Page 32 of Please Save Me

The sounds of footsteps in the hallway distracted me from my thoughts. I turned my head slightly to see the light from outside spilling under my door. After a moment, the knob twisted, and Sebastian stepped in.

He carefully shut the door before turning to face me.

“Why are you here?” I whispered.

“Because you havemygirlfriend.” There was a subtle, unexpected lisp as he defended himself. “I’m not leaving a serial killer–”

“Shh!” I warned as Mason stirred. The last thing I needed was for him to plant any seeds in her head.

It was hard to make out because of the darkness, but I was pretty sure Sebastian rolled his eyes at me. He continued to plug a phone charger in near the nightstand closest to Mason. Once that was done, he put the device on the stand and pulled a bottle of water out of his PJ pants before sliding into my bed.

I did my best to ignore his sudden intrusion, but his presence was like aconstantitch in the back of my mind. Sebastian slipped his glasses off and placed them beside his phone and bottle of water before reaching for Mason’s hand and closing his eyes.

I envied just how comfortable he looked. No part of me wanted to share a bed withhim, and for a moment, I debated asking him to leave. But then I remembered Sebastian claimed to know everything about Mason. And while that wasn’t true anymore, seeing as he didn’t even know the name ofmydaughter, if Mason had something going on with her brain, he felt like a good source.

I leaned down to kiss Mason’s cheek. When her eyes stayed closed, and her breathing remained deep and even, I knew she was asleep enough for me to hold a conversation.

“Is Mae autistic?”

Sebastian’s eyes shot open.

“Mae, like the month?” He snorted.

There was that lisp again, what the fuck was that about? Never mind, it ain’t important.

I gestured to Mason. “Is she?”

Sebastian hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering between Mason and me. Eventually, he settled for looking at her. His face went impossibly soft with the type of love you could feel. I had no desire to be the object of his affection, but I could feel the warmth in his stare.

“Yeah, she is.” His admission was barely a whisper.

My heart sank a little, both from the guilt of not believing it and because she had hidden it from me. I was the father of her child. I should be the person she told everything… but it wouldn’t be right for me to demand that of her when I couldn’t do the same.

“Can I know why you’re asking?” Sebastian continued.

I took a deep breath to gather my thoughts before continuing. “Soph told me earlier–”

“And you didn’t believe her, did you?”

I looked down before shaking my head, and Sebastian scoffed. Once again, I considered hitting him. Not hard, just enough to say I did…. Maybe hard.

“Look, as much as I’d love to see you dig your own grave, don’t tell Mason, you know,” he said.

My brow furrowed. “Why not?”

Wouldn’t it be better for her to know I know? When I read into it a little, everything on the internet said things about social difficulties, sensory issues, meltdowns, and a whole bunch of things that sounded easier to deal with if you had someone with you.

“Because she’s embarrassed,” he hissed.

The bitter truth in Sebastian’s words was enough to make my stomach churn. “Why would she be embarrassed?”

“Let me put this in a way that someone as stupid as you can understand: What does Mason do for a job?”

“... She’s a pop star?” Which was something I still had to wrap my head around.

“Exactly. She’s a pop star in an industry that rarely understands or accommodates differences like autism. She’s spent her entire career hiding who she truly is, pretending to be someone she’s not just to fit in.” Irritation crept into his tone. “Plus, Mason struggles with loud noises, and concerts are...?” He motioned for me to finish.

“... Loud?”

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