Chapter 16

VIVIAN

"Have you seen my phone?" I frowned, searching my bag. "I'm sure it was here ..."

Sebastian came to wrap his arms around me from behind, and placed a small kiss on my bare shoulder. "All I see is you."

I smiled, feeling my heart flutter. Having someone like him say such things, having someone talk to you like that for the first time, it does things to you, you know. It's difficult to just shrug it off as corny pickup lines, especially considering he acts like that most of the time, and even after we've slept together. I mean, sure, I've had men throw at me the lamest lines ever, but Sebastian is just ... I don't know, there's just something about him that I cannot quite define.

Nevertheless, focusing solely on Sebastian is not as easy as it seemed at first. Especially not today of all days. On February 13th 1995, my family moved to a new neighborhood. The next-door people came to visit almost immediately, and my mom found the woman that became her best friend. I found the person I would love for the rest of my life. 20 years later, I am forced to decide whether I still want that person in my life or not. Or rather, I have to decide whether this pain is worth it or not.

I don't want to lose Chris, I don't. But if he's really back with Karen, what Laura has been predicting finally became true, and I don't know if my heart can take that sorrow anymore. Both her and Adam are right, I need to think about my career as well, and if it's not meant to be, I need to wake up and move on. Waiting for Chris has only proved to be painful, do I really want to keep going? Or rather, can I afford it? My heart can't really take more blows.

"Are you alright?" Sebastian asked, tightening his grip on me.

I cleared my throat, realizing I'd been spacing out. "Yeah, I ... sorry, I was a bit distracted." That's one word for it.

"What's wrong?" Sebastian asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Better said, what's wrong that I can fix?" That had me smile a bit more cheerfully. "There you go," he placed a small kiss on my cheek, "mildly better. But not enough."

"I'm fine." I kind of lied. "I just ... have a lot on my mind lately, that's all." I just quit my job and accepted another one in a whole new country. I have a lot to take care of before actually moving to London, and at the same time I have to deal with my own lovesick self trying to sabotage me, reminding me that four months away from Chris are a long time, especially with Karen exercising her bad influence on him. At the same time, I don't even know where we're at, we haven't really spoken.

In the past few days, there have been texts and really short calls, but since yesterday I haven't heard a single word from Chris. It is a bit odd, given what today is, but maybe Karen keeps him busy, no time to think about our anniversary. That tattoo he got for me would say otherwise, though. That's why I'm so torn. And the fact that I can't find my phone doesn't help with my doubts.

"Something like what?" Sebastian wondered. "Or ... who?"

Always so perceptive. I turned around in his arms, giving him a small smile. "Life can be really complicated, sometimes." I mused, then mentally chastised myself, remembering whom I just said that to. He would know something about how life cruel can be, wouldn't he? Closing my eyes, I sighed. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"I just ... I mean ..."

Sebastian gave me a small smile, kissing my forehead. "It's alright. You don't need to measure your words."

I was amazed. Losing the person you thought you would marry, at such a young age and so abruptly, it must have been heart-wrenching, yet Sebastian seems so calm, so ... positive about life. I don't know if I could do the same. When he told me about his girlfriend, Lola, how she died in a car accident just a few days before their wedding, my first reaction was shock. Then I kept thinking about Chris, how would I react if something happened to him. I would not cope like Sebastian did, I am sure. Then I realized, technically, I have already lost Chris.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Do I have to move right away?" I wondered, biting on my nails.

"The sooner the better, so you get used to the city," Adam replied, "but your contract officially begins next month, so I guess you have a couple of weeks."

My eyes widened. "That's ... that's such a short time." I dropped back against the couch. "Barely any time to do anything."

Adam chuckled, sitting beside me. "You're not going to war, sweetheart. It's just London."

"Easy for you to say, I've never even set foot outside the country."

He frowned. "Wait, really?" He seemed taken aback. "I mean, you're almost 26, how have you not traveled yet?"

I rolled my eyes: "Three simple reasons: money, time, opportunity."

"Come on, Viv, flights are cheap nowadays, if you know where to look. And if you don't have time in your 20s, then will you ever have it?"

I scoffed. "Adam, do you have any idea the kind of dictator I worked for?" Sheryl would barely give me any days off, and I never really argued because I was afraid to lose my job.

Adam chuckled, nodding, as he sipped his drink. "Right. Well, just so you feel more at ease, know that my ex-boss in London is pretty chill."

"Really?" I was surprised, I won't deny it. Is there such a thing as a chill boss?

"And pretty hot." Adam winked mischievously.

We both laughed for a moment, but then I recalled one small detail: "I won't be at your wedding, will I?" I pouted a little. "Pity."

"You might." He shrugged.

"I thought you hadn't set a date yet."

He looked a bit nervous as he spoke, as if not convinced of what he was saying: "We don't want something big, we might do it this weekend."

I gasped out loud, pretty much jumping in my seat. "Are you serious?!"

Adam nodded, avoiding my gaze. "Yeah, why not?" He didn't sound really nonchalant.

"Adam, as long as I've known you, you have always wanted a big fairy tale wedding." I pointed out. "Even before gay marriage was legalized in Maine, you were utterly sure you wanted a great ceremony!"

He smiled – a bit sadly, if you ask me. "Yeah, well, that was a long time ago." He cleared his throat, standing up. "I just want to marry Maggie as soon as possible."

"Why the rush?" I inquired, because it really sounded odd. This Maggie girl just appeared out of nowhere. Up until a few months ago, Adam was in a really happy relationship with his roommate in London, this Italian guy named Simone, then he comes here out of the blue, saying he's marrying a woman. At first I thought, ok, maybe in his late 20s he realized he's actually bisexual, but the more I hear about this Maggie person, the more suspicious I am.

"Why not?" Adam let out a nervous chuckle that definitely gave him away.

I eyed him carefully, trying to read through him. Adam Knight is usually a really cheerful type, but whenever the Maggie subject is brought up, he clouds over a little. And what's up with the fact that we haven't met her yet? They came to the States together, yet he's keeping her hidden. They're about to get married, yet he hasn't known her long, he cannot have known her long, since up until a few months ago he was with Simone. They don't even live together, he's living with Chris for now, while Maggie is in Maine, apparently. Why, I have no clue, since they're getting married in New York and she has no relatives in Maine, he does.

"Don't look at me like that," Adam joked, "love is love, you know." He stood up, going to get a refill of his drink – at least one consistent thing is his love for mimosas.

"I know literally nothing about this woman, Adam," I pointed out, "and I've always known literally everything about your partners. Everything." He's always confided more to me than to his own brother, and Adam and Chris are really close, mind you.

"Well, what do you want to know?" Adam handed me my second mimosa.

"For starters, who is she?" I asked, grabbing my drink.

"I told you," he laughed, sitting beside me again, "Margaret Norton, I met her in London, she worked in my same building."

"So," I eyed him carefully, turning my body to him, "if when I go to London I ask your ex co-workers about a Margaret Norton, they'll know who she is."

Adam didn't reply immediately, which was a telltale sign per se. "Yeah, sure." He said after a few seconds.

"Adam ..."

"Look, all you need to know is that I'm marrying Maggie because I want to." He forced out a smile.

Somehow, I don't believe that. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Sure." He laughed. "But to be fair, you have a lot on your plate already."

"Still," I scooched a bit closer, to hug him, "I'm here if you need."

Adam grinned, hugging me back – once he'd swiftly put down his drink, that is. "You're really sweet, Vivian." He said. "My brother is a fool."

I sighed, defeated. "We don't always get what we want, do we?" I wondered out loud, cozily leaving my head on his shoulder.

"Don't I know it." Adam muttered. When my eyes snapped to him, he hid his pain with a smile. "What I mean is, not everyone gets to be with the person they love." He claimed, and I got the feeling that he wasn't quite referring to me and Chris.

Could this Maggie be forcing him to marry her? And why? The Knights aren't rich, they're not poor, but not rich enough to be exploited by people with bad intentions. Adam works as editor, there can't be anything related to his job that would put him on the radar of criminals. It's true that his sister Meredith is a 911 dispatcher, but that wouldn't matter to someone from England, would it? I just don't understand.

Before I could express my doubts, Adam shifted the attention to me: "Have you told your mystery guy about London?"

"He's not a mystery guy," I chuckled, "I told you who he is."

"Yeah," Adam pursed his lips, "Sebastian Woodthorne. If that's not a dead giveaway, I don't know what is."

I rolled my eyes. "So, like Beth, you too believe he's secretly Julia Woods' son."

He shrugged. "You don't exactly know what he does for a living yet he can afford a penthouse and expensive restaurants," Adam held up his hand to count, "he's barely told you anything about himself, and you know nothing, literally nothing about his family. Isn't that suspicious?"

"Well, yeah, but ..."

"Not to mention that you met him at the Woods mansion," Adam laughed, "he looked like a mechanic, you said, yet he cleaned up nice at night." He gave me an amused look. "The pic you showed me of your first date, that suit he wore was expensive, believe me." He laughed. "And let's not forget these friends he has, these connections..."

"Adam ..."

He was really laughing loudly now. "Sweetheart, either you're dating one of the richest men in the city, or a mafia kingpin." Adam shrugged. "Could also be a drug lord."

"He said he's a jack of all trades for Mrs. Woods."

"And that would pay so well?" Adam doubted. "And how many mechanics have the connections he has?"

"I mean, we just got in a couple of exclusive restaurants," I pursed my lips, "maybe he just knows the right people."

My friend eyed me carefully for a long moment. "I can have Tony do a background check, if you want." He mentioned.

"Tony?"

"My FBI ex, remember?"

"Oh the guy you stole that badge from," I laughed.

"Yep," he nodded, "aka the cheater." He rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure he'll run if I call, I could use his connections."

I thought about it for a moment. It's true that there's a certain halo of mystery surrounding Sebastian. And even though he seems so open, it's also true that he never talks about himself. Even when he told me about his dead fiancée, he was pretty skimpy on the details.

But the sorrow on his face looked real. And I don't see why would he play me, it's not like he didn't get the sex already. If he was only playing a role to get into my pants, he'd have left the day after we slept together. And if he was hiding his true identity as the new CEO of Woods Inc. or at any rate his wealth, he wouldn't have brought me to his penthouse.

"So?" Adam insisted.

I shook my head, standing up to get a refill of mimosa. "Relationships feed on trust, I don't wanna start with the front foot."

Adam nodded, albeit surprised. "So ... it's serious."

"As serious as something that's not even a week old," I shrugged, heading into the kitchen to make more cocktails. "I mean," I chuckled to myself as I grabbed the ingredients, "the sex is ... incredible, and Sebastian is a real gentleman, but it's barely been a week."

"Aren't you going out tonight?"

"No, he has a night shift." Thankfully, because a date on Valentine's Day is pretty serious.

"A night shift? He has night shifts?"

"Apparently." I shrugged, even though Adam couldn't see me from the living room. There was silence, though. "I don't know, I have a really good feeling about Sebastian, despite everything."

"So that's his name, huh? Sebastian."

I literally jumped, startled, almost cutting myself with the knife I'd been using to cut the oranges for the mimosas. Why? Because I recognized the voice immediately. "Chris ..." I whispered, my heart beating like crazy.

"Surprise ..." He mused sarcastically, coming closer. "We need to talk."