"I never said it was a bad thing."
We laughed until my stomach hurt, until tears pricked the corners of my eyes, until something that had been knotted tight inside me for years finally started to loosen. It didn't dissolve completely—too much had happened for that—but the sharp edges dulled.
“And another thing…” Sebastian continued. “You broke my heart when we were kids.”
“Wait… what are you talking about?”
“Come on, Aria. We’re having a heart-to-heart. We might as well just put it all out on the table.” I just stared at him blankly. “You tried to humiliate me by laying one on me?”
My eyes went wide as I realized what he was talking about. I remembered that day pretty clearly. What Sebastian and probably everyone in my life didn’t know was that I’d had a pretty intense crush on him at the time. I finally summoned the courage to… express myself, and he just laughed at me.
So, how did I break his heart?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sebastian, but you’re the one who broke my heart.”
He tilted his head, studied me for a second before the reality of that event seemed to dawn on him. “Are you saying… are you saying that kiss was for real?”
I nodded. I didn’t feel any hint of embarrassment. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Bloody hell.” He smacked his forehead. “I’m such a fool. I thought you… I mean… it’s you… I never thought…”
We stared at each other and burst into laughter again. When the laughter faded, I noticed him shifting his weight again, wincing slightly.
"Your back hurts," I said.
"I'm fine."
"You've been standing for three hours. Sit down." I nodded toward the space beside me on the bed. "I promise not to bite."
He hesitated. Then he crossed the room and lowered himself onto the mattress, leaving a careful distance between us. Dust puffed up around him. He didn't seem to notice.
An awkward silence settled between us.
"Evie’s doing well at the foundation. She seems to really be enjoying it there."
"I know." His voice went soft. "She's the best thing I'd ever done, even though I had no idea what I was doing."
"You're figuring it out. I can see it. She talks about you differently now from when we first met."
He was quiet for a moment. Then: "When she was seven, she decided she was going to be a marine biologist. Very serious about it. Made me buy her every book about ocean life, watched documentaries constantly, insisted on visiting the aquarium every weekend."
"That's sweet."
"It was, until she decided the best way to learn was hands-on experience." He shook his head, but he was smiling now. "I came home one day to find she'd filled the bathtub with salt water and released six crabs she'd somehow convinced a fishmonger to sell to her."
I pressed my hand to my mouth. "No."
"The nanny was standing on the toilet, screaming. Evie was in the tub, fully clothed, trying to name them all." His smile widened. "She'd already named three. Herbert, Princess Claws, and Senator Pinch."
"Senator Pinch?"
"She'd been watching the news with my mother. I didn't ask questions."
I burst out laughing. "Oh my God. That's—" I gasped for air. "When I was eight, I did almost the same thing. Except it was hermit crabs, and I hid them in my closet, and my mother didn't find out until they'd been there for two weeks and the smell?—"
"The smell?"
"You don't want to know." I was laughing so hard now my eyes were watering. "My father had to throw out my entire wardrobe. My mother didn't speak to me for three days."
