Work was unsurprisingly slow, filled with old ladies that thought they were always right and people who I didn't even know existed in my town.

Kararn spent the whole time talking to me, as his and my registers were back to back. I liked talking to him and he made time go a shit load faster, and before I knew it I had 10 minutes left. We were too into the conversation to even care.

"He doesn't want to date, he's just not that type of guy-" he bent down to find more plastic bags, before continuing talking about his boyfriend who wasn't his boyfriend. "He doesn't care about dates or treating me well. All he cares about is getting his dick we-" He jumped a little as he stood back up after placing the plastic bags on the hook, noticing the customer and turning a deep shade of red, before straightening his back and giving a polite smile to the shocked middle-aged woman. "Was this all?" She just nodded.

He glared at me the moment she walked away and I just grinned, knowing he knew I'd seen her.

I tidied up my register, "tell him you want to date, it's not rocket science." He just shook his head and gave me a look that said it all, so I continued with a sigh as I wiped down the bench.

"Does he like you?" He nodded. "Play hard to get then, maybe find someone else, he'll see that you're starting to move on, and will do anything to keep you, including dates, if that's what you're into, and if he doesn't, he's not worth it."

"Take your own advice." I spun back around and come face to face with Sebastian, who put his stuff on the register, I blinked and took a second before scanning his items.

"I don't need to," I retorted with a forced smile, keeping my eyes on his groceries. Tiny teddies? Strawberry Milk? Cookies? Watermelon? Pads? Bandages?

"And a pack of Long Beach Red, thanks." That's more like him.

Kararn kicked my leg, "You're right to sign off after that one, kid." I just nodded in his direction, before grabbing a pack of long beach and scanning them.

"How are you getting home?" Sebastian questioned, handing me a wad of cash.

"Walking." I placed everything where it needed to go on the register.

"Alright, I'll give you a lift," he stated, before picking up the groceries.

"I'm good, thanks anyway." My tone was anything but friendly. One night of drinking and he thought we were friends? No thanks.

"Hurry up and sign off." 

I slumped, knowing he couldn't be convinced, and I really couldn't be bothered trying. I walked to the back of the supermarket, and into the locker rooms. Grabbing my stuff, signing off, and walking back to the spot to see Sebastian exactly where I left him, having a conversation with Kararn. "Apologies for leaving you with Karen." I stopped and stood next to Sebastian. "Whatever he's told you is just a ploy to get into your dacks. Let's go." I usher Sebastian away from Kararn, turning back to see my lovely manager smirking.

Whatever he said must have been good.

We walked out the automatic doors and I followed him to his car. I'd often seen it at Jack's, but not for a while, and I didn't recall it the other night I was at his house.

"I was fixing it," he turned to me, clearing noting my questioning gaze.  Am I that transparent?

I just nodded and got in, putting my seat belt on and turning to him. "You're on your period?" I asked, referring to the pads he just bought.

"I'm just a good little brother," he started the car up, driving out of the parking lot and towards my end of town.
.

"Are they for Marley's Mum?" He just nodded and I couldn't help but think about the bandages he had.

We pulled up at the front of my house in no time, and when I turned to Seb he offered me a small smile, to which I raise my eyebrow at.

"Why are you all of a sudden being nice?" I undid my seatbelt but kept seated. "After all these years of hating me, why are you giving me lifts and getting drunk with me, and not being a downright asshole?" I couldn't help myself from accusing him.

He just shrugged, his signature smirk falling on his face. I opened my mouth again. "I don't see why you're all of a sudden friendly to me as soon as Jack stops talking to me."

His smirk widened. "I feel sorry for you, y'know Aubrey?"

"What?" I was taken aback.

"The moment someone is nice to you, you think that there's something up," he joked, before turning his tone to a more serious one, although, his smirk still evident. "Maybe I decided that you've been through enough, sweetheart."

"I don't need you of all people pitying me." I turned around, opening the door of a car.

The sound of a car door slamming caught my attention, Debbie greeting my sight, a cigarette in between her bony fingers, as she waved goodbye to a beaten up car trudging down the street. She walked inside our house without a care in the world, her hair a mess and her clothes baggier than before.

I looked back at Sebastian to see him looking in the same direction I was. I got out of the car, a wash of relief and panic coming over me.

Sebastian hopped out of the car as well. I turned to look back at him, staring right at him, noticing the curiosity in his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"It's called walking you to your door," he looked between my front door and me.

"Well fuck off. I can walk myself," I caught myself off guard with just how guarded I was, and he seemed to notice.

He continued following me to my front door, and just before I could open it, it swung open, and I came face to face with Debbie.

"I thought it was you, baby. I haven't seen you in so long; I am so sorry about the other day. Mark and I were just playing around," she resembled a madman, the bags under eyes even more evident than the last time I saw her and her hair even crazier than I first initiated.

"You know it wasn't a joke, Mum."

She leaned in to hug me, wrapping her frail arms around me and I stood there like a statue. "Whos this?" She stood up straight, looking at Sebastian, and I didn't manage to avoid seeing her look him up and down.

"Sebastian," he offered her a tight smile, "sorry to disappoint but Aubrey's just here to get some clothes. She's staying with me tonight."

I looked at Sebastian, unable to read the look on his face, then back to my Mum, who looked frighteningly calm.

"I'm staying here," I almost hit him. There was no need for him to still be so fucking bossy, moment ago he was playing nice.

"No, you're not."

I sighed, stepping through the front door, ready to just lock the both of them out. I couldn't be fucked dealing with either of them. Of course, the world never works that way.

"You're leaving me? I just got back." Debbie's anything but calm voice had me turning around to face her, and I'm sure Sebastian noticed it too.

"Just for the night." I looked to him, a look appearing on his face as though he just figured something out.

"Don't you love me?" I hated this game.

"Yes, I love you."

I turned around and walked through the hall to my room, packing everything I'd need for the night into a bag. By the time I was back out, Sebastian was still standing there.

Despite everything in my brain telling me he didn't need to hear or be suspicious of anything else, I still turned around, offering Debbie a sentence, spoken with the calmest voice I could muster, yet nothing could stop it from being shaky.

"Maybe you can have Mark in peace now, he seemed a little too interested in your daughter, but you couldn't care, right?."