(Edited very lightly, so you will find mistakes but please ignore them.)
Chapter 23
The grumbling in my stomach was a reminder of my missed dinner from the night before, and my lack of breakfast from this morning. If it wasn't for my stomach's loud complaining I would have remained in bed well past noon, but as I heard and felt the tremble of the continued noises I knew I had to get up. Grunting bitterly, I got out of bed and padded towards my bathroom. The tears from last night encrusted themselves around my eyes, and the motion of crying contributed to the swelling and redness of my face. Real attractive Ana. I thought to myself as I turned on the tap and ran my toothbrush underneath the warm water. I pushed the on button on my brush and tried to let the vibrating noise drown out my thoughts. The tooth brush stopped for a brief second indicating for me to move to the back of my teeth.
Once my toothbrush turned off by itself I hopped in the shower to rinse off my face from the remains of last night's emotions. I sighed as the warm water ran over my shoulders, and past my covered knee. It seemed like ever since I moved into Seb's apartment my water usage had significantly increased. I ended up taking a shower at least twice a day on most days, which was ridiculous considering that I never really did anything to get too dirty in the first place, well except for last night.
Oh god. Last night! I was sure that Seb was going to want to talk about what happened yesterday. I was surprised that he hadn't pushed for all the information last night. What was I going to say to him, when I myself, wasn't sure about what had happened? Yes, I saw footprints, but was I sure that they were fresh? They could have been there all night. They could have belonged to Colby, or one of the men that Seb hired for security. Maybe I had just imagined hearing the noise of the pebble drop; after all I hadn't really seen anyone. What if it was all just a part of my paranoia? After the past few weeks, would anyone really be surprised to hear that I had an over active imagination?
Letting out a puff of air, I stepped out of the shower and dried myself up. My knee wasn't as sore as it had been last night, so I was able to walk without the slight limp. Before my shower I had removed the gauze and plastered on a brown waterproof Band-Aid on my knee. Begrudgingly I got dressed in a maxi skirt and vest top before walking into the living room, praying that Seb and Julie were gone.
"Ana, we've been waiting for you." A dreadfully cheery voice called out making me cringe. I was not in the mood for anyone's peppiness today, even Julie's.
"Oh?" I asked, trying my best to be polite. There was no reason for me to take my foul mood out on Julie.
"Yes, Seb's taking us out to lunch." Julie announced getting off the couch in a pair of navy blue shorts, and a cropped shirt. Didn't she own any jeans or dresses? I shook my head, what Julie wore was really none of my business. "He said I could choose where to go, so I picked Thai food. Is that okay with you?"
I loved Thai food, but the idea of spending lunch with Julie and Seb was not very appealing. "I'm actually not feeling well. I think I might just order in something." I told her and went over to the cabinet where Seb kept all his menus.
"What's wrong?" Seb's deep voice sounded and I reluctantly looked up to see him walking down the hallway.
I shrugged my shoulder at him, and returned my gaze to the menus, looking at them with more interest than I actually had.
I could hear Seb's footsteps as he moved, but I didn't look at him. I was scowling intently down at a Chinese menu when I felt a hand on my forehead. Overcome with shock I took a startled step back and looked at Seb in confusion.
"You don't have a fever." Seb's eyes were focused on mine, and he was standing too close for comfort. I purposefully took two large steps back and tried to raise an eyebrow at him, even knowing that I probably looked silly, because I couldn't actually raise a single brow by itself.
"I just have a headache." It wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. My head felt heavy, but that was mostly due to the crazy thoughts flying through it. "You guys should go to lunch; I'll just order something in." I said again, directing it at Seb this time.
Seb's eyes narrowed in on me, and I felt my body tremble with fear that he could see through my lie. "If you aren't feeling well, I wouldn't want to leave you by yourself. We can all order in." He stated and I almost groaned out loud.
If the thought of eating lunch with Julie and Seb was unappealing, then the thought of eating lunch with them with no one else around was simply unappetizing. "It's just a headache for Pete's sake." I looked at Seb curiously. "If you think I'm going to sneak out when you are away, you can relax. I don't plan on going anywhere today."
Before Seb could say anything Julie spoke up. "We can just order in Ana, we can order you some tea if you would like? That always helps me with my headaches." Julie told me, and I quickly shook my head feeling guilty.
"No, I'll be fine. Thai food sounds lovely." I told Julie and turned to Seb expectedly. "When are we leaving?" I asked softly.
Seb raised a curious brow at me. "What about your headache?" He asked knowingly and I had to try very hard not to frown.
"It's pretty mild; I didn't have dinner last night, or breakfast this morning, so it could just be from hunger." I lied through my teeth. I knew people got headaches when they didn't eat for a while, but I was not one of those people. I don't recall ever getting a headache because I was hungry.
Seb's eyes remained on me and I began to get uncomfortable under his gaze so I turned to Julie. "What Thai restaurant did you choose?" I asked her, before putting the menus back in the cabinet.
"E-San Thai. I read good reviews about it." Julie informed as she pulled her hair over her shoulder. That movement caused her cropped shirt to inch even higher on her bare stomach and I felt a frown play on my lips. I was surprised that Seb hadn't slept with her yet. With her body, I would bet that any straight man would want to sleep with her, especially when she dressed liked that.
"That sounds good." I told Julie and then pointed towards my room. "I'm going to go grab my purse."
In my room I slowly transferred my wallet, lip balm and other essentials from a large tote into a small over the shoulder purse. I threw the small black purse over my shoulder and turned towards my door just as Seb walked. His black tee-shirt made his eyes look even darker than they were.
"How's your knee?" He asked walking into the room.
I shrugged my shoulder and bit the inside of my cheek. "It's fine." I told him and then looked at him curiously. "Isn't Julie waiting?" I asked noting that he was blocking my path out of the room.
"She got a phone call." Seb told me and then moved to lean against a sturdy table. "You said you were going to tell me more about your fall." Seb reminded me, as if I would have forgotten about it.
I cleared down a lump in my throat and fidgeted with my purse strap. "We'll talk about it after lunch. I'm sure Julie is about done with her phone call." I told him and without waiting for a response I started out my door, but before I could actually get out of the room Seb's hand reached out and grasped my arm.
"Why did you lie about the headache?" He asked without hesitation.
I gasped at his question and tugged my arm free. "I didn't lie!" I exclaimed, with embarrassment and anger at myself for being so easy to read.
"Didn't you?" Seb asked, but it was clear that he didn't believe me.
"I thought I was grounded. You pretty much told me that I could only go to school for the foreseeable future." I reminded him. Wasn't he the one that wanted to keep me locked up in this apartment?
Seb slipped off the table and stepped towards me, but I anticipated his movement and took a step back at the same time. "Going to lunch with Julie and me, could hardly count as breaking your grounding."
I scowled at him. "You're right, that's an even worse punishment than having to sit in the apartment by myself." I spat out, before I could stop myself.
Seb looked confused for a second before narrowing his dark eyes. "Explain that statement to me." He ordered in an even tone.
I shook my head. "It's nothing." I told him, and turned towards the living room. "I'm sure Julie is done with her phone call."
I should have known that Seb wouldn't let that comment go. His long legs allowed him to reach me in two simple steps and he stood there facing me. "That's the second lie that's left your mouth today, if I were you I wouldn't try for a third. Now, what did you mean?" Seb questioned harshly.
I groaned in frustration met his eyes. "Spending time with you and Julie is pretty much like spending time by myself. You two talk to each other as though as I don't exist, which would be fine if I wasn't actually present. I don't usually crave for attention, but the idea of spending my whole lunch listening to you two talk about things that make absolutely no sense to me isn't attractive." I declared with annoyance.
Seb's eyes widened at my declaration and I knew he was processing what I had just said. "You feel left out of the conversation?" He asked me as if I was a small child seeking consideration.
I let out a puff of air and scowled at his face. "No, I don't feel left out of the conversation because I don't actually want to be a part of it!" I exclaimed growing more and more annoyed by the second. "Look, forget I said anything okay? I'll go to lunch with you two, and pretend like I am perfectly content with being treated like the third wheel." I let the words fly out of my mouth and without waiting for a response I walked all the way into the living room and met up with Julie.
"Are you guys ready to go? I'm starving." Julie stated with a bright smile.
I smiled back at her and nodded. "Yes, sorry I couldn't find my purse." There goes the third lie. I almost expected Seb to say something, especially after the three strikes and you're out kind of statement he made, but he remained quiet and I simply walked towards the elevator and pushed the button.
Seb drove us to the restaurant in his silver SUV. Julie sat in the front and fiddled with the music throughout the ride, which I was actually thankful for, because that allowed me to focus on the music, and not concentrate on how Julie touched Seb's arm when she talked to him, or how she was pretty much turned sideways in her seat so she could watch him, while he drove.
Seb parked the car in a cover parking lot and I quickly hopped out of the car, and started towards the restaurant without waiting for either of them. When I got to the entrance a tall skinny man smiled down at me and asked if I had a reservation. I pouted at him, and turned to wait for Seb and Julie to get there, because I didn't know if they reserved a table.
Turned out Julie had called in and reserved a table for us, so the host led us into the dining area and pointed us to our table. We were placed at a rectangular booth, so I slipped into one side and expected Julie and Seb to sit in the other, but to my surprise Seb sank in next to me, causing me to move farther down into the booth. E-San Thai was not very high end; it was a family owned restaurant that was praised for its fresh and authentic dishes.
"This place smells so good." Julie commented and made a show of taking in a deep breath.
I laughed at her, and nodded my head. I agreed with her, the place was heavy with the smell of ethnic spices and mouth instantly watered the second I walked in. A pretty waitress brought us a few menus and took our order for drinks in an accented voice.
I looked down at my menu, trying to ignore the heat of Seb's thigh as it rested against mine, and the brief touches of his arm and shoulder every time he moved beside me. Initially I tried to move farther into the booth, but I quickly realized that I was as far in as I could go.
The waitress returned a few minutes later to take our orders. Once I placed my order I fished out my phone from my purse and scrolled through my messages. I knew that Chance was mad at me for going to the house without telling him, and he didn't try to hide his anger in his messages. I flipped from Chance's messages and replied to a few messages from my other friends. I had just finished typing up a long text to Eve when I heard my voice, and felt Seb nudge me. I immediately looked up and smiled brightly. If I was seated at the end of the table, I would have gotten up to give Sophia a hug.
"Hi Ana." Sophia's warm voice greeted. "I saw you come in, but I wasn't sure if it was you."
"Hi! How are you?" I asked her. She was dressed in a beautiful peach skirt suit, with her hair intricately wrapped into a bun. Once again she reminded me of a modern day queen.
"I'm doing well my dear." She told me and then continued on. "I was hoping you would stop by the house again." She said reaching for her small beaded purse, and pulled it open before reaching for something inside. "Our maid found this in Chance's bed." Sophia held out a diamond studded earring that I hadn't even noticed missing. "I know you're the only girl who's shared his bed recently so I knew it must be yours."
Saying that I blushed would be an understatement. Multiple things happened at the same time; Seb's body stiffened beside me, I reached to grab my earring from Sophia's palm with a mumbled thanks and the waitress brought our food over.
"Oh it seems like your food is ready. I will let you get back to your lunch." Sophia said and smiled again. "Come by and visit me again soon." She told me and then walked away with her friend who was dressed just as nicely as her.
I quickly threw the earring into my purse and thanked the waitress as she placed my food in front of me. I picked up my fork and brought the warm rice to my mouth.
"This is so good!" Julie moaned as she finished of her bite of food. Once again I nodded in agreement. We all ate our food quietly enjoying the spicy and sweet flavor of it. I was just a few more bites from finishing off my meal when Julie looked up at me.
"So are you and Chance together?" Julie questioned curiously and I almost dropped my fork. I was hoping to avoid all Chance related questions, but I show have known that was impossible.
I didn't dare to look at Seb because I already knew what his expression would be. "No, Chance is just a friend." I told Julie quickly.
Julie looked thoughtful. "So friends with benefits huh? I've had a few of those." She announced with a slight blush, as she darted her eyes to Seb. I started to shake my head in reply but Seb spoke up before I could.
"I remember there being quite a bit more than just a few." Seb's deep voice sounded beside me. "Brogan used to complain about it all the time." I could hear the amusement in in voice.
Seb was teasing her! Instead of calling her names he was actually teasing her about her relationships!
"Hey, a girl has needs too." Julie told him defensively, with her blush darkening a little more, and I wanted to crawl under the table.
Seb put his fork down and crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm just impressed that you still manage to keep your grades up so high."
Julie threw her head back and laughed. "You're one to talk. Mr. Valedictorian."
Seb shrugged his shoulder, I could tell because I felt his upper arm move up and down beside me. "What can I say? Girls like smart guys, and that was a great motivator to study hard."
Julie laughed even louder. "Trust me you don't actually need that brain of yours to get a girl, if it's not your handsome face, then the hot body it comes with would do the trick." Julie announced in a flirty voice and I couldn't help but pray for some kind of natural disaster to occur so I could be taken far, far away.
Seb straightened up in his seat, and more of his body ended up resting against mine, and I made myself sit straighter so that I could distance myself from him, at least somewhat. "Handsome face and a hot body? You do great things to my ego." He told Julie with a chuckle.
"Oh please, like you needed an ego boost. I am sure women tell you how attractive you are all the time." Julie teased Seb and that was all I could handle.
"Excuse me. I need to go to the restroom." I announced turning towards Seb. I placed my napkin on my finished plate and waited for Seb to get up, so I could get out.
I didn't look at Seb's face; instead I focused on the almost empty plate in front of him as he slowly got up to his feet. I shuffled out of my seat and shot straight towards the restroom sign. I thought their business talk was would be punishing, but what was going on with Seb and Julie right now was even worse. They were flirting with each other as if they were on a date. In a sense maybe they were. Suddenly I felt like that pesky younger sibling that needed to be taken everywhere by the older one because their parents made them. That was exactly how it seemed, Seb needed to keep a watchful eye on me because my father requested him to. He didn't really want to spend his lunch time with me, that much was obvious. I walked to the sink and washed my hands slowly. I had half a mind to just sneak out of the side door, but I knew that would be the dumbest thing I could ever do.
I wiped my hands dry as slowly as I possibly could and all but dragged my feet as I walked out of the restroom. I didn't want to go back to the table, but what choice did I have?
As I approached the table both Julie and Seb turned towards me and I forced a smile on my face.
"Do you want any dessert?" Julie asked as I got closer and I shook my head waiting for Seb to get up.
"Well then I think we're done eating. I have a meeting to get to, so we should leave." Julie announced sliding out of her seat, and I almost released a sigh of relief. I didn't know how I was going to sit back in that booth and listen to Seb and Julie flirt with each other.
I trailed behind them as we walked back to the car. Seb drove Julie to an office building and dropped her off there. I watched as she walked into the building.
"Come sit up here." Seb ordered me, as he turned back to look at me.
I bit my lip at his command and hesitantly got out of the back and walked to the front passenger seat.
Seb drove silently for a few minutes, before turning to me. "Why was your ear ring in Chance's bed?" He asked catching me completely off guard. I thought he would want to talk about last night, not Chance!
"Why do you think Seb? I slept in his bed and it must have fallen out in my sleep." I told him with annoyance. It didn't seem fair for him to ask me something like that, especially after he spent all of lunch flirting with Julie.
In an instant Seb pulled the car swiftly into an empty parking lot, and turned it off before turning to me.
"And is that all you did? Sleep?" His dark eyes were looking at me with a powerful intensity that I didn't understand.
I sighed loudly and shifted my body towards him. "I honestly can't see how what I did or didn't do with Chance is any of your business." I held up a hand as Seb began to say something. "I know that you promised my dad that you would look after me, but I don't think he expects you to get involved with my sex life. If my dad was here I doubt he would care about my relationships with other men so I don't understand why you do." I finished the sentence with a heavy emphasis on the last few words.
Seb's eyes widened at my announcement, before flashing dangerously. "You think your dad doesn't care about your relationships? Why the hell do you think I stopped writing or calling you all those years ago?" Seb's voice was filled with anger but I couldn't even think about that as I tried to process what he had just said.
You think your dad doesn't care about your relationships? Why the hell do you think I stopped writing or calling you all those years ago?
What did that mean? Did my dad ask Seb to distance himself from me? It didn't make any sense, why would my dad do that?
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Sorry! I know it's kind of a cliff hanger, but if I wrote anymore it would end up being way too long.
I wanted to personally thank each and every one of you for allowing my story to get over 1 million views! The only place I advertise my stories, is in my other stories. So I sincerely have each of you to thank for spreading the word about Before the Darkest Storm, and constantly getting it up on the charts. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Quick note: For everyone that's been messages and commenting me about doing a Seb's point of view, I am sorry but I am still not going to do that. Maybe once the story is done I will add a bonus chapter with his POV.
As always thank you for reading! Please be sure to VOTE.
I don't think I have to remind you to COMMENT, because with that ending I feel like I'm going to get a lot of angry ones. Ha-ha.
Have a great day guys!