Page 36 of Back to You
I suck in a sharp breath, nerves twisting through me. "You’ll jump with me?"
He doesn’t hesitate. "I’d do anything for you."
My stomach flips. I swallow past the sudden tightness in my throat, past the fear trying to convince me to run, and tighten my grip on his hand.
Then…We run—legs pounding against the earth, wind whipping through my hair, adrenaline rushing through me so fast I barely have time to think before—We jump.
For a split second, I’m weightless, suspended between fear and exhilaration. The air rushes past me, cool and sharp, I feel free—free to do something just because I want to, free to prove to myself that fear doesn’t control me. I can do this. I am doing this.
The old me might have hesitated, but not anymore. Then the water crashes up to meet me, and I’m swallowed whole.
The water splashes around us, our heads quickly breaking the surface, gasping for air. The cool droplets of water cling to our skin and as we stare at each other, laughter bubbles between us.
Sebastian’s arms are holding onto mine now, and we’re laughing so hard that I can hardly catch my breath. I can’t believe I actually jumped off the cliff. I’ve never felt anything likethat in my life. There are so many emotions running through me right now, I don’t know which way is up.
My laughter morphs into tears, and suddenly, I’m sobbing—big, hot tears streaming down my face as emotion overwhelms me.
Sebastian’s face shifts to fear; he brushes the hair out of my face and says, “Mariana?? Mari?” His hands are on me instantly, brushing the hair out of my face, searching for any sign of injury. His eyes darted over me—my arms, my legs, my face—his breathing sharp and panicked.
“What happened? Are you hurt?” His voice rises with each word. “Fuck. I’ll take you to the hospital. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Talk to me. What happened?”
I place my hands against his and whisper, “I’m not hurt.”
A wave of relief washes over his face, “Thank God. Shit, I was so scared. So what’s wrong, Cariño?”
His hands are on the sides of my face, and my hands are on his; our faces are so close together that we could kiss if I just leaned in a bit. My heart is racing, tears still streaming down my face.
“This year has been so hard, Seba. I’ve gone through so much, and now, with my mom being sick. My heart is broken. I’ve lost so much already; I’ve lost so much of myself, and now I’m going to lose my mom. I don’t know how I’m going to go on without her. Not able to hear her voice, her laugh, or feel the warmth of her hugs. It’s all too much.”
Sebastian places his forehead against mine, "Mariana, I’m so sorry. I’m here, okay? And not just in that bullshit way people say it because it sounds good at the moment. I mean it. Morning, noon, night—you need me, I’m there. You don’t even have to ask. You wanna cry until you can’t breathe? I’ll hold you through it. You wanna scream at the sky, break something, sit in silence for hours? I’m right there with you. Whatever you need, howeveryou need it. I don’t know what happened with your ex. I don’t need to know if you’re not ready. But I do know this—you never have to go through anything alone again. Not as long as I’m alive. Not as long as you’ll have me. I’d stand in the fire for you, Mariana. No hesitation. I’d take every hard moment, every burden, every ounce of pain if it meant you never had to carry it alone. You say the word, and I’m yours. I’ll show up every time. I’ll stand beside you, behind you, in front of you, wherever you need me. You don’t have to be strong with me. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine. Just let me in. There’s not a damn thing in this world I wouldn’t do for you. I swear it, amor. I’ll be whatever you need. Just let me."
“Why? Why would you do that for me?” I ask.
“Because, I care about you Mariana. Always have, always will.”
My mind is racing, a whirlwind of emotions coursing through me. I can’t seem to untangle them. His words echo in my head, “I’ll be whatever it is you need.”
The way he said it, I know he meant every single word, and it cracks something within me open. He will be here for me, no matter what.
The weight of his words is pressing on my chest, making it hard to catch my breath. A lump forms in my throat, neither of us is breaking eye contact.
The sincerity in his words, in his eyes, it’s overwhelming. I was married and never once felt this way—this sense of security, this sense of safety.
I want to kiss him so bad. I want to feel the weight of him against me, holding me tightly. But, I can’t. He’s my friend, and I know that everything that he said to me is because we are friends, and always will be friends.
So instead of kissing him, I wrap my arms around him in a tight embrace, and whisper into his ear, “Thank you, Seba. Thank you so much.”
CHAPTER 12
Sebastian
The sun beats down on the basketball court, relentless and unforgiving. The asphalt radiates heat, the type that seeps through your sneakers and sticks to your skin.
Sweat drips down my back, and the air is thick—humid, suffocating. It feels impossible to breathe, but I know that has nothing to do with the weather.
I need this game, I need something to take the edge off, to shut my brain down, to stop thinking about her.
Mateo and I are running a two-on-two against Andres and Cap, and we’re getting our asses handed to us. I should’ve known better than to let Cap be on the other team. He’s a damn beast on the court—built for endurance, strategy, and completely wrecking anyone in his way.
