summer in the city 「 s.stan 」

DAY 26

— AUGUST 26TH —

Love as real as that is hard to find. Those kind, earnest words from a complete stranger stuck with you for a while, so much so, you woke up the next day with the now familiar phrase already drifting through your head.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing on your mind. Far more prevalent was the looming thought that you would be leaving New York in a matter of days.

You knew that Sebastian was thinking about it too; how could he not? He'd never had much luck with relationships, yet now that he'd found somebody that he was truly in love with, the chance of happiness was being brutally snatched away.

Still, to his credit, he tried his hardest to distract both you and himself from your imminent departure. After taking you to Coney Island and on a sweet picnic date, he opted for something a little more casual this time – a day at the mall.

You loved shopping, even if you didn't necessarily have the money to buy absolutely everything that you wanted. As it turned out, this was a problem that Sebastian was determined to remedy.

"Seb, no," you argued, jogging to catch up with him as he headed to the checkouts carrying a two thousand dollar dress that you'd expressed a vague interest in. "You can't."

"I can, and I will," he insisted, quickly pulling out his wallet.

Running out of options, you decided to distract him. Standing on your tiptoes, you leaned up and kissed him, threading your fingers through his hair. Just as you'd suspected, his instincts took over and he immediately dropped the pricey garment in favour of wrapping his arms around your waist.

Conscious that the two of you were basically making out in the middle of the aisle, you pulled away, only to grab the dress and set it back on the shelf. Ignoring Sebastian's indignant protests, you then took his hand and dragged him towards the exit, stopping once you were a good twenty feet away from the store.

"Y/N," he whined, glancing back as if he was considering making a run for it. You tightened your grip on his hand, sending him a slightly berating look.

"What? I'm not letting you spend any more money on me," you shrugged, gesturing towards the three bags full of items that he'd already bought you before you finally managed to draw the line.

"I just wanna spoil you," he pouted adorably.

"Okay, sugar daddy," you joked, earning a loud chuckle and an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

The rest of the day passed without conflict, no matter how minor. By five in the afternoon, you were all shopped out, tired and ready to head home. However, Sebastian had other ideas. With a twinkle in his eye, he stopped in front of the window of a jewellers.

"Sweetheart?" he called, squeezing your hand. "Can I buy you one more thing?"

You wanted to say no, but something about the way he was looking at you made it impossible to resist. So you let him usher you into the shop, only smiling contentedly when he pointed out a gorgeous, white gold promise ring.

In a matter of minutes, you were both sitting in the car again. You watched as Sebastian opened the plush velvet box and slid the ring onto the third finger of your left hand.

"It's something for you to remember me by," he murmured, turning the gold band slightly. "And maybe one day, I'll be able to put a ring on this finger instead."

You blushed as he fiddled with your fourth finger, your actual ring finger that was currently bare.

"I hope so," you whispered, finding that the words were sincere. "I really hope so."