vingt

One week later

"Beck, can I talk to you for a moment?'

Rebekah glanced up from her laptop. "Uh... can it wait? I really need to get this report done."

Elise shook her head vehemently. Wisps of blonde hair escaped her ponytail as she sank to the ground next to Rebekah.

"This is really important," she insisted.

Rebekah sighed and shut her laptop, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. "Okay. Ten minutes." She pulled out a packet of gum from her pocket. "Want some?"

Elise declined her offer with a distracted wave. "No, no. Thanks for offering, but I can't."

Rebekah shrugged before taking a stick and popping it into her mouth. She chewed slowly, relishing the minty taste that diffused through her mouth.

"I've done something really horrible, Beck. Like, really horrible." Elise's blue eyes were wide with delayed shock. She buried her head between her knees, groaning. "What was I thinking? Actually, I mustn't have been. I must be losing my mind. That's the only rational explanation as to why I'd do something so stupid."

Alarm spread across Rebekah's face. "E? What did you do?"

Elise moaned. "You're going to think that I'm the dumbest person in the world. Heck, I'm probably the dumbest person in the whole damn universe."

"E, calm down. It can't have been that-"

"I kissed Danny."

Rebekah's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "You did?"

Elise gritted her teeth as the muscles in her face twitched. "Yes."

Rebekah felt a wide smile threaten to split her face in half. "When?"

"Last night."

"I thought you said you were going out to meet some girls from the other dorms."

Elise's face flushed a deep red. "I was."

Rebekah could feel her cheeks starting to hurt from all her smiling. "Uh-huh."

Elise groaned again. "Oh fuckity fuck fuck." Elise held her head as she rocked back and forth. "I don't even know what came over me. I mean, it's Danny, for fuck's sake. I've known him forever. It's gonna be so awkward when I see him again. Damn it, Beck, I've actually royally screwed up this time."

Rebekah grinned in amusement. "Okay."

Elise stopped her rocking for a moment to glare at Rebekah. "Okay? Beck, my life is falling to pieces and all you can say is 'okay'?"

Rebekah shrugged. "I think you and Danny would make a cute couple."

"What?" The shock in Elise's voice was palpable. "No way, Beck. It'll be too fucking weird. And what would Seb think?"

"Seb ships it too."

Elise wrinkled her nose. "What's 'ship'?"

"Um... it's like wanting two people to get together."

"Seb wants Danny and I to get it on?" Elise had a horrified look on her face now.

This time, it was Rebekah's turn to look surprised. "What do you mean by 'get it on'?"

Elise fixed Rebekah with a dead stare before blinking several times and shaking her head.

"Never mind. Let's just forget that I ever told you anything. Let's forget this ever happened, okay?"

Rebekah laughed softly. "Okay, if that's what you want."

Elise nodded firmly.

"It's what I want."

*

"Dogs or cats?"

"Dogs," Sebastian responded without hesitation. "It's not like I dislike cats. Dogs are just more likeable." He opened his mouth. "More ice-cream."

Rebekah rolled her eyes and spooned more of the sweet treat into his mouth. It was getting increasingly hard to focus on their little game with Sebastian's fingers tracing intricate patterns on the inside of her thigh. The worst part was that his eyes never left hers, even though the smirk on his face proved that he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Christmas or New Year's?" Sebastian asked.

"Christmas. Always. Family must always come first."

Sebastian made a sound of approval as he spooned some cookie dough ice-cream into Rebekah's mouth, watching the spoon as it disappeared between her lips. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

"Because I like Christmas?"

"Because family is important to you." He had hardly gotten the last word out before his lips were on hers, his tongue caressing hers with confident strokes. By the time he released her, her lips were swollen with his ministrations and her eyes were glazed over.

"So... should we skip the rest of the questions and finish the ice-cream real quick so we can make out?" His mouth was a hair's breadth from hers, his breath fanning hers. His eyes were so dark that she could barely see the blue in them.

"Seb, people are watching," she whispered. "I can't imagine what they're thinking of us right now."

She wasn't joking. The other diners of Nonna Francesca's restaurant were shooting them dirty looks over their wine glasses.

"I don't care what they think. I want everyone to know that you are my girlfriend and that I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have you."

Rebekah felt a warm feeling blossom in her chest and spread through her body.

"You, my love, are my drug, and as far as drugs go, I think being addicted to you might be the best thing that has ever happened to me." Sebastian smiled, cupping her jaw gently before his smile transformed into a smirk. "But you have got to stop looking at me like that, unless you want me to toss you over my shoulder, carry you out of here and have my wicked way with you. "

The warm, fuzzy feeling that had been making Rebekah lightheaded during the first half of his speech immediately exploded into a ball of flames that completely engulfed her.

"What're you implying exactly?" she murmured.

Sebastian winked. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Rebekah hesitated. A part of her was dying to know, but the other part, the more rational side told her not to ask. They were treading on dangerous ground and she knew it.

"Well, whatever it is, it's not happening tonight." Rebekah forced her eyes away from his bewitching ones, trying to calm her hormones. "You can go dream about it or whatever."

Sebastian chuckled softly and leaned forward to nibble the shell of her ear slightly. She jumped at the affectionate gesture but before she could protest, he was already pulling away.

"Love, I don't think you're prepared to know what happens in my dreams."

*

"Thank you for a lovely date, Seb. I really enjoyed it."

Sebastian tightened his arms around his girlfriend, pressing them closer together.

"I'm glad you liked it. And I hope Nonna Francesca didn't make things too awkward by... you know..." His sentence trailed off as he made a face.

"Suggesting that we get married and have many children?" Rebekah smiled. "It was strange, yes. But she means well."

Sebastian dipped his head so that his forehead touched hers, a soft smile playing at the edges of his lips.

"You're a gem, do you know that? An absolute gem." He kissed her lightly on the nose before releasing her reluctantly. "I'll see you tomorrow, love. Sweet dreams."

When he was a safe distance from her, she fumbled in her pocket for her keys. It was nice that Sebastian had walked with her back to her room, but she felt extremely awkward that he was also watching her open her room door.

"You can leave, you know," she said, hoping that didn't sound too harsh.

Sebastian leaned against the wall, oblivious to the wide-eyed gazes of a couple of girls ogling him as they walked past.

"Already trying to get rid of me?" he asked teasingly. Rebekah shrugged and pushed open the door.

Flicking the light switch on, her eyes did a quick scan of the room before they fell on Elise's bed.

Rebekah felt her mind go blank as she attempted and failed to process what she was seeing.

Danny.

Elise.

Lying on her bed.

Her legs wrapped around his torso.

Their lips fused together.

Thankfully, still partially dressed.

Rebekah let out a strangled squeak, causing Danny and Elise to spring apart as if they'd been electrocuted. When they saw it was her, Danny swiftly scrambled to grab his shirt while Elise sunk under the blanket, her cheeks turning scarlet.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-uh... I didn't see- see, um, hear- do anything," Rebekah garbled,  covering her eyes with her hands. She was pretty sure that she wasn't making any sense. Her brain was still trying to understand what was happening, but the image of her roommate doing things with Danny had already scarred a part of her for life.

Elise immediately began to stutter an excuse but Rebekah was already backing out of the room, her eyes screwed tightly shut. She hit her leg against the door post by accident and hissed at the sharp burst of pain before stumbling into the hallway outside. Her fingers pulled the door shut just as Sebastian reached her.

"Beck? Are you okay? What happened?"

Rebekah took several seconds to realize that Sebastian was the one holding her hand and looking at her in confusion. When Rebekah didn't respond to his question, Sebastian frowned and reached for the door knob.

Fuck.

"Wait! No!" Rebekah grabbed his jacket and tugged him backwards. She shook her head vehemently. "You don't want to go in there."

Sebastian furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"Uh... it's a huge mess. Clothes everywhere. Wires too. You'll probably trip over something in there."

He looked at Rebekah as if she'd grown two heads. "Okay."

The word was barely out of his mouth before Rebekah sighed in relief. It was one thing for her to see Elise and Danny do whatever they'd been doing; it was a whole other thing if Sebastian saw it too.

"The night's still young. Let's just go back to your place and watch a movie," Rebekah suggested. The mental image of Elise and Danny was still playing before her eyes and she needed to get it out.

Sebastian wrapped his arm around her waist. "If that's what you want"

Rebekah nodded her head so hard that her chin hit her chest. "Yes. Absolutely."

Sebastian seemed amused by her eagerness but didn't question it as he steered her towards the exit. A few girls smiled at him and tried to strike up a conversation as they walked past, but Sebastian ignored them.

They had barely exited the building, however, before a voice halted them in their tracks- a voice that Rebekah had thought would never address her in real life.

"Rebekah?"

She stopped walking, her body growing stiff.

He wouldn't dare come back after all these years.

He wouldn't fucking dare...

... would he?

Rebekah didn't turn around as the stranger spoke again.

"Rebekah, it's me."

Rebekah could feel Sebastian staring a her with a million unasked questions. He squeezed her hands gently and when she looked up at him with glassy eyes, he gave her an encouraging smile.

The stranger spoke again.

"I'm-"

Rebekah shut her eyes before interrupting him. "My father. I know." She let her eyes fly open again before turning around. The pale yellow light of the dormitory lobby illuminated her face as she squinted at the well-dressed figure several metres away.

"Hello dad."

A/N So... what did you guys think of the chapter?

Also, Danny + Elise = Delise? Lol I'm sorry. My ship game is pretty terrible. I would love it if you can comment what you think their ship nme should be!