He Couldn't Be That Bad? // Sebastian Sallow and You (spicy)

18. What a Sucker (little steamy)

Sebastian is leaning up against the wall beside the entrance to the greenhouse. Once he sees me, he flicks his pocket watch closed and stuffs it in his vest.

Since he could have just as easily waited in class, I assume he'd meant to skip if I hadn't returned.

My leg is feeling much better, and I don't know if that's due to the medicine, or the thrilling promise of what's to come. I don't tell him what I was doing, but I also can't disguise the giddy smile on my face.

"Care to share?" He eyes me coyly before wrapping me into a hug. He dips his head into my hair and says, "Merlin, you really did go to the beach."

Squeezing him back, "I didn't lie."

"So what did you do there?" He puts a delicate hand at the small of my back and we descend the steps to the classroom.

That's new. I feel a flutter in my stomach each time he makes a public display, even the small ones. And him walking with me, guiding me in such a gentlemanly way, I am honored to be on the receiving end.

Even though all my senses are dialed into the way his hand is holding me, the trace of his thumb along the fabric, I try to keep my voice light. "You'll know soon enough."

Leaning into my ear he whispered, "so you do lie," then pushed the door open with his shoulder.

"Omission isn't a lie."

He stops in his tracks in the door frame, eyebrows raised and remarks. "I want you to remember those words."

Something dropped in my stomach. Had I seriously just been so dumb as to give him permission to keep things from me again. "That's not what I meant."

"But it is what you said." Sebastian gives me a coy tilt of his head.

I'm about to contradict myself, explain exactly how our situations are different, but there is some commotion at the back of the green house that draws our attention.

Valeria is bent over a potting table, reaching to the far back, a leg kicked up for balance. There are several students watching her, a boy is standing at her side. Presumably there to offer help, but oogling her instead.

Annoyed that people were gawking at her backside rather than helping, I deposited Sebastian at a stool next to Ominis, and went over to help.

"What's going on?" I watch her digging through the dirt frantically.

"That stupid bowtruckle stole my ring." She's practically punching the dirt now, her aim is not to take it back by asking nicely. "It slipped off my finger and the sticky bastard came and took it."

"Well I doubt it's still in the dirt." I lift my chin and scan the low hanging vines that cling to the walls and ceiling. "It likely climbed to higher ground to get away from being smashed."

She sighs angrily and tries to push off the table to get upright without putting more of her clothes in the dirt. The powder blue uniform is spotted with dirt already, but she doesn't look eager to make it worse.

I grab her shoulder to help pull her back and we're standing side by side, watching the leaves for movement.

"There!" I point above us.

"Where?" Valeria is following my gesture but obviously can't spot the stick like creature.

"Right there!" I point again, "Here." I grab a crate and pull it towards us.

"I don't see it!" She repeats through grit teeth.

I spot the stick creature making its way higher up the twisting vines.