Holly reluctantly rolls over to turn her alarm off, it's 7am.

She lays for a while staring at the ceiling, a small smile spreads across her face. Her phone is laying on the bed beside her, where it fell from her hands last night.

Letting out a sigh and sliding herself out of bed, Holly makes her way to the bathroom across the hall. She strips off her pyjamas, putting them in the already full washing basket.
Humming to herself, Holly leans in to turn the shower on.
The bathroom wasn't massive but has enough space for a shower cubicle and bathtub.

After washing her hair through, singing a few ballads and running the washcloth over her curves, Holly turns the water temperature down. Cringing at the iciness; she stands still letting the cool water run over her, her toes wiggle in discomfort. After a few minutes she jumps out to dry herself off.
She really needed that, certain that she dreamt of Sebastian last night, but unable to bring back any memories.

After drying off and wrapping her damp hair up onto her head, Holly dresses in some comfy pants and a khaki top. She pops some fluffy socks on her feet and tucks her pants into them, intent on being warm and cozy.

Heading to the small but cute kitchen, Holly sets about making some oatmeal and a cup of tea. Two sugars.

Literally sliding into the living room a little while later, her socks enabling her to effortlessly glide along the solid wood floors of her apartment, Holly sets up her laptop. She replies to a few emails and continues on with her day. The washing that had slowly become a mountain finally got clean and dried.
Holly had a brief conversation with her agent, Carolina, where they talked about Sebastian for a little while. As soon as Holly picked up her phone, Carolina knew something was up. Holly liked to think she was unreadable, even over the phone, but the people who knew her well, could read her like a book.

"He was very...nice Carolina. But..."

"No buts Holly, you always hold yourself back when it comes to relationships and guys in general, I've known you long enough. Make some friends and lasting relationships, you'll need them in New York. I know why you do this, but please, for me. If you like...him...don't hold back." Carolina encourages Holly, she wanted Holly to be bolder, to be brave. Be more extrovert, take some risks.

Holly sighs into the phone. She knew Carolina was right. She did hold back from forming new relationships even friendships, it stemmed from losing her mom at a tender age, and at that time in her life she'd been through a few bad and questionable relationships, and shitty toxic friendships.

"Okay." Holly breathes into the phone, giving in. Time to start thinking about herself a bit more. She needed to stop cutting herself off from the people around her.

Carolina was well aware of who Sebastian Stan was, she knew his manager, Emily. They had been friends for a few years now, she was older in her 50s.
Smiling to herself, Carolina says her goodbyes to Holly.

Looking at her phone Holly see's no other notifications. She doesn't hear from Sebastian all morning. She shouldn't be bothered they weren't close, they had only just met. But strangely for her, she was.

Taking her mind away. Holly pulls out her sketchbook, popping it into her bag; setting out to roam New York, hopefully without getting lost.

* * *

A week or two later, Holly's phone pinged, and a message from Sebastian popped up.

From: Sebastian To: Holly
Hey you. Sorry I've not been in touch! I've been tied down with work and not been getting back till late, you know the drill. Didn't want to wake you up at an ungodly hour. How have you been? Seb.

In the weeks between first meeting Sebastian and now, Holly had celebrated her 32nd birthday. She'd spent it looking round the museum of modern art with Molly, who had turned up at her door unannounced with coffee, croissants, a big bunch of pink flowers and balloon with 'Happy Birthday' emblazoned across the front. The museum wasn't Molly's cup of tea, but she knew how much Holly enjoyed spending time at museums and galleries. It was her calm.

Molly had insisted on buying a cake from the store and forced Holly to blow out the candles from the delicately iced chocolate cake and to make a wish. There was no way she was going to eat all of it, so she sent some home with Molly when she had to leave. They wouldn't see each other for a while, Molly was flying back to Los Angeles that evening. They hugged one another goodbye again as Molly got in her cab to Newark Liberty International Airport. Closing the door and putting the latch across, Holly settled in for the evening, she had made sure to put the flowers in a vase that morning. The balloon was tied to one of two dining chairs that she owned, both tucked under the counter top to the breakfast bar. The bookcase and mantle in the living room had been littered with cards, from friends and family sending along birthday cheer. Looking at her phone, Holly saw a missed call from Carrie and proceeded to call her back, and to thank her for the card and present she too had sent.

From: Holly To: Sebastian
Hi. That's ok, I understand. I've had a pretty busy week too. H.

Sebastian wasn't content with Holly's reply. It sounded pretty vague. Maybe leaving it a couple of weeks to contact her again was a bit much. He had been busy though, although that wasn't an excuse. He really wanted to get to know Holly some more. The night he had called her after their impromptu meeting had been pretty tough, he had barely got any sleep, finding it hard to wind down. He was free today and for the rest of the weekend, maybe they could go out and catch up.

From: Sebastian To: Holly
You'll have to tell me all about it... Are you free today? X

From: Holly To: Sebastian
Not much planned, was only going to chill out and enjoy some downtime, maybe get some fresh air.

From: Sebastian To: Holly
Would you wanna, maybe, go to the National Park, the weather seems pretty nice for it today? I can bring food :)

From: Holly To: Sebastian
Sounds like a plan. It's one of many places I have yet to visit :)

From: Sebastian To: Holly
Perfect! I can pick you up in half an hour or so. You'll need to pack extra clothes for later on. See you soon!

From: Holly To: Sebastian
See you soon! Can't wait. :)

Holly sets about getting ready. Changing into some black leggings, a top and a grey hoody; she checks herself out in the mirror, applying just mascara and some lip balm.

Holly grabbed her camera, popping it on top of her backpack, it had been a while since she's gone out and took some pictures of nature, and even longer since she's been on a hike.

Pulling up to Holly's building, Seb gets out, making his way; a leap in his step, to Holly's door. He greets the security guard as he passes.

"Hey." He grins as she opens the door. His smile was blinding and adorable, Holly thought.

"Hi. Come in, I've just got to grab my shoes." She shyly gestures behind her.

She notices he's wearing a cap, a black t-shirt and joggers; his thick thighs clearly visible through the fabric and Nike trainers.

Upon entering, Sebastian comments on a few paintings he notices hanging on the wall. They really did intrigue him.

"These are amazing." He gestures to a group of canvases on the far wall. "Who painted these."

"Ah. I did." Holly says sheepishly as she enters the room to sit on the sofa. She ties up her laces, eyes trained on her shoes.
He admires the art work a little longer. Suddenly something in his mind clicks. It was Holly's painting in the coffee shop! He notices the same name neatly scratched in the corner.
A couple of the paintings here shared a similar style too the ones before.

"Why didn't you say anything before? These are really good." Seb exclaims, turning to face her. Holly shrugs shyly, a small smile lifting the corner of her lips. She wasn't embarrassed by her art work.

"Oh, erm. I don't... know. Thank you." She says awkwardly, getting up from the sofa. Seb grins at her, in awe of her talents.

"Are you ready to go?" She says, a blush rising to her cheeks, trying to change the subject.

"Sure, but will you show me more of your paintings." Seb says.

"Maybe... I don't really share them often. I guess I'm too self critical. Hence the pen name."

"Well I guess I should feel privileged. Thank you for explaining that other piece to me. I think it's my favourite."

She smiles at him. Her stomach flutters at his words as he comes closer to her. She wasn't accustomed to people praising her work when she was so secretive and protective of it. The one Sebastian liked was also one of her favourites. She had painted it on a particularly rainy day, when she had hoped for sunshine. That day had been one of her first in New York, on her own.

"Ready then?" he says, standing directly in front of her, within arms reach.

Her heart skips a beat, she quickly turns, heading for the door.
Seb follows behind Holly, admiring the view in front of him. He picks up her bag for her as they head out and she tucks her camera strap over her arm.

"Thought I'd bring my camera along." She says, holding it up for him to see.

"Perfect."

"This one's relatively new, I haven't had the chance to use it properly yet." She said enthusiastically, her smile meeting her eyes. Sebastian noticed her smile was genuine and more noticeable, her reactions more animated when she talked about the things she enjoyed.

"I might even let you have a go." She added, a playful glint in her eye.

During the car ride Seb blasted his playlist through the car speakers. Holly enjoyed the ride humming along, Sebastian occasionally singing; and taking in the scenery.
Holly hadn't been to this part of the country before. It was beautiful. There was so much greenery, more than she was expecting.
Not surprisingly, Sebastian kept looking across at her the whole journey. A few times their eyes met; looking away when the other noticed.

"Here's the map of the trail. I thought we could take this route." Sebastian said, showing the map to Holly, his finger tracing the route he intended. He had enjoyed this route and the winding pathways a number of times before. It was a beautiful place.

"Looks good to me." She says looking over Sebs arm to view the route. He felt her breath graze his skin, making the hairs on his arms raise slightly. She was close enough that he could smell the sweet scent of her coconut shampoo.

Setting off on their hike together through the national park, Holly enjoyed talking and taking pictures, finally letting Seb have a go with her camera after she had played around with it for a while, taking test pictures of the bright green leaves and the decaying bark from fallen trees.

"Stand by that tree over there." Seb says, directing Holly to stand in the light.

"Perfect." He whispers, as she stands looking up at the enormous, old tree in front of her.

Sebastian takes a few more pictures; before handing the camera back, when Holly wasn't looking. One such picture, he's particularly proud of.

Holly was feeling more comfortable and confident away from her personal surroundings, enabling them to both goof around, without any worries. Sebastian made her laugh, telling her jokes and teasing her.
He liked her smile. She had smiled often. Holly seemed more free out and about in nature, he noticed.

"Catch me if you can." Holly giggled, running off into the trees.
She raced the tall, brown haired man through the trees, occasionally peeking over her shoulder to see how far behind he was. Sebastian was too fast and ultimately caught up to her, spinning her around to face him, as his arms come round her waist. Her feet left the ground as he spun them both round in a circle. They both laughed.

Sebastian brushes some stray hair from Holly's rosy cheeks, she shys away, eyes looking towards the ground before they flick back to his face.
Holly looks up at Sebastian through her long lashes, he flicks his tongue over his lips and starts to lean in. Holly gulps.

"Close your eyes." Seb whispers, inches away from her face. Holly's reluctant but does so. His hand brushes delicately against her arms, spinning her round. Holly's feeling nervous.
Seb slowly starts to walk her a few steps forward through the trees. The pace is slow as Holly takes tentative steps so as not to stumble. Her heart racing with anticipation.
After a few silent minutes, Holly starts to hear water running in the distance, a smile dances on her lips.
Seb has one hand on the small of her back. Holly can feel her heart beating through her chest, his other hand is pressed lightly over her eyes. He smelt good, she could help breathing him in and his hands were soft.
Holly's thoughts run wild; stomach full of butterflies. Her hands were lifted and stretched out in front of her, ready for the imminent fall she was internally predicting.

"Open your eyes." Sebastian whispers into her ear, his teeth almost grazing her skin. It sends shivers down her spine, she sucks on her bottom lip. From the corner of his eyes, Seb notices her reaction. The woman in front of him was driving him wild.

As her eyes flicked open and adjusted to the light, Holly was met with the most beautiful sight. In front of them, a waterfall was cascading down a myriad of weathered rocks, the water droplets landing into a pool at the bottom. She was amazed and grinning from ear to ear at the beautiful sight.

"Pass me your camera and stand over their I'll get a picture of you." Sebastian directs again.
Passing it over carefully, their fingers gently brush against each other, Holly makes her way over to the waterfall.
Sebastian takes a number of pictures of Holly posing in front of the beautiful, moving body of water. They take a series of pictures together, both smiling happily, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Smile." Holly says, holding the camera, arms outstretched in front of her.
Sebastian boldly kisses her cheek then, as she takes the selfie. She blushes, her eyes flutter at his touch. He lingers only slightly against her soft skin, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, his stubble lightly tickling her aching cheeks.

The pair sit by the waterfall for a while, taking in the peaceful surroundings and enjoying spending time in each others company. Holly runs her hand through the cool water at the edge, flicking some at Sebastian, she chuckles to herself wildly. Water droplets stain the front of his shirt, they are soon dried off from the heat in the air.

"Hey. What was that for?" Seb says, grabbing her damp fingers.

"You missed my birthday." She says, teasing. He drops her hand then, shocked.

"What?!" He exclaims. She laughs.

"How were you to know it was my birthday? We'd only just met."

"Well... I can't believe I missed it." He says stuttering, trying to find the words. He truly was saddened that he had missed her birthday, had he known he could have sent her a card at the very least.

"It's no big deal." She says. "I was only messing."

After a while the pair decide to head back to the car, the hike back was easier and quicker as it was down hill, they ran some of the way, chasing each other.
Laughing, and not looking where she was going, Holly tripped over a log that sat in the middle of the footpath. A light scream escaped her lips as she fell. Sebastian managed to grab her just before her back touched the floor. He held Holly in his arms for a second, his eyes meeting her lips briefly. Setting her back on the ground, he reluctantly let's her go.

They walk back the rest of the way to the the car. Their hands swinging dangerously close to one another; both secretly wanting to hold hands. Sebastian grabbed them both a bottle of water and a snack from the boot for an energy boost.

"Okay if we head back to mine? I thought maybe we could grab a take-out." Seb asks, between bites of his protein bar, testing the waters. He didn't want to scare her away by being too forward, he also didn't want to end the day with her just yet.

"Oh, sure. Sounds good to me. What did you have in mind?" Holly nervously bounced on the balls of her feet. She too didn't want the day to end, she had enjoyed being back outside and amongst nature.

"How's does pizza sound, and maybe a movie?"

Holly grins. "Sounds...Perfect." Pizza was one of her favourite take outs.

On the drive back Holly played around with her camera, bringing up some of the pictures she had taken. She was eager to use some of these as reference for a new art piece she was planning. The colours of the leaves and surrounding flora at the park really sung to her.
Sebastian watched from the drivers side as she zoomed in and out of the pictures taking in all the details, her eyes darting across the small screen looking at what she had captured, her tongue resting at the corner of her mouth, poking out slightly in concentration.

"Hey, I didn't take this one... It's beautiful." She exclaims, turning the camera for Seb to see. It was a close up shot of some leaves on a low hanging branch, you could see the fuzzy profile of Holly in the background.

"It's not my favourite." Sebastian says smiling. "Scroll through a few more." He says, moving his fingers to signify the motion.
His eyes move back to concentrate on the road, they weren't too far from his apartment now. Stopping at a light, he leans over to watch her slowly scroll through the images.

"That one. That one's my favourite." He says with enthusiasm, as she comes to the picture he was referring to.
The picture was of Holly, leaning down to look at a flower. A pure candid shot. She didn't even realise he had taken it.

She smiled pleasantly, her eyes widening in awe at the image he had taken.

"You're a really good photographer." She says, looking directly at him. "Thank you for taking this."

"The pleasure was all mine." He says, as they pull up to his house. "We're here."

Sucking down her nerves; although they weren't as potent as before; Holly exits Sebastian's car; he opened the door for her and grabbed her bag like the gentleman the was. Holly followed behind him into his building, she couldn't help but look at the muscles beneath his shirt, the fabric stretched across his backside.

Sebastian showed Holly in through his door, opening it wide, he let her enter ahead of him; locking it behind them both. Kicking off their shoes and setting down rucksacks; Holly breathed a relaxed sigh.
She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't this. Sebastian had a beautiful home. It was homely, yet still manly. His couch looked super comfortable, a big blanket was thrown over the arm at one end. There was a large bookcase with a huge amount of books. Holly was itching to run her fingers along the spines.

Watching the woman before him relax in his space, Sebastian vowed to search the galleries and coffee shops for a painting of hers to put up on his wall, maybe the one he saw the first day they met. He didn't want to ask her out right, he got the feeling this might make her uncomfortable.

"I'm gonna grab a shower. You're more than welcome to have one too, if you like." Sebastian says, as they both stand in his living room. He ran his hands nervously through his hair.

"There's two bathrooms." he says, nonchalantly. As Holly's eyes narrowed slightly at his statement.

"Actually that would be great. Thanks."

Sebastian grabbed Holly's bag as she follows behind him up the stairs. He shows her where the guest bathroom is. The hall they travel along had many beautiful pictures on the white walls.

As they entered the expansive room, Sebastian grabbed her a couple of towels from the closet and passes over her bag, their hands touch briefly. They both felt a spark as their skin comes into contact.

"Thank you."

"Call me if you need anything." He says walking backwards out of the room, his eyes dark, and never leaving hers.

Turning round slowly and locking the door behind her, Holly takes in the huge bathroom which is twice as big as hers. She leans her back against the door surveying the space.
The bath tub looks big enough to swim in and the shower had plenty of room for more than one person she thought.

Holly stripped off her clothes, glad to be free of the sweaty material. Turning on the shower, giving it a few seconds to warm up, she tentatively steps in. The water cascades over her bare skin like a waterfall. It was the best shower she'd had in a long time. The water felt like it was massaging her shoulders as it fell, easing her aching muscles.
There were bottles on the wall containing shampoos and soaps, each one smelled different, yet beautiful. She finally decided to use one that smelled like flowers and vanilla.

Whilst washing herself down Holly was hyper aware that Sebastian was in the next room. Across the hall he was feeling the same thing.

Finishing up in the luxurious shower, Holly started to dry off with one of the fluffy white towels Sebastian had given her. She could hear him humming to himself across the hall. She smiled as she dropped the towel in the wash basket.
Holly changed into some jeans and a simple top, that left a small band of skin on show at her waist. She slipped on a thin cardigan over the top.
After stuffing her dirty clothes into her bag, Holly set about roughly drying her hair with the other towel, she opted to leave it hanging loose, it wouldn't take too long to dry in this heat.
Once finished Holly made her way back up the hall and down the stairs, finding Sebastian in the living room, already sitting on the couch, phone in hand. He was wearing sweatpants and a grey t-shirt, his hair tousled, it looked soft to touch. He pocketed his phone after noticing her presence.
Holly walked carefully towards the sofa, Sebastian's eyes trained on her as she sat next to him, leaving a comfortable amount of space between them.

"Hey, did you like the shower?"

"Mmm, it was perfect." She says. A small sleepy smiles graced her face. Sebastian swallows the lump that suddenly forms in his throat at her moan. He leans forwards grabbing the TV remote, selecting a channel and putting the volume on low. He leans back a moment later more composed.

They sit facing each other for a while, sneaking glances at one another, a comfortable silence fills the air.
Sebastian moves his arm, placing it on the back of the sofa. His fingers slowly caress Holly's shoulder, he looks at her longingly.
Holly bites her bottom lip and fiddles with her hands.
Taking in a deep breathe she looks up through her long lashes into his deep blue eyes, her green eyes betray her and flick down to his full lips. Oh, how much she wanted to feel his lips against hers.
Sebastian slowly leans in close, their bodies almost touching, he softly whispers.

"Can I kiss you now?" Holly's lips part slightly as she feels his breathe, which smells of mint. She nods, letting his lips carefully and finally come together with hers.

The kiss was sweet and tender. Holly's mouth opens as one of Sebastian's hands comes to rest on the exposed skin of her back. Sebastian takes this opportunity to slide his tongue against hers gently, his other hand playing into her hair near the nape of her neck. Sebastian's eyes flick open to look at the woman in front of him, he nibbles and sucks her bottom lip. Holly moans sweetly into his mouth, her hands start to travel up his arms delicately. She can feel his muscles tense as she lightly travels her fingers over his skin.
Sebastian lightly pushes on Holly's back, guiding her closer to him. She boldly moves her legs to sit either side of his. Sebastian's hands come down, his fingers grip onto her as he rub circles into her hips.

The sudden sound of the door bell breaks them apart. They both gasp for air. The food has arrived.

"That will be the pizza." He groans as he rises, pecking her on the lips once more as they part. He heads into the hall to answer the door.

Holly sits back on the couch taking in shakey breathes. That was...
She touches her lips with her fingers, and closes her eyes for a brief second.

Sebastian hurriedly makes his way to the kitchen. Holly turns as she hears him pass, curious as to what he was doing. A few seconds later he returns, a grin on his face, one hand balancing the pizza, the other behind his back.

"Close your eyes."

Holly does as she's asked, sucking on her bottom lip in anticipation.

"Okay, no peeking."

She hears him unload the boxes onto his coffee table, then feels him settle back onto the couch next to her. Sebastian waves his free hand in front of her face, testing that she isn't looking. She giggles, feeling the breeze from his movement waft over her cheeks.

"Okay. Open your eyes."

Holly slowly opens her lids. Once they have adjusted she sees Sebastian with a cheesy smile. In his clasped hands he held a cute iced cupcake, he'd even put a single candle on top.

"Happy belated birthday!"

"Thank you. That's sweet of you. You didn't have to though." Holly was surprised at this gesture.

"Make a wish." Sebastian held the cake out to her letting her blow out the candle. "I wanted too."

"Thanks. The pizzas gonna get cold, shall we?" She says, nodding towards the boxes in front of them, eager to eat.

"So, did you make a wish?" Sebastian asks as he pulls the pizza boxes towards them. Holly takes a slice.

"Of course. But I can't tell you, or it won't come true." She sticks her tongue out at him. Every year since she could remember Holly made the same wish.

"Oh, is that so?" He laughs, taking a bite of his slice, his eyes on her mouth, watching as she licks her lips.

"There's some films in the cabinet if you wanted to take a look." Sebastian says a while later. He cleared away the pizza boxes, grabbed another plate for the cake and a knife. Holly insisted on sharing it.

"Or I have some on my Apple TV. Choice is yours."

"What genre where you thinking? Because I could be here all night deciding." She says looking up at him.

"Comedy. I think."

After scrolling through Sebastian's Apple account, Holly finally settled on Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. It was one of her favourite comedies, turns out Sebastian liked it too.

Holly nestled into Sebastian's arms as the movie played out. She felt his body shake as he laughed during his favourite scenes. Holly's hand rested on his stomach, his left hand sat on top, his thumb rubbing circles into her skin.

Together they fell asleep on the sofa.