Page 62 of One Love
Devin
Rolling over, I stretch fromthe best sleep I’ve had in almost two weeks. Knowing that Crystal is locked behind bars in a holding cell allows a girl to sleep a little bit better.
Looking next to me, Sebastian is nowhere in sight. I pray he got sleep last night. Neither of us has truly slept since the acid attack.
So much has transpired that if it wasn’t my life, I would think someone was describing the plot of aLifetimemovie they watched the night before.
With Crystal off the streets, we can begin to put this all behind us and start healing, moving forward with our lives. I have no doubt I’m going to need some counseling to help me deal with everything, but one step at a time right now. First, I want to focus on the healing of my acid burns.
My wounds have been healing nice, and the doctor is coming back this morning to take another look. The blisters have gone, and the red has faded, but the injuries are still not the best looking.
“Hey, princess,” Sebastian says softly, popping his head into the bedroom. “I know you just woke up, but the doctor is here already. I didn’t realize he was coming so early, or I wouldn’t have let you sleep in. I just figured you needed a good night’s sleep.”
“I did need some sleep. You know it’s been something I’ve been lacking lately.”
“I know, Dev.”
Getting out of bed, I smile softly at him and nod. “I’ll be out in a minute, okay?”
He leaves me to do my thing.
Not even ten minutes later, I’m moving into the kitchen where the doctor and Sebastian sit, chatting about my recovery.
“Has she given any more thought to my suggestion of seeking some counseling now that Crystal is incarcerated?” the doctor asks Sebastian.
He nods. “We’ve been discussing it. We’re taking it day by day for now. It’s a lot to handle.”
Popping in on their conversation, I answer, “I think I will talk to someone, but I’m going to take this week to mull it over and find someone I feel comfortable with. Someone I can talk to.”
The doctor smiles at me. “That’s a great idea, Ms. Miller. I think it would be very beneficial to you”—his eyes cut back to Sebastian—“and you too, Mr. Brooks, if you both spoke to someone. While Ms. Miller has suffered the physical trauma, you both have a lot of emotional trauma to come to terms with as well.”
Sebastian nods. “That’s not a bad idea.”
The doctor looks between us, nodding in agreement. “I can give you a list of recommendations for whenever you two are ready if you’d like.”
“I would appreciate that,” I answer. “Thank you very much.”
“Okay, so now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s take a look at those burns.”
* * *
Sebastian closesthe door behind the doctor with a final goodbye before turning to me. “Dev, that’s great. Who knew you were a ‘progressive’ healer?” He grins.
Rolling my eyes, I chuckle. “Oh, it’s not like I have much else to do.”
He moves toward me and takes my hand before sitting on the couch and pulling me into his lap.
“It feels weird to joke. I feel good today, Sebastian.”
His fingers rub small circles under my shirt and on my bare back. “I’m very happy to hear that, princess. I’ve missed your beautiful smile.”
I twirl a piece of my hair around my finger, looking down at my lap. “I still feel like I may wake up and find out this has all been a dream and she’s still out there.”
Sebastian reaches up toward my jaw, taking it between his fingers and making me look him in the eye. “Devin,” he says, “they caught her. She can’t hurt us anymore, can’t control us anymore. There’s no reason to live in fear when she’s behind bars. So, now we’ll take it step by step.”
I sit curled into Sebastian as if he’s the balm to all my problems—he’s my everything. His words are comforting because he’s right; Crystal can’t hurt me or anyone else.
“Will you take me back to my place today?” I ask.
