hapter 8
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Sebastian invited me over to his place, and I eagerly accepted. What started as a casual hangout soon spiraled into endless cuddling and sweet, clingy moments.
As we cuddled on the couch, Sebastian looked at me and asked, “Yvonne, would you be with
me?”
I gritted my teeth and didn’t say a word.
Later, while we sprawled out on the floor watching a movie, he asked me again, “Yvonne, would you be with me?”
I kept my eyes glued to the screen, refusing to answer.
As we were checking out the bedroom, he asked me again, “Yvonne, would you be with me?”
I turned my head away, about to stay silent once more.
He caught my arm and stepped back a little. “Then give me a month. Stay here with me for a month, and let’s give this a try.”
Suddenly, he reached up, grabbed my arm, and started tickling my side.
I tried to wriggle away, but there was no escape. I laughed until I cried, and then, somehow, the laughter turned into real tears. My voice was choked with emotion as I said, “Okay… I
will.”
Sebastian let out a long, contented sigh and wrapped me up in a deep hug.
I checked in with work and turned my week–long break into a whole month.
Working at a new media company meant the hours were pretty chill.
As long as I cranked out one finance column a week, they were cool with it.
A month later, I was honestly so grateful to Sebastian for not taking no for an answer and giving us this chance.
Spending that month with him, I realized I never knew love could be so chill, so fun, and so genuinely joyful.
Even at the sweetest times with Zackery, I never felt this safe and at peace.
Sebastian took me out exploring, we munched on street food, stayed up late drinking beer and sharing stories from our school days.
With him, I felt like a dried–up lake suddenly stirred back to life, rippling with new energy
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Chapter 8
and hope.
He made me realize I was worthy of a love that came effortlessly.
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He showed me I could finally let my guard down and just bask in being cared for and adored.
I didn’t have to worry about him suddenly getting mad or throwing a tantrum, and I didn’t have to fuss over his daily needs.
He always had everything running like clockwork, just like his job.
Sebastian, looking a bit anxious, had once asked me, “Yvonne, are you happy with me? Is there anything I’m not doing right?”
I was honest with him.
What we had wasn’t just the rush and excitement of romance. It was also the easy, relaxed vibe I got with a true friend.
For the first time, I understood what it felt like to be genuinely cherished by real, honest love.
It was nothing like that controlling, selfish kind of love that was all about possession and dominance.
For the first time, I got what it really meant for a couple to just be themselves—no pretending, no masks, just us being real.
Sometimes I’d act a little spoiled, just for fun.
I teased Sebastian, “You’re way too awesome. Spill the beans about your exes. No way someone like you has been flying solo all this time.”
Sebastian let out a long sigh. “Yeah, I did date someone, right after we graduated. Back then, I really thought things were over between us, so I tried to move on.
“But once, I went to Shanievlle on a business trip with her, and we decided to make it a mini- vacation. And that’s when I ran into you.”
He tightened his arms around me, holding me just a bit closer.
“That night, we were about to go into our hotel room when I saw you–completely drunk- being dragged off by some older man into the room next door,” Sebastian said.
“I was panicking, but with my girlfriend right there, I couldn’t risk causing trouble by interfering.
“So I quickly called Leila. Luckily, I still had her number and she hadn’t changed it.
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Chapter 8
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“Before she got there, I kept sending things to your room under your name, just so the hotel staff would keep knocking on your door until Leila arrived to get you out of there.”
Sebastian let out a long sigh and planted a gentle kiss on my forehead, his eyes filled with tenderness as he told the story.
The truth hit me hard.
Leila had always been vague about how she knew I was almost in trouble that night, or how she managed to find me right when I needed help.
Whenever I really pushed her, she’d just say I must’ve called her myself, that I was probably too drunk to remember.
But when I checked my call history later, I saw I’d never called her at all.
I held Sebastian tightly, pressing my face against his chest as tears fell uncontrollably, soaking through his shirt.
He kept running his fingers through my hair and softly patting my back. “It’s all over, Yvonne. It’s all behind us now.”
He had a girlfriend back then,,so he asked Leila to keep it a secret and never tell me he was the one who helped me.
That night, he realized he still had feelings for me, and just couldn’t give his heart fully to his
- ex.
He came clean, apologized from the heart, and they parted ways on good terms.
That same night, Leila told him how, for years, I’d been out drinking with Zackery at all those business parties–so much that I ended up with a bleeding stomach and some pretty serious health problems.
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