Page 46 of Piece By Piece

“Hey, you. What are you doing here?” I try to ask as naturally as possible.

“Lecturing you about sneaking out on me. That was rude,” he pouts playfully. I roll my eyes at him.

“Oh, poor baby. I’m sure you never snuck out on a girl.” He says nothing to that, just grins cheekily and brushes me off.

“That’s not all. I planned on figuring out the details of your move this morning but since you just left, here I am now. This way, I could get some of your essentials before you come home tonight. Can you take a quick break?” he asks, stunning me into silence for a good few beats.

I mean, really? He just barges in here, seeming to have my move into his place all figured out while I wasn’t even aware that we were really doing it? I brushed his offer off to him wanting to comfort me last night but this? This is freaking me out.

Not to mention that he plans on it being that soon. Jesus Christ, is he crazy?

I take a step back from him, laughing nervously. “Look, Sebastian, I really appreciate everything you did and said last night but you don’t have to offer me a place to stay. I have it covered, really.” Not strictly true, but I’m certainly not ready to move in with him.

Sebastian smiles patiently as if he knew how this conversation would go. “Listen,friend. I’m not doing this out of charity and I’m not doing this to get into your pants. You’d obviously have your own room and between my classes and your job and visits at your parent’s place, we’ll barely see each other. Not to mention that we’re hanging out every other weekend as it is, so it really won’t make much of a difference.

“I have the space and you could save a lot of money and spend it on more important things than rent. Am I wrong?” he challenges, and I stay quiet. No, I guess he’s not wrong. Still, it seems impossible that I could move in with him, the guy that, until recently, acted like he couldn’t stand me.

“That’s what I thought. Now, I spoke to your landlord, and he said your next month’s rent is due in a few weeks, but you can move out after a three-day notice and save those costs already.” He pauses and sighs, studying me closely.

He takes a step closer and speaks calmly. “Can you try not to freak out and listen to me, Aliena?” he asks, taking my hands in his. I swallow and nod.

“Yes. It’s just – damn, you have it all figured out, don’t you? I won’t ask how you contacted my landlord. I don’t care. Still, I don’t think I can save next month’s rent. There’s no way I can be out of the apartment in three days.”

“Why not? I can call a moving company. It’s not like you live in a castle. It shouldn’t take too long to move everything. Besides, you said it yourself that tomorrow is your day off so you can pack everything up then, no?”

Right on time, a headache starts pulsing in my temples. Yeah, I’ve never been a fan of hasty plans. “I told my parents I’d visit tomorrow and I don’t know when I’ll be home. Besides, I don’t have the money for a moving company that will work so quickly on such short notice right now.”

“What about the money you could save on the rent?” he asks.

My cheeks burn up with shame but I try to hide my embarrassment as I respond, “I don’t have it yet. I wanted to ask for a waiver,” I explain, mortified when Sebastian’s surprise is apparent.

Finally, he pulls himself together. “All right. I’ll pay for the movers and you’ll pay me back when you have the money, okay?” he proposes even though I’m already shaking my head.

“I don’t want your money. If I wanted money, I might as well have told Lily about what’s going on. Look, Seb, thank you, really, but I can’t accept your help on this. I’m sorry I dumped all my drama on you yesterday, but it would be best if you just forgot all about it,” I tell him, pulling away even though it’s the last thing I want to do. The last thing I should do.

I don’t know what I’m doing. I need his help. Desperately. By the rate I’m going at, the only question left is whether I’ll have a burnout or be kicked out of my home first. I’ve just never been good at accepting help.

“Aliena, you’re a few days away from asking for a rent waiver. You’ll go into debt if you don’t change something soon. Accept my help. Besides, I’m not giving you my money, I’m lending it to you until you’re in a more stable spot. There’s no harm. Can you come to terms with that?” he asks.

Slowly, very slowly, I feel myself cave. This talk alone just reminded me of how tiring my current situation really is and he’s right, maybe there is no harm in letting him help. I can make it up to him somehow else, I’m sure.

“Yeah. I guess we have a deal,” I concede. He smiles.

“Great, I’ll make the calls then. Do you want to give me your keys? I could start packing up your dishes or something since I have nothing better to do. It’s no big deal,” he says.

Reluctantly, I nod to that too, and hand him my keys.

“Thanks, Seb. Really.”

Chapter 21

Sebastian

“Sebastian?” Aliena calls out when she enters her home hours after my arrival.

“In the kitchen,” I reply loudly, and she appears seconds later. It’s hard not to notice how hunched her shoulders are now. As if the weight of the world was resting on them.

I had hoped that last night was the product of alcohol-induced sensitivity and that maybe, Aliena isn’t constantly feeling so overwhelmed. Seeing her now, I’m not convinced. In the very least, I hope that even though she’s struggling financially and worried about her parents, things will look up since she won’t have to pay rent anymore. It’s the only thing in my control at the moment.

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