Aleah

I looked up to see if I was at the right place, looking down at my phone to make sure. I even sent Nathan a text of my location, asking him if I was. It didn't take him long to respond.

Yes! Just wait outside

Sending off a quick okay, I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against one of the buildings nearby. Maybe about ten minutes passed before a familiar face approached the same building, but it wasn't Nathan.

We were both equally confused when we saw each other.

"Aleah?" Sebastian's deep voice had a heavy hint of confusion. He looked down at his phone and sent off a quick text before looking up and giving me his full attention. "What are you doing here?"

His phone pinged with a text, and not even five seconds later, so did mine.

We gave each other a knowing look for a few seconds before we both dropped our eyes to our phone.

Have fun. Please don't hate me

I sighed. He'd been making little comments here and there for the past week that I'd be happier if I just settled down with someone who could make it easy to give up the booty calls. Maybe he saw right through me when I lied to him the week before his club party.

I always wanted to come off as emotionally unavailable, and although it was easy to in front of men I could care less about, it was a lot harder to feign it in front of friends who actually cared about me and took the time to see right through me.

"He set us up, huh?"

I laughed nervously. Seemed like Nathan's entirely family had the same idea.

They knew two single, attractive, young adults who claimed they didn't want love. If they could see right through me, I wondered if they saw right through him as well.

Otherwise, why would they set us both up? If they didn't think we'd both be okay with it. Was he okay with this?

He ran a hand through his hair and heaved a sigh, looking around at all the couples around us holding hands. Also barely noticing that detail, I suddenly felt a lot more lonely than normal. I backed further into the wall.

I could picture his inner debate as he offered his hand to me. "Well, since we're here, might as well go through with it. What do you say?"

I only gave myself a second to think about it as I saw the couples around watching us. "Yeah..."

Putting my hand in his, I felt him flinch. It was the smallest of movement, but I still felt and noticed it. His fingers curled around mine before I could question it, though.

While I was waiting, all I was doing was getting rid of some spam email, so I wasn't even sure where Nathan made me go. Now that I was looking around, I noticed it was an outdoor mall. A really fancy mall.

Palm trees lined a long fountain going through the middle of the buildings. Stores going along both sides of the walkway.

Sebastian was holding my hand like a child held onto his mom to not get lost, not like a boyfriend held his girlfriend. Something about how shy he was made me smile. It was cute.

Especially with the way he looked around at everyone around us, tightening his hold on me as if they could tell we weren't actually dating.

Overthinking was getting to him.

Wanting to ease his nerves a little, I brought myself closer to him and hugged his arm with my free hand, putting me right by his side. At that, he actually flinched noticeably, and I looked up at him. He looked down at my amused smile and groaned, not seeming to like my silent teasing.

As if wanting to win whatever little thing was going on between us, he let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders instead, pulling me even closer to his side.

Not wanting to be the one to lose, I did what any girlfriend would do when their boyfriend did that and wrapped both arms around his waist, pushing my cheek right into his chest. Having my arms fully around him, I noticed how small his waist was, and suddenly I was jealous.

How much did he work out to have a waist smaller than mine but shoulders still bigger than my own? No fair.

We kept walking along one side of the fountain, my eyes watching the light blue water stream up a few feet into the air before sprinkling onto the small pool waiting underneath. Each drop caused small ripples and the light breeze carried some of the mist, gently fanning my face.

The mall reminded me of a time when my dad wasn't so busy and my mom wasn't trapped in her own home. A time when the three of us would go out every weekend to enjoy some time as a family.

To this day, I didn't know what the hell changed.

I always suspected dad stopped loving my mom, but cared too much about the image we showed to the world. How would he look to everyone if he were to break a home? Divorcing his wife and leaving his kid behind.

What he didn't realize was that he not only broke the family by not leaving, but also broke the people he should've loved by staying without wanting to. A miserable man only made everyone around him just as miserable.

Sebastian's hand squeezing my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts and I furrowed my eyebrows up at him. His chest was rising and falling quicker than it was when I first pushed my cheek against it, and I pulled away an inch to see his pained expression.

"Sebastian?"

His other hand grabbed my wrist and I looked down, only to realize my hand was drawing circles on his skin while I was lost in thought. When the hell did I reach up his shirt?

"Oh, I'm sorry..." I mumbled, letting him pull my hand back out of his sweater to hold it instead.

We were approaching a Barnes & Noble when I stopped being in my own head and I beamed at the big sign up front. Pulling away from his side, I only missed his warmth for a few seconds before I pulled him into the book store, where the smell of warm cookies and freshly brewed coffee greeted us.

We both pulled in different directions. While I wanted to go for the books, he stepped towards the café. I uncurled my fingers from his first, and he followed.

"Want anything?" He asked me, and I bit my lip to think about it for a second.

I didn't miss the quick second it took him to look at me do so. Just like I was sure he never missed me staring at his lips when I randomly craved kissing him.

"I'll have an espresso and a muffin, please." I reached into my purse, but his hand stopped me before I could pull out my wallet.

"I got it."

I smiled up at him. "Thank you."

I watched him nod and turn his back on me as he walked towards the short line to the cafe. Then I spun on my heel to go towards the book aisle.

I was on my tippy toes, trying to reach a book on one of the higher shelves when a big hand grabbed the book my fingers were desperately rubbing, only achieving to push it farther into the shelf. I relaxed when that same hand brought the book down to my eye level and into my waiting hands.

Again, I smiled up at Sebastian in gratitude before turning the book over to read the summary at the back.

"Here," he grabbed one of the cups he was hugging against his stomach with his arm and handed it to me. I reached out my hand blindly, still reading the summary.

When I felt the cup touch my palm, I curled my fingers around it and took a blind sip, the opening of the lid barely missing my mouth.

I looked up when I heard Sebastian's chuckle, taking his own sip of his coffee.

"Interesting book?" He nodded at the book in my hand, an amused smile hidden behind his cup as he took another sip. I nodded, taking a proper sip of my espresso. "If it's as interesting as the cover, I dig it."

Turning it back over to look at the front, I felt my face heat up. The hottest it had ever gotten in front of him. Or anyone. I could only imagine I was as red as the cups we were both holding.

The cover consisted of a half naked couple, or maybe they were naked, the fucking cover just cut off at the right place. Or worst place, depending on who you asked.

I avoided looking up at what I imagined was a smug smile as I set the book down and pretended I was never interested in it. Nope. Not my cup of tea. My only cup of anything was the espresso I was still sipping out of, trying to hide my face from the man laughing quietly behind me as I walked away from the book I was planning to buy, but wouldn't in front of him.

Fuck.

I didn't even get the title.