summer in the city 「 s.stan 」

DAY 13

— AUGUST 13TH —

Unfortunately, it hadn't occurred to you to lie when Margarita had asked if Sebastian was home. You'd stood there in shock while she rudely pushed past you, greeting her visibly uncomfortable ex with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. And then she'd stayed the night – on the couch, of course, which made you feel a little better. But not much.

You tossed and turned for most of the night, only getting to sleep when the sun was already beginning to rise. Then, to your dismay, you were rudely awoken at around nine in the morning by the sound of voices downstairs.

Sighing, you rolled out of bed and headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day. But, just as you were about to close the door, you heard something that made you stop in your tracks.

"I want you back, Seb."

So that's why she was here.

Tears burned your eyes as you stood under the scalding water in the shower. You didn't want to be jealous, but you really couldn't help it, especially with the pain of basically being rejected by Sebastian still fresh in your mind.

Suddenly, an unwelcome idea popped into your head. Maybe he'd friend-zoned you because of her. Maybe he still wanted her. Maybe they were making out downstairs right now, on the couch where you'd cuddled with him just days earlier.

As much as you hated to admit it to yourself, it would make sense. Meaning that you were nothing but a drunken hookup, a summer fling that had no hope of ever becoming anything more.

After a solid twenty minutes of pitiful crying, you finally managed to pull yourself together. C'mon, Y/N, go down there and act as if you don't care. Because clearly, neither does he.

You tried. You strolled confidently into the kitchen, instantly regretting your extremely lax outfit choice of baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt, finished with wet hair and a bare face. Because Margarita was perched at the dining table in another one of her revealing dresses, sporting a full face of flawless makeup and curled hair.

Hell, she'd slept on the couch and she still looked more put together than you. Speaking of which – had she brought an overnight bag or something? Where did she get her cosmetics? And her clothes?

You pushed the many questions out of your traitorous brain and attempted to smile at her, by way of greeting. When she didn't seem to notice, you switched tactics.

"Hi."

Silence.

"Good morning."

Still nothing. Frowning, you glanced around, noticing that the room was currently empty, aside from the two of you – so she was blatantly ignoring you.

Giving up, you reached an arm into the cupboard for a bowl, before pouring some cereal into it. You could feel Margarita's eyes burning into the back of your head, but you refused to turn around.

As you began to eat, Sebastian entered the room, waving at you. You were glad that your mouth was full so you didn't have to speak, because you didn't have much to say at that point, especially not with his jerk of an ex listening in.

Obviously, everyone was on edge. The tension grew thicker and thicker, and you were silently counting down the seconds until somebody snapped – no prizes for guessing who.

"God, could you chew a little quieter? It's getting on my nerves," Margarita snapped.

You were tempted to deliberately chew with your mouth open to amplify the crunching sounds, but you clenched your jaw and dumped your bowl into the sink instead – suddenly you weren't hungry anymore.

Apparently, water had splashed onto the floor without you noticing, because next thing you knew, you were sliding across the tiles, landing ungracefully in a heap.

Embarrassing.

As you quickly stood up again, you caught the way Sebastian's lips quirked upwards for a brief moment. Had the two of you been alone, you probably would've been dying with laughter by now. But you had company – and she had something to say, again.

"Seb, why's she still here? She has no manners, and she's clumsy, you know you can have someone better than that. Get her to leave."

What a bitch.

You gasped at Margarita's words, shaking your head in disbelief before glancing at Sebastian, internally preparing yourself for whatever he was willing to do just to please Margarita.

This is it, you thought, he'll kick me out and I'll never see him again.

To your surprise, he marched towards the insufferable woman sitting at the table, his fists clenched and his eyebrows furrowed in an expression of pure, unbridled rage. You'd seen him angry only once before, when he'd punched that creep at the party, but even that was nothing compared to this.

"Get out," he practically growled.

"Sebby, have you been drinking? I told you to get rid of her, not me."

"I heard you the first time, Margarita. You were already on thin ice when you barged in and expected me to just take you back after all the shit you put me through, but now you wanna insult Y/N too?"

Margarita appeared to be speechless as Sebastian continued, raising his voice even more. "Let me tell you something – Y/N is worth ten of you. Say whatever the fuck you want to about me, but her? Nobody talks to her like that. Especially not you."

"Why shouldn't I?" Margarita smirked, seemingly trying to provoke him even further. You narrowed your eyes in suspicion as her hands disappeared under the table, fumbling around for something.

"Because you're just jealous! Because I'm falling for her and you can't grasp the idea that I don't want you anymore!"

You blinked in shock for the second time that morning – falling for you? But you barely had time to comprehend Sebastian's words, as Margarita pulled her phone out from under the table, tapping the screen a few times before holding it up triumphantly.

A recording began to play. The conversation that they'd just had played back, word for word, clear as day. Everything that Sebastian had said was perfectly audible.

"Delete that," he demanded, making a grab for the device. She snatched it away before he could grasp it properly, and then swiftly stepped towards the front door, yanking it open.

"You really think the world of your Y/N, hm? Well, let's see what the world thinks of her – and you – when this gets leaked tomorrow morning."

And with that, she was gone, the door slamming behind her. You turned around, intending to make sure Sebastian was okay, to thank him for standing up for you, to ask him if he was really falling for you, because you were definitely falling for him.

But he was gone too – upstairs, presumably. You were left in the kitchen by yourself, still wondering what the hell had just happened.

This trip was turning out to be more than you'd bargained for.