Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
This time when she tried to turn away, Taliana grabbed her wrist. “I really do, Blair. I’m trying this new thing where I forgive people for being complete assholes to me. And hey, if I can manage to forgive Sebastian for punching me in the face in sixth grade and getting me expelled, I think I can forgive you too.”
Her eyes locked on Taliana’s hand around her wrist, but when she glanced back up, it was clear she was trying to fight a smile. “Look at you being the bigger person.”
Taliana let go of her wrist. “Figured I’d try it on for size. So, what do you say?”
Blair was silent for a beat or two, then flashed a grin that made it obvious why so many boys fell at her feet. “Driving is for plebeians. I say we commandeer my father’s jet. We can be in the Hamptons in under two hours.”
Taliana returned the smile, something pleasant blooming in her chest. “That’s the spirit.”
They parted ways shortly after, planning to meet at the airport in a half hour, specifically at the hangar where her family’s plane was kept. When Taliana made her way back to Sebastian and told him the news, he looked uneasy.
“I still don’t get why you would invite her along,” he grumbled, ruffling his hair.
“Because I’m a nice fucking person.”
“Yeah, well, I guess that’s part of the reason why I love you.”
Taliana froze. Neither of them had said those words to each other since they’d confessed their feelings for each other weeks ago, too afraid to bring up the topic. But now there they were again, and everything was out on the table now.
“I love you, too,” she told him.
Her heart was pounding when he took her hand in his, as if silently telling her everything was going to be okay.
But was it?
“That doesn’t mean I trust you, though,” she blurted, unable to keep the words in. “And you can’t have a relationship without it.”
“I know,” he said softly.
“It’s going to take time, Seb. I don’t know how much time, but it’s probably going to be a while. I guess we’ll see before-” She stopped suddenly, everything hitting her like a ton of bricks. “Oh my god, we’re officially done with high school. We’re going to college in two months. Different colleges.”
“Yeah, we are.”
Something caught in her throat. “Oh, boy.”
And then she burst into tears.
To his credit, Sebastian was quick to bundle her into his arms and lead her to a relatively secluded spot at the edge of the parking lot.
“Come on, don’t cry,” he murmured, hand smoothing her hair as he held her cheek to his chest. “Everything’s going to be okay, I promise.”
“Is it, though?” She sniffled, fingers clutching at his gown. “I don’t even know where we stand right now, and if we do ever get back together, who knows if it’s going to last while we’re off in different places over the next four years.”
“We’ll figure it out.” He sounded surprisingly confident. “We’re still going to see each other. I’ll be back for holidays and a handful of weekends. Yale is just a few hours away, remember that.”
“I know, but still. It feels like a lot of space between us.”
He laughed, his chest vibrating underneath her cheek. “I’m sure it can’t be any worse than the distance you’ve put between us over the last few weeks.”
“Asshole,” she mumbled into the fabric, but she smiled slightly despite it all. “I just… I’m worried about what’s going to happen.”
“Hey.” He gently pried her away, holding her at arm’s length so their eyes met. “All you need to know is that I want to be with you, Talia. But this is your decision to make.”
And that was exactly the problem. Taliana had no clue what she wanted to do.
“What if I want to branch out in college?” she offered, trying to think of all the situations in which she wouldn’t want to date Sebastian. “What if I want to sleep with the entire lacrosse team or have a threesome with some theatre nerds? What would you do then?”
If she hadn’t been watching his face so closely, she would’ve missed his almost imperceptible wince. “If that’s what you want, you should do it. This is your choice.”
That wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. Then again, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to hear. “What about you?” she asked, searching his eyes for something, anything to clue her into what might be best for them. “What do you want? Be honest.”
“Just you, Taliana.”
She rolled her eyes, though she was warmed by his words. “Come on, I could totally see you banging half a sorority.”
Sebastian shrugged. “Maybe,” he agreed, causing her to scowl, but he was quick to continue. “But maybe not. You know why?”
Taliana lifted an eyebrow, waiting.
“Because I’m not willing to put our future together at risk again.”
She sank her teeth into her lower lip, once again unable to keep the tears at bay.
“God, you’re the worst,” she half-sobbed, half-laughed. “The absolute worst .”
He thumbed her tears away, smiling softly. “So you’ve told me about a million times.”
“What are we, Seb? I just want to hear you say it.”
“We’re whatever you want us to be, baby.”
Taliana closed her eyes, letting the words sink in. Despite the open endedness of his answer, it felt right. They didn’t need a label.
They just needed each other.
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