You Only Live Once

Chapter Nine

All of the guys sat at Chris' kitchen table, finishing off their morning coffee when Chris noticed that Sebastian had a far-off look on his face. Chris took a long sip of his coffee and looked over at Seb. "What's on your mind, man? I can see the wheels turning."

Seb didn't say anything. He just continued to stare at his coffee as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. His face was utterly blank. Chris knew him well enough to know that he was probably thinking too hard about something. He waited a few moments before he spoke again. "Come on, what's up?"

Seb finally glanced over at Chis and Anthony as they sat across the table from him. "I was just thinking about what Mackie said. I mean, you're not wrong, man. I've only known the girl for a few days," he ran a hand through his hair as he searched for the words to convey what was running through his mind. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy. Really happy. And I know taking risks and following your heart, and all that stuff. But..."

Before Chris could speak, Anthony reached out and tapped on the table, getting Seb's attention. "I know what I said, but let's do this. When you look at Jamie, how do you feel? What's instantly on your mind?"

Seb shook his head slightly, bringing himself back to the present conversation at hand. "Well, I guess I think she's amazing, and smart, and beautiful—" Sebastian trailed off as he stopped himself. He sighed softly, trying again to form a sentence. "My breath gets caught every time I look at her." He smiled gently, looking down at the table as he thought of something else. "And yeah, sometimes I'm just... I don't even know... lost. Sometimes I can be so sure of myself, and then I'll see her smile, or hear her laugh, or feel her touch my arm, and..." He shrugged. "It's like everything goes completely dark around me. It doesn't make sense."

Chris grinned widely. "It sounds like you've got it bad, pal. You haven't been this caught on someone in years, not since you were going to propose to that one girl just out of college."

Anthony nodded. "You told me about that one. But this woman here, in the next room, sounds pretty special."

Seb looked up at them both with a slight grin. "Yeah. I guess she is special." He paused for a minute before speaking again. "I don't know, maybe I'm just overthinking things? She makes me happy. In a way, I've never felt like this before. But she's not used to the life we live. The constant time apart, the pressure and expectations, the fans and the media. All that crap."

"We didn't say it would be easy," Chris pointed out. "But you'd be stupid not to try. I would say if you don't, I will, but she only has eyes for you."

Sebastian chuckled a little, shaking his head. "I really hope you're right, but I guess we'll know soon since I have to leave for a bit already," he shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Chris asked curiously.

"That call... I have to fly out tomorrow for a while. Some media and press that they've decided they want me to take part with I guess."

"They still want more press?" Chris questioned. "Haven't we done enough? Can you get out of it at all?"

"No, unfortunately... It's for a couple other projects I did that are coming out soon. I'm just hoping it won't take long. They didn't give me much for info yet, just that they need me back in New York tomorrow," Seb replied.

Chris sighed. "Jamie is going to learn fast that you two won't be together all the time. When are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know yet," he answered honestly. "I'm thinking maybe later tonight. That way I don't ruin her day with the news."

"I wouldn't wait too long, Seb. Especially if your flight ends up being early in the morning," Chris replied. "I know everything is new, and life happens, but you need to let her know when things come up."