Page 4 of Please Save Me

Besides, with everything going on, I needed Sebastian to trust me.

The last time I was in Sebastian’s SUV, I was doing my best to cope with the knowledge that Mason was, in fact, a celebrity. Given the stress I’d been under, I hadn’t taken the time to appreciate how nice the interior was. The gray leather seats were soft, and the cabin was spacious. The sunroof above me was massive, allowing me to see all the stars on this perfectly clear night. Nice as it was, though, the vehiclereekedof stale nicotine and mint. The cigarette hanging from Sebastian’s lips told me he had no intention of improving the smell any time soon. The cherry at the end flickered as he reached forward to turn up the radio, and an overly-cheery announcer boomed through the speakers.

“And we areback! Hope everyone’s staying warm out there. As a reminder, we play musicbythe people andforthe people.”Sebastian cringed a little and left his hand hovering over the radio. I wondered if he was going to change the station or just turn it down. “Fortunately for me, the peopleloveMason Albright! At the top of the hour, we have—”

Sebastian tapped the volume knob, cutting off the announcer’s ravings.

“What, you don’t like her music?” Sure, Mason’s music wasn’t the cowboy country I’d typically listen to, but itwascatchy. Plus, I was proud to know that my girl was so well-loved, even if it did make me a little uneasy.

He shot me a sideways glance before removing the cigarette from his lips and exhaling.

“Mason has a beautiful voice, and I understand why people like her.” He returned the cancer stick to his mouth and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.

“That’s good, but you ain’t answering my question.”

Sebastian’s chest swelled with another breath before he removed the cigarette from his lips and flicked it out the open window.

“Haveyoulistened to any of her songs?”

“All of ‘em, if I’m bein’ honest. ‘Pills Like Candy’ is my favorite. I don’t like the lyrics so much, but when she sings the chorus she just sounds...”Like an angel, I wanted to say, but I wasn’t capable of beingthathonest with Sebastian.

“Let’s just say I don’t think she should sing about half the stuff she does. It’s…unbecomingfor someone as intelligent as her.”I take that as a big, fatno, I don’t like her music. Surprising, honestly; I assumed Sebastian would be Mason’s number one fan. He seemed like the type of textbook stalker who would get front-row tickets to all of her concerts.

“So… did she still want Mexican?” Sebastian asked as the lights from town appeared over the lines of evergreen trees.

I looked down at my phone for her order. In the time Seb and I had been gone, she had changed her order at least three separate times. She went from wanting tacos and chips to sushi to asking if I could just pick her up something chocolaty and sweet. I told Sebastian as much, and a soft smile contorted his lips.

“She used to do this all the time when I’d visit her in France. But back then she’d always say, ‘if I eat anything other than this very specific craving, Iwillthrow up’. I’d get about twelve texts in a row with different orders.” A shard of guilt lodged itself in my chest, and I made a mental note to apologize to Mason for indirectly making her so sick.

“What’d you do back then?”

“I’d get her a bit of everything she wanted. Money’s no object when it comes to making Mason happy.” Sebastian’s tone carried an odd sweetness, hinting at a type of love that I still wasn’t sure if he was capable of truly feeling.

“So, what would you recommend?”

“We’re done talking.”

Lord help me, I don’t think I’lleverfigure out what this guy’s problem is.

We drove in silence for a few miles, watching road signs flash by. Sebastian’s high beams hit each one head-on, illuminating them against the pure darkness of rural night.

“Hey… has Mason mentioned anything to you about marriage?” He spoke slowly, as if he were trying to hide the obvious motive behind the question.

“I thought you weren’t talking to me.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t, now I am… answer the question.”

I sighed as I considered how much I should tell him. “She did bring it up once, when she’d just got back from Lyon. Nothing serious, though.”

I didn’t know much about it myself; I’d only really caught snippets of a conversation between her and Lucian. She wanted to get married quickly, and he admitted to wanting to be her husband. But he also said his family would skin him alive if they eloped. Hell, I’d kill him too, considering he wasn’t supposed to make any big decisions until he’d been sober for a year. Even if they both felt ready, I assumed it’d be a while before we heard wedding bells for the two.

“What’s got you askin’ something like that?” Surely he had some ulterior motive.

Sebastian’s expression hardened. He took a deep pull from his cigarette, then flicked the still-lit cancer stick out the window. “Because Ipersonallyfeel ready for marriage.”

I fought the urge to arch my brows. He and Mason had only been dating since she got pregnant; that wasn’t long enough to know you wanted to marry someone. At least, I didn’t think it was. Lucian said Seb was some super intelligent whiz-kid who graduated high school before his age hit double digits. Maybe a person that smart didn’t need as long to figure out if someone was right for them. Could a super genius really master the art of love by the tender age of... wait, how oldwasSebastian? For all I knew, he could be eighteen looking terrible for his age… although, if that were the case, he’d need someone buying his cigarettes for him.

“How old are you, again?”

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