Page 33 of Please Save Me

“Good boy.” He cooed. “And while she’s okay with it in small doses, she’s playing to sold-out stadiums with tens of thousands of people all screaming her name. How do you think that feels?”

That’s all it took for the weight of Mason’s struggle to become all too real. “Overwhelming.”

Sebastian nodded. “Now, on top of that, add in the interviews, music videos, and social media. Because of all of that, Mason has mastered the art of appearingnormal.” He added air quotes around normal. “But, behind closed doors, she still has meltdowns that result in her crying uncontrollably and pulling her hair.”

“If that got out, she’d be ridiculed for something she can’t control.”

“Now you’re getting it,” he complimented. “Mason once told me that her meltdowns feel like she’s actually drowning. Her brain goes into emergency mode, and she’s overwhelmed by literally every sensation in the world. Everything is brighter and louder; even smells are stronger, and it feels like everything around her is just crumbling. But, somehow, she holds everything in until she’s in a safe spot.”

I looked down at the angel sleeping between us and swept her hair behind her ear. “I had no idea.”

“And that’s exactly how she wants it.”

Guilt gnawed at me as I realized just how little I knew about the woman I loved. It’s possible that she’d been suffering for her entire time here and never told me. God, I had to be the world’s worst partner.

“Now, if we’re done with this conversation, can I go to sleep?” His lisp was really starting to bug me.

“Why are you talking like that?”

Sebastian’s brows knit together.

“Like what?” His words were heavily laced with annoyance.

“The lisp.” I clarified. “Normally, when you speak, it’s really clear.”

Sebastian’s jaw clenched as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “If you must know, I have a retainer. I had braces as a teenager, and I still need to wear it at night.”

“Teenager, like early teens or just a few years ago?”

Sebastian was only twenty-three, and for all I knew, he could have been nineteen when he got his braces off.

“Teenager, as in it’s none of your business,” he spat.

I raised a hand in mock surrender. Sebastian shot me one last glare before closing his eyes. I had a feeling that even if I talked to him, he wouldn’t talk back. So, instead of wasting my time, I closed my eyes and snuggled close to Mason. Hopefully, this night would go fast, we’d wake up early, and I could pretend tonight never happened.

Chapter 10

Sophia

I loved waking up early. It meant I got to watch the sunrise and enjoy a few moments to myself before the chaos of the day started. What I didn’t love was when I woke up with not one buttwotoddlers in the bed.

I cared about Jasper and Juniper like they were my flesh and blood, but I had a Wyoming king-size bed, and somehow, I was being pushed off the side of it. No human that small needs that much space. But here we were, Jasper’s foot in my side, and Juniper snuggled up with her dad. But Lucian was much harder to move than I was.

Ugh, I didn’t even make these kids, andIwas the one suffering. How was that fair?

But that’s when I realized I didn’t need to take this. I had a boyfriend and a girlfriend downstairs that I could join. Cameron may snore, and Mason may not respect personal space, but neither of them pushed me out of bed.

With that in mind, I headed downstairs, fully prepared to join them in Cameron’s bed. But the second I got to Cameron’s door, what I saw stopped me in my tracks.

A puddle of people wasn’t a strange sight for me. Humans like to be touched, and it’s biologically normal. But, normally, when I saw a cuddle orgy, it wasMason, Cameron, and Lucian. While two of the three people were correct, they had the completely wrong Castillo in that bed.

I gasped as I covered my mouth.

Was this an option? I could have been with Sebastian too? Why didn’t anyone tell me!

Mason lay between the two boys, her head on Sebastian’s chest, while Cameron held her close with one arm. One of her hands was on top of his, and the other rested under her head. Just above Mason, Cameron had his hand open and his palm up, and Sebastian’s fingers were resting on his.

Out of everyone in the house, I expected Sebastian to sleep with Cameron the least. Lucian was iffy but deep, deep,deepdown, I knew they loved each other in a way only siblings could. Sure, they both pretended to hate each other, but they were the only ones allowed to speak negatively of the other. I remember when we were all kids, Lucian broke my younger brother’s nose for calling Sebby a creep.

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