Chapter 19

Naomi had no idea what had possessed Sebastian to invite her to dinner, and she had even less of an idea why she accepted. Though, that wasn’t wholly true. A part of her—a masochistic part—had begun to enjoy being around him, and she wanted to see if she could recapture some of that or if it was lost for good. It made her wonder if she was insane for putting so much effort into someone who didn’t necessarily deserve it. But she couldn’t deny that something was there. Something special and unique about Sebastian that drew her in like a stupid moth to an obnoxious flame.

They entered the pub and Sebastian asked for a table for two. The hostess seated them immediately, and they settled into opposing sides of the booth. The air around them was awkward, and they both quickly reached for menus and began perusing them. It was as if they didn’t know how to be normal people together out in the world. Didn’t know how to share a meal without pretending they’d rather sprinkle poison in the other’s drink. They were engaged in such an odd dance, and it was clear neither of them knew any of the steps.

“They have good burgers here,” Sebastian said. “Though…are you a vegetarian?”

“No. Why?”

“You just seem like someone who’d be one.” Naomi opened her mouth to reply, but Sebastian held up a hand and continued. “That wasn’t an insult. You just seem like someone who wouldn’t want innocent animals killed so you could eat.”

“Well now you’re making me feel bad that I’m not.”

Sebastian’s lip quirked as if he would’ve smiled if his face were capable of such things. His eyes went back to the menu, but Naomi closed hers.

“Know what you’re getting already?” he asked.

“I’ll trust your recommendation and get a burger.”

He looked up at her, and as their eyes locked and held, she knew he was reading her comment for what it was. A ceasefire. For as long as they could manage it.

Closing his menu, Sebastian let his forearms rest on the table. “Me too.”

When the server appeared, Sebastian ordered a water with his sandwich and Naomi did the same. In truth, she wouldn’t have declined a little alcohol if he’d ordered some, but being clear-headed was probably the better decision. She said enough stupid things around Sebastian without booze loosening her tongue.

“So tonight’s meeting went well,” Sebastian said after the server left.

Naomi appreciated that he seemed to be trying to have a civil conversation with her. “It did. The students seem pretty invested in this thing going off without a hitch.”

“Definitely.” The server brought their water glasses, and Sebastian ran his fingers around the rim.

Naomi found herself following the movement, unbidden memories of those fingers infiltrating her psyche.

Finally, Sebastian picked up the glass. “Colvin seems especially invested.”

Naomi shrugged, a prickle of annoyance flashing through her at the mention of the clingy TA. “He’s dedicated. That’s for sure.” She heard Sebastian snort lightly, which caused her to ask, “What?”

Sebastian lifted his eyes to hers briefly before straightening out his napkin. “Nothing. Just a tickle in my throat.” The offhand way he said it gave it away for the lie it was.

Crossing her arms, she let them rest on the table. “Seriously. Tell me.”

“You should just be…careful around him. That’s all.”

“Careful of what?” Beating around the bush wasn’t Sebastian’s style, and she wanted to see what was causing the hesitance. Though she had some idea of where he was likely heading with the conversation.

“It’s probably nothing. He just seems a little attached to you.”

Naomi acted clueless because really, it felt as if Sebastian was worried about her and she wanted to bask in the feeling for a few moments longer. “He’s not even my TA.”

Rolling his eyes, Sebastian released a sigh that made her feel as though he’d been quizzing her and had found her lacking. “I don’t mean attached in a professional sense. I mean in a personal sense. He looks at you like a boy looks at his sexual conquest.”

That made her face scrunch up a bit. First, because that was a grotesque way to phrase it, and second, because Colvin hadn’t ever come across as lascivious, as Sebastian was implying. Yes, she’d noticed that Colvin was…attentive to her. But he hadn’t crossed any lines and he hadn’t been inappropriate. “No, he doesn’t,” Naomi said in a voice edged with defensiveness, which caused Sebastian to quirk an eyebrow at her. “He doesn’t,” she said more forcefully.

“Whatever you say.” Lifting his glass, he took a long drink as if he hadn’t dropped a bomb of awkwardness on their table.

“Why would you think he does?”

Sebastian’s lips pulled into a tight line before his face went blank. “Why do you care? Interested?”

“He’s a student.”

“A graduate student. He’s probably no more than five years younger than you.”

“His age is irrelevant. It’s a line I won’t cross.”

Naomi likely imagined it, but it seemed as if Sebastian relaxed a bit at her words. “How noble,” he muttered.

A smirk rose to her lips. “Does that mean it’s a line you would cross? How salacious. Can I record you saying that so I can show the evidence to the committee?”

Sebastian gave her a withering look, but his lips did that thing again where it looked like they were fighting a smile. “Of course I wouldn’t cross it.”

“But you assumed I would?” The idea that he thought that bothered her. Though it would likely make her uncomfortable if anyone thought she was trolling the campus for dates. But for some odd reason she felt as though Sebastian should know her better than that.

Sitting back against the booth, Sebastian appraised her for a second. It made Naomi think about how often he did that: looked at her silently as he collected his thoughts. Brian’s words echoed in her mind. How she was the only one on the staff he interacted with on a regular basis. She wondered if she was also the only one who received this kind of undivided attention from him, even though it was typically because he was thinking of a new and inventive way to insult her.

“He’s a good-looking enough man,” Sebastian finally said with a shrug. “And clearly interested. I wouldn’t blame you for being tempted.”

“I’m not. Though you seem a little intrigued by him,” she said with a teasing smile.

“About as intrigued as I would be by a root canal.”

They stared at one another for a bit. It felt like they were playing chicken, and the stakes seemed high, despite Naomi having no idea what they were. To her relief the waitress arrived with their food, and they both shifted their focus to her simultaneously.

Naomi cut her burger in half and took a bite, closing her eyes and moaning around the juicy perfection of it. When she opened them, she saw Sebastian with his eyebrows almost in his hairline.

“Now I definitely believe you. I’ve never seen you react to Colvin the way you just did to that hamburger.”

She was going to tell him to shut up, but taking another bite was more important. Letting her brows dance as she chewed, she finally got what she realized she’d been wanting all night. Sebastian’s cheeks creased and he even chuckled a little. It was as if she’d won a lottery she hadn’t even known she’d entered.

They made some small talk as they ate, but mostly they both seemed content to enjoy their food. Naomi realized she and Sebastian had entered a zone that was comfortable. She simultaneously didn’t want to lose it nor get her hopes up that it would last. “Why can’t we always act like this toward one another?” she blurted out.

Sebastian stiffened, which almost made her groan in annoyance with herself. Why did she have to acknowledge it? Sebastian’s contrary nature would probably balk at her question just for the hell of it.

Sebastian wiped his mouth with his napkin—a move Naomi couldn’t help but track as she remembered his lips—before dropping it on the table. “I don’t have a good answer to that,” he said quietly. “I don’t mean to be so…difficult. Well, that’s not entirely true. I do mean it, but I don’t mean to hurt you with it. And I know I did that the other day, and I’m genuinely sorry for that. What I said to the department was uncalled for, and I’m embarrassed that I went that far.”

Naomi was struck dumb. She hadn’t been expecting an apology—the first she’d ever received from Sebastian. It felt like something she should immortalize somehow, but she worried suggesting that would ruin the moment. “I’m not innocent in all of this. I say some shitty things too. And ever since the activities fair, when we sorted some of our nonsense out, I began to like not having to censor myself around you. It’s not that I want us to carve our initials in a tree somewhere to declare our best-friend status. I just don’t want us to be constantly trying to verbally eviscerate one another anymore. I know we’re competing for an award, but we don’t need to sink to engaging in emotional warfare to win it.”

Sebastian seemed to mull over her words before he spoke. “I agree.”

“You do? Man, first an apology and now you agree with me. I should go play the lottery.”

Sebastian shook his head, but the action was negated by his smile. “Such a smartass.”

“And now he calls me smart! Will wonders never cease?”

“I can’t stand you,” he muttered.

“I know. I can’t stand you either. Luckily for us we’re sitting.”

That got her another chuckle, and she felt slightly like she’d managed to lasso the moon. She extended her hand over the table toward him. “Frenemies?” she asked.

“Does this moment really need to be memorialized with prepubescent slang?”

“Yes,” she replied solemnly.

Sebastian huffed, but took her hand. “Fine. Frenemies.”

Naomi laughed as she tried desperately to ignore the heat emanating from his palm and radiating through her arm. They’d made progress. Maybe she and Fantasy Sebastian would also make some when she went to bed later.