“Ollie!” Serenity called from the corner of the restaurant and I guided Sebastian over, my hand hovering around his lower back.
“Hey,” I smiled, pulling Sebastian’s chair out, “I didn’t think you’d get here first.”
“We left late,” Sebastian smiled up at me and I undid my jacket, laying it on the back of my chair before taking my spot next to him, “you were so… so… ah. I… forgot the word,” he blushed, looking at the table in embarrassment.
“What is it in French?” Serenity called softly.
“Focalisé?”
“Focused,” Serenity smiled and Sebastian immediately perked up with a nod.
“Oui that,” he snapped and I rested my chin in my hand, watching him fondly as he talked with Serenity and Garett.
They flow easily.
Bas was born to be here.
Serenity is going to be his best friend if he’s not careful.
She liked Skylar.
But she’ll love Bas.
“Oliver?” Garett patted my hand and I looked across the table at him, “You were zoned out. It’s almost time to order.”
“Oh,” clearing my throat, I looked at the menu, “Thank ya, Ret.”
After ordering dinner, followed by a glass of wine for each of us, we continued to talk, Sebastian bubbly and open but still a bit protective of what he had shared with me as Garett was curious about his life in Paris. One specific question clearly pissed off Sebastian regarding why he refused to talk about his family and as Serenity smacked Garett for being nosy, I reached under the table and hooked my pinky finger through Sebastian’s, squeezing gently. Sebastian looked at me from the corner of his eye and slowly let go of my finger before lacing his hand with mine, rubbing the side of it with his thumb.
“Merci,” he whispered under his breath so only I could hear, “for giving me comfort.”
I will always protect you.
“That wasn’t fair of him, I'm sorry. He gets overly excited and curious,” I whispered in his ear, his scent overwhelming for a moment, “do ya want to leave?”
“Before dessert?”
“I’ll buy ya something somewhere else.”
“Oh… oui. Let’s leave.”
“Okay,” I squeezed his hand before turning to Serenity, “Nita? We’re gonna head out.”
“But they’re bringing the dessert menu in a few minutes,” she looked at me confused.
“I know but… Bas is tired. It’s been a long day and I think he could use some sleep.”
“Oh okay. Bas?”
“Yeah,” Sebastian smiled, resting his chin in his hand but refusing to let go of mine with his other.
“It was nice to get to know you. Thank you for coming to dinner with us tonight.”
“Of course. I hope that we can do it again soon.”
“We will. Especially with you being Ollie’s assistant,” she smiled, “have a lovely night okay? Get some rest.”
Sebastian and I left the restaurant after he released my hand and as soon as we were in the car he sighed loudly, burying his face in his hands.
“Bas?” I whispered, rubbing the nape of his neck gently.
“I feel guilty. I did not want to make you leave dinner with your sister because I was uncomfortable. I must learn to control my feelings regarding my life when we are at even more important social functions.”
“Stop. Stop that,” sliding my hand from his neck to his chin, I slowly forced him to raise his head, “ya owe no one any answers. No one is entitled to know who ya are, where ya come from, what your life was. If they cannot respect your privacy, then I don’t want to be associated with them. Do ya understand me?”
“Oliver,” he whispered softly, resting his hand gently on my wrist, “do you truly mean that?”
“Ya should know that I do. I don’t lie and most of all I won’t lie to you.”
I physically can’t.
I can hide things, shuffle the meaning.
But lying to you will hurt me.
“Merci,” he smiled, his eyes damp, “sorry. I might cry. People have been cruel to me since I was an enfant. It is hard to… adjust.”
“Take your time,” I whispered, keeping my tone gentle, “and if ya need to cry, then cry. I’ll be right here.”
“I do not want to cry in your car. Can we go to the penthouse? It feels embarrassing.”
“Of course,” letting go of him, I quickly started the car and headed to my apartment building, Sebastian leaning against the window the entire time as he chewed on the sleeve of his shirt, clearly a nervous tick.
We reached the building and I pulled into the parking garage underneath before leading Sebastian to the elevator after we gathered our things from the trunk.
“This building is very beautiful,” Sebastian smiled, clearly upset still.
“Thank ya. It’s not what I would prefer. I find it really harsh, everything is monotone but it’s just temporary. I don’t plan to live here forever.”
“Ah, where do you want to live?”
“Not sure the city but I want a home that’s warm in Montana. Welcoming when you walk into it. I want to feel like my home is my sanctuary. For now, the apartment simply feels… cold.”
“I can understand. We have the same wish,” he smiled at me, his cheeks red, “growing up in the orphanage always felt alone even when there were other people around. I want to be happy and warm.”
Give me some time.
I’ll ensure you never feel alone again.
“Ya deserve to,” leading Sebastian down the hallway to my penthouse door, I took a small breath, “I swear I didn’t choose the colors of the interior. Trust me.”
“Oh I’m sure it’s not-” Sebastian groaned as soon as I opened the door, Aldo running from the living room to us, “it looks like a hôpital.”
Every wall of the apartment was starkly white, white tile above all of the black kitchen counters and the floors were a light gray hardwood. The main part of the penthouse was entirely open, only 5 doors were visible, the one to my room, the one to Sebastian's, both offices and finally, the massive sliding door that settled between the back wall made entirely of glass windows to give a view of the Manhattan skyline.
“I know,” groaning, I tossed my bag onto the dining table and scratched Aldo, “I told ya I didn’t pick this. I hired a company to do the interior design and this is what they came up with that would be appropriate to any age that wanted to rent. I could have changed it, I’m the only one that has ever lived here and I’m plannin’ to keep it for times I need to come to New York for business meetings, but since it’s temporary, it never seemed that important to me.”
“I do like the view,” he smiled, heading to the sliding door, “it’s quite lovely.”
“Me too. Only reason I stayed,” I watched the way he gently touched the glass, staring out at the lights below us as the sun had set and the stars were high in the sky.
“But it is not the best I have seen. Have you ever been to Italy?”
“I told ya,” smiling, I went over to join him at the window, “I have a villa in Genova.”
“Ah of course. I forgot. Have you visited any of the big landmarks?”
“I suppose not. I’ve never had someone to go with me and I won’t visit places like that alone.”
“I went once with a university class. We visited Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Basilica, and Rialto Bridge. But I didn’t get to go into the Colosseum or Duomo di Milano. I couldn’t afford it. The church I was raised in paid for my education. They did not pay for me to have fun and I had no job. So the main places I wanted to see… I could not. It was the same when we came back to France and I had to sit and stare at the Louvre but could not enter. I ended up leaving that class. As much as I was interested in ancient architecture and art… it was shameful to be left out.”
“Are ya still interested in it?”
“Oui. No different than ships.”
I smiled, bouncing back on my heels, “Perfect. Then, may I take ya somewhere when we get to Italy?”
“I thought we had a wedding to attend?” he looked up at me confused.
“And we do. But we have two days before and two days after to do what we want. I know somewhere ya would like.”
“Well… okay. May I know?”
“Nope,” I gently poked his nose and he giggled before a tear rolled down his cheek, “you’re crying…”
“Oui. It uh…”
“Don’t explain,” against my best judgment, I pulled him to my chest and wrapped him tightly in a hug, “Ya don’t have to explain anything to me. Just cry, Bas. I’ve gotcha.”
Sebastian finally allowed himself to relax enough that the tears broke through and he gripped the front of my shirt, showing no signs of calming. Carefully, I guided him to the couch and he cuddled into my side, never releasing my shirt.
Why are you crying?
I know I said not to explain it to me.
But I can’t fix it if I don’t understand.
Aldo jumped onto the couch, laying his head on Sebastian’s leg, and Sebastian wrapped his hand in Aldo’s fur as he cried, his tiny frame shaking.
“Bas? It’s okay. You’re safe here,” I whispered.
“That is why I’m confused. I’ve never felt safe in my life. This is the first time and it… you are my boss. I should not be seeing you as my safety net.”
“But why can’t I be your friend too,” I started playing with the bottom of his hair and he gently nuzzled my chest, making my heart rate shoot through the roof.
“Would that be inappropriate of us?”
“Not in the slightest. Lauren is my best friend.”
“I’ll be your best friend too. If you’d like,” he tilted his head to look up at me, his beautiful eyes still full of tears and I wiped them away slowly, lingering on his eyelashes as he fluttered his eyes closed, his grip on my shirt still tight, “your touch is soft.”
“Do ya mean gentle?”
“Oui,” he nodded, “Oliver?”
“Yes,” I whispered, trying to stop myself from leaning in and kissing him.
“Merci. For… well everything. I appreciate you.”
“Oh… well you’re very welcome,” I smiled, “I hired ya, your emotional well-being is important to me too.”
“Mhm,” he opened his eyes once again, a soft gasp escaping him, “Oh…”
“What is it?”
“I never noticed that your eyes have green. It’s beautiful,” he softly touched the skin under my eye and I tightly gripped his side, “You’re… so pretty…”
“Bas,” I whispered, “Bas please stop…”
“Why?”
“B… because… I…”
“You cannot think of a good reason?”
I don’t want to think of a reason.
I want to kiss you.
“I have poor self-control and haven’t been physically close to another person in 9 years. It would be very inappropriate as well as seen as an abuse of my position if anyone knew how close we were right now…”
“I…” he sat up for a moment and rubbed his nose, sniffing at the air, “what is that?”
“What is what?”
“It smells like zeder. Do you have plants in here?”
“No…”
“Strange,” he whispered before shrugging, “it could have come in from the vent. It is just odd.”
Oh.
My natural scent.
My father Grayson always jokes that my sweat smells like a tree.
He can smell me as strongly as I can smell him.
Strange.
“Did ya still want dessert?” I quickly changed the subject, crossing my legs to hide.
“Oui but…”
“What is it you want? Anything.”
“Glace.”
“Oh, I know just the place to get ya ice cream. Your bags should be in your room. Why don’t ya change and I’ll take ya to get some? Aldo is due for his nightly walk anyway.”
“Really?” he jumped up, his breakdown from a few moments ago clearly forgotten and I nodded which sent him running into his bedroom, “it’s so big in here!”
Laughing softly, I shrugged my jacket off before heading to my own room, changing into my favorite athletic leggings and shorts so that my brace would be visible. My leg was currently bothering me but as I wanted to make Sebastian smile, I decided to ignore it, taking a few of my pain pills before slipping Aldo into his harness and leading him out of the bedroom.
Sebastian was standing at the counter, humming softly to himself as he wrote something down and I stared at him in silence, trying not to interrupt. Between the oversized yellow sweater that came to the middle of his thighs over a pair of tight white shorts and matching knee-high socks to his sweater, he was the most adorable thing I had ever seen, our appearance starkly different as I was dressed entirely in black, finding it made me seem larger and people would often leave me alone this way.
“Bas?” I called softly and he smiled at me over his shoulder, my heart leaping at the way he chewed his bottom lip just a bit, “are ya ready?”
“Oui sorry,” he set the pen he was holding down and pulled a beanie on, “I was making notes of what I needed to get done tomorrow.”
“Ah, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Nope, you are okay. I want my sweets. I have been good today.”
That you are.
Such a good boy…
Fuck!
Stop that, Oliver.
“Okay,” smiling, I led Aldo out of the apartment as Sebastian followed, his bag settled across his chest as he happily bounced next to me, “you’re so excited.”
“Never doubt my love of glace. Or going out to do fun things that aren’t a lot of money.”
“So… local markets, parks, things like that?” I had him get onto the elevator first, softly touching his lower back as he passed me.
“Oui. Always. It doesn’t matter if I will be making money now, I will always enjoy being around the people of an area more than going to fancy places. I am not that kind of person,” he leaned against me as soon as I was in the elevator and I rest my hand on the railing, giving him more space to cuddle into my side.
“That’s how I am too. The problem is, people seem to recognize me. I don’t like that. So I try my best to avoid going out alone.”
“Well,” he smiled, his hand coming through the loop of Aldo’s leash and he linked our index fingers together, “you are famous, Oliver.”
“Ya realize that being my assistant means being photographed with me and things of the like at events right?”
“As long as they respect my privacy, I couldn’t care less if my image is spread around.”
“Ya do look a bit like a model.”
“Shut up,” he stuck his tongue out and I laughed, pressing my forehead to the top of his head to resist the once again overwhelming urge to kiss him.
“God you’re sassy.”
“Always have been.”
“I like it.”
We headed out of the apartment building and after getting our ice cream at a shop just down the block, praline butter cake for me and honeycomb for Sebastian, we began to walk near Central Park, his gaze never staying in one place for long as Aldo sniffed at things, enjoying our evening out.
“This is nice,” Sebastian whispered as we sat on a bench, a small hiss escaping me, “are you okay?”
“It’s just my leg. I’ll be fine.”
“You aren’t supposed to walk for this long, Oliver,” a soft but thick southern accent called and I immediately took Sebastian’s hand, pulling him up to head home, “Hey wait we’re friends still, aren’t we?”
“Go away,” I swallowed thickly, gripping Sebastian’s hand.
“Ow too tight,” Sebastian whispered and I slowly relaxed my grip.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
“Oliver,” the same voice called but I refused to turn around and acknowledge him, “it’s been nine years and you still can’t look at me?”
“I’m not angry with you anymore. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt me.”
“But you’ve moved on. Did you finally find someone?”
“It’s not any of your business.”
“Oliver?” Sebastian looked up at me confused, “who is that?”
“Skylar.”
“Oh. Your…”
“My first and only partner. Yes.”
“Ollie please,” Skylar called and I spun around, “I miss you.”
“Yeah? I don’t. Why are you in New York?”
“I live here now,” he smiled, his eyes lighting up, “I thought…”
“Oliver,” Sebastian pulled on my sleeve, “I need to sleep. Can we go home?”
“Oh,” I nodded, “of course.”
“Can we please have dinner together?” Skylar called.
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