Page 64 of Little Do You Know

“I need a breather; it’s getting warm in here,” I stammer, using the arm of the couch to pull myself up onto unsteady feet.

“Thalia—” Sebastian tries to say, but I ignore him, pushing through people until I’m outside the front door. The cool air is so drastically different from the weather at the beach. It feels like today’s trip was a world away.

Oh my god. Sebastian has kissed Vera before. Why the hell would he not mention this?

I trip over a crack in the flooring outside the apartment, and a pair of familiar arms catch mine to help steady me. “Leave me alone,” I snap, shoving him away.

“Thalia, please listen,” Sebastian pleads, and I whirl around. I probably shouldn’t do that quickly; my head is spinning.

“Listen to what? You explain how tonight isn’t the first time you’ve kissed Vera?” I demand, and his face pales. His gaze drops to the ground, and my stomach sinks. “Did you fuck her?” I ask bluntly, except I already know the answer based on the way he’s acting now. I just need to hear him say it. “Did you have sex with Vera?”

“Love, it meant nothing—”

I cut Bash off, refusing to hear anything more. “You don’t get to call me that. I’m not love or little Lia. Did you seriously think I wouldn’t find out you screwed my childhood best friend? Fuck you.”

He’s silent, and I think I broke him for a second. I feel like I’m going to be sick, and I want nothing more than to be alone right now.

He drags his hands through his hair. “I was going to tell you. I tried—”

“Obviously not very hard!” I yell, and his face falls.

“It was a mistake. I was—”

“Drunk? Or were you being the most charming asshole ever to get her to sleep with you? Not that I think it’d take much convincing. You—I can’t believe you!” I attempt to walk away again, except I’m pretty shaky at the moment. I kick my heels off angrily, not caring where they end up. I’m not sure who I’m more angry with. Sebastian or myself for letting him in. I feel stupid, and I want him to go.

“You’re in no shape to be going anywhere. Please, let’s go back inside.”

I laugh bitterly because Sebastian has some nerve right now. “You don’t tell me what to do. Bash, whatever there is between us…forget it ever happened. Better yet, you could even say this was a mistake too.” That might be the biggest lie I’ve ever told, but I have felt so comfortable with him. I had no idea that Vera got to him first. It’s not even that she got to him first; he didn’t tell me about it.

“I’m aware I can’t tell you what to do, but you could get hurt if you leave. That’s the last thing I want. You’re drunk, and we need to talk when you’re sober. Please stay.” He’s reaching for my hand again, and I shake him off.

“You already hurt me, Sebastian. Congratulations! I feel so stupid because I thought there was something here. But who are we kidding? This was never going to work.” And how could it? This all started with a simple desire to have sex with each other. It wasn’t supposed to get this far.

Sebastian has the nerve to look torn, as if he didn’t make this bed in the first place. “There is something here. We can work. I don’t take just anyone to see my grandma, but I took you. I’ve never bought flowers for a girl, but I bought them for you. I have shown you parts of myself I have never felt comfortable sharing. You mean so much to me in such a short amount of time that it scares the living shit out of me. I don’t want to go back to how things were before. Please don’t be another almost in my life. There’s been too many already.”

I don’t care that there’s tears streaming down my cheeks. As drunk as I am, I choose my words carefully, making sure the venom in them is enough to hurt. “Except I am another almost. You almost made me fall for you. This was all a mistake. We are a mistake.”

Poof.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Sebastian

I’VE ROYALLY FUCKED up, and I know it.

I want to go after her to try to explain, but she made it clear that I’m not the person she wants right now. Picturing her with her mascara running down her face makes me sick because I’m the one who caused it. I should have told her last week. Or when I got back from New York. Or any time before she could hear what Vera said.

I need to find Penelope or Owen. She doesn’t want me, fine. I’m not letting her walk around at night drunk by herself. If I’m fast enough, either one can catch her.

Vera’s waiting for me at the door, and I don’t have it in me to play her game tonight. “So, where’s the girl you’re dating? I want to meet her.”

“Drop it, Vera,” I warn, trying to get around her, but she puts her hand on my chest to stop me.

“She’s playing you like a fucking fiddle, and you’re falling for it just like everyone else does.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Her dark eyes narrow at me. “Really? It seems to me that she has you exactly where she wants, pathetically picking up the breadcrumbs she’s willing to toss you when it’s convenient for her.”

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