Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
“I’m sorry.” He dropped his arms to his sides. “I had no idea it was like that. You should’ve said something.”
“You had to feel it for yourself,” Taliana said, taking his hand. She squeezed it reassuringly before tugging him toward the house.
It didn’t take much effort to guide him inside, and even less to get him up to her bedroom where Taliana closed the door and popped in a movie for background noise. When she turned back to him, he’d kicked off his shoes and sprawled across her bed, an arm strewn across his forehead. Sebastian sighed when their eyes met again, and Taliana finally realized just how much this whole scheme had taken out of him. She may have had to watch him with his ex, but at least she didn’t have to spend time with the person who cheated on her. She could only imagine how awful it had to be to stay around that person day in and day out.
“I’m sorry,” he said again, pulling Taliana out of her thoughts. “Really.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you apologize for anything. Now I get to hear it twice?” she teased, ditching her shoes and tie. “What’s the world coming to?”
“It’s rare, but it happens.” He shot her a wry smile before patting the space beside him. “Come here, Stick Girl.”
Taliana snuggled into his side before half-turning her attention to the TV. Sebastian’s heartbeat was slow and steady under her cheek, and even as a hand came up to stroke her hair, she knew he was still thinking about what they’d gotten themselves into.
“You know, I kind of feel like I’m running around with a married man,” Taliana said a moment later, finally able to liken their behind-the-scenes relationship to something. “It’s like I’m trying so hard to keep the wife and neighbors from finding out. Except, in this case, you’re not married, and the so-called-wife knows all about me.”
Sebastian snickered and swept Taliana’s hair away from her neck. “You’re practically my fake mistress.”
The idea made her insides churn. She wasn’t prepared to be anyone’s mistress, let alone her own boyfriend’s.
“I’ll be honest with you,” she began tentatively, turning so she could look up at him. “I’m not all that fond of being the other woman.”
“You won’t be for long, I promise.” His hand drifted down to her cheek. “Just another couple weeks. If it all goes according to plan, Amir will be going back overseas for business and be too busy to do anything about Blair. Then we can wash our hands of it all.”
In the drama surrounding them as a couple, Taliana had almost forgotten about the man who’d created this whole mess. If she really needed someone other than Blair to blame, she could always shift her rage to Blair’s father. Though Taliana had never met the man, she was justified in despising him; any man who believed in the archaic idea of pushing his only daughter into a forced marriage certainly wasn’t going to be on Taliana’s list of favorite people.
“How’s that going?” she asked. “With Amir, I mean.”
There was a long pause before his hesitant reply came. “It’s been difficult.”
That wasn’t what Taliana wanted to hear. “Oh?”
“I’m not sure her father is buying it,” he murmured, moving his hand to her shoulder.
Taliana’s heart dropped into her stomach. “That’s not good.”
“I know.” He sighed as his fingers drummed thoughtless rhythms against her skin, successfully letting on to his annoyance. “I might have to try something else.”
Taliana certainly didn’t want to hear that either. “Like what?”
“It’s…complicated.”
“Come on, tell me,” she pushed, hoping for at least a little more than that. “I have plenty of time to hear it.”
He shook his head, unwilling to elaborate. “Later. I don’t want to spend our time together talking about people I hate.”
Taliana didn’t press it further. Part of her was annoyed by his evasive answers, and she wished he would just spit it out, but she didn’t want to pick a fight. Knowing them, one wrong word would mark the beginning of World War III.
So instead of pressing harder, Taliana ignored the voice of reason in the back of her head and scooted closer to him, her lips easily finding his.
“Do what you have to do,” she assured. She tried to smile, but she was positive it was more of a grimace. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll work out just fine.”
Even to her own ears, it sounded like a lie.
* * *
Watching her sleep had become one of Sebastian’s favorite pastimes.
Over the last few weeks, the only expression his girlfriend seemed capable of was a scowl. Only in sleep did her brow relax, the worries of the day temporarily slipping away. He only wished he could see it more often.
These rare moments were the only opportunity he had to appreciate the gentle lines of her cheeks, the curve of her mouth, and the faint smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her frame seemed almost fragile, something he knew was far from the truth; hell, he was practically three times her size, yet he had no doubts that she could take him down without even trying. She’d already done it a handful of times.
Sebastian let his eyes drift down to her neck, past her shoulders and down her arms, coming to focus on the hand resting on his chest. Her fingers were bereft of jewelry, save for the sparkling heirloom on her right middle finger.
Before this week, the sight of it would’ve made him smile, serving as a reminder of how they’d originally reunited. Before this week, he might’ve imagined what it would be like in ten years if there was a ring on her other hand, symbolizing something other than just wealth. Before this week, he wouldn’t have ever considered asking for his own family ring.
Taliana wore her own ring effortlessly, as if the oversized diamond weighed nothing at all, but the ring in his pocket seemed to weigh a ton. Then again, his held much more meaning than hers. Engagement rings tended to be that way.
Engagement ring. God, the title was supposed to bring about happy feelings, but all he felt was dread. Had he planned to give it to someone he actually loved one day, someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, maybe he wouldn’t have felt so awful about it all, but that wasn’t the case.
There was no measuring how much he hated the fact that the next woman to possibly wear this ring was going to be Blair, even if it was only temporary and fake. There had been a time when Sebastian thought he could see her one day with the Cartier ring on her hand, but that dream had died long ago.
He wished there was another option, but Amir had made it clear there wasn’t-he wanted to see a solid commitment between them, even if he’d said it in less direct terms. The ring would be a message to Amir that Sebastian and Blair were serious, that they were going to last this time. This would be a last-ditch attempt to convince the man, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to break out the diamond until the moment he absolutely had to. Unfortunately, it looked like that day was slowly inching closer.
He only had a short amount of time to persuade Amir to call off the arrangement, and if that didn’t work, it was all over. Part of him was tempted to give up, to go back to Taliana and his normal life and just leave Blair to fend for herself; it would’ve been the easy thing to do. But without fail, his conscience would kick in, convincing him to stick it out until she was safe.
It wasn’t like he had long to go, anyway. A little while longer was nothing in the scheme of things, not enough time for anything to go horribly wrong.
It would be fine. Really.
Before he could doubt himself, Sebastian glanced at the clock on the bedside table and swore under his breath when he realized it was already half past six.
“What’s wrong?” the girl curled into his side questioned groggily. He glanced down in time to see her rub the sleep from her eyes.
The innocent sight made him smile, but it faded when he remembered what time it was. “I have to go,” he said gently, shifting her so her head was resting on the pillow instead of his shoulder. “I’m supposed to have dinner with my family tonight.”
The lie left his lips easily, but he wasn’t sure why he’d said it. It wasn’t as if he needed to keep the fact that he was headed for Blair’s house under wraps, but he somehow reasoned that it would be best if he didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to upset Taliana, didn’t want to see that expression of calm disappear in a heartbeat.