Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
It was dark by the time they returned to the house, and the other boys had already left for another party. Marcus had been considerate enough to leave a note, telling Taliana of their whereabouts and asking them to join them at Kate Svetlanova’s when they got home. Jude was quick to head over, but Taliana faked sick, claiming she had a headache and wanted to stay home.
She made her way upstairs. The door to her bedroom was shut as she’d left it, but a glance to her right showed the door to the master bedroom was wide open. Each time she’d passed before it had been closed, but now that it was open, she couldn’t resist peeking inside. Even the fact that it was Sebastian’s room couldn’t stop her. At least he wasn’t there, and hopefully wouldn’t be back for a while.
At first glance, it didn’t look much different than the other rooms in the house with its beige carpet, nautical decor, and an old oak four-poster bed, but the highlight was its view. Each of the bedrooms had their own balconies, but the view from this one was clearly the best, just like Sebastian had claimed. Taliana hesitated before stepping further inside and moving toward the slightly ajar French doors. The sea breeze enticed her outside, and she leaned against the railing as she stared out at the dark horizon; a few more hours and the sun would begin to peek over it. She was tired, but she planned to stay up to watch.
Of course, she would be viewing it from another place in the house, because she wasn’t about to be caught trespassing by Sebastian. She planned to keep her distance from him for as long as possible, knowing she had a lot to figure out before she would be ready to talk.
But the sound of soft footsteps pulled Taliana out of her thoughts, and she cursed herself for getting distracted. She didn’t have to look to know who’d just joined her.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
Taliana snorted humorlessly, unable to hold back the sarcasm. “No shit.”
Sebastian was so close that she felt the heat rolling off his body, but she didn’t dare turn to look at him. “Why?”
“I think you know the answer to that one,” she muttered, hands curling around the railing as she stared out at the sea. “What do you even want?”
“To talk.” He said it so simply, as if what he had to say was harmless. “I think we need to clear some things up.”
Taliana’s gaze traveled up to the moon, just a crescent tonight. “Then talk.”
“I should’ve known better than to think you’d make this easy.” He blew out a breath, and even though she couldn’t see him, Taliana felt him lift a hand to drag his fingers through his hair. “What are we doing, Taliana?”
Consciously, she wasn’t sure she understood what he meant, but deep down it was crystal clear. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb. This.
Us . The mess we’ve made.”
There they were, the words she hadn’t wanted to hear, the prompt that would bring about the end. “I have no idea.”
He sighed. “I just need to know… What made you agree to date me? Just wanting to get revenge on Zak couldn’t have been the only reason.”
The sudden shift in topic momentarily threw Taliana, but she recovered. “No, it wasn’t,” she admitted, keeping her eyes trained on the ocean. “I saw what Blair had done to you. I knew what that pain was like, and I guess I just wanted to help you.”
“So you agreed out of pity?” He sounded a little annoyed now, an emotion that resonated in Taliana’s chest. “Great. Just perfect.”
The minor misunderstanding was enough to make her temper surge. “Did you hear me say that? Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“If not pity, then what?” he pressed, taking a half-step closer so his chest brushed Taliana’s back.
She shrugged and leaned against the railing in an attempt to put a little more space between them. “What made you even propose the idea?” she countered.
Sebastian was silent.
Taliana’s lips twisted to the side. “Guess there’s no easy answer to this one.”
“Anything that involves the two of us never does.”
Though it was a simple statement, something she should’ve embraced and even laughed at, she couldn’t help but take it as an insult. “I’m going to bed,” she grumbled, twisting the diamond on her finger as she attempted to move past him.
But before she could make it off the balcony, he grabbed her wrist. “You’re really running away again?” he asked, successfully killing her retreat.
Taliana grit her teeth, knowing if she didn’t leave now, she wouldn’t be able to hold it together. “Let me go, Sebastian.”
“No.” Suddenly he was pulling her closer, trapping her between his chest and the stone wall of the house. “You need to face this. We both need to.”
Taliana’s lips parted to voice her dismay, but his hand covered her mouth before she could get a word out.
“Just be quiet for one second,” he mumbled, eyes meeting hers. He dropped his hand, but she was still too shocked to say a word. For the first time ever, Sebastian Phillips had stunned her into silence. “I just need you to listen. I need you to know that I-I can’t do this anymore.”
There it was. The death blow. They’d both known this had to end sooner or later, but she never could’ve imagined she’d have fallen for him by the end of it.
“Why can’t you just see it?” he whispered, hand cupping the back of Taliana’s neck. It was an intimate move for someone who was about to dump her. “Are you really that blind, Taliana? All of this-you, me, this charade-it’s not enough. I want more. Can’t you see that?”
“Of course I can see that,” she scoffed, turning her head so he couldn’t see the tears welling in her eyes. “You want more, and you want it from Blair.”
“Blair?” Surprise filled his voice, but Taliana didn’t buy the act. “What does she have to do with any of this?”
Taliana shook her head and blinked back the tears. “You and I both know everything has to do with her. It always does, so don’t even try to tell me she’s not a part of this.”
“But, Talia, it-“
“Just save it, okay?” she mumbled, forcing herself to look at him. “It’s been obvious for a long time, Seb. But I still can’t believe you’re ditching me so you can go back to her. Do you know how much that hurts?”
“I assume it would hurt a lot, but-“
“You have no idea.” Taliana shook her head, her throat tight. “If you’re going to break up with me, just get it over with.”
“Break up with you?” His hand slid from her neck to her cheek, forcing her to look back at him. Taliana’s eyes may have been deceiving her, but she could’ve sworn a flash of hurt crossed his face. “Are you serious? That’s not-that’s not what I’m saying. I don’t want her or any other girl. I want? you .”
Everything screeched to a halt. There was no way she could’ve heard him correctly. “What?”
“I want you,” he repeated gently, pressing his forehead to hers. “I don’t want to continue with this hoax. I want to make it real.”
“You mean, you want to…” She trailed off, voice failing her.