Rae
"What is it?"
The way his eyes shone with unshed tears told me there was something that was bothering him and it had been eating at him that he was a having a hard time telling me. We only had a few days before he leaves and I don't want him keeping things from me, especially with the knowledge of what happened the last time he tried it.
"Baby, tell me, please," I say pleadingly. I couldn't stand seeing him torn up about something and not being able to help him or at least offer words to ease his worry.
Sebastian opens his mouth to finally say something but he instead closes the gap between us again for a deep kiss that had my toes curling in pleasure, leaving us both breathless when I decided to pull away. As dizzying as his kisses might be, I just wouldn't be able to let this go, whatever it was eating away at him.
"Talk," I say commandingly. "We're not doing anything further if you don't tell me what's bothering you."
"Fuck," he mutters softly under his breath. "I'm scared, Rae."
I scrunch my forehead at this. "Scared of what?"
"Baby, six months is a long time to be away, and this isn't the only time I'll be gone for filming or other projects. What if you decide that being a girlfriend of a working actor isn't for you? What if you get tired of...me?"
I scoff and slap him on the shoulder, earning me a raised eyebrow.
"Ouch?" he says while he rubbed his shoulder. I saw my hand left a mark but I didn't care. He could handle it.
"God! You're such a dumbass! I mean, your mouth is talented and all, but jeez, sometimes you let it think for you instead of your brain. That is the stupidest, most preposterous thing I've ever heard."
He didn't say anything in response and tried to avoid my gaze instead.
"Eyes on me, mister."
I honestly didn't know whether to feel disappointed, offended or saddened by the fact that Sebastian had even thought of me leaving him eventually because of his career. I let out a deep breath; these last few days have been proving to be emotionally exhausting. If it was going to be this way every instance he has to be gone for a long time, we definitely need to figure some things out. We seriously shouldn't be having to deal with these every time.
Feeling like the room was suffocating me, I sit up and cover myself up with the sheets and bury my face into my knees. Sebastian was up and sitting beside me right away, stroking my back and kissing my shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he mumbles quietly, sounding like a kid. "I didn't mean to upset you."
I lift my head up and look at his direction. "Yes, yes, upset is the word. I mean, why would you even think that?!" I tried to keep my voice steady.
"I don't know, okay?" he says exasperatedly, dropping his forehead on my bare shoulder. His hair tickles me, but I honestly couldn't give a shit about it at the moment. "It's just...you're building your life here what with the magazine taking off successfully and stuff, you know? I couldn't just, like, ask you to fly out to come visit me in some country where I'm at and expect you to just drop work and agree."
Okay, that is ridiculous. Where the hell is he picking up these silly ideas anyway? Nope, I didn't want to answer that.
"But that's what your assistant and my assistant are for! There's a thing called scheduling, Sebastian and making them work."
"But your job—"
"...is to cover entertainment events and that means anything under music, television, print and," I trail off then pretend to gasp. "Movies! Have you forgotten the VERY reason why I'm here?"
He looks at me like I've grown Loki's horns on my head. I peck him on the lips and take his hands in mine.
"Sebastian, I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I'm not going anywhere. You're the reason why I'm here. Isn't that reassuring enough for you? Why are you letting your head go to places it shouldn't go to?"
"Listen," I continue. "I'm just as scared and sad as you are with you leaving. But we can't do this every time you go on location for a project. To be honest, this back and forth is getting a little exhausting."
"I'm sorry," he says in a small voice. "I guess I've been a little selfish huh?" His steady arms snake around my huddled frame as he rests his chin on my crown. I sigh at this and press the side of my head on his bare chest.
"A little, yeah," I mumble. "But it's not like I don't have a fault too. We're gonna both have to do better than this, baby."
I woke up the following morning the same time I usually do, but was surprised to find the other side of the bed empty of a certain caramel headed male I call my boyfriend. In place of him was a sticky note with his messy scrawl.
Went for a run with Chris. Be back with breakfast. Don't move.
He signed it with a drawing of what looked like a potato and the Romanian flag, causing me to laugh out loud. Now I fully understood what his fans were talking about when they say Sebastian is a dork. I reach for my planner diary and stick it on the page of the current date. I groaned when I saw there were only three days before his birthday. I hastily drop the planner back in my tote and grab my phone on the nightstand remembering I had to text Olivia some errands she had to run for me for the surprise party for Sebastian. She beat me to it though, asking me when she needed the stuff dropped off to our place. Bless her heart that woman. I made a mental note to book her a spa date as a thank you for her help.
After making sure I had everything cleared up with Liv, I set my phone back in the charging stand and tried to get a few more minutes of shut eye. I was about to fall under the abyss of sleep again when I heard the front door open and two voices talking. Chris and Sebastian stopped at the front door of our room, exchanging a few more words I decided not to listen to. My man was striding through moments after. His shirt was damp with sweat, making it cling to his torso like a second skin. My mouth went dry at the sight and he could only smirk at me in response. I apparently am too transparent for my own good.
"Like what you see, darlin'?" Sebastian drawled out as he set the breakfast bag and coffee on the table. I scoffed and scrunched my nose in pretend disgust.
"I would, if you take a shower first. You stink."
"Well," he said as he pulled his shirt over his head and wiped his chest with it down to his abs. I had to fight a moan, the jerk was doing it on purpose. "Too bad, I was thinking of having you join me in the shower, you know, clean me up and shit. I thought wrong."
He strode right in the en suite, leaving me there sitting dumbly. It didn't register to me until the shower started up that he left the door slightly ajar, a clear sign he was expecting me to come right after him.
I quickly jumped out of bed, stripped off my PJs and ran towards the bathroom where Sebastian stood under the spray of warm water.
"How dare you Lance Tucker me, you dork," I say as I step behind him. I could imagine his smug smirk as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
"Why darlin' I thought you'd never get the idea."
We ended up staying in the shower for a full hour that I had to run barefoot as soon as the taxi dropped me off in front of the building of Escape. I ignored the curious looks from my co-workers and went straight to my office where Olivia was already waiting for me with my cup of coffee and chocolate chip bagel.
***
"Barefoot contessa-ing this morning, Rae? I never thought you were the type?" She said to me playfully as she set my mini-breakfast on the table. I take a seat and bend down to put my shoes on and then sit up again to find my all too knowing assistant grinning at me knowingly.
"Sheesh, Liv, out with it, you know nothing won't stop you," I say to her as I fix myself up to try and begin my day.
"Oh, please, don't mind me, I mean, if my fiancé looked anything remotely like your man I know I wouldn't be able to get my hands off him," she smirks and then puts the post its with the phone calls I needed to return that day. I felt myself blush, remembering what we did in the shower before Chris started pounding on the door, complaining we were getting annoyingly loud.
"Shut up," I mumble sheepishly to which Olivia responds with a resounding laugh. I really love Olivia, but sometimes, she can be really too perceptive for her own good. Apart from Scarlett, she doesn't hesitate to tell me what's on her mind when she knows I need to hear it. Deep down, I truly appreciate her for being so forthcoming with me.
"Well, I'll leave you to it then, you don't have anything scheduled this morning, by the way, but Taylor sent you an email which you might want to check out stat," she continues as if she just didn't make fun of me. "I'll head out after an hour for the stuff you need for your beau's birthday."
I offer her thanks and immediately open my laptop, curious as to what Taylor had sent. True enough, his message was marked with High Importance and so I open that first and read it.
My eyes widen in disbelief and my jaw went slack after finishing Taylor's message.