Page 40 of The Flirty Forward

My mother yawns again. “Why don’t we all get some sleep, and we can talk when we’re fresh?”

I nod. “Yes, of course. You guys get some sleep; thanks for letting me crash here.”

“Of course,” my mother says. “See you in the morning.” I nod and swallow. My father nods at me and follows her back.

I drop onto the couch after a minute, settling back into the silence. I stare at the blank tv once again, wondering what in the world is wrong with me. Yes, the whole thing at school is bothering me. I hate not being able to do my job, but it feels like more than that. I feel uncertain, like the ground beneath me is uneven. I feel like a little girl that’s lost and alone. It takes me right back to my childhood, and I hate it. I reach up and wipe away a solitary tear. “Good grief, I need to get some sleep.” I stand to my feet and make my way back to my bedroom.

As tired as I feel, sleep takes forever to come. And when it finally does, I don’t sleep well. I wake several times during thenight. I’m out of bed before the sun comes up, not wanting to fight it anymore. I wander out to the living room, desperately in need of coffee. Strong coffee. After that, I need to take a run. I need to run off this anxiousness.

I head into the kitchen and make a cup of coffee and settle into a chair in the kitchen, feeling hopeless. I’m still not sure why I came here. I guess some part of me wanted to spend time with my parents, to feel like a child again. I don’t know why I thought that was a good idea. They didn’t offer me comfort when I was a child. A part of me hoped maybe my mom would sit with me for a little bit last night and ask what was going on, but we’ve never really had that kind of relationship. I don’t know why I thought we’d start now.

I’m hoping to call Principal Goodman and see if I can come back to school on Monday. Scratch that; I’m planning on being in my place on Monday morning. A knock sounds on the front door, startling me. I glance at the clock. It’s only six-thirty. Who could possibly be knocking on the door this early in the morning? I stand up and walk over to the door. A peek through the window next to the front door shows me who’s standing there. I open the door quickly. “Sebastian, what are you doing here?” I pull the door mostly closed behind me and step out into the cool air. When I meet his gaze, his eyes are heated. I become instantly aware of the fact that I’m wearing only short sleeping shorts and a thin tank top...and it’s cold out here. I nearly choke. “I’m going to put on some clothes.” I whirl around and practically run back inside to the room I’m staying in. I close the door behind me, mortified. I take a moment to compose myself before I dress in a pair of jeans and a black sweater, thankfully with a bra this time. I shake my head as I pull my hair back into a loose ponytail. I put in gold hoops before heading back out.

When I get back out into the living room, Sebastian is no longer standing outside. And he’s no longer alone. Before I cansay anything, my dad turns to me. “Stephanie, this is a friend of yours?”

I swallow, trying to think quickly of what to say about the fact that there’s a six-foot-three professional athlete standing in my parents’ home at six-thirty in the morning.

Sebastian meets my gaze, and his look is so intense, I forget anything I was going to say. I cough and try to take back control of this situation. “Dad, this is Sebastian, a friend of mine.”

My dad looks at me and then back at Sebastian. “Does your boyfriend know about him?”

“My boyfriend?” I repeat dumbly.

“Yeah, you know the guy you’re dating,” he says. He crosses his arms across his chest and gives me a look I know oh so well. “The hockey player?”

I cough. “You’re dating a hockey player?” Sebastian asks nonchalantly. I can’t even look at him.

“Yes,” my father says, looking not too pleased. “He plays for the Green Thunder.”

“In-ter-esting,” Sebastian says, drawing out the word. “Tell me more.”

“You know, I think I’ll just take Sebastian outside. He—”

“I’d love to hear more about the guy Stephanie is dating,” he says, cutting me off and sounding way too pleased with himself.

“He’s a forward, right?” my father asks me.

‘Actually—” I start.

“He sounds like a great guy,” Sebastian says totally unabashed. I shake my head. Before I can say anything else, Sebastian steps towards me. “I think the secret’s out.” He puts his hand on my shoulder.

“Wait,you’rethe hockey player?” my dad asks. He looks Sebastian up and down, seeing the worn t-shirt and faded sweats and of course, the backwards cap on his head. “Nah.” I can’t help it; I laugh out loud at Sebastian’s indignant look.

“You can look me up online,” he informs my dad.

“Cocky much?” I mutter.

“Well, actually—” he starts.

“Never mind,” I say quickly, cutting him off. “Sebastian, how about we just talk outside?” I don’t give him a chance to say no. I walk past him, grab his shirt and give it a tug. I am very aware of the fact that he chooses to follow me outside; there’s no way I could make him.

“So this is a new development,” he says with a face-splitting grin.

“Not really,” I say, keeping my expression straight. “You knew we were telling people we’re...dating.”

He grins wider. “That was hard to say, wasn’t it?”

I shake my head. “Why are you here, Sebastian?”

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