Chapter 2
I stood there still feeling the shock of seeing Seb after all these years. The last time I talked to him was about three years ago. Just a few months after my last phone call to him we somehow lost touch with email too.
I got daily updates about Seb's life from Carrie. I made sure to talk to her at least three times a week. She was the only one who seemed to enjoy spending time chatting with me. I remembered my phone calls with Seb. At first they were fun, we would joke around and he would tease me but one after another each one got more forced and awkward. Initially I had still ask for him, once in a while but I was always told that he was busy. So eventually I just stopped asking.
Our emails were pretty much the same. They started out with novel sized messages that soon got turned to forced replies. In the end, our conversations were not even a whole sentence long.
I still remember the last email I sent him. I had asked him about how he liked his new classes at college. I was expecting a short reply but what he sent was a three word answer. They are fine. He wrote back. At that point I knew whatever relationship I had with Seb before was no longer there.
He had, over short period of time, turned back into the un-answering, uncaring guy that turned up at my house all those years ago.
Carrie informed me that he had graduated at the top of his class with honors from the Ivy League school he went to. Now he was working alongside my dad, just as a son would have when they were ready to join the family business.
I had no problem with that. In fact I was grateful that my dad was finally able to get a son that he never had. I had no interest in the family business and without Seb I would have felt forced to follow in my father's footsteps.
A few months ago I was at the mall shopping on one the days we were allowed out and came across a magazine. It was one of those tabloid magazines. I am not the type of person to be interested in something like that but this particular magazine caught my eye. On the front cover was a picture of a willowy blonde in a barely there dress being escorted out of a car by none other than Seb.
It was then that I realized how attractive Seb had become. When I had last seen him he was tall for his age, but now he was just tall. His body had strained itself out in the gym so much that it resulted in well-defined muscles and a chiseled features.
The picture of him intrigued me. So I gave in and purchased the magazine in secret. Once I was safely in the privacy of my bedroom. I flipped the pages open and found more pictures of him. In one of them he was kissing the same willowy blond that was pictured on the cover with him. In another he had his arms wrapped around a striking red head, and in another he was eating dinner with yet another willowy blond that was definitely different from the one that was featured on the cover.
The captions mentioned names that had no meaning to me. What stuck out to me was the article about him.
Playboy billionaire: Just a few years ago he was a nobody, but now thanks to the gracious help of a well-known billionaire by the name of Trevino he had managed to turn his rags into million dollar suits. This is not to say Sebastian is a charity case, -no- this young man has to be one of the most, if not the most brilliant minds in the world today. He had turned Trevino's already prosperous business from a pot of gold to a tub of diamonds. He made major changes to the hotels to bring in younger clientele along with keeping the older clients happy. Sebastian is also known to be a wizard with the wines. Trevino himself commented "When Sebastian creates a blend; I don't even taste it before putting it on the market because I know it will bring in profits."
All this success at just the age of twenty one is not something that is easily accomplished. Sebastian works hard but he clearly plays harder, if these pictures are any indication of his love life. His latest arm candy buzzed about his spectacular manners outside the bedroom, and skilled treatment inside...
That was as far as I read before I was overwhelmed with a sense of nausea.
"You better get dressed." Chance's voice came, snapping me out of my thoughts. "He looks like a black Jaguar that hasn't been fed in a week. If I were you I would hurry and see what he wants."
I merely nodded at him and went to my messy closet. I found a pair of jeans in a drawer and a green chiffon top on my hanger.
"I think I better go. Are you going to be okay?" Chance asked me and I could see the concern in his eyes.
I nodded my head at him. "Yes, I'll be fine. I'm going to take a quick shower to wash off the chlorine and then see what he wants." I said reaching into my under garment drawer and blindly pulling out a pair of panties and a bra.
"Okay babe. Call me if you need me, okay?" Chance came over to where I was standing and put his hands on my shoulders.
"Okay." I told him and felt his lips against my forehead.
Once he was gone I stared at the closed door for a few seconds as anxiety and fear started to set in. Why the hell was Seb here? Did something happen to Dad? To Carrie? Oh my god what if something bad happened at home? I hurried into the bathroom and took one of the quickest showers of my life.
If the circumstances were different I might have actually taken the time to blow dry my hair into a perfect style and put on some make up. However, my nerves were all jumbled and I was too anxious to see what in the world could have possibly made Seb come here. So I just ran a towel through my hair trying to get rid of some of the water that was dripped down and just put on some lotion before getting dressed.
I used my towel to wipe up the condensation on the mirror so I could see the state of my crazy hair. Surprisingly for once it wasn't too wild, as it usually was when I hopped out of the shower. I ran a wide toothed comb through the ends of my hair quickly and tossed the comb aside.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror and let myself frown. This wasn't how I wanted Seb to see me after all these years, but then again I never would have imagined him coming to my school and walking in on me straddling my best friend.
Realizing that I was wasting time, I put on some chap stick and headed back into my bedroom. I found a pair of flip flops by my bed and slid into them.
I grasped the door knob opening into the main lounge and took in a deep breath. Here goes nothing. I thought to myself as I pulling the door open towards me.
I expected to find Seb pacing impatiently right outside my door but he wasn't there. Instead I found him leaning against the window sill staring out into the distance.
His suit was laid neatly on the couch and the first two buttons of his grey shirt were undone. His tie hung loosely around his neck. His hair looked very messy, as if he spent hours running his fingers through it.
I was awestricken at how handsome he looked even in the state he was in. I stood there staring at his tight face and light stubble. Emotions rushed through me as I remembered the hard dark boy that had come to live with us. I remembered how he eventually opened up to me. How he was there with a Band-Aid when I scrapped my elbow, or how he used to sneak into my room when I was sick so I wouldn't be alone at night.
That boy was clearly gone. In his place stood an unbreakable man with cold eyes.
As if finally realizing that he wasn't alone. He slowly turned towards me. His eyes that were as cold as ever, ran over me.
"Did your boyfriend leave?" He asked, his voice was deep and fuming.
"He isn't my boyfriend." I told him as calmly as I could given the fact that my heart was beating three times faster than normal.
"So you're in the habit of having sex with random strangers?" He was towering over me. I saw the disgust and infuriating look in his eyes and felt my own anger boiling out. How dare he make assumptions about me? He had no right.
"Why are you here Sebastian?" I asked feeling annoyed at him for making me feel so small and at myself for letting him have that effect on me.
He remained quiet for a second, staring straight into my eyes. I saw it as a challenge and stared right back. Even though his presence was intimidating I refuse to let him know that.
I thought I saw his lips twitch a little but I could be wrong. "You need to pack up. You father wants you home."
That's it. That was all he said before he turned and walked out of the dorm I was sharing with Eve and Brook.
I walked swiftly after him and caught him just as he was about to step into the elevator. I grabbed his arm and dragged him back before he could make it into the elevator.
"What do you mean my dad wants me home? School doesn't start for another two weeks. Why do I need to come home already?" I asked. The elevator doors closed behind him and Seb let out a frustrated sigh.
"He's leaving on a business trip and wants to see you before he takes off. Now go pack I have a meeting to go to when we get back." Seb ordered with an irate tone.
I didn't try to hide my confusion as I shook my head and gave him a questioning look. "If he wanted to see me why didn't he come himself? Why are you here instead?"
Seb shrugged his shoulder. "He couldn't make it. He had an urgent proposal that he needed to sign." I saw his jaw muscles clench as he talked. He was clearly annoyed with me but I wasn't going to back down and just do what he wanted.
"So he decided to send you? Out of all the people that could come get me, it had to be you?" I question him incredulously.
Seb looked tired, I noticed. There were faint spots under his eyes and his eyes looked a little strained. He took a step towards me, making me take a step back.
"Why not? I came to drop you off so why shouldn't I pick you up?" He asked simply.
A mocking smile took its place upon his lips. I felt my heart flutter as his eyes landed upon mine. I swallowed down the lump that managed to find its way into my throat.
"You know why." I answered back in a whisper. Back then Seb actually liked talking to me; he liked spending time with me. Back then Seb actually cared about me and promised me that he would e-mail me often.
He crooked up an eyebrow. "Do I?" He asked not talking his eyes off of me.
I couldn't take it anymore. I was not going to let his attitude threaten me. "Yes you do. Now if you will excuse me I have things to do. You can inform my dad that I will be returning home next week as I planned." I said, finding the confidence I didn't know I was capable of having in front of him.
With that, I turned and left him standing there as I made my way back into my dorm. I was able to take three steps into my room before I was yanked out of it and pressed up against the coffee table.
If I thought he looked angry before, he looked murderous now. His eyes flashed, as he stared down at me. I was scared of this side of him. He had never hurt me before, and knew he probably wouldn't hurt me now. However, I also knew that he had changed a lot over the past few years. He was once my best friend and now I barely even knew him.
Finally seeing the fear in my eyes he distanced himself from me, but not by a lot.
"I will not be talked to that way. You're going to be leaving with me tonight and that's final. If you refuse I will carry you to the plane myself, and you know that's not an empty threat." He spoke smoothly but no one would mistake his voice for being calm. "What happened to the sweet little innocent girl we left here four years ago?" He asked searching my face. I could feel myself heat up at his question.
How dare he question me that, when he himself had changed so much?
"I finally grew up." I managed to spit out, before going back into my room and slamming the door shut.
I knew I had to pack up. If I didn't Seb would get someone else to do it for me. I sent a text to Eve and Brook even though I knew Chance would have already talked to them.
'Can you girls come back to the dorm? Seb's here and he's making me go back home tonight. I could use some help packing.'
Two seconds later my phone vibrated.
'Chance told us. We thought you might want some alone time with him but we are on the way now. Chance wants to come too...do you think he will be able to make it out alive?'
That message was sent from Eve.
'I don't know... Seb thought I was having sex with him so probably not. Tell him I will visit him before I leave."
I texted back and started to dump my clothes into a suitcase.
'What? You will have to explain that. OMG Chance just convinced his parents to finally let him go to the same school as us!!!!!!! Brook and I are on our way!'
I looked down at the text and let out a squeal of excitement. I knew Chance wanted to go to the same school as us but his parents were dead set on making him go elsewhere. They wanted him to go to the same sister school as his brothers, but he somehow must have finally convinced them to let him go to school with us.
I was still smiling when by door burst open for the second time that day. "What are you smiling about?" The deep voice asked making me look up. Seb had his suit draped across his arm and he was standing in my door way.
"Have you ever heard of knocking? This is the second time today you have come in here without an invitation." I told him with a scowl.
He made his way over and sat on my bed as if it was his own. "I remember when you used to actually like me coming into your room. If I recall correctly you used to actually beg me to sneak into your room when you were sick. What changed?"
I let out a huff of air and threw the article of clothing I was holding into the suit case and cross my arms across my chest. "A lot changed since then and you know it. I am older now and need my privacy."
"So you can have sex with strangers?" He put in arrogantly.
"No!" I took in a breath, feeling myself losing control. "For one, Chance is my best friend and two we weren't having sex."
"You weren't having sex because I walked in when I did. If that is what you do with your male friends then maybe going home early is the best thing for you. I'm sure your dad wouldn't want to hear about how his sweet little princess was found in a compromising position." Seb's voice was filled with disgust.
"Oh for the love of all that's mighty, Chance is-" I stopped myself before I said anything else. I had almost given away Chance's secret. I had promised him that I would never tell a soul and I had just come close to blurting it out to the one man that could do the most damage to his reputation.
Seb stood up and crooked up his brow. "Chance is...?" Seb asked, egging me to continue.
Oh no! What was I supposed to say? "Chance is my best friend. If I am having sex with him, or any other guy for that matter it's because I love him and trust him." I replied and turned my back to him.
In an instance Seb was behind me taking a firm hold of my upper arm and turning me around. "Your dad didn't send you here to become a whore. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated at home. You better remembered that."
I felt my jaw drop open. How dare he call me a whore? That was rich, especially coming from him. He slept with more girls in a week than most men do in a life time. He had absolutely no right to tell me what to do or lecture me about my life. I was a virgin for god's sake!
I opened my mouth to tell him off when two female voices called out my name. Seb immediately let me go and turned to face Eve and Brook. Then to my utter shock, and surprise he plastered on a charismatic smile.
"Brook, Eve. It's so great to see you. How are you doing?" He asked walking over to them with his arms extended.
If I thought I was shocked before, what he did next knocked the breath out of me. Seb actually gave both my best friends a hug and a kiss on each cheek.