Page 58 of Time After Time
As our laughter died down, I took a breath and said, “I might not be able to hang out tomorrow.” I forced a small smile, a little sadness behind it. “I need to start looking online for decorations we can get.”
Sebastian nodded, his expression encouraging. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Some of my best birthdays were the ones you organised.” Whether or not that was entirely true didn’t matter; his words warmed my heart and sent a flutter through my chest.
“And don’t worry about tomorrow,” he added, lowering his voice dramatically, as if sharing a secret. “It’s men’s day.” His tone made me chuckle again. “Rob and your dad want to go fishing.” Even though Sebastian wasn’t the biggest fan of fishing, he always made the effort to join them, knowing how much it meant to both of them.
Chapter 18
Sebastian
The calm before the storm is always deceiving.
The water was flat, stretching out in front of us in every direction, like a giant mirror reflecting the sky, and I was gripping the throttle too tight. This was supposed to be relaxing. This was supposed to be fun, just a simple fishing trip with Michael and Robert. No pressure. Just some time on the water. But I couldn’t seem to shake this feeling crawling up my spine. Something was off. Something was telling me to throw myself off this boat and swim back to the coast if I had to.
Maybe it was because Gen wasn’t here.
It’s stupid, I know. They’re fine. Sylvie’s the best driver I know, but still, the thought of them on the road heading to a city so far away makes me uneasy.
Sylvie had insisted on dragging Gen to that last-minute car convention, and they’d invited Aria, hoping she would get some fresh air instead of being cooped up in her grandparents’ house all day. They were looking out for her like they always did with the people they loved and cared for.
Although Gen had wanted to stay home. She had this huge list of things to get ready for the summer festival, and I knewshe wasn’t thrilled about the trip. She only went because Sylvie practically begged her, and Gen would do anything for her sister, especially knowing how important it was for her to go to these car conventions.
I could imagine her now, probably sitting in the passenger’s seat, worrying about what still needed to be done before the festival starts next week.
Me
Be careful, okay? Let me know when you arrive. I’ll answer as soon as I’m off the boat.
That was the first thing I did this morning—sent her that text before I even got out of bed. I hadn’t heard back yet, but they probably left early.
“You good, kid?” Michael’s voice cut through the sound of the boat engine. I snapped my head in his direction, finding him sitting at the front, sipping from his thermos. One hand lazily resting on the fishing rod while his concerned gaze roamed my face and the tension forming on my shoulders. “You are looking a bit pale.”
His words made Robert turn around to face me, a similar expression on his face as he studied me, unconsciously standing from his chair and letting his fishing rod fall to the ground as he stepped closer towards me. “You do look pale.” His hand immediately went to my forehead as if I were a kid waking in the middle of the night, telling my mum I was feeling sick and waiting for her to cuddle me in her bed. “You want us to turn back? I’m sure Michael wouldn’t mind.” His voice came out as a whisper, as if he was scared that being louder would make me run away or shock me. “He will understand.”
Say yes, Sebastian.Say yes.
A brittle laugh escaped my lips, but my fingers curled into fists, my chest tightening as if a vice were closing around it. “I’m good. Just… trying to get us to a good spot.”
“Do that, kid. I’m going to out-fish you both again,” Michael said, grinning and accepting a water bottle as Robert, after squeezing my shoulder without believing my words, settled on the spot next to him. “Not sure your pride can handle that.”
I laughed, even though my mind was still elsewhere. I knew I should be relaxing, enjoying the day. This was supposed to be a break for me, a chance to get away from all the stress that’s been piling up recently.
The boat hummed softly as I killed the engine, finally slowing to a stop.
Looking down, the water was eerily calm, too calm for my liking, which was different from the sky, which looked like it was thinking about raining but couldn’t quite decide. The sun was there, but it hid from time to time under this growing grey-ish cloud.
“We’re here,” I announced, more to myself than to them as I walked to the front, grabbing my fishing rod.
Michael leaned back, casting his line with the kind of ease that only comes with years of doing this over and over again. He was a natural at this, at being out here. I wished I could relax like him. “Is this what you needed? A little time away from the kitchen?”
“Yeah, this is perfect,” I said, even though I didn’t fully believe it. I needed to stop worrying. Gen was safe. Aria had probably got them both laughing, and Sylvie was definitely talking their ears off about cars. They were fine.
Robert, sitting on my left, kept quiet. He didn’t ask anything related to the internship because he knew. He knew that, even though I’ve always dreamt of it... that from a young age I claimed I would fight and work as hard as I could, even if my legsand arms gave out to get in… Well, lately, while still passionate about it and wanting to experience that and become what I’ve always dreamt of… all thoughts about this opportunity came accompanied by a knot in my throat and I was starting to hate being asked about it.
“Just don’t forget about us when you’re a famous baker running your own place.”
I rolled my eyes, but the pressure was there, lodged deep in my chest. I didn’t want to fail, not after everything. But even more, I didn’t want to let anyone down. I didn’t want to let Gen down, and for the first time in a very long time, I didn’t want to let young Sebastian down.
I dragged a hand over my face, inhaling deeply, trying to shake the weight pressing against my ribs.
