Quandary | Noah Sebastian |

ten

A/N: I'm so sorry for how long of a delay there was on this update, and even more sorry for the poor quality of this chapter lol. I went to 5 concerts consecutively (two of which were Bad Omens, of course) and was dead tired afterwards. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy. Love you all 🖤

The second I unlocked the door to my home, I beelined it to my bedroom and collapsed onto my bed. I was exhausted. Though the past week was full of excitement, I just wasn't cut out for the tour life. It was fast-paced, cramped and loud, and I couldn't wait to return to my placid bakery where things made more sense.

It was still such an amazing thing to witness the guys do what they were most passionate about night after night, and I was so happy for and proud of them. But Christ, did they wipe me out.

I wasn't due back to the bakery until tomorrow morning, so I took advantage of the alone time that I had and slept. I didn't even change out of my clothes, just simply kicked my shoes off and snatched Noah's pillow, hugging it to my chest and breathing in the little aroma it still had of his cologne. I was out cold in a matter of minutes.

It took every fiber of my being that I had to not throw my phone against the wall when my alarm went off the next morning. It felt like I blinked, and it was already time to get up, when in reality I slept for about 10 hours give or take. Clearly, I needed it though—I woke up in the same position, and my neck was stiff from the way I had fallen asleep on it.

Groaning, I pushed myself into a sitting position, swinging my legs off the side of the bed, and tried to rub the knot out of my neck. I gave up with a huff when I wasn't able to alleviate it and headed straight to the bathroom to shower.

I took an unnecessarily long shower, relishing the familiar warmth and steady pressure from the spray head as the water caressed and soothed my exhausted body. I never thought I'd miss something as simple as that, but after a week of fighting for a shower that would be lukewarm at best, this was like hitting the jackpot.

Accepting the fact that I needed to stop dragging my feet and go to work, I reluctantly left the shower with a sigh. I stayed in there until my fingers were pruned, appreciating every second I had with the coconut lather of my shampoo and body wash. I dressed quickly, threw my hair into a messy bun, and made my way to the bakery where I was met with welcoming smiles from Juliana and Holly.

"Welcome back, Liv! How was your time away with the hubby?" Jules asked once I made my way around the counter.
"Long," I huffed out a tired laugh, and she furrows her brows with a timid smile grazing her lips. "It was great, but the boys are just a lot—especially when you're stuck on a bus with them, sharing one bathroom."
She snorts and nods her head in understanding. "I can only imagine. I grew up with three older brothers; I couldn't be stuck on a bus with them for that long. I'd have killed one of them, I'm sure."

The three of us shared a laugh as I made my way into my office, pleased to see that it was still the way I had left it, with only a few items of paperwork to file away. Logging into my computer, I saw just how well Jules held down the fort while I was away; she took care of the cash deposits, counted inventory, and even placed the order for our next delivery before I walked in this morning.

"Hey, Liv," Holly greets me as she knocks on the door frame. "There's someone in the lobby asking to see you."
I finished filing away the paper I held in my hand and turned my attention to her. "Do you know who it is?" I quirked an eyebrow in curiosity, not expecting any visits from anyone, especially since I just returned home.
"I'm not sure of his name, but he's here all the time," she shrugs. "Shaggy hair, always get a muffin and a dark roast coffee."

Steven.

My stomach immediately churns at the thought of him, remembering how awful that night had been the last time that I saw him. It makes me sick how easily he manipulated me into drinking, how easily he conditioned me into letting my guard down to take advantage of me... But it was my own doing.