Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
Apparently, she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as she’d thought, based on the glance Sebastian shot her as she took up one of the free armchairs in the room.
“You okay?” he questioned, head cocked to the side as he smiled at her.
Taliana struggled to return it, wondering if his smile was for real or just staged. A mask to soothe her. The calm before the storm. “Yeah, totally fine.”
She hoped he would believe her lie, and his shrug said he did. It should’ve been a relief, but it only made the ache in Taliana’s chest worse.
By the time Sebastian’s phone rang an hour later, Michael was nearly drunk, Jacob was giggling as he blew smoke rings toward the ceiling, and Marcus was loudly pondering why he’d ever befriended them.
“Time to go,” Sebastian announced, pulling Jacob up from the floor. “Party’s in full swing.”
“About time.” Michael stretched languidly before moving toward the sliding glass door to the deck, which then led to the beach. “Let’s get out of here.”
Sebastian put a hand on the small of Taliana’s back and guided her out the door with the others, but she was trying hard not to flinch away from his touch. By the time they made it to the beach, his hand had locked around hers. Part of her wanted to pull away and put as much distance between them as possible, but she listened to the part that told her not to resist, that it wasn’t worth it. She needed to enjoy it while it lasted.
“For show,” he was quick to explain, which only made her feel worse. “Everyone we know is going to be there. Have to keep it believable.”
Taliana nodded, not bothering to protest. She just tried to ignore the fact that it felt almost right.
The walk to Bentley Clarke’s beachfront home took less than five minutes, though it would’ve taken half as long if Michael hadn’t decided to shove Marcus into the water. Marcus got his revenge by tackling his offender into the sand, and the two rolled around for a few moments before laughing it off and helping each other up. Despite those little setbacks, they managed to get to Bentley’s house in one piece.
Upon entering, a sand-covered Michael wasted no time giving them a salute before sauntering toward a group of girls. The other two didn’t stay around for long either, ultimately getting absorbed into the crowd. When Jude’s face popped into view, Taliana knew she would have an excuse to stay away from Sebastian for the rest of the night.
“I’ll see you later,” she mumbled to Sebastian, unable to meet his gaze. Instead, she pulled her hand from his grasp and focused on the boy making his way toward them.
“Hey, wait a second,” Sebastian called, reaching out for her again. “Do you think we can talk now?”
So he could dump her in front of all these people? She didn’t think so.
She pretended not to hear him over the music and moved out of his reach. He was about to repeat himself when Jude finally burst through the crowd, arms wrapping around Taliana’s waist.
“Come dance with me!”
With a forced laugh, Taliana allowed him to pull her further into the throng of people, reveling in the anonymous crush of the crowd. All she wanted to do was forget; forget Sebastian’s words, forget that Blair even existed, and forget that she had once again had her heart shattered without having to lift a finger.
30
Blame It On the Alcohol
Taliana avoided Sebastian for the rest of the night.
Even with all the people at the party, it was harder than it sounded. No matter where she moved in the house, Sebastian appeared, and the chase began anew. There had been a few close calls, times when he’d almost caught up with her, but she somehow managed to escape before he could approach her. After the third incident, she decided it was time to go.
“I’m gonna head back to the house,” she shouted to Jude. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
He nodded. “You want me to come with you?”
Taliana shook her head, not wanting to ruin his night because of her drama. “Stay. Have fun.”
After pressing a kiss to his flushed cheek, she made her way through the packed room, constantly checking over her shoulder. Luckily, Sebastian was nowhere in sight, and she walked outside with little trouble.
The cool night air was refreshing, and she took in a few deep breaths, slowly moving down to the beach. The full moon illuminated the darkness enough that she could see where she was going as she started back toward the Phillips’ house, enjoying the soft sound of the waves. It was so calm and peaceful that it was hard to believe there was a party in full swing not a hundred feet away.
Taliana was relieved to find that no one had locked the sliding door to the house, allowing her to slip inside and head to her bedroom. The house was huge and maze-like, and it was nearly impossible for her to find her way in the dark. After a bit of searching, Taliana was almost sure she’d reached the correct hallway, but the figure lingering outside the door made her think twice.
She wanted to run in the opposite direction when she realized who it was, but her feet wouldn’t listen. Instead, she found herself moving closer, not because she wanted to talk to Sebastian, but because she wanted to rush inside her room and hide until it was time to go back home.
“Enjoy the party?” he asked as Taliana approached, not bothering to push off from the wall he was leaning against. “I didn’t see much of you tonight.”
That’s because I was avoiding you, dipshit.
“Oh, I was with Jude,” she answered easily. “You know how he is. Can’t stay in one place for long, has to socialize with everyone.”
Sebastian made a noncommittal noise, but Taliana knew he didn’t believe that was the reason they hadn’t seen much of each other.
“Talia, we need to talk.”
That much was obvious, but it still didn’t mean she wanted to. “Can’t it wait?” Taliana sighed, putting her hand to the door. “I’m exhausted.”
He shook his head and finally straightened, as if he were steeling himself. “No, we need to do this before it goes any further.”
“Just tell me in the morning,” she insisted, trying hard to ignore the way her voice cracked.
“I’m serious, I-“
This wasn’t happening tonight. It couldn’t. “Goodnight, Sebastian.”
With those parting words, she ducked her head and entered the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She locked it for good measure, though she was almost positive he wouldn’t follow.
He didn’t.
* * *
The next day was more of the same.
To escape having to face Sebastian, Taliana spent her day shopping with Jude. While that was torture in itself, it was still a hell of a lot better than the alternative of hearing what his cousin had to say. She wasn’t sure she would ever be ready to hear his excuses for going back to Blair.