Sebastian
My phone buzzed at four thirty in the morning. My heart was pounding like crazy, I was hoping it was Sweet. It crushed my spirit when I saw who was calling.
"Yes, Max."
"I have the most recent update, sir. Miss Treble arrived in Dansville at four in the morning. We were right in thinking she caught a bus right away."
"Good to hear."
I felt so relieved that we located her, and she made it home okay. I was so stressed and didn't get a wink of sleep last night thinking about her.
We spent all night calling hotels and hostels, trying to find out if Sweet was there. Max and his men never stopped looking for her in every place we thought she would be. It really sucked when we couldn't track her down. It made me feel desperate and annoyed.
"But, there's something I got to tell you, and I know you won't like it," Max informed.
My forehead was all scrunched up. "What is it?"
"She came home crying."
"Yup, I knew that was gonna happen." I felt really down when I thought about how much she was hurting. "I really wish I could be with her right now, comforting her and making her understand what really happened."
Max cleared his throat, "sir. Someone was already there to comfort her."
"Who?"
"The ex-boyfriend. Jace Hamilton." Max said, "you can look at the photos I sent you in your email."
I used my iPad to check my inbox. It crushed me when I saw the photos of Sweet and Hamilton talking on her porch. They were sitting super close together.
"What the actual fuck!"
I checked out the rest of the pics. It really pissed me off when I saw him touching her. He had his arms all around her, with her face buried in his neck.
"Fucking shit!" Frustration consumed me as I cursed aloud while fixing my gaze upon the picture. I totally lost it, feeling jealous and mad at the same time.
I felt a sense of disappointment and sadness when she became angry with me and sought comfort in the company of her ex-boyfriend. That jerk totally took advantage of her vulnerability.
"Get the chopper. I need to see her. Now!" I ordered Max and put down my phone.
***
I showed up at the Treble's place in Dansville thirty minutes later and started pressing their doorbell. Mrs. Treble, with her messy hair and pale face, answered the door in her robe, clearly still half-asleep. She looked confused, wondering why I was up so early on a Sunday morning.
"Good morning, Mrs. Treble. I'm looking for Sweet. Can I see her?"
Her eyebrows raised and asked, "isn't she with you? You picked her up last night."
"Yeah, I did. But she's already back here in Dansville this early morning." My face flushed with embarrassment. Now, she would know something happened between me and Sweet.
"Oh, she did?" I couldn't read her expression. She appeared either confused or mad. "Did you two argue?"
Before I could even say anything, I saw Mr. Treble coming down the stairs, looking all mad. Obviously, I messed up his sleep with the loud doorbell.
"Well, something upsets her, and... and I'm here to clear things up." I have to admit, I was super nervous. Despite it being a cold early morning, my brows and hands were sweating.
"What on earth, Stavrakos? It's only 5 in the morning. Can't you wait a little longer, like two hours?" Mr. Treble said, sounding annoyed. He was looking at me with eyes that could kill.
"My apologies for the disturbance, sir. This is, like, super urgent. Can I... can I see Sweet?"
He scratched his head and said to his wife, "Call Sweet."
Mrs. Treble went up the stairs and left me alone with her husband.
I clenched my fist to keep it from shaking. I wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or fear of Sweet's father.
"Come on in," he said, and as soon as I entered, he slammed the door shut.
Oh God, help me. How can I get him to like me?
Mr. Treble left me all by myself in the living room. I stayed on my feet because I was too restless to sit. All I wanted was to see Sweet and tell her my side of the story.
I heard Mrs. Treble shouting from up the stairs.
"Sweet! Are you there? Will you open the door?"
The door creaked open, and I could hear Sweet and her mom talking. But they were all mumbling. I couldn't make out what they were saying.
The door slammed shut and Mrs. Treble walked down the stairs with heavy steps. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw me in the living room.
"Well, she's not ready to talk to you. She's probably really mad at you, because she didn't mind spending the night on a bus."
"What?" Mr. Treble emerged from the kitchen, looking like he was ready to attack me. I was hoping he wouldn't toss the cup of coffee he was holding at my face. "What the hell did you do to make her so mad, huh?"
"There was a...a little misunderstanding, sir."
"Little? My daughter won't react like that if it's just a pity thing."
I let out a big sigh and nervously ran my fingers through my hair. "Sir, please. I seriously need to talk to her."
"She already said no," Mr. Treble said with an edge.
"She's tired. She needs to get some rest." Mrs. Treble reassured me, "looks like you too need sleep. Just come back, okay? It's better to talk when you're both thinking clearly."
I gave a nod. Obviously, she was right. It was humiliating to force myself to see Sweet.
"I'll come back later, ma'am." I gave a little bow to Mrs. Treble and did the same to her husband.
***
Feeling exhausted, I returned to my penthouse immediately and attempted to get some much-needed rest.
7am...8am...
Dammit.
Restless and unable to find a comfortable position, I tossed and turned on the bed, hoping eventually to find the perfect way to sleep. But nope, couldn't do it. I kept on thinking about Sweet. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever be willing to talk to me again. I'd never been so worried about my life. The feeling I had was like being on the edge, barely holding on to a thin thread.
I got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of milk. Apparently, it promotes sleep. But when I crawled back into bed, I still felt so fidgety. I just stared at the ceiling for the next three hours.
I couldn't take it anymore, so I showered at eleven. I headed home to my parents' massive place to join our mandatory Sunday family lunch.
When I got there, Mom was in the living room unwrapping presents.
"Hi Mom. Where's everyone?"
"None of your grandparents are here yet. Your dad's in his study on an important call, and Luna's gone to her dorm to grab her stuff. She's staying over tonight."
"That's good to hear. She doesn't have to stay in a dorm, 'cause we live in the city."
"I mentioned it to her, but she was really adamant about being independent. Anyway, I told her to invite her roommate. I've been really wanting to meet her."
"Oh, you mean the mysterious roommate?" I clicked my tongue, "she never talked about her or even tell us her name."
"It made me wonder if they really get along." Mom's lips twisted, then she diverted her attention back to her gifts. "Oh, by the way. I really love your gift. I appreciate you getting me the newest Birkin bag."
"You're welcome. I know you're dying to get one." I settled on the couch across from her.
"Look what Sweet gave me."
I jolted when she mentioned Sweet's name. My chest felt super heavy, like I was carrying tons of steel. I wanted to ease up, and Sweet was the only one who could make that happen.
My mom showed me this beautiful black mug with a quote in gold ink. Life is tough, but so are you.
"Very nice." I said, reaching for the mug and holding it.
"I'm really into the quote. It's really inspiring, you know. By the way, did you talk to Sweet last night?"
I placed the mug on the center table and let out a big sigh. "Nope."
"Oh," my mom said, looking at me with a disheartened expression on her face. "What happened?"
I told her again about what Tucker did, and she was really let down. We trusted him, not just because he was a family friend. His dad was one of the trusted directors at our company.
"Don't worry. Have faith that everything is going to be alright. Give her the space and time she needs." Mom assured me.
"What if it takes too long? Or what if she turns to someone else?" The thought of Sweet and Hamilton together still lingered in my mind.
"Hey, you're overthinking." She patted my arm. "When a woman gets hurt, she prefers to be alone to heal. Just make sure she knows you're available to talk whenever she feels like it."
"What if she decides she wants nothing to do with me anymore?"
"I don't think that will happen. Sweet is a smart, kind and reasonable woman. I'm sure she'll listen to your explanation."
"Thanks, Mom." It made me feel better talking to her about Sweet.
"Before you talk to her, take some rest. Your eyes are bloodshot red, and I presumed from not sleeping last night. It's best to talk when you have a clear mind."
"Yeah, I'll take a nap later."
Luna, who arrived carrying a big bag, interrupted our conversation.
"Are you finally leaving the dorm?" I asked her.
"Nope. I brought my books with me. I won't be sleeping in the dorm for a week."
Her answer surprised both Mom and me.
"What's the matter?" Mom asked, with that suspicious look on her face.
"Everything's all good. I just wanna hang out with my family more."
"Oh, that's so sweet of you, Luna. I really miss having you around the house."
"Something's definitely off," I told her, and she just rolled her eyes.
"By the way, where's your roommate? I told you to invite her for lunch," Mom asked.
Luna's eyebrows knitted together. "I'm definitely not inviting my roommate here."
"Looks like you two don't get along, huh? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just don't...click with that person. Alright, I said it."
"If that's the case, Luna, you should start looking for a new roommate," Mom said, looking worried. "Studying is no fun if you're stuck with someone you don't like."
"Tell us about her?" I asked.
"You can start by giving us her name." Mom insisted, and Luna shook her head.
"Did she do something to make you not like her? Tell us Luna, so we can help you." I offered.
"Can we not talk about my roommate? It'll totally ruin my day. That person is an obnoxious, arrogant monster. Okay? If you don't mind, I need to go to my room." She said, then climbed the stairs.
Surprised, Mom glanced my way.
"We need to know who her roommate is." Mom said calmly.
"You're right." I totally agreed with her. Then I remembered something. Luna said the exact same thing about Colton. An obnoxious, arrogant monster.
I clicked my tongue. That's what she gets for reading all those werewolf, vampire, and monster stories. She sees those she didn't like as monsters.