BargainingSebastianBargaining commences after a fitful few hours of sleep; I beg the god I never believed in to give me back my wife, my life. Our life.I sit on my knees at the end of my bed, much as Beth would, praying, begging the man upstairs.How could he do this?What was the purpose in making her and I suffer so?Did my wavering faith cause my loss of Beth?Was this a proportionate punishment in an effort to highlight my lack of faith?My head is splintering in two, the paracetamol isn't working, and I'm more than still way past drunk. I feel as sick as a dog.And my knuckles are still bleeding, the red liquid staining the hand towel scarlet as it covers the gruesome-looking cuts that I can't stomach to look at.I'm starting to think I should take a trip to the hospital, thinking perhaps I did more damage than I initially thought, but I can't bring myself to leave the confines of my room.What was I thinking going out like that?Who am I now?Who am I becoming?No wonder my f
ResentmentSebastianResentment comes in the following hours as Josh sits beside me in the accident and emergency department as I await stitches to be placed in my knuckles.I created more damage than I thought, punching my way through some sort of vessel that hadn't stopped bleeding.They've numbed me up, and I'm waiting for that to take effect before being taken back again.I'm not too fond of it here, the sterility of the place; I've never liked hospitals and probably never will. But considering recent events, I hate them even more.That's why I internalise my hatred for myself, jumping on the bandwagon of self-loathing, as that might fix everything that's wrong in my life."You're an idiot. Why didn't you reach out? You must have known we'd be here for you," Josh admonishes me, bringing me out of my sour thoughts only to verbalise my self-loathing of my situation."What was I to say? 'Hey, Josh. I want to drink myself into oblivion because my wife's dead and buried?'"He gives me
SebastianI pick Melody up, holding her to me as I smell her hair. She's freshly washed, and it's smooth and silky, exactly how it would be if Beth had washed her on a Sunday.The reminder of such a task being thrust upon me just makes me feel goddang awful, but I make no mention that Tina took it upon herself to do such a task when that should have been left up to me.You've been next to useless!"Whatcha painting?" I ask, walking to the table to peek at her painting, which is in bright, eye-catching colours."Us," she tells me as I note two figures holding hands. They both have downturned mouths, a sigh of unhappiness, my thumb running over the paper, tracing her depiction of... depression."Are they sad?" I ask.She nods, not saying yes, but I see in her eyes that she's depicting how she feels.She's always been well ahead in her drawings; she's been making these weird little stickmen for a few months now. But the sad face was a new one; she hadn't been doing mouths in any other fo
Depression Sebastian We took Melody home that Sunday evening as Josh silently drove us home. She sat back in her car seat, quiet as could be, staring out the window as she held onto her favourite teddy. There was so much I wanted to say to Josh, so much I wanted to doubt myself over, but I didn't want to say it within her earshot, so I decided not to say anything at all. Yet dread sat at the base of my stomach as we neared my home. The most challenging part of this whole thing was the thought of laying my problems on Josh's shoulders. He was moving in with me, taking responsibility for my behaviour and, if he was telling the truth, my child, also. I pitied him and equally felt sorry for him that I, his best friend, had dragged his bachelorhood down, saddling him with the pair of us as I navigated this new life that had been thrust upon me. To my surprise, Charlotte had been at my home when we arrived, her Clio in the driveway next to my car, enlightening me to the fact that sh
"Daddy?" Melody calls from the back garden as I bake her cookies that she had helped me make this fine Saturday morning. "Yes, baby?" "Look," she says, bringing me a frog that looks worse for wear and frightened for its life. "Whatcha got there, a frog?" I ask her. "Mhm, it was in the flowers," she tells me. "That's pretty cool, but I think we should let him return to his little house now. We're nearly ready to go to grandma's." "Already?" She asks, looking up and onto the side for the cookies. "Three minutes. Can you go put your friend back?" I ask. She nods, leaving me in the kitchen to head out the back door again as Josh enters the kitchen with a grin. "What has you so happy?" I ask him with a smirk. "Charlotte got that promotion..." he grins, looking out the window to the garden where Melody is kissing the damn frog. Urg! I hope it doesn't have germs. "Have you been reading Princess and the Frog?" He asks me, chuckling at the sight before him. Melody finally lets the
THE WEIRD, WEIRD THING ABOUT DEVASTATING LOSS IS THAT LIFE ACTUALLY GOES ON. WHEN YOU'RE FACED WITH A TRAGEDY, A LOSS SO HUGE THAT YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW YOU CAN LIVE THROUGH IT, SOMEHOW, THE WORLD KEEPS TURNING, THE SECONDS KEEP TICKING. - JAMES PATTERSON———Sebastian "How are you today?" Laura asks me as I sit opposite her, draping my leather jacket over my knee much as I always do.I sigh, taking in a jagged breath, ready to relay my thoughts and feelings regarding this being our last penned appointment."I'm worried. I know you all say I'm doing better, that I'm ready to take control of my own life, but I'm scared. I don't want to return to being that version of myself.""That's understandable, but truly, Seb, you are doing so much better.""If I were, this stupid depression wouldn't still be around," I whine."Don't be silly. I think we have both worked through this before. You've lost your wife, someone you never dreamed of losing so early in your lif
Four Years Later Sebastian"Melody!" I yell from the kitchen, assembling her lunch that I should have done last night but instead decided to sneak in a workout instead. "Melody!!" I call again when she doesn't call back, staying silent, probably searching high and low for one of her rabbits in the bunny room next to her bedroom. "Christ, why does she have to feed her rabbits this time of day?" I mutter to myself, sipping the lunch bag up before ensuring she has water in her flask for school."MELODY! We need to go," I yell, walking through the kitchen and living room, coming to stand at the bottom of the stairs.I reach for my blazer, grabbing my coat too because it's raining, my keys from the hook and my umbrella from the basket.Her footfalls sound from upstairs shortly before she calls back to me."Coming, Daddy," her sweet, innocent voice filters through the house, making me feel terrible for yelling again. "Come on, baby. We're going to be late again.""I'm sorry, I couldn't f
SebastianMy first meeting passed with ease; contracts are signed, awaiting for the legal team to finalise them. But unfortunately, I have to head downstairs to give over the paperwork myself because I have no PA to do such a task.I pass by everyone on that level with hooded eyes as I note stares from each employee. I've never felt judged as much as I had walked through to our lawyer's office, yet even then, I didn't mention it, only passing the paperwork off as Kennedy took it from my hand."They signed?" She grins at me, excitement flitting through her features."They did, exceptionally quickly considering. I hate to be as excited as I am, but I know this is a big deal for the company.""You're right, Mr King. Their business will rake in the revenue whilst we branch out.""Make sure you get the paperwork completed quickly; I best get upstairs for my next meeting," I suggest, standing away from her desk as I ready myself to walk through the legal department again. "Ignore the rumo
"We're going out again," Josh admits, a smirk on his face as he looks at Charlotte."Have a good evening then," I tell him, slapping his back in a friendly manner."You too," he nods towards Cassidy as she calls for the lift.I nod, but I don't know what I'm about to do. There are so many things running through my head, so many needs that need scratching, but there's also the hurt riding alongside the need, forcing my mind into a place of unknown.We stand beside each other in the lift, silent as can be.I've barely said anything to her all night, and she seems jittery because of it.Perhaps she knows I'm on to her, but what she doesn't know is I don't fucking care.Yeah, I came to that conclusion at the dinner table.Cassidy's mine now; I won't let her go. Things need to be ironed out, wrongs need to be made right, but I don't feel any less for her than I did this time yesterday evening.I let her brew, walking ahead of her to the apartment door and opening it for the pair of us as s
SebastianI did it; I fucking bagged the contract, and it's signed already as we sit across from one another in the restaurant as we drink to success. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr King," Yu Meng grins back at me. I nod, and I think of the price I've paid for the phones that we will redistribute with our names attached to them.It's a good deal, far less than I expected them to agree on, yet we have to keep it a secret for now, still playing the game that the phones are up for grabs.The three of us shake hands, and I nod to Mr Meng as we walk towards the conference room. Josh and I are wearing a secret smile as we sit at the back during the meeting, and the others ask their questions.I take the opportunity to sit and think over my revelation from this morning and what I want to do.Part of me wants to make Cassidy submit to me; I really want to have her sitting there on her knees, holding herself up as her muscles protest as I make her spill her proverbial beans.Onc
Last night flooded my mind, the memory of Sebastian slipping them from my feet as he held my weight as if I were stick thin and weighed nothing. My cheek blushes, and I groan internally as I place them on my feet and just in time, too, because Charlotte has rejoined me and dressed in only a pair of jeans and an oversized jumper. "Ready?" She asks me, walking to the door with a massive grin on her face. I nod, following along, and we ride in the lift down to the foyer, where we exit the hotel and hail a taxi just outside. We drive only for a short amount of time, being dropped outside of a small collection of very expensive branded shops. I hate to think of us going inside, but she grabs me instantly, taking me inside one that has rows of underwear only fit for consumption in a bedroom. "What's your size?" She asks me, looking down at my breasts as I do. "32D," I admit with a blush. "Don't be ashamed. Seb likes breasts, and you've plenty to keep him occupied all night."
Cassidy I wake to an empty bed, my hand reaching out for Sebastian, finding nothing but the cold bedsheets where he was lying when I allowed my eyes to close for the night finally. I sigh, upset that he's gone already but cognisant that he's probably needed for the work he came here for, which I should be helping him with. I move up, sitting from the bed, finding Charlotte staring right back at me from the sofa as the door hangs wide open, much as Josh had been sitting just yesterday morning. "Good morning," she grins. "Morning," I mimic her, looking behind me to ensure I didn't skip over Sebastian in the room somewhere. I still don't find him, much as I hadn't when I woke up. "He's downstairs working with Josh. They have lots to do today, but not to worry, he's left me his credit card, and I've been instructed to do some retail therapy with you. You can have whatever you like." "I don't want anything," I shrug, walking out to stand before her as I nervously decide wha
SebastianJosh and I asked for a private booth and ordered quickly before watching each other with raised brows and a mutual look of defeat.He swallows whilst reaching for his phone, unlocking it to scroll through everything I had read this morning alone.He's huffing, raising his brows, knitting them together. Chewing his cheek and sucking in his bottom lip much as he might when he and Charlotte argue, and it's then I know he truly has nothing to do with this. This is all my father's doing—solely his burden to bear.There's a torrent of emotion flitting through his features, and I hate everyone because they are exactly how I feel. I preferred it when he was happy for me, when he was blissfully as eager for this new life as I was."Seb..." he sighs my name, turning the phone down at the death certificate as if to say.'What the actual fuck'"Yeah. Yeah, that got me too. The things we have in common, the things that have aligned to bring us both here and yet my father is playing a hug
Derek Draper. I note his name down to search for an obituary, the sudden need to visit this man's resting place to ask for his girl's hand, making itself known. Fuck, she was married?Is that why she stopped us last night?That seems more plausible; the thought of her struggling with the fact she once belonged to another, and now she might be struggling to allow herself to move on much as I had been, would explain the sorrow within her eyes.Fuck! We have so much in common, so many stars aligned to bring our paths crashing alongside each other, but now I fear that I have this all wrong. That I might have allowed myself to feel something for the wrong person.I'm not sure I could let her go even if that's what she wanted...I can't continue chasing her until I know the true extent of her feelings.I sent a secure email to Josh with all my findings, intent on ensuring we have time alone today to talk about this and figure a way through this latest bout of turmoil.Fuck! I really like h
SebastianWe must fall asleep at some point because I wake up startled from a vidid dream of Beth's last night here on Earth.Remembering the way I made love to her for the last time, of the look of pure ecstasy on her face even with the pain still shrouding her eyes. I hadn't taken any form of gratification that night. Only needing to ensure she felt loved. And I've long since thought something broke inside of me that night. But I realise now it was only lying dormant, the sexual need, that is.I roll from back towards Cassidy as she lies in the same position we stared at one another for hours last night. Our noses almost touch, and I reach out to stroke her hair from her face as I study her in her sleep.She's breathtaking, absolutely beautiful, and I fear my heart might just shatter if she decides that I'm not for her.I don't know what made her stop last night, but it must have been something heavy. I could tell by the tears falling down her face. The sorrow that seems almost as
"Sebastian," I sigh, holding onto his hair as he kisses and sucks between my breast."Mhm," he hums, his beautiful eyes flicking to mine instantly, and I hold his gaze. There's a challenge in them, and I'm utterly lost in the depth of his soul as he devours mine with just one look.My shirt is up and over my head, thrown down somewhere behind him as he reaches for my waist.I cringe, hating the extra weight around my stomach, knowing those soft rolls might put him off, but he just scoffs, seeing my reaction and hating it."You're beautiful," he tells me, stepping between my legs once again as he encourages them around his waist quickly. I'm airborne again as he strides towards my room, moving the door with his palm as he beelines for the bed.I land softly, with a soft smile, as he stands like a god wanting to devour me as his last meal.He rids his shirt, taking care to take his cufflinks off before shoving them on the bedside table beside me. And then his suit pants go next, and I
CassidySebastian's been staring at me all evening. His hand reached for mine not long ago, and they've since been conjoined and lying on the tabletop.I've been wanting to jump in the conversation to have input into this weird situation we have going on.Which brings me back to my questions regarding Josh.Is he in on this deal, too?Is he working for Sebastian's father regarding getting Sebastian to move on from his wife?I don't jump into the conversation; I don't find an opportune time, so I sit quietly, listening to everything being said.It seems Sebastian wishes for his daughter to be betrothed to Josh and Charlotte's son. That wouldn't strike me as weird if we weren't in the twenty-first century, and all, because that's precisely what my Pa did with Derek.And I was thankful for that, as I would never have been confident enough to reach out to a man alone.I love how their conversations roll from one topic to another seamlessly, and I see how the three of them must have been f