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Someone’s gonna fall in love.
And this can only stay secret for so long.
Chapter 10
Mimi
WithSebastianhavingstayedlate into the night with Reggie to work on the van, we’re back on the road early the next morning. I can see how tired he is from the bags under his eyes, but he still insists on driving.
I turn the radio up because it’s a bouncy tune, hoping it’ll cheer him up as we get under way. He smiles, but still yawns.
“Why did you sleep on the floor?” I ask, patting his arm and yawning myself.
Sebastian shrugs, not giving anything away with another small smile. I try to shrug it off, but a part of me wonders is it something I did? Is it something between us? Was this all another fling?
I know I’m being crazy. Or I hope…
We’re way out of South Carolina by the time Sebastian fully wakes up. We’ve had two coffee breaks and a second breakfast. The food has helped me calm my paranoia somewhat, but now I’m on edge because Sebastian is on edge. He’s been watching our mirrors like a hawk.
“So you didn’t notice the car?” he asks again.
“No,” I implore. “I didn't see it. Surely you’re just imagining things. You slept on the floor, may I remind you.”
Sebastian rolls his eyes and smiles. “I just didn’t want to wake you.” He cracks his shoulders, and it sounds like a pork roast.
“Well, you should have,” I wink after. “We could’ve had fun.”
He grins, but he doesn’t follow my jokes along. Instead, he’s back to the windows ,and I feel like we’ve gone a step backwards, even if we inched forwards. “It’s just the car this morning, looked like, in fact Iknowwas the car that pulled out in front of us.” He brings it up again.
“How do you know?” I ask. “You keep saying that.”
Seb grits his teeth and seethes between them. “I just know. The number plates… “It’s something with them…” He shakes his head. “They were interstate plates. Not South Carolina.”
“So?” I throw my hands up.Are we ever gonna talk about us? About our apparent slipping into a relationship?
“Cause it was also the car at the first motel, now that I think about it. Remember those two guys smoking across parks?”
I do remember them. But I don’t admit it to Sebastian. The shape of the car pulling out seems similar, but maybe I’m convincing myself to be convinced. It’s like when you think you have lice because you’ve heard someone else did. I’m just confused…
“And the little insignia on them. It’s a—” Sebastian is pointing at the windshield as he talks.
“You sure saw a lot for a car pulling out in front of us.” I fold my arms.
“I know I’m going on about it,” Sebastian says, noticing my arm folding. “I just, I’m sorry. It’s just on my mind, and there’s a lot of pressure on me for this drop.”
“It’s okay,” I say, grabbing his arm.Oh god, I’m all over the place.“Really. Don’t worry. The drop’s going to go fine. We’re back on the road. We’ll get to New York. Luca called this morning, remember? We've got twenty four hours added.”
“I know, I know,” Sebastian says, going quiet and ending the conversation.
We drive in silence for a few moments, and then Sebastian swears. He’s been eyeing the mirrors even more over the last mile. “Fuck it, I’m pulling over.” He yanks the wheel to the side.
“What are you doing?” I say, bracing against the dash as he pulls onto the shoulder. My stomach lurches, like we’re going to continue over.
“I’m doing an experiment,” is all Sebastian replies. Hitting the hazard lights button as he does.
A part of me wonders if it’s the radiator. Of course it’s been fine since Reggie worked on the car, the front didn’t even look damaged. Even with a new radiator, he’d managed to repair the body and found a grill to replace our broken one. So, of course, it isn’t the radiator.
I go to talk and Sebastian quietens me. He holds a finger up and points out his window. He points at the highway. “I’ve been looking in our mirror all morning. I’ve been convinced we’re being followed since the garage. But even then,” he shakes a fist. “They have been trailing us. That,” he says, looking at me like he’s not crazy. “It’s how I’ve known about the interstate plates and insignia.”
