Stained

Chapter 135

It's the guy that spilt coffee on me. What is he doing here?

"Are you lost?" He asks, stepping down the last few steps. "The party is..." he trails off, no doubt recognising me. "It's you..." his eyes run down the length of me, pausing a beat too long on my hips.

I pull the coat over my exposed body and tighten it shut. That makes his eyes snap to mine. My sister is right next to me, what is wrong with this guy?

"What are you doing here? Are you following me?" I blurt out before I can stop myself. I'm not a confrontational person in the slightest, however, my words hold meaning. First, he was next to my car then he bumped into me in town and now here? They can't all just be coincidences. I have a really bad feeling in my gut.

He scoffs. "I was just about to ask you the same thing, the only difference is you're standing in my house, love."

"H what's going on? How do you know Amanda's cousin?"

My eyes widen in my sister's direction. Amanda's cousin?

The guy chuckles. "I won't jump to conclusions like you did. I assume she's my cousin's friend and you've come to drop her off?"

I ignore him feeling half ashamed of my sudden outburst. But then something Sierra said occurs to me. "How do you know he's Amanda's cousin?"

My sister shrugs nonchalantly. "He was in a TikTok with her. But how do you know him?"

"Your sister hit me with her car," he answers before I can.

My sister gasps loudly, covering her mouth.

"It barely grazed him," I tell her before glaring at him. "And you reciprocated by spilling coffee on me." What did he say his name was? Did he even tell me his name?

He looks offended. "That was purely an accident."

"Well so was mine," I refute.

"Seb!" Amanda shouts skipping toward us. "Where's my bday present! I did what you asked. I hate h—."

"Amanda," The guy I now know to be seb, interrupts his cousin. "I was just on my way to get it."

Amanda turns and startles at the sight of me. Probably because the stairs were blocking us from view.

"Is Sierra allowed to sleepover?" She repeats.

I shake my head. "I'm sorry. Maybe next time."

"All her other friends are sleeping over. Why can't she?" Seb intrudes.

"Because it was last minute," is all I respond with. He's her cousin, not her parent that I need to give him an explanation.

"That's tight," he tsks. I ignore him.

"Guess what, my sister knows your cousin," Sierra tells Amanda.

"What!" Amanda's eyes widen. She dramatically places her hands on her hips and gives her cousin an accusing look. "Are you going out with my best friends sister!"

My brain jumbles into a thousand pieces, failing to wrap around how my sister telling her that could possibly make her ask such a thing. I try to tell myself she's a kid that's why. Kids always ask and say strange things. It's what helps me mask my shock.

"No," Seb shakes his head. "But I don't hate the idea." He smirks at me, giving me a once over.

Fear begins coiling inside me, and suddenly I'm regretting getting so dressed up. I hate my body for taking the moment away from me. For not letting me be comfortable in my own skin. For caring so much about the tinniest glances from the opposite gender.