Becca

The night was quiet. A major change to my normal working schedule at daylight. As it was explained to me by Mr. Raymond and Annalisa, it was part of my job is available to the Duke. Their explanation was vague but from the tone of their voices and the worry in their eyes, I can tell they were truly concerned about him. Gone was the formality of calling him, 'His Grace', they called him by his given name. I couldn't refuse the offer. It wasn't because of the rise of pay and flexible hours plus the private room at the hotel. It was because of him. Something tugged at me after the first night I was at his beck and call. The way his attitude changed at the drop of a hat simply by me asking one question.

He was protecting himself but from what?!

It was nearing midnight when the quiet lobby stirred with noise. It wasn't the normal sound of a formal greeting and directions to the front desk. This was the sound of two people arguing, one was trying to get the other to come in while the other was protesting. I recognized the second voice and was completely taken back. Quickly I rounded the desk and stepped out into the lobby. "Oh, my word. What happened?"

There he was. The Duke Of Montrose heavily leaning on an extremely worried man, eyes glazed along with a bottle of vodka in his hand. I eyed the bottle closely, noticing a quarter of alcohol was left. "Oh. Hey Red."

My eyes rounded in shock by the greeting he placed my way. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat, trying his best to make it to my side. His new friend quickly rushed to his side, holding him up before he fell. "Your Grace. Are you alright?" I asked.

"Of course I am," he answered with a laugh. My eyebrows raised once more, seeing him like this was painful. His laugh still didn't reach his eyes, even if he was completely drunk.

"Excuse me. I do not wish to be rude but who are you?" the man beside him asked. Sebastien now had his head resting on the man's shoulder while humming a song. The tune was familiar but I had to pay attention to the situation at hand. Before I can answer, Sebastien, did so for me, "This... my dear good man... is Bec....caaaa. My remedy of some sort." he said jokingly. His English accent was more pronounced, I felt a bit guilty noticing how it stirred a feeling I have buried a long time ago.

"Your remedy?" his friend asked.

"I'm actually the concierge hired to take care of him" I explained. The guy breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm Marlin an old friend of his. I take it you have a key to his floor?"

"Yes. I will meet you by the elevator."

"H-Hey. Where are you going? You're supposed to stay with me." Sebastien whined. "She's just going for the key, bud. Let's go." Marlin said firmly in which his friend conceded taking another sip of the vodka. Sebastien began to sing the song he was recently humming, my steps faltered upon recognizing the song. I hated the song and the person who made me remember it after so long. Heartaches shouldn't last so long.

Grabbing the key and my cell, I rushed to the elevator bank to see the duke sitting on the floor finishing the bottle while staring at the ceiling. Marlin was truly worried and so was I. Our drunken friend was silent, was that a good sign? Approaching them slowly, Marlin's gaze switched between Sebastien and me. Taking in the silence, I opened the doors to the elevator in which we didn't have to coax him into, he practically crawled into it and sat in the corner. Marlin and I looked at each other utterly confused. I have dealt with drunk people and this was the first for me. I've never met a quiet drunk.

We were approaching the twenty-fourth floor when the confined silence was broken.

"Nothing big. It was nothing big."

I looked over my shoulder at the man who puzzled me completely. He had his eyes to the ceiling once more, this time his eyes weren't glazed over with his drunkenness but with tears. Sebastien paused for a moment, it looked like he was mulling things over.

"HOW THE FUCK IS CHEATING ON ME WITH MY BEST FRIEND NOT BIG."

I was startled by his explosion, his loud voice bounced off the walls of the elevator, deafening me a bit. What caught my attention was what he said. Marlin quickly went by his side. "You heard the fucking bitch. I should get over it. She was my fiance. He was my best friend. They betrayed me, Marl."

My heart ached because I can hear the sob lodged in his throat as he spoke. I kept my back turned to give him some privacy. "I know, bud. I know." Marlin said softly.

"It still fucking hurt. Even more now when all the fucking bloodhounds want to know where the fuck I was and why I left. I can't believe she was so heartless." This time I heard the sadness mixed with heartbreaking cries. I couldn't stand it. The overwhelming urge to comfort him was there and hearing him so broken tugged at my heartstrings, tears were welling in my eyes just by listening. "I hated how her mother and herself brushed it all off. To them, it's no big fucking deal. I never knew her to be like that." he continued. This time Marlin had no words of comfort.

The elevator came to a stop when the doors opened no one made an effort to leave. I stood frozen not knowing what to do. I wanted to comfort him also but I didn't want to cross any borders. "I told them I wasn't ready for this. It's still so fresh to me. I can still see them both in my van. I can still see how unbothered he was."

I couldn't stand it anymore, I needed to be there for him. Quickly I knelt before him, framing his face with my small hands, using my thumbs to brush away his tears. "Becca." was all he said to make my tears flow. That one mention of my name was filled with defeat and pain. Sebastien deserved happiness. He had people who loved him dearly and wanted him to heal. From what I heard, this ex-fiance of his had his heart that's why it cut him deeply. I felt his pain like no other. I knew how it felt to be betrayed. Betrayed by someone you thought you loved once. "Let's go inside. I'm sure you're hungry." I said softly. He kept his grey gaze on me as I continued to caress his cheek with my thumb. There was somewhat of a bond formed between us by the meeting of our eyes. I felt it and I wondered if he did too. Feeling his smooth skin under my fingers sent such awareness through my body. I had to focus on him and forget about the feelings that were currently surfacing.

"Okay," he whispered leaning into my palm. Marlin helped him up to stand and proceeded to lead him to his quarters. Slowly I walked behind them and again Sebastien began to hum that song. I noticed how Marlin's face fell upon hearing the song. Another piece of the puzzle I called Sebastien.

In the apartment, I busied myself in creating some sort of sustenance for the two while Marlin tried to sober up the man of the hour. The quickest thing was grilled cheese and soup. Sebastien was still talking to Marlin in a drunken stupor, it seemed he had a lot of anger and resentment bottled up and whatever happened tonight broke that dam.

"Alright, here we go," I called from the dining room. The two came in and dug right into the hot meal. I eyed Sebastien closely, he was getting there, with each spoonful of the hot soup he became more alert. Marlin was quick to finish but he didn't move an inch, he stayed till Sebastien finished everything. "You good?"

With his head in his hands, he gave his friend a slight nod before looking at him. "Thank you. For everything," he said releasing a frustrated sigh. "You're welcome. I'm not giving up on you. You will get through this." Marlin said. Sebastien simply nodded before finally looking up, meeting my eye. I smiled his way before clearing the table. "Becca!! I'm leaving him in your care. I must get home to my girl. " Marlin called out.

"No problem. Be safe."

Hearing the door closed and the dishes done I returned to the now somewhat sober Duke. He was still seated at the table looking out the window at the beautiful New York nightlife. I sat beside him and looked out also. We stayed in comfortable silence before he finally spoke. "My parents. Uncle. Annalisa. Marlin. They worry."

"Because they love you and want you to be happy."

"I know they do. That's why they asked you to help out when they're not around. They tend to make decisions for me since the incident." he continued. Turning to him I saw how downtrodden he was, even his smile showed his pain. "They are giving you time to heal in your own way. Is your way working?" I asked.

"Does it look like it's working?" he joked humorlessly. I silently wondered if he spoke about the incident without the help of alcohol. The emotions he needed to release were still bottled in. Looking at him now my decision to be there for him was final. It was so weird that I just met this man and had an instant connection. This pull to be by his side, comfort him, help him and just be that person he can trust was overwhelming. I wanted to be there for him, though my own personal life was still chaotic.

Boldly I reached out to touch his curls, massaging his scalp with my fingers. He released a relaxed sigh, leaning towards me unconsciously, "How can you unnerve and comfort me at the same time? We just met and you..... you ...." He couldn't finish his sentence, he stopped talking completely and kept his gaze outside.

"If it's any consolation it feels right being with you. I hate the Sebastien I saw in the elevator. I want to see you happy. My goal before you leave the hotel is to see your smile reach your eyes." I said softly removing my hand from his soft brown curls.

"I like having you next to me," he responded. A shudder ran through my body from his words and the way he looked at me. His grey eyes were soft with a small smile on his lips. This instant bond we now admitted to each other was bigger than emotional, it was also physical. How can this be?

"You should get some sleep."

"Thank you for dinner. I will love it if you join me for dinner from now on. We can rotate in cooking."Sebastien said rising from his chair.

"I will love that," I answered truthfully.

He didn't move from his spot, he looked confused and a bit lost. Again hating how emotionally damaged he was I stood and wrapped my arms around his waist. Slowly he returned my hug, holding me tightly. His light musky scent mixed with cinnamon filled my nostrils as I felt his hand in my hair while caressing my back. His warmth enveloped me, making me feel safe. We began to sway to an unheard song as he kept me in his arms. I didn't want to let go of him. My body needed to feel his against mine. Forget the riches and fame, Sebastien was like any other person dealing with betrayal and I want to be the woman to help him move on.

"I don't know what this is but I hope you can help me, Becca."