Henley
"Alright, you're all set, Henley," my college advisor said. "Does it feel good to change from undeclared to a business student?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, trying not to smile. Honestly, it did. It'd been stressful not knowing what I wanted to do. And now that I had a plan, I felt a little more motivated and wanted to see how far I could take it.
Not to mention eventually, it could help Bennett out. It was like two birds with one stone. I didn't feel so lost, and Bennett could rely on me at some point. And this way, I could eventually feel more even in our relationship with him. Maybe the higher I rose up at the company, the more money I would make and the more stability I'd feel. Then I'd never have to feel too reliant on Bennett again. It would just be... normal.
Maybe he'd still be my boss, but also, maybe I could raise to a position where even if we broke up, he couldn't fire me just for that.
Not that we would break up.
"There's nothing wrong with being undeclared," my advisor said quickly, misconstruing my silence. "There are some people who don't know what they want to do even in their thirties. Everyone moves at a different pace."
"Oh, no, I feel better," I responded. "I was afraid I'd be taking humanities classes for years."
She smiled at me. "That's okay, too."
I glanced at the clock on her desk, realizing our block had gone a little over. "Thanks for your help! I'll get going now."
"Any time!"
I made my way out of the office and into the hallway where Ariana was waiting for me. "All set?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yup. My schedule for next semester is all set."
"Mine, too," she said, biting her lip. "I can't believe I'm going to be so far away."
"You'll be fine," I said, bumping her hip with mine.
"I feel bad leaving when you're dealing with so much."
Hooking my arm through hers, we headed out of the building together, joining the other students milling about in the courtyard. "Why is that something you need to feel bad about?"
"Because I'm your friend, and I should be here for you."
"You can still be there for me in Spain."
She pursed her lips at me. "A phone call is not as good as being in person if you need to be comforted."
I cringed. "I don't need to be comforted."
"Right, right. You're Henley. You hate affection."
"Not true. I like some affection, and depending on the situation," I corrected. "Aren't we hooked at the arms right now?"
"I know you only did that to comfort me." She sighed. "Should I just stay?"
"No," I said firmly. "You're going to go. It's going to be a great experience!"
Her shoulders slumped. "Yeah. I know."
"It's normal to feel anxious, Ariana. But it's not forever. Unless you love it there and don't want to come back."
"I doubt that'll happen," she said. "But I am excited about the internship. Maybe if they like me I can convince them to hire me at a U.S. branch."
"There you go. We're not far from the city."
She nodded to herself. "Right? I was thinking that. Or maybe I could be like an ambassador for the Spanish publisher here in the U.S. or something, or work on translations."
"It's what? Ten weeks?"
"Mhm."
"That's not long at all. You'll get there and have so much fun the time will fly by."
She let her head fall back, groaning. "I know. I just hate that I feel like everything will change."
As we approached the parking lot of the school, I searched around for Sebastian's car. We were supposed to get lunch together. And when I spotted him, I nearly stopped in my tracks, seeing flowers in his hand. My heart thudded in my chest at the sight, and I had to force myself to calm down. They were just flowers.
But I hated how that damn guy had ruined something as innocent as flowers for me. I regretted not beating him up more with the windshield wiper. If I ever got the chance again...
I stopped myself. No. I didn't want that. Even if revenge would feel sweet, it was best that stalker was out of my life. The threat of police had seemed to work. Nothing had been out of the ordinary in the past few days. I was starting to feel normal again at work and not feel the need to glance over my shoulder every five seconds.
Ariana slipped her arm out from mine and quickened her step to reach Sebastian first. "Where did you get those flowers?"
"I saw them for sale on the road on the way here and decided to stop and buy some," he said, trying to sound casual, but I could see the slightest red tint of his cheeks.
My eyebrows rose. Was Sebastian trying to make moves? Here? In a college parking lot?
"Here," he said, handing Ariana the flowers.
"What? None for Henley?" Ariana replied teasingly.
Sebastian's face turned redder, and I grinned. "Yeah, Sebastian, what the hell?"
"That's..."
"He probably thinks Bennett would get jealous of him," Ariana pointed out. "Sorry, Henley."
"Oh, you're so smart, Sebastian," I said, playing along as I caught up to them. "Must be that lawyer brain."
Sebastian's blush grew even deeper, which was a little odd. He usually could ignore our teasing after the first few seconds. It made me look at him a little closer. He was dressed nicer than usualâ which was saying something because Sebastian usually dressed well. He wore slacks with a button-down shirt tucked in at the waist, shiny shoes, and I swear he even had gel in his hair.
"You're a bit overdressed for lunch," I said, curious about his response.
He cleared his throat. "Yes, but I just came from renewing my passport."
Ariana and I exchanged glances before turning our attention back to him. "Going somewhere?" I asked.
Sebastian avoided both our inquiring looks as he pulled something out of his back pocket. "Yes." He handed it over to Ariana.
Frowning, Ariana handed me the flowers so she could take the paper from Sebastian. I felt my stomach roll out the scent of them, but I didn't react outwardly. I had to get over it. "What's that?" I asked Ariana, shifting the flowers to my side.
Ariana's mouth fell open as she stared at the paper and then back up to Sebastian. "Wait, what? What is this?"
"You didn't read it?"
"I meanâ I didâ but..." she trailed off, looking down at the paper again.
"What is it?" I asked again, curiosity building.
Ariana handed me the paper without saying a word, and I struggled to open it with the flowers in my other hand, but when I did, I realized it was a flight ticket. I didn't even need to read it to know where the destination was. I didn't even feel surprised. In fact, I felt oddly proud that I'd predicted Sebastian would follow Ariana to Spain.
"You little scoundrel," I started, ready to tease Sebastian again, but stopped when I heard sniffling.
"Are you crying?" Sebastian said, shock lacing his voice as he stared at Ariana. "Why? I thought you'd be happy."
Her gaze stayed on the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks, hands clenched at her side. She didn't speak, and I gestured with my head for Sebastian to do something. Panic crossed his face for a moment before he stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest.
I glanced back down at the paper and realized he'd be staying there for three weeks. Nearly half the time she'd be there. Crazy. I didn't know many people who could just take three-week countries to another country with little planning...
I shook the thought from my mind. Sebastian had the luxury.
"Don't cry," Sebastian said, cupping the back of Ariana's head. "Do you not want me to go? I can cancel the flights."
"No," she mumbled into his chest, voice swollen with tears.
"Then why are you crying?"
"I was so anxious, and now I feel so relieved," she said, sniffling again.
"I was hoping you might feel a bit better if you had someone visit you," Sebastian said, rocking her a little bit. "But I was afraid of overstepping."
"You're not," she said instantly.
Sebastian smiled a little, pushing her back. She blinked at him with puffy eyes. He lifted one of his hands and wiped away her tears. "Your makeup is running."
She immediately stopped sniffling. "What? Really? Oh, no. We have to go to lunch."
He thumbed under her eye, trying to get the streaks away. "You still look pretty."
I resisted the urge to cringe again. Was this what it was like when Bennett and I flirted in front of others? I almost shuddered. Happy for them but... awkward.
"Brandon's going to be so jealous," I said, just to break up their moment since people did that to Bennett and I a lot.
"Oh, actually, he's coming, too."
I did a double take at him as Ariana froze. "What?" we said together.
Sebastian wiped at Ariana's eyes again, and she finally batted him away, dragging her fingertips over her skin to get the rest of the makeup off. "Well, I figured he might feel left out, and Ariana and Brandon have known each other longer, so Ariana might feel more comfortable if he went too..."
"...Does he know he's going?" I asked, remembering how Bennett sprung a surprise trip on me once.
"Bennett knows," Sebastian said hesitatingly. "I got him to give special vacation time to Brandon. For being such a hard worker, you know."
"Brandon is going to freak," Ariana said, her hand going to her mouth. "I can't believe this."
"Is it too much?"
Apparently finished with her cry, Ariana shook her head viciously, grabbing Sebastian's hands in hers. "No! This is amazing!"
Sebastian grinned, swinging their entwined hands a little. "Good. I would have brought Henley, too, but figured a six-hour flight would be too much for her."
"You got that right," I said. "Sorry, Ariana."
"It's fine," she said, a little too quickly for my liking. "We should think of places we want to visit! I had some places in mind but was too scared to go off alone, but now that you and Brandon are coming, we can do them together!"
"Of course. We can go wherever you want."
"I'm sure there are lots of things you and Brandon can do while I'm at work, too."
"I'm sure."
"Make sure you book a hotel near where I'm staying!"
"Give me the location, and it's a done deal," Sebastian told her.
"Where's Brandon? He should join us for lunch!" Ariana said, turning to me. "Is he working?"
I shrugged. "No idea. Maybe? If he is, he might be able to take a lunch break if we eat near the office."
"Let's ask him," Sebastian said. "Then we can surprise him about the trip together."
"We should! I'll call him!" Ariana said, pulling out her phone. "You two decide what's the best place near his work."
I shifted the flowers in my grasp, trying to move them further away, so I didn't have to smell them, and Sebastian seemed to notice my discomfort because he took them from me. "I am sorry I didn't invite you," he told me.
"I wouldn't have gone, Sebastian," I said honestly. "I hate flying. I'm really happy you two can go, though. Ariana seems so much happier already."
A soft smile crossed Sebastian's face as he glanced at her talking happily to Brandon on the phone, walking away from us. "Yeah."
"For a second, I thought you were here to confess your feelings."
His eyes widened as his attention returned to me. "What?"
"Because of the flowers and how dressed up you are."
"Like this? Here?" He almost looked offended. "That's not how I plan to do it at allâ" He shut his mouth immediately, but it was too late.
I smirked. "Plan?"
He sent a nervous look in Ariana's direction. "Let's not talk about this here."
"You're going to end your and Brandon's rivalry?"
"Not exactly," he muttered. "The decision will always remain Ariana's."
"And if she doesn't make one?"
"Then we move on."
I folded my arms over my chest. "That seems fair. Rather than the three of you staying up in the air forever."
"Yes," Sebastian agreed. "I won't wait forever, but I would also never pressure her. I just plan to lay my feelings out clear and see what happens from there."
"And this will happen in Spain...?"
"How did you know?"
"I mean, Bennett took me to Hawaii."
Sebastian laughed. "That's true."
"Would you be fine if Ariana chose Brandon?"
"Of course," he said.
"Would you still continue to be friends?"
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "What kind of person do you think I am, Henley? I cherish Brandon's friendship just as much as I cherish Ariana's."
"Cherish is not a word I'd use in a sentence alongside Brandon's name."
He laughed as Ariana came back over to us, giving us a thumb's up. "Brandon's down! I told him we'd meet him at the office. Want to ask Bennett?"
"He's really busy," I said, but still took out my phone to text him. "Everyone's preparing for Lee's departure."
We call climbed into Sebastian's car, and I let Ariana have the front seat. "It must be hectic there," Ariana said as she put on her seatbelt.
"It is. I hope they can find a replacement quickly."
Sebastian started the car, adjusting the rearview mirror. "Has Bennett asked his father?"
"Huh?"
"He used to run the company with Bennett's mom. He has the experience. Maybe he could help him out?"
"I..." I hesitated. Would that even be possible? "I'm not sure their relationship is close enough for that."
"Relationships are one thing, but business is another," Sebastian said simply. "If I were Bennett, I'd consider it worth having a conversation about."
"Maybe I can bring that up to him," I said but didn't feel very sure about the idea. Things were still unstable between them. Elliot wasn't high on Bennett's priority list.
But... it didn't sound like an awful idea.
Author's Note:
Sorry for the short, short chapter!! I will update soon to make up for it!!! Promise!