Page 14 of Stay for Me
“Mel!” Sebastian whines. “I hate you!”
Her lips are moving, but all I can hear is, “Wha ba ha ooh.”
Have kids they say . . .
“Please, can we not fight tonight?” I ask with a huff.
“Sorry,” Sebastian says and then crawls up next to me, wrapping his arm around mine. “Can we watch a movie?”
“It’s not Wednesday, stupid.”
I cut in before this gets out of hand. “No, it’s not. It’s Friday, but sometimes, you need two movies in a week.”
She shrugs and shovels another heap into her mouth.
“So, we can?” Sebastian asks excitedly.
Just the idea of it makes my head ache, but it’ll keep them quiet. “What movie?”
He tilts his head as though I’m a total idiot for asking. Of course, he wants to watch the new Jacob Arrowood movie for the ninetieth time.
As much as I don’t want to, there’s a part of me that wants to see his face again. I wonder if, now that I’ve met him, the green in his eyes will be as vibrant on screen as it is in person or if his smile is the same.
“Put it on.” I find myself saying without really thinking more on why I reply that way.
“Yes!”
“This counts as his Wednesday movie choice!” Melanie says as she gets to her feet. “We aren’t watching this again in a few days. It’s Mom’s choice.”
“Fine,” Sebastian agrees quickly.
And why wouldn’t he? We are watching his movie no matter what.
“Jacob Arrowood is the best Navigator ever. He has that look when he’s ready to save everyone that makes it so no one can help but believe him. I bet he’s a real-life hero who is nice and does things for people because he can. I bet he can really fly a plane, just like Dad did.”
I doubt it, but I’m not about to burst his bubble. He isn’t wrong about being a nice guy. Jacob was nothing like I expected. He was kind, ridiculously attractive, and made me feel a little sense of peace. Since meeting him a week ago, I haven’t been able to get him out of my mind.
It also doesn’t help that Cybil put these thoughts in my head about being wanted.
He's probably complicated, and I have enough of that to last me a lifetime.
The movie cues up, and Sebastian’s joy is palpable. I wish I could be like that.
Grief doesn’t work on anyone’s timeline. Some days are so hard that I feel as though I’m drowning while other days are easy. There are times I can think of Luke without a single ounce of sadness. I imagine him so vividly, smiling at us as we’re trying to unload the groceries in one trip, our fingers losing circulation as we load up because multiple trips are unnecessary. I can close my eyes and hear his deep voice telling me he loves me and he’ll always return to me.
Oh, how that was a lie.
The opening scene comes on, and Sebastian starts in with all the reasons Jacob is worthy of an Oscar. “He knows all the right turns and angles to make sure he takes down the terrorist who is trying to destroy the city without hurting the civilians.”
Melanie huffs and goes to the other couch by the window. “Yeah, he’s great.”
“Shut up, Melanie. He is great and you’re just pissed because we’re watching my movie.”
“I’m sure that’s it.”
“You both give me a headache.”
They quiet down for a few minutes.
