17:
The air in Amelia’s apartment was thick with unspoken words. She sat on the far end of the sofa, her legs tucked under her, her gaze fixed on a spot on the wall as if it held all the answers she was searching for. Sebastian, seated at the other end, was quiet, his eyes on her, intense and unreadable.
Amelia finally broke the silence, her voice steady but tinged with confusion. "Why was my mother interrogating you like that? She was relentless."
Sebastian sighed, leaning back into the sofa, his eyes never leaving her. "Cleo has always been protective of you. She never liked the idea of us... being together."
Amelia frowned, her confusion deepening. "But why? We were engaged, yes, but it was more of a family arrangement. We weren’t... really together."
Sebastian hesitated, as if weighing his words carefully before speaking. "It’s because I was the one who pushed for it, Amelia."
Amelia’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock. "What do you mean?"
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his fingers intertwining as he stared down at the floor, gathering his thoughts. "Back then, when we were young... I asked my parents to arrange our engagement. I found out where you were working, where you were going to college, and I did everything to make sure we’d end up together."
Amelia’s breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding in her chest. "Why would you do that?"
Sebastian’s gaze lifted, and when his eyes met hers, they were filled with an intensity that made Amelia’s skin prickle with heat. "Because I wanted to marry you."
The words hung in the air between them, heavy and laden with meaning. Amelia felt a strange mix of emotions—shock, disbelief, and something else she couldn’t quite name.
"You wanted to marry me?" she repeated, her voice almost a whisper.
Sebastian nodded slowly. "Yes, I did. I know it sounds crazy, especially considering how things turned out. But back then, when we were still in high school... I couldn’t imagine anyone else."
Amelia shook her head, her mind reeling. "But you never showed any interest. You were always with other women, always distant."
Sebastian’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with a mix of regret and something deeper. "I know. I was a mess back then, trying to figure things out, and I ended up hurting you. That’s why your mother hates me. She knew I didn’t deserve you, that I was... not the right person for you."
Amelia’s heart ached with the memories of those years, the loneliness, the jealousy, the pain. But there was also a flicker of something else—something that had been buried deep within her.
Sebastian’s eyes softened as he continued, "Cleo knew how much you meant to me, even if I didn’t show it in the right way. And that’s why she was so angry. She didn’t want me to ruin your life."
Amelia stared at him, her mind racing. "But why... why now? Why are you telling me all this now?"
Sebastian’s gaze was unwavering, his voice low and sincere. "Because I’ve changed, Amelia. And I don’t want to make the same mistakes again. I didn’t understand what I had back then, but I do now."
Amelia’s heart was pounding, her thoughts a whirlwind. She had never expected to hear these words from him, never imagined that he had felt this way. It was as if everything she thought she knew about their past was being turned upside down.
She looked away, trying to process it all, but Sebastian’s voice pulled her back. "I know it’s been years, and we were just kids back then. But my feelings... they never really went away."
Amelia met his gaze again, her heart in her throat. "Sebastian... I don’t know what to say."
He reached out, gently taking her hand in his. His touch was warm, grounding her in the moment. "You don’t have to say anything right now. I just needed you to know the truth."
They sat there in silence, the weight of the revelation settling between them. Amelia’s mind was spinning, trying to reconcile the Sebastian she knew with the one sitting in front of her now. The idea that he had wanted her, truly wanted her, all those years ago—it was almost too much to comprehend.
As the silence stretched on, Amelia felt a strange mix of emotions—shock, confusion, and a glimmer of something else, something she wasn’t ready to name just yet. All she knew was that things between them had changed, and there was no going back.
Amelia sighed, the weight of the conversation hanging in the air between them. Without a word, she stood up and walked to the kitchen, the sound of her footsteps the only noise in the quiet apartment. Sebastian watched her go, his thoughts racing, trying to make sense of everything he had just confessed. He half-expected her to tell him to leave, but instead, she returned with a few snacks in hand.
She placed them on the table in front of the couch, her movements calm and deliberate. Then, without looking at him, she picked up the remote and switched on the TV. A movie was playing, its light flickering across their faces. Amelia sat back down beside him, not too close but closer than before. She grabbed a small bucket of ice cream she had brought from the kitchen, opened it, and started eating with a spoon, her eyes on the screen.
Sebastian glanced at the TV, then back at Amelia. The movie played on, but his attention was entirely on her. He noticed how she seemed so at ease, almost as if their intense conversation had never happened. But he could see the subtle tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes were focused a little too hard on the movie.
As he watched her, he couldn’t help but notice her fondness for ice cream. It was something he’d picked up on over the years, even back in the lab—how she always had a tub of it nearby, a quiet companion to her work alongside the ever-present coffee.
Amelia, catching his gaze, turned and nudged the spoon toward him, offering him a bite. There was something almost casual about the gesture, as if she was offering him a slice of normalcy amidst the chaos of their emotions.
Sebastian hesitated for a moment, then took the spoon from her, dipping it into the ice cream and taking a bite. The cold sweetness melted on his tongue as he ate it in silence. His eyes drifted back to Amelia, who was now engrossed in the movie, her attention seemingly far away from the complicated feelings swirling between them.
But Sebastian couldn’t tear his gaze away from her. The way she seemed so at ease, the quiet calmness in her demeanor—it was something he had always admired, even if he hadn’t understood it fully until now.
The room was filled with the soft sounds of the movie, the gentle crunch of the snacks they shared, and the occasional scrape of a spoon against the ice cream tub. Amelia was focused on the screen, but Sebastian’s thoughts were entirely on her. He felt an odd sense of contentment, just being there with her, sharing this quiet moment.
He ate another spoonful of ice cream, savoring the taste, then glanced back at Amelia. She was still watching the movie, seemingly lost in it, but there was something about the way she sat there, the way she offered him the ice cream, that made him feel closer to her than he had in a long time.
Sebastian felt a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he handed the spoon back to her, their fingers brushing briefly. It was a simple gesture, but it felt like a step forward, a moment of connection amidst the uncertainty of everything else.
And so, they sat together in silence—Amelia watching the movie, and Sebastian, watching her.
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