Living with the Harringtons

Carbonara

The clock showed 7:21.  Amaya sighed and pulled out a textbook from her bag. She rubbed her eyes and started reading. The words blurred into one as the fatigue settled in, but she still tried to finish. 

The young girl suddenly got a text from Vivian: "Me and Edward will be home late today, Work dinner, so don't wait up for us. You and Sebastian should go ahead and eat dinner without us today."

Amaya read the message twice, letting it sink in. "Great," she muttered to herself. Just what she wanted, an awkward dinner with Sebastian, if he even was home.

After finishing her homework, she pushed herself off the bed, grabbed her phone, and headed downstairs. The vastness of the Harrington estate felt daunting. She walked through the tall halls and couldn't help but admire the architecture. It felt surreal living in such luxury.

As she was walking down, she contemplated what she would cook, but instead was met with: "Good evening, Miss Amaya. What would you like for dinner," the lady asked.

"Oh, wow. I'm not sure. What would you recommend? Amaya replied, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"How about some carbonara? It's one of the favorites," the chef suggested.

"That sounds great!" she said with a smile.

As the the lady got to work, Amaya leaned against the counter, tapping her fingers nervously.

Suddenly she heard footsteps echoing from the stairs, followed by muffled voices. Amaya froze, her attention turning to the staircase. It wasn't long before Sebastian and two other guys appeared, descending the stairs.

As they came into the light, she recognized one of them. It seemed to be a classmate from history class, but she didn't know his name. They were all dressed in athletic wear and Sebastian had his fingers hooked in a pair of football shoes.

Amaya leaned against the counter, trying to shake off the growing nervousness. 

"Ah, that's right. You have company." Louis said aloud, grinning at Sebastian as he took a few steps closer to the kitchen, the rest seemed to follow. Louis was a bit shorter than Sebastian. He was blonde with short curly hair and brown eyes. The other guy stood beside him, confused, his eyes flickering between Amaya and Sebastian.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, feeling more awkward by the second. She tugged at the hem of her hoodie, suddenly very aware of comfy attire. Her pink Victoria's secret shorts and a fuzzy hoodie, hardly something you'd want to be seen in by a bunch of guys.

Sebastian, on the other hand, barely acknowledged Amaya's existence as he quickly explained the situation to his friend. "Yeah, Luke, so she's staying here for a while. It's this exchange thingy," he muttered, his voice casual, but with a slight edge.

"Wait, so you like live here now?" Luke asked, taking a step closer. "Hope, Sebastian here is treating you well," he said jokingly as he patted his friend on the shoulder.

Amaya forced a smile "He's been um... fine, yeah," she said, but the forced politeness clear in her tone. The last thing she wanted was to seem rude, though Sebastian had been less than pleasant towards her. She was still new at the Harrington house, after all and these were his friends.

Luke and Louis laughed sensing the awkward tension between her and Sebastian.

"Anyways we're heading out to practice," Sebastian said, his voice hinting, "You know, before it gets too late."

"Yeah, maybe you should come watch, sometime," Louis teased and was met with a look from Sebastian.

"I think I'll pass, but thanks," Amaya answered. She felt a strange mix of embarrassment and annoyance. Why did Sebastian have to act all cold and weird? It was infuriating, especially when she was standing there, and made an effort to be friendly.

"Have fun at practice, then," she said, trying to sound casual. Her gaze flickered between Sebastian and his friends, wondering why she even cared about his reaction in the first place.

"Thanks," Louis and Luke said after each other as they went to exit the house.

Amaya nodded; thankful they weren't staying to chat any longer.

Sebastian hesitated for a brief moment, his eyes meeting Amaya's before stepping outside.