Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
She could’ve made a run for it and hoped Jude hadn’t barricaded the exits, but she was tired of running away from her problems. It was time to face them head on, and here was the biggest one standing right in front of her.
Sebastian pressed his lips into a tight line but said nothing as Taliana sat in the armchair in the corner of the room, retaking his own seat on the couch.
“Let me guess,” Taliana sighed, eager to fill the silence that was sure to turn awkward at any moment. “Jude invited you here under some guise. A movie, maybe? That’s what he got me with.”
Sebastian shook his head. “No, actually. Blair said she wanted to meet me here.”
Taliana froze.
“Neutral territory,” he was quick to explain, reflexively lifting a hand as if that would stop her thought process from jumping to the worst possible conclusion. “She said she wanted to talk to me, but I said I wouldn’t come near her unless we met in a public space. We settled on here.”
“So we were both tricked.” Taliana shook her head but stopped when another thought occurred to her. “Wait, does that mean they’re working together on this?”
“It’s amazing who you’re willing to befriend when you’re sick of watching two people in love avoid each other,” someone said from the doorway, and Taliana couldn’t help but glance over.
There Blair stood, hand on hip, with Jude just a step behind her. Despite the fact that she’d been the one to speak, Taliana’s gaze immediately went to him.
“Traitor,” she snapped, unable to believe he would do such a thing.
Really, of all people to team up with, he’d picked her? Apparently, hell had frozen over sometime in the past week.
Jude shrugged. “Sorry, honey, but it had to be done.”
Blair dropped her hand and strolled into the room. “Consider this an intervention,” she announced, pausing momentarily to lower herself into the armchair adjacent to Taliana’s. “Jude is sick of seeing you two so miserable, and I’m here because I can’t pass up a nice dose of angst.”
“More like you’re here because you’re a miserable bit-” Taliana snarled, but Jude cut her off.
“Talia,? please .” He was beside her in a split second, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her from lurching out of her seat. “We’re concerned about how you guys are handling this, and we just want to help make it better. Right, Blair?”
Blair blew Taliana a kiss.
“You can’t force two people back together,” Taliana said exasperatedly. “There is absolutely nothing between me and Sebastian anymore.” She swung her gaze to Blair, any slight amicability she felt for her last week completely gone. “You saw to that.”
Blair rolled her eyes and took a moment to admire her nails. “Please. I know what he did was stupid, but the idiot only has eyes for you.” She glanced up long enough to shoot a pointed look in Sebastian’s direction. “And you. You’re a complete dick for putting her through this, and for lying and telling her we slept together. I mean, seriously?”
Sebastian’s lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out. Blair took it as a cue to continue.
“You know, if you hadn’t lied to her about that one, she probably would’ve taken you back.” Her hands fell to her lap as she gave Taliana and Sebastian her full attention. “You two seriously caused all this drama over something so trivial. And please, Sebastian, would you just admit you love her so she can stop denying it?”
Suddenly, Blair was back on her feet, flipping that dark curtain of hair over her shoulder. With one snap of her fingers in Jude’s direction, he was scampering to her side. “Now, just talk, would you? Come on, Jude.”
He flashed Taliana a vaguely apologetic smile before following Blair out of the living room, successfully leaving Taliana and Sebastian shocked and alone.
“Did that really just…?” she prompted, not knowing how to possibly end that sentence.
Sebastian nodded slowly, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “I think it did.”
They stayed silent for a long while after the scheming pair had left, not knowing what to say. The silence may have been awkward, but Taliana was sure an actual conversation would’ve been even worse.
Still, just sitting there in his company wasn’t making Taliana feel much better. She knew she could’ve simply gotten up and left, but part of her almost didn’t want to. She was glued to that chair whether she liked it or not, anchored by a mix of anger, longing, misery, and regret.
It was like the night they’d broken up, all over again.
She wrapped her arms around herself to keep from feeling like she would fall apart, but just like that night, it didn’t help. “Is what she said true?” Taliana asked quietly, not daring to look at him but still dying to know. “Do you love me?”
Her eyes slid shut when he sighed, figuring she’d just been given her answer of no . She wasn’t sure why she’d been expecting anything else, but it still felt like a knife through the heart.
He’d never loved her.
With that answer in hand, it was time to leave. There was no point being there anymore if that was really how he felt.
Taliana was in the process of prying herself out of the armchair when he finally spoke. The words were so soft that she almost didn’t hear him, or maybe it was just that she was choosing to pretend she hadn’t. Whatever the reason, it still made her sink back into the chair.
“It’s true. I love you, Taliana.”
Her eyes were firmly trained on the hardwood floor, but she forced herself to look up when she heard his footsteps heading in her direction. By then he was already standing in front of her.
“Blair was right,” he murmured, holding her gaze. “I should’ve told you when I first realized how I felt.”
Taliana’s breath hitched when he reached out to cup her cheek. His hand was shaking slightly, palm damp, but the last thing she wanted to do was push him away.
“I love you,” Sebastian said again, thumb brushing her cheek. “I have for a long time, and nothing about that has changed. It never will.”
Taliana almost cried out when his hand dropped away, but the pain in his eyes kept her silent.
“I’m sorry for hurting you.” His voice was almost strained now, as if he were trying hard to hold something back. “I honestly thought what I was doing was the best for us. If I’d realized it wasn’t, I never would’ve even considered it.”
He was kneeling in front of her a second later, gathering her hands in his and squeezing tight.
“I know you made it clear that you don’t think we could ever be together again, but I disagree. We have something, Talia. You can’t deny that.” He swallowed hard, and those deep blue eyes seemed to close off some. “But I’m leaving it up to you to decide what you want to do from here on out. I think it’s clear that I shouldn’t be the one making the decisions anymore.”
Taliana’s lips parted when he dropped her hands and stood, trying his best to smile as he turned away. It was weak at best.
“Where are you going?” she blurted before she could stop herself.
“I need some air,” he explained, keeping his back to her as he dragged a hand through his hair. “And you probably need some time to think about things without me hanging around. I guess I’ll see you at school on Monday, yeah?”