douze

"B-boyfriend?" Rebekah stuttered. "W-what do you m-mean?"

Finn's eyebrows scrunched together and he stuck his bottom lip out. "Well," he said. "Seb is your friend and he's a boy, isn't he? Doesn't that mean he's your boyfriend?"

Rebekah let out the breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding. A suddenly load seemed to lift off her shoulders as she pressed a shaking hand against her forehead.

"Oh." She blinked a couple of times. "Yeah. I guess he is. But," she added quickly. "Let's not mention the word 'boyfriend' in front of grandma, alright? It can be our little secret."

Finn smiled. "Okay."

Taking a shuddering breath, Rebekah slipped outside. Sebastian was where she had left him- leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest. It took all of two seconds for her to reach him and slide her arm through his. He flinched at the sudden touch but relaxed when he realised who it was.

"Finn wants to say hi," Rebekah murmured, still feeling her heart beat rapidly in the aftermath of her nephew's sudden question. She tugged Sebastian in the right direction and frowned when he didn't budge. His brows were knitted together as he chewed his bottom lip in consternation.

"Beck, do you like me?"

Rebekah froze. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you like me? As more than just a friend?"

"I-" Rebekah felt her voice falter. "Um..." Her tongue suddenly felt like it was twisted into a giant knot and any coherent thought flew from her mind. Of course she liked him as more than a friend, but for some reason, the words wouldn't form on her lips.

"I didn't think the question was multiple choice." Sebastian's voice had suddenly become deceptively quiet. Then he shook his head and cleared his throat. "You know what?" He ran his free hand through his hair repeatedly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I don't know why I'm upset. Your mum got in my head, that's all."

Rebekah frowned. "My mum? She talked to you?"

"Yeah, just now. She told me that she wanted Danny and I to stay away from you. That she didn't believe that guys and girls could be just friends. That she has a plan for you that'll make sure that you don't end up with guys like us- guys that'll break your heart." Sebastian sighed then grinned wearily. "She said other stuff too but that's the gist. Your mum's pretty scary."

Rebekah groaned. "Yeah, she is. Just... just don't let her in your head, alright?" Rebekah knew her mum was just trying to protect her, but at the same time, she wished her mum had talked to her before confronting Sebastian. She hesitated before adding, "And for your information, yes. Yes I do. Like you, I mean. I like you. A lot. Probably more than I should."

Rebekah found the words suddenly flowing with ease. A little too easily, in her opinion.

"Wait. I mean, like, you're really cute and I love your bad jokes and I know we're not dating or anything so this just makes it this super awkward but yeah," Rebekah finished lamely, her cheeks flaming. She narrowed her eyes. "Wait. Why are you smiling?"

Sebastian laughed softly, squeezing her fingers with gentle ease. "I'm just thinking," he murmured. "The things I could do with you."

"What things?" Rebekah wasn't sure if she was more confused or intrigued by Sebastian's cryptic statements.

Sebastian smiled. "I'll tell you later. For now, let's just say hi to your nephew."

*

Rebekah tilted her face towards the sun, feeling its warmth seep through her skin. In the background, she could hear Finn telling Sebastian about the first time he'd met Charky and how the puppy had peed on his shoes.

The two boys were getting along like a house on fire and Rebekah was glad. She hadn't realized how good Sebastian was with kids and watching him in action now... well, it was something special.

He was something special.

"Seb, can I ask you a question?" Finn asked suddenly. Rebekah's eyes widened.

Oh crap.

Sebastian smiled. "Sure."

"Finn..." Rebekah said in a warning tone.

"Is Aunt Beck your girlfriend?"

Rebekah smacked her forehead with her palm.

Sebastian chuckled. "What do you think, Aunt Beck? Are you my girlfriend?"

Rebekah's only response was a squeak of embarrassment as she wished the earth would open up and swallow her.

"Aunt Beck said you're her boyfriend because you're a boy and you're her friend," Finn said. "So if you're her boyfriend, she must be your girlfriend."

Sebastian chuckled. "I like your logic, Finnick."

"Let's talk about something else. Is anyone feeling peckish? Because I'm hungry," Rebekah said abruptly.

"Hi Hungry. I'm Sebastian."

Finn giggled. "Her name isn't Hungry. Her name is Aunt Beck."

"I'm going to the cafeteria. Do you two want anything?" Rebekah resisted the urge to smile at Sebastian's terrible joke.

"I do... but what I want can't be found at the cafeteria," Sebastian quipped. He had a mischievous smile on his face which instantly made Rebekah suspicious.

"Can I have a jelly cup, Aunt Beck?"

Rebekah hesitated. "I'll see what I can do, Finn. But no promises." Rubbing her eyes, she sprang from her seat and walked to the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Darting outside into the hallway, she took several gulps of fresh air before moving to the elevators. Sebastian's flirting with her was something she found hard to get used to and, deep down, she hoped she never would be. She kind of liked the way fireworks seemed to explode when she was around him; not that she'd ever tell him that, of course.

However, she had only gone a few metres before a voice interrupted her.

"Rebekah? Rebekah Lee?"

She turned to see who had said her name and for several long moments, failed to recognise him.

"It's me- Robin. We were in primary school together." The tall man smiled, his eyes wide with recognition. Rebekah stared at him with a puzzled expression before it finally clicked.

"Robin Cho? Oh my goodness!" She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Hi! I'm so sorry for not recognising you earlier!"

The tall man smiled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "Don't worry about it. I'd have been shocked if you had recognised me, to be honest."

Rebekah blinked several times, still attempting to process the fact that one of her childhood friends, who she hadn't seen in ages, was standing right in front of her. They had been really close when they were young, their families having been friends for years. But then Robin's family had moved to a different state and they'd lost touch.

"What're you, um,  doing here, Robin?" she asked finally.

Robin smiled, dark eyes glowing. "I work here. Well, sort of. I'm a medical student and I was attached to this hospital."

"You're a doctor? That's amazing!"

He smiled. "I'm trying to be a doctor. Just a few more years."

There was something innately charming about his self deprecating tone and boyish looks that Rebekah found herself liking. He certainly looked extremely different from the short and slightly chubby boy that she'd known as a kid. The man before her now was slender with dark brown eyes that looked almost black and a dimple in his left cheek when he smiled.

At least the dimple had remained the same.

"How's your nephew, by the way?" Robin asked. "My attending is Finnick's doctor so I actually got the chance to say hi to your mum and sister last night."

"Finn? Oh he's doing well. I don't know the medical jargon for it but I think he's okay."

Robin smiled, obviously relieved. "That's good. It's bad enough when adults are in pain, but when kids are involved, my job gets a lot harder."

Rebekah nodded. A large part of her was glad that Robin seemed like such a great person, but she couldn't ignore the smaller part that wondered at the strange timing for Robin's abrupt reentrance into her life.

As if reading her mind, Robin's expression sobered. "I-uh have something to tell you."

Rebekah looked at him warily. He smiled back, unease clearly painted on his features.

"Look, Rebekah, I have to be honest; running into you isn't an accident. I need to talk to you. My- no, our futures are at stake."

Rebekah was incredulous. "What are you talking about?"

Robin shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly agitated. "A few days ago, I found out from my dad that our mums have been keeping in touch since my family moved interstate."

Rebekah shrugged. "So what?"

"You need to listen to me." Robin's tone was urgent. "They made an agreement. A kind of promise to each other, to our families." He stopped speaking, clearly disturbed.

"And?" As if on cue, Rebekah's stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't fed it in hours. Almost immediately, she wished that this conversation would end so that she could finally get some food.

"Rebekah, the agreement was about me and you." Rebekah wasn't sure if Robin looked more panicked or angry. "They've arranged for us to be married."

A/N Hello fellow Wattpadians!

Okay, okay, I know that the notion of arranged marriage is so last century, but I think it's important to remember that certain societies (and conservative families) still practice it. Also what do you guys think of Robin's character? Yay or nay?

As for my favourite commenter of the last chapter, that award goes to MartaEdwardStyles! Thank you for making me smile, darling.

I guess that's it for now. Tell me what you think about the chapter!

Stay awesome and stay safe, everyone. Til next time!

Percy