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I leant against the door jamb and sighed, reminded of Scott again. Seb meant well and was only being himself, and I knew he was trying ultra-hard to prove himself to me, but he had no idea whoIwas. If his ex was into that lingerie, good for her, but I wasn’t her.
‘Naomi, you’re driving me nuts. I feel like nothing I do makes you happy. I buy you a necklace, and you don’t want to accept it. I buy you lingerie, and you don’t like it. You only see me when it’s convenient for you, and you hate me paying for things!’ He looked down at his Vans before continuing. ‘I’m out of ideason how to win you over.’ There was a series of squeaks as he dragged one foot across the tiles in sweeping motions.
‘Seb, I know you’re trying your best. I get that, and you’re following a formula that worked in the past, but that formula isn’t working for me. I don’t mean to be complicated or challenging. I just have different tastes and a different personality to some of your exes.’
‘Naomi … Can’t you see I want to be that lucky guy who gets you?’ He stepped closer to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. ‘I want you all to myself.’
‘That’s sweet, Sebastian.’ I looked down at the floor, copying his earlier motion but with a shoeless foot, unable to maintain eye contact.
Part of me liked Sebastian’s dedication – I wasn’t exactly a believer in ‘real love’ like the kind in cheesy romance novels, but his persistence did make me feel special.Maybe he’s as good as it gets?Everyone has flaws and different personality traits, and maybe we’d learn to accept each other’s differences. And maybe my fear of being hurt again was all in my head.Is Deb right? Is he the ‘one’? And will I see that in time?
‘I really love you, Naomi, and it drives me mad that you don’t show me much affection. What has a bloke got to do to get your full attention?’ He let his hands fall by his side.
I took a deep breath and raised my eyes to meet his. ‘I don’t even know what to say, Seb, because the truth is … I’m so numb and emotionally wounded, and I can’t reciprocate the love you give to me just yet, but I’m working on it.’
‘I know what it’s like to feel numb.’ He sighed. ‘I just want to help you feel better.’
‘I really appreciate all your effort, Seb. Thanks for sticking by me while I’m grieving and figuring things out.’ I looked into his russet eyes, which were filled with emotion.
‘I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I’m serious, Naomi.’ He took a step back. ‘Whatever it takes,’ he insisted.
I let out a little laugh and gave him a smile. His efforts to prove he cared were admirable.
I nodded. ‘I better get changed.’
As I got dressed in the bathroom, I found myself putting in the same effort I did on our very first date, and even wore the same aqua bodycon dress and French pear and freesia perfume. I did my makeup natural with a bold red lip and placed his opal necklace around my neck. I noticed my heart was racing. The final step was doing my hair, which seemed like the longest part of getting ready.
‘Everything okay in there, cutie?’ Seb called out and rapped on the door.
‘Yes.’ I swung open the door and glanced at his curls gelled back.
His eyes admired me from head to toe as he flashed his pearly white teeth.
‘Shit, Naomi, you’re going to kill me dressing like that. How did you get so bloody sexy? You have the hips of a goddess.’
As soon as he complimented me, my cheeks bloomed red. ‘Thanks, Seb. Thought I’d dress up for old times’ sake.’
‘You never disappoint, do you? Your legs are fucking killer. You should wear more tight dresses like that.’ His face was enchanted as he admired the contours of my body.
‘Do you remember when I wore this on our first date?’ I smoothed my dress down. ‘We went to that all-you-can-eat Turkish restaurant, and you took those photos of me under those colourful lanterns. And remember that waiter who got cranky, and his responses were grunts every time you changed your order. You were really testing his patience. He looked like he was going to explode.’ My head fell back with laughter.
‘Yeah, the angry prick. I remember the first night I met you. It was in May, and Billy and I were having a few beers in Mon Amour, and we ordered a ham-and-pineapple pizza and those spicy chips, and I swear after eating your pizza, it was love at first bite. It was the best pizza I’d ever had.’
I laughed again, thinking about that night. ‘When you came into the kitchen to meet me, I was shocked. I’ve had a few people want to meet me for my pizzas but not ever for ham-and-pineapple.’
‘Well, you can actually cook properly. Some people put too many ingredients on and it becomes soggy, and some people use tinned pineapple. You can always tell the difference between tinned and fresh. Baby, you treat your pizza like it’s a masterpiece with respect and …’ He paused and squeezed his eyes shut thinking of the right word. ‘And, uh … balance.’ He opened them and stared at me, smiling.
‘I’d never use tinned pineapple ever. That’s just a shortcut, and thanks, Seb.’
‘Now, speaking of food, should we get lunch or something?’ His head nodded eagerly as he awaited my reply.
As soon as he mentioned lunch, my stomach reacted with a grumble before my mind could think anything.
My eyes widened. ‘Yes, I’m starving.’
He let out a laugh. ‘Awesome.’
***
