Page 58 of Little Do You Know

I nod, and my confirmation appears to delight her. “Sebastian’s grandfather used to get me flowers all the time, even on the days where nothing happened. Those were always my favorite ones. His father continued the tradition after meeting his mother. Flowers are a big deal in our family, so it means you’re special.”

My cheeks flush because of her words, but my smile is wide.

Mimi asks questions for a while, which we answer, giving her a PG version of how we got together.

Then, the mood instantly changes as she pauses mid-sentence, blinking a few times. A dazed expression appears on her face. “I’m sorry. I uhm…forgot what I was saying.”

“Mimi? Are you okay?” Sebastian asks, worry lacing his tone. I hold my breath for a second because, up until now, I assumed that she could not take care of herself. She’s looking at Sebastian as if she doesn’t recognize him.

Mimi laughs and shakes her head. “Of course, Mark. You worry too much. I’m the parent, and you’re the child. You’re not supposed to worry about me; it’s intended to be the other way around.”

I watch the light in Sebastian’s eyes dim. “It’s Bash, Mimi. Not Mark.”

She looks confused and turns to me for help but is immediately taken aback by the sight of me. “You’re not Carly. Mark, who is this girl?”

“It’s okay. This is Thalia, and I’m Sebastian. Everything’s okay.” Bash tries to soothe her, but she can’t stop staring in horror at me.

“I swear, if you broke up with Carly for blondie over here, you need to go and beg her to take you back.” I suck in a sharp breath because that hurts, but I’m not sure she knows who I am.What is going on here?

“Please listen—” Sebastian tries to reach for her, and she slaps his hand away.

“I don’t want excuses. Your father is going to be so disappointed in you. We love Carly, and I can’t believe you’d try bringing some other girl home that will never measure up to her. Whatever you did, take flowers and apologize,” she cries, tears shining in her eyes.

His face has completely changed as he nods, mustering a smile. “Okay. I’ll take her flowers and apologize. Carly will come with me next time. I’ll get her back, I promise.”

His insistence brings Mimi relief, and she sinks back into her seat, touching a hand to her forehead. “Good. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I don’t mean to be rude, but you are so good together. It would break my heart if you let her go without fighting for her.”

I swallow my feelings because this isn’t about me. Bash looks so defeated, but I finally understand what Owen meant when he said Sebastian is going through a lot.I thought he was insinuating the pressure football puts on Sebastian, but Owen was talking about Mimi.

What I don’t understand is how Owen could keep this a secret. I mean, we’ve known Mimi our entire lives. I remember when Bash’s grandpa died. It was the summer before my junior year of high school, after Sebastian and Owen committed to Duke. It affected everyone differently, but Sebastian has never been the same. I don’t know how to explain it, but it looked like he started carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders afterward.

“I’ll bring Carly next time I come,” Sebastian reiterates, leaning down to hug Mimi. I’m glad she lets him this time instead of pushing him away. Her face is disappointed when she looks at me, which breaks my heart. Not once in eighteen years has Mimi looked at me the way she is now. I know I can’t take it personally; it’s not her fault she doesn’t remember me. I don’t understand who Carly is, but I won’t risk further upsetting her.

Sebastian waits until after we’ve rounded the corner before pulling me into a hug. I can feel him shake against me, and I wrap my arms tightly around him. “Are you okay?” he asks me, and I pull back to look at him.

I make a point of saying his name because I think he might need to hear that he is still himself and not the person that Mimi believes he is. “Bash, you seriously should not be asking me that right now. Are you okay?”

The hurt on his face is evident, and he looks defeated. “I’ll be fine. I need to find Molly or Cameron to let them know she was lucid for a bit. Do you mind starting the car while I do that?”

I nod, taking the keys when he offers them to me. I smile politely at everyone when I make eye contact, but I can’t wait to get to the car. I should have connected more dots, but it was nice being blissfully ignorant initially. I’m barely past the front doors before I can feel tears start to slip down my cheeks.

Mimi is someone I’ve always looked up to, and to see her the way she was during the last part of the visit was hard. How long has Bash been dealing with this? He doesn’t have anyone else. I mean, it was always Sebastian and his grandparents. Mimi is still physically here, but not really.

I cover my mouth with my hand, trying to smother the sounds of my sobs as I fumble with the keys. That was so hard, and I had no idea he was going through all that. I’ve been such a bitch to him.

One minute. You have one minute to cry before you have to pull yourself together. When Bash comes out, I need to be ready to have whatever kind of conversation he wants. Or, if he wants to sit in silence, that’s okay too. I need to be prepared, and I can’t be if I’m sitting here crying so Sebastian feels like he has to take care of me.

I can’t imagine everything he’s going through. I thought he was quiet on the way here because of what I told him last night, but now I understand it was because he didn’t know how today would go. There wasn’t a way for him to warn me of what to expect.

I have four minutes to clean my mascara before Sebastian exits the building, and I see him walk toward the car.

He slides into the car, taking a quick look at me to gauge what I’m thinking. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what kind of mood she’d be in today. Normally, I can keep her calm.”

Sebastian averts his eyes, and I reach out to rest my hand on his leg. “How long has Mimi been like this?”

“I noticed sophomore year that Mimi was starting to lose track of things; she was just a little forgetful. I didn’t think anything of it, but a few weeks into junior year, I got a call from the police saying they found her wandering around. We got the diagnosis a week later: Alzheimer’s. It got pretty bad over this past summer.”

He entwines our hands, squeezing briefly. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.” I whisper, the severity of the situation dawning on me. He’s been dealing with all of this, and all I did was make his life harder.

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