Bound

Chapter 46: Dinner Party Part 3

Emily

I guess the wine worked well enough to get them through dinner," Sebastian sighs and sits at the foot of the long lawn chair I'm accompanying.
I look past him, seeing Charles and Blake standing next to the fire pit with Sable. Sienna is talking with her mother nearby.
Crickets chirp softly as I sit and stare at the stars. But I can't help feeling like this is the calm before the storm.
"Maybe it worked too well for you?" Sebastian jokes when I don't respond.
I focus on him and offer an apologetic smile. "Maybe so. I don't drink a lot. I only had two glasses and here I am, looking at the stars, trying to sober up enough to drive."
He folds his hands and his head falls between his shoulders when he leans closer to me and looks up at my face. "I think you're worried for nothing. You're fine to drive. But lets just hope they make it a while longer without an argument. Give you a little more time." His smile is soft and warm, a side of him I've only ever seen when he speaks to me.
That sudden realization makes my stomach twist and I can't help but evert my gaze.

"My brother asked for your number again," Sienna says.
I sigh and my stomach twists like it does every time she brings up this conversation. "I already told him I'm not going to date my beast friends' brother. He needs to give it a rest."
She grabs her books from her locker and drops them in her bag. "If you did go out with him, maybe we'd be like sister-in-laws one day."
"Yeah, or it'll end horribly and we'll never speak again. Besides, you don't really want him taking up all my attention, do you?"
She bites her lip. "No, you're right. It's just, Ollie's a dick to you. And if Sebastian hurts you, I could easily murder him in his sleep."
I raise my brows. "Ollie isn't so bad. At least he cares. Plus, your brother isn't really my type."
"What is your type? Boys who treat you badly and disguise it as caring about you?" Her eyes turn into slits.
"No." I cross my arms. "Guys who aren't rich and only want me because they think I'd be so lucky to have them that they could just have their way with me."
"Well, he can't help that he's rich. And he doesn't like you because he thinks you're easy. I actually think he likes you more the more you tell him no. Maybe if you tell him yes and have one awful date with him where you wore sweats and burped a lot, he'd get the message and finally leave you alone."
I shake my head, laughing as I place two books in my own bag. "I'm not doing that. Ollie already loses his shit any time Sebastian speaks to me in a group. He'd probably try to fight him if he knew we went out."
"Won't be the first fight Sebastian's been in." Sienna shrugs.
"I said nooo." I drag the word out and close my locker.
She frowns. "I'll relay the message."

My eyes find Blake again. His shoulder is turned toward me but I'm almost certain he's watching Sebastian over it. Something weird is happening between those two. The air seems to thicken every time they speak.
Blake continues sipping his beverage.
I wish I wouldn't have drunk at all. Because now I'm certain I'll be driving home.
"Do you remember that time Sienna threw a party when our parents went out of town?" Sebastian recalls.
"Yeah?"
"And like a hundred students came instead of the twenty-three people she'd invited?"
I laugh at the memory of Sienna freaking out every time someone else would ring the doorbell. "Yeah, then your parents found out because they'd taken like half of their wine collection. The really expensive ones, too."
"Yeah. And you were the only sober one, so you drove like twenty people home that night." He smiles at the memory. Then he shakes his head. "Well, anyway. The other eighty or so people had to get home somehow and I can just about guarantee half of them drove that way. So, I know you'll be fine. But if you're adamant about not driving, two chauffeurs can take you guys home. One will take you and the other can get your car back safely."
"You guys have chauffeurs now?" I scoff.
Sebastian laughs lightly and stands. "My parents have always had them." He nods and gestures for me to follow him. "How would they get home safely otherwise? They always drink at social gatherings. And they have a lot of social gatherings. Come on, I'll show you."
Reluctantly, I follow him inside the house, giving Blake a small glance as I go.
Even though he doesn't seem like the jealous type, I feel guilty about entering the house with Sebastian alone. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's that I know Sebastian used to have a crush on me-which he's clearly been over for a long time now, with his supermodel wife and all. Ex-wife now, I guess. Or maybe it's the thing in the pit of my stomach telling me Blake's body language tonight has been screaming 'Sebastian isn't to be trusted.'
But Blake doesn't know Sebastian like I do. He's my best friends' brother and he's always protected us-even when we wanted to be left alone by him. He's completely harmless, really.
Maybe Sebastian ensuring Blake and I get home safely tonight will be enough to break the ice between those two a little more.
Speaking of making it home safely..."So, why didn't Sienna take a chauffeur to my house instead of calling a Lyft the night she got in the fight with your parents then?" I ask.
He looks back at me and laughs. "She took a Lyft? God, she's dramatic. You know Sienna, she probably didn't want to use anything they were paying for while she was mad at them."
I shrug lightly. "Yeah, she's difficult."
When we enter the kitchen, two men in suits are standing tall by the counter. Their wrists are crossed at their waists as if they're just awaiting orders or something.
"Travis, Bowie," he motions to the men. Then he points at me. "this is Emily. You'll ensure she makes it home safely later tonight, won't you?"
The men nod. "Sir."
"Perfect. You're dismissed." Sebastian pours a glass of wine as the men leave.
"I should be fine to drive..." I try convincing him purely out of curtesy because I really don't want to drive with even a drop of alcohol in my system. I'm extremely grateful that he remembered I get a little triggered by anything that has to do with alcohol and vehicles, and that he offered us a safer way home.
"Try this." He ignores my comment and slides the glass towards me. "It's really sweet. I think you'll like it."
I shake my head.
"Come on. You're always the responsible one. Let loose a little. You have a way home now, you're allowed to enjoy your night too." He stares at me with a hopeful smile.
My shoulders fall, releasing the tension I didn't realize they were holding. "Okay...just one sip." I bring the glass to my lips and pause. "You didn't roofie it, did you?"
"Emily," he laughs, "you just watched me pour it into the glass."
"You never know!" I defend.
"I wouldn't do that to you," he laughs. "Now stop making excuses and drink!"
"To me?!" I exclaim and my mouth falls open.
"I wouldn't do that, period." he reiterates.
Good.
I tip the glass back lightly, tasting the red liquid. "Mmm, that is sweet." I finish the drink and place the glass on the counter.
Sebastian meets my hand with his, stilling the glass as he pours it full once again.
I look up from the corner of my eyes and glare at him with disapproval.
He ignores the look. Grabbing another bottle from the cupboard, he pours himself a glass of something other than wine.
When he looks back at me, I guess I look confused now, because he specifies, "Bourbon." And nods to the drink in his hand.
"Ah." I acknowledge.
He sips the dark, golden liquid, pulling his lips back slightly as he swallows. "So, I know you know." He takes another sip.
"Know what?" I cave and move the glass to my lips, drinking slowly while I listen to his response.
"Sienna. Where's she stayin'?" He widens his eyes dramatically like he needs to know all the hot, new gossip, the same way he did when we were in high school.
"You haven't figured that out yet?" I raise my brows and sip the rest of the wine down.
For a second, he seems puzzled. Then, his face twists with the realization. "Don't tell me she's staying with that guy?"
This time, I refill my own glass with the bottle of bourbon.
Sebastian reaches a long arm over the counter, confiscating both the bottle and glass from my hands. "There's so much wrong with what you just did." He grabs a different glass from the center of the counter, pouring half of the golden liquid from my wine glass in. "First, we don't drink bourbon out of wine glasses." He shakes the wine glass in the air. "Second, that was way too much for you. You ain't ready for all that." He hands the new glass to me.
"How would you know what I'm rea-"
"Emily." His face stills, but a small smirk is tucked away at the corner of his mouth.
"Sebastian." I counter.
"Emily."
I let out a breath. "Okay, fine! I'm not ready for that much bourbon, I guess. I just wanted to taste it, anyway. Sheesh." I roll my eyes and take a sip. The liquid burns my throat and moves quickly through to my stomach, burning the entire way down. I do my best not to show the pain on my face. "Mmm, tastes like-spicy caramel! I hiccup. "Yum!"
"I could pour you more wine if you like?" he offers.
"No, I'm good for now." I tell him, deciding I should slow down anyway.
He nods. "You didn't answer my question. Siennas' really moved in with that guy already?"
"His name is Charles, and he's a good guy." Is all I say in Siennas' stead.
Sebastian flicks his tongue from the roof of his mouth when he says, "As far as you know."
"You're still just as over-protective of her as you were in high school." I can't help the smile that overtakes my face at the thought of an older brother protecting his sister. That's something I always wish I had when I was growing up. And that may even be why I never took any of Sebastian's advances at me seriously when we were kids-I saw him as more of the brother I wish I had.
"Seriously," he pushes his strawberry hair back, homing in on the bodies standing on the patio through the glass doors. "You don't know as much about those two as you think you do."
I scrunch my brows, working through the words he just said to me.