why you had such a miserable family life. Demetrius has been mistreating you, and making you feel separated from your own sister. She never wanted for you to feel that way, and I'm sure you never wanted for you two to be like strangers either. You agreed to spending more time with her, didn't you?"
He turns away and sighs, before carefully removing his shirt from his body and jumping into the water. He reaches out his hand and shows me a subtle grin. "Wanna come in too?" I'm taking this as a sign that he doesn't want to talk about his personal issues right now. I probably shouldn't have even brought it up. He wanted for this day to be a peaceful day for the both of us. Maybe I haven't ruined it yet.
I grab his hand and let myself fall into the water. I chuckle at him after noticing his wet hair covering his entire face. "It seems as though you've gotten your shower done for today", I state jokingly. Seb smirks at me, before splashing two handfuls of water into my face. "Now you do too", he replies teasingly. I remove the wet hair from my face and glance at him for a bit "Oh, it is on", I threaten him light-heartedly. I swim to him quickly and try to push him, but he catches my hands and holds onto me tightly. All while the both of us are laughing.
I stop myself from trying to fight back and simply look into his eyes. He looks back at me and gently pulls me closer to him, then places his hands on my waist to keep me afloat. "Are you having fun?", he asks me. "Of course, all thanks to you, Sebby- wait, sorry... I forgot you don't like to be called that."
Suddenly he hushes me by placing his finger on my lips. "Not when you say it. I like the sound of it, when it comes from your mouth. Like anything you say." I can't help but feel nervous. He's so close to me, and he's holding me and we're having eye contact. My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest. A slight frown forms on his face before he carefully lets go of me again.
"I'm sorry, I'll move a bit slower from now on.", he states before gesturing me to follow him back to the beach. He hands me a towel there and helps me gather my dry clothes before we head back home. On our way, we walk past Marnie's farm and the river there. It's already dark and all we can hear is the sound of a bunch of crickets and a few distant owls.
Neither of us start a conversation at first, but it's not an awkward silence. It feels nice to admire the scenery quietly with Sebastian walking beside me. I remember the time I found Shane passed out on the floor next to the river, and it amazes me how far he has come in such a short amount of time. I can't help but smile to myself. Sebastian catches my change in expression and speaks up.
"What are you thinking about, Sami?". I turn to face him. "I just remembered the time I had to carry Shane to the hospital. He's doing so well now compared to back then. It makes me feel relieved." He gives me an assuring hm back. Suddenly I can feel his arm press against mine. I can't tell if he's walking this close to me on purpose, but I'm not complaining. This feels like the right amount of physical contact, without it being too much too soon.
"Also, I didn't want to talk about this earlier, but I wasn't upset about Maru. We're going to try and hangout soon, so I'm not worried about that. What I am worried about, is my mom..", he explains. I look at him in confusion and ask for him to elaborate more.
"Well, you see... my mom has been worried about me ever since my dad left us and disappeared to god knows where. She thought I would struggle to make friends and build a future for myself, so when I told her I would marry Abigail and move to the city with her, she felt so incredibly relieved. I was 15 when I told her about my plan, and she's been holding onto that since then. It came as a shock when I suddenly told her the truth. I'm sure she's scared I'll end up without a stable future now..."
I gently place my hand on his shoulder. "It's true it came as a shock, but your mom left me a note the day after that. She told me she felt relieved that I stood up for you and that I'm taking care of you. I'm sure she's okay.", I explain. Sebastian shows me a warm smile.
"Thank you... my mom means a lot to me, and I'm glad she trusts you. Just as much as I trust you, too.", Sebastian states. Then he sighs and faces away again. "I just wonder how Abby's parents are dealing with the situation. I'm sure my mom has told them about it by now."
"You're right... I never even thought of that. Why did Abby come up with that plan in the first place?", I ask him curiously. He shrugs his shoulders. "You'd think I'd know, but I never cared enough about her to ask. I just wanted to get away from my own family drama, and her plan seemed like the perfect way. Though, basically the entire town knows that something is up between Caroline and Pierre. Not sure what exactly."
So it has something to do with her parents' relationship? Not necessarily with her. I can't help but feel nosy. Plus, Abby has tried to be nice to me and I feel bad for ruining her dreams like that. I know it was for the better to get Sebastian away from her, but now what is she going to do?
Sebastian stops me in my tracks and points towards the forest. I squint my eyes to identify a person sitting on one of the lower branches of a tall tree.
"Speak of the Devil", Seb whispers sarcastically.