Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
She shoved around him and started up the stairs to the front porch, having no plans to call him for anything. He was just as dead to her as Sebastian, and she doubted that would change. In the background, Sebastian called her name one last time, but she ignored him.
The door slamming behind her said it all.
* * *
Sebastian could feel Michael’s gaze on him, and as much as he wanted to pretend he was alone, he knew that was going to be impossible.
“Did you really sleep with her?” Michael asked, slowly closing the distance between them. “Tell me the truth.”
It was no surprise Michael knew he was lying, and Sebastian figured he owed Michael the truth, especially after finding him here. It only took one guess to know Michael had been the one Taliana had called after Sebastian had left, a smart choice on her behalf. Michael knew him well and had probably defended him to the death, even if that was the last thing Sebastian deserved.
“No,” he answered, but he felt no better about that than if he had. “No, I didn’t.”
“Then why would you-“
“Because I came close enough,” he cut in as he turned away. “And Talia deserves better than me.”
“You’re giving up?” Michael called as Sebastian started toward the car. “After everything, you’re just giving up?”
Sebastian made to face him again but found himself being shoved against the passenger side door instead. Michael’s hands curled into Sebastian’s shirt, keeping him pinned to the vehicle. It took a moment for Sebastian to recover from the shock, but when he glanced up, there was no missing the mix of incredulity, rage, and disappointment on his friend’s face.
He let his head gently fall back against the metal. Even if he’d had the energy to fight back, Sebastian wouldn’t have bothered. What was done was done.
“Who the hell are you?” Michael asked as he searched Sebastian’s face for a clue. “Whatever is going on, you need to snap out of it. This isn’t you, man.”
Sebastian blinked, letting his eyes stay shut just a moment too long. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”
He winced when Michael pushed him again, but still didn’t attempt to break free.
“Don’t even try that one on me,” Michael said, leaning in so close that Sebastian was forced to turn his head away to avoid eye contact. “I? know you, and I’ll be damned if that girl in there hasn’t made you the happiest you’ve been in a long time.” His voice softened as he leaned back, though he didn’t release Sebastian. “Don’t do this to yourself. Don’t make yourself miserable when you don’t have to.”
Sebastian shook his head. “It’s too late for that, Michael.”
“No, it’s not!”
Sebastian didn’t flinch at Michael’s sudden outburst and instead blew out a soft breath. “Let me go,” he said quietly. “It’s all over, so just let me go. Please, Michael, just-“
The rest of the plea stuck in his throat, but Michael seemed to get the message. Still, he didn’t release Sebastian.
“I just spent the last three hours defending you,” Michael snapped. “I am not about to let you ruin this.”
Sebastian only managed a weak, wry smile. “It’s a little late for that.”
With a sound of disgust, Michael shoved away. “Why are you doing this?”
Sebastian straightened up, though his shoulders and back ached from the force of the hit. But this pain was easily ignorable compared to the agony that had come from watching Taliana’s face fall.
“What part of ‘she deserves better’ do you not understand?” he snapped as he moved to the driver’s side. “She may make me happy, but it’s clear I only make her miserable.”
“You and I both know that’s not true,” Michael scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. “She? loves you.”
“Not according to her,” he said as he pulled open the door and slid behind the wheel. “It’s over, Michael. Just give it up.”
“Phillips, don’t you dare.”
Sebastian shut the door and turned on the engine, the sound drowning out the rest of his friend’s protests.
When he shifted the car into drive, he didn’t bother looking back.
45
Blessings From the Devil
It was late May before the ache in Taliana’s chest began to fade.
In the grand scheme of things, five weeks was not an extraordinarily long time, but it felt more like a century. Every day was a challenge, a fight to ignore and move past the hurt, but she’d never anticipated how hard it was going to be to simply carry on.
Still, despite everything, she never once questioned her decision to end things with Sebastian. It was clear that breaking up had been the only option. A relationship without trust was impossible to maintain, as was a relationship without honesty. He’d kept things from her under the guise of not wanting to worry her, but that couldn’t change the fact that they were still untruths.
“Come on, eat something before I force feed you.”
Taliana glanced up at Jude’s comment, too caught up in her thoughts to remember where they were. Trinity’s cafeteria seemed almost like a foreign land now that she’d abandoned Sebastian and his friends. After that drama filled weekend, Taliana hadn’t bothered looking at their table, because she knew she wouldn’t have been welcome there. Instead, she’d plopped down at a random table on the opposite side of the room, with no intention of ever going back.
Luckily, it was easy to steer clear of Sebastian, since it seemed like he was actively avoiding her as well. His friends, however, were a different story. Michael had tried numerous times to get Taliana and Sebastian to talk, and even Jacob and Marcus had made attempts to push them back together, but it was all useless.
Sebastian and Taliana were done. Finished. Over. And nothing was going to change that.
“Did you not hear me?” Jude tried again, flicking her ear for emphasis. “Talia, come on.”
Although she’d pulled away from them and rejoined the general population of Trinity, she hadn’t been able to escape Jude. Her trusty best friend had refused to abandon her, no matter how hard she tried to push him back to the group of popular kids where he belonged. Whether him sticking with her was for better or worse, she had yet to decide.
“I heard you.” Taliana sighed, letting her fork clatter against her tray. All she’d been doing for the past ten minutes was push around the wilted lettuce anyway. “And if you even think about trying that, I’ll shove my fork so far up your nose that when you try to pull it out, part of your brain will come with it.”
Jude rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t put it past you. Now come on, would you at least take a bite of something?”
Taliana nudged her tray away. “I’m not hungry.”