Bound by Christmas

Chapter Sixteen: Puzzle

I wrapped my coat around my body and grabbed my bag as I slipped out of my office. It was three days before Christmas break, and the school campus was empty. I had another slow day at work which meant I had spent all my time thinking about Sebastián.

"I don't know how but I will win back your trust, Jenna," he'd muttered last night as he massaged my feet.

How was he planning on winning back my trust? Was that even a possibility?

I didn't know if I could ever trust Sebastián again, but I did know that no other man had ever made me feel so conflicted. I had never before spent so much time obsessing over someone. It was so tiring to constantly think about what ifs. I was overwhelmed and exhausted.

As I exited the building and walked into the cool night, I drew up short when I spotted Sebastián standing outside. If anything, he was persistent. There was no doubt about that.

"Again?" I asked as I made my way toward him.

"Well, someone has to protect you from all the coyotes," Sebastián responded with a smirk.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess I should be grateful, huh?"

"Jenna!" Sebastián gasped in mock offense. "I was expecting you to be relieved to have such a beefy hero to save you from those savage animals."

At that, my chuckles turned into flat-out laughter. "Beefy?" I managed to choke out through my laughter.

Sebastián raised his arm, jokingly flexing his bicep, and gave me a wink.

Shaking my head, I turned to walk to my car but Sebastián stopped me mid-step.

"Jenna, wait!" he called out. "I was hoping you'd come with me to my car. Felix is waiting in the other lot."

"Uhh, why?"

"I got us tickets to an escape room."

"An escape room?" Why would we go to an escape room?

"Umm...yeah," he mumbled, rubbing his neck. "I read online that it's a great trust building exercise."

"Sebastián, are you asking me out on a date?" I asked, the surprise in my voice obvious. The only place Sebastián had ever taken me was the steakhouse. An escape room was a vast change.

"Yes," he nodded, shuffling his feet. "Jenna, please come. You love puzzles. I think you'll love doing this with me."

On one of the few nights I had slept over at Sebastián's house, he had caught me doing a crossword puzzle in the morning. I was slightly stunned that he remembered that. I didn't think he had noticed much about my interests, but —maybe— he'd paid more attention than I'd given him credit for.

Biting my lip, I jerked my chin. "Okay, I'll come."

With a huge smile on his face, Sebastián escorted me to his SUV. Then, Felix drove us to the escape room.

Sebastián held my hand as we walked into the building and were given instructions. As the host explained our mission, I grew more and more excited. My competitive nature was kicking in and I was looking forward to pretending to be a thief involved in an art heist. Fifty minutes later, Sebastián and I bursted out of the final room with the stolen painting held in my hands.

"I can't believe we figured it out," I breathed.

"I knew you could do it," Sebastián smiled. "I had all the faith in you."

Well, that was the honest truth. Sebastián let me take charge of the entire game, and followed my instructions without any complaints. He was very helpful in his suggestions and advice, but —overall— he had let me take the lead. As a Dominant, I would assume it would go against his nature to allow someone else to take over, but he had been the one who'd insisted we follow through with my thoughts and ideas.

"Did you have fun?" I asked, breathless.

"I had a blast. It's impossible not to have fun whenever I'm with you."

"Ahem," I cleared my throat, feeling awkward. "Thank you, Sebastián. I had fun too."

We made small talk as we wrapped up the game and walked back to the car. Sebastián held my hand during the entire drive back to the campus. But, as we pulled up next to my parked car, his grip on my hand tightened.

"Jenna," he whispered. "Thank you for coming with me."

"Sure," I shrugged. "Like I said before...I had fun."

"Can I see you again tomorrow night?"

When I didn't give him a response, he leaned in closer. "Please Jenna," he pleaded. "There is something else I'd like to do with you."

"What?"

"It's something that I believe could really help us rebuild the trust in our relationship."

Since my curiosity was piqued, I nodded and slipped my hand out of his grasp. "I'll see you tomorrow," I muttered and stepped out of the car.

We'd already gone to the escape room. What other activity could help us rebuild trust?