“Breathe with me, Rebel.” My voice comes out steadier than I feel. Her breath stumbles into mine, and slowly, they line up. My presence becomes the small, fragile anchor she needs.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
“Seb…” she sobs, slowly coming back to me. I ease her so her head falls against my chest and run my hand down the side ofher face, my fingers trembling without permission. She smells like smoke and perfume and something I don't have words for. Like regret.
“Please. Please don’t leave,” she whispers into my shirt. Her voice is small and honest, and it undoes me. I pull back for a second, making her look up at me, and the world tilts.
“Rebel,” I say, but the nickname tastes like both prayer and accusation. I shake my head as I look up at the sky, trying to buy myself some time. How’d this happen? I’ve been trying to keep my distance from her since what happened—counting the days since the day I lost her. Yet here I am, holding her like the promise to forget her never existed.
My heart is a goddamn traitor. It wants me to sweep her into my arms, forget everything in the past, and focus on the future. My brain is a judge that wants to open the court and leave her to whatever verdict she damn well deserves. I promised myself boundaries. I told myself that walking away and not looking back would be the cleaner option.
That’s what my heart is telling me to do. But my brain is telling me to leave her here on the ground by herself. I fight myself on what to do until I can feel my jaw clench and the taste of metal floods my mouth.
Footsteps and shouting cut through the night. Then a frantic-looking Maddie drops to her knees beside us in the grass. Tate isn’t too far behind. Damon, Roman, and Ace appear after, their faces carved with concern.
This isn't going to help her.
“Move the fuck back, Seb. You’re probably the goddamn reason this is even happening,” Maddie whisper-yells. My grip on Mary tightens reflexively. She closes her eyes and folds closer into me, seeking shelter from the outside world.
This battle between what I want and what I should do feels like it's eating me alive. I want to take her upstairs, lock the door, andfix whatever I can. I also want to stand, dust off my hands, and walk away before I make things worse for both of us.
“Shut the fuck up, Maddie.” The words fly out before I can weigh them. My voice rises louder than I mean; there’s an edge to it that scares even me. The anger I’m feeling rises more by the minute. A few people take a step back, deciding to mind their own fucking business, and thankfully, turn to leave. The crowd begins to thin.
“Don’t fucking tell me how to handle her. I know her better than you could even dream of.” My chest heaves on the last syllable. I hate that I'm defensive. I fucking hate that I care so much about who thinks what about her. That I'm protecting someone who tore my heart open and left me bleeding.
Fuck.
Maddie looks stunned, like she didn't expect the animal under my skin to show.
Before she can answer, Roman wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her back.
“Maddie, give them some room,” Ace says, stepping between us as a barrier.
"No! Let me take her home, Seb. She doesn’t need this!” Maddie yells, trying to pry herself from Roman’s hold. Mary stifles a sob against my shirt. The words land in my chest like a knife, and my throat tightens. There's something I'm not seeing—a whole map of pain—and the thought of knowing makes my teeth ache.
I should demand to know what she's talking about. But my mouth goes dry and heavy. The part of me that want to punish her and the part that wants to protect her are tangled so tightly… I don't know what impulse to follow. Maybe both are right. Perhaps neither is.
Now I’m wondering why my little rebel seems to be so broken.
I hold her tighter—not because I've made a decision, but because, in this exact awful moment, the ugliest truth is that I can't just do nothing. I can't just leave her here alone. Even if everything in me wants to fucking walk away, my hands refuse to let go.
Chapter 16
Mary
Seb’shandsonmeare the one thing that calms me, even though it shouldn't. His touch is gentle, but there’s a tension beneath it, like he's just as unsure as I am. He keeps whispering reassuring things in my ear, but I can tell they're as much for him as they are me. His voice is a tether, pulling me back when the world feels like it’s slipping away.
I take deep breaths, trying to steady myself. My heart races in my chest, but with each inhale, it slows a little. After what feels like an eternity, I finally open my eyes, meeting his gaze.
Seb's still looking down at me, his eyes soft but haunted. His lips move, but words seem heavy, like they're not coming easy.
“One night,” he says, and I can hear the hesitation in his voice. “I’ll give you this one night, Rebel. After this… after this, there’s nothing between us.”
His words hit me harder than I expected. I blink, my mind scrambling to catch up.
"What?" The question escapes before I can stop it. The weight of his words is heavy and I'm not sure I understand them. I stare up at him, lost in a mix of feelings swirling inside of me. On one hand, it feels wrong. Too easy. Way too dangerous. But on the other hand, I know what this means to him. I can see it in the way he clenches his jaw, the slight tremble in his hands as he holds me. I don't think he wants this any more than I do, but right now, we both need something. Maybe the same thing.
“One night,” I repeat softly, my voice shaking from the panic attack. He scoops me into his arms, and I barely have time to register the movement before he's holding me tightly against his chest, making his way through anyone left lingering.
