Page 73 of Almost
“Is that why you donated one hundred thousand dollars to a charity she actively supports prior to your engagement ending?”
“Did she ask you for the money?”
The questions come faster than Sebastian can answer, but I can tell his frustration is increasing. Sebastian rests his elbows on the table, clasping his hands together as he attempts to smile. “Lia played no role in the end of my engagement. I chose to donate to a cause that needed help, and not once in all the years I’ve known her, has she asked me for money. Until now, that donation was anonymous, even to her.” My worry for his sake is overpowering my shock at the information, and I ignore the looks Penelope and Blake are giving me to keep my eyes glued to Sebastian.C’mon, Bash, just keep it together a little bit longer.“I don’t know how many different creative ways you guys can ask why my engagement ended. The answer doesn’t change.”
The clamor grows louder in the background as everyone tries to ask questions at once, and Sebastian starts to grow more agitated. I can’t take my eyes off the screen as it all plays out.
“The truth is that I am in love with Thalia. We arenottogether because I want to focus on my career, as does she.Not at any point during my relationship with Kiera did I cheat on her with someone else, nor did I leave her because of another woman. Kiera and I are no longer together due to personal reasons that will remain personal. Who I am with romantically has no impact on my ability to play football, and should not distract from the hard work everyone in this organization has put in to get ready for the upcoming season. Now, I hope that you can respect this ismylife, and offer me and my loved ones some privacy. Thank you for your time.” He stands up abruptly from the table and exits the camera frame.
I rub my temples and Blake shakes her head. “All he had to do was keep his cool.”
“Can you blame him? This whole thing is fucking ridiculous.” Penelope snorts, and I’m a little surprised she’s defending Bash. I’ve never quite understood how she feels about Sebastian. It seems to go back and forth all the time between liking him and being unable to stand him. I guess I’m the same way, though.
My phone starts to vibrate with a call from Bash, and I stand up immediately. “I’ll be back in a minute, guys.”
“Tell him I said good job!” Penelope calls at the same time Blake’s phone starts to ring. I have no doubt Owen is on the other end.
I step out onto the patio, leaning over the railing as Zeus follows behind me. “Hey—” I greet cautiously, but I’m immediately cut off.
“That was a fucking disaster,” he says bluntly. I can’t really disagree with him because he’s not wrong.
“You did fine the first few questions?”
Sebastian chuckles on the other end. “I only answered seven questions.”
“That’s seven more than you answered an hour ago. Small victories, Bash,” I remind him.
“I guess. I think the victory here is I didn’t tell anyonefuck youlike I wanted to.” He hesitates, exhaling softly. “Are you mad about the whole charity thing?”
“How could I be mad at you for that? I’ll admit I’m a little confused why you didn’t say anything, but it’s your money. I’m proud of you for not telling anyone fuck you.” He very easily could have. I want to ask why he protected Kiera, but it’s not something I need to know the answer to because I already know. That’s something Sebastian would never do. “I probably would have, so it’s a good thing you were the one doing the press conference instead of me.”
Bash falls silent long enough that I check to see if he hung up. I don’t push him to speak because I don’t know what’s going through his head right now. I’ll never have any idea what it feels like to be in his position.
“I miss you,” he says quietly.
My heart squeezes in my chest because I miss him. God, I really fucking miss him. It’s almost more torturous knowing he’s within reach than it was knowing he was with someone else. “Soon,” I promise, the word almost catching in my throat.
“Soon,” Sebastian agrees before groaning loudly. “What, Owen?”
I can vaguely hear my brother’s response, but I know that Bash can’t stay on the phone with me.
“I’ll just talk to you later, it’s okay.”
He grumbles before saying something that melts my heart with the promise of what’s to come. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I hang up before either of us can protest. I’m sure he has plenty of things to deal with rightnow. He asked for privacy, but I’m sure now more than ever, he’ll have none.
I call Zeus to follow me as I step back inside where Blake and Penelope are debating the best vacation spot. Apparently, they’re stuck between the Virgin Islands and Greece.
“You guys are both wrong.” I snort, plopping back down on the couch.
“Excuse me, but the Virgin Islands are beautiful.” Blake looks at me skeptically.
“And Greece isGreece!” Penelope exclaims excitedly throwing her hands in the air.
“Yes, I’m aware of how you wish to live out aMamma Miafantasy, or whatever in Greece. Do I need to remind you that you’re currently seeing someone else we still don’t know?” I ask, motioning between me and Blake.
The smile on Pen’s face droops slightly, and alarms go off in my head immediately. “We’re not seeing each other anymore,” she answers, shrugging as she tries to play off nonchalance. How did I miss this?