SCARRED HEARTS

CHAPTER 11: ARMOR

Lila sat in the plush chair, her hand wrapped tightly around her glass of wine, staring at the swirling liquid as though it could give her the answers she desperately needed. The conversation with Sebastian had left her reeling, her mind tumbling through everything he had said. She wasn't ready to open up. Not to him. Not to anyone. Yet, something inside her told her that Sebastian wasn't going to let this go.

His presence loomed over her, even in the silence that stretched between them now, filled only by the soft clinking of cutlery and the murmur of voices around the restaurant. Her heart beat faster with every passing second, the weight of his words still pressing on her chest.

Sebastian sat across from her, casually twirling his wine glass, his gaze fixed on her with that infuriating, unshakable focus. She hated that he could make her feel both exposed and powerful in the same breath. He had a way of seeing right through her, and it made her skin itch.

"You're quiet," he said, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "I thought you'd be more... defensive."

Lila lifted her gaze to meet his, trying to keep her face neutral. "I'm not some riddle you can solve," she said, her voice firmer than she felt. "You can't just demand the answers you want, Sebastian."

He smirked. "That's where you're wrong. I don't need to solve you. But I will get the answers, whether you give them to me or not. It's only a matter of time."

The smugness in his tone set her teeth on edge, but she didn't let him see how much it bothered her. Instead, she took a long sip of her wine, trying to steady her nerves.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice low. "Why push me so hard? What's in it for you?"

Sebastian leaned forward slightly, his dark eyes never leaving hers. "I don't need a reason to want to know the truth," he said, his words slow, deliberate. "I'm not a charity case, Lila. I'm not here to fix you. I'm here because I'm interested. In you."

Lila's breath caught at the rawness of his admission. Interested? The word echoed in her mind. It wasn't an answer she expected. She didn't want to be interesting to him. She didn't want him to peel back the layers of her life, to expose the things she'd worked so hard to bury.

"I'm not a project, Sebastian," she said, her voice trembling slightly despite her attempts to sound indifferent. "And I'm not here for you to... fix or understand. I'm not interested in that."

He leaned back, his expression unreadable. "You say that now. But you'll change your mind."

Lila felt her chest tighten at the certainty in his voice. I will change my mind? Was that what he thought? That she was some puzzle he could unravel, that she would eventually open up and let him in? It pissed her off more than it should have.

But then again, she couldn't deny that part of her wanted to understand why he cared. Why he was so relentless, so damn persistent.

The waiter returned to clear their plates, and the interruption offered a brief reprieve. As the clinking of plates and the faint buzz of the restaurant filled the space, Lila tried to steady herself. She needed to end this. To shut it down before it went any further.

"I'm not going to tell you anything," she said firmly, her eyes locking with his. "So stop trying. It's not going to happen."

Sebastian didn't flinch, didn't back down. He simply raised an eyebrow, studying her with an intensity that made her heart beat faster.

"You think you have control, don't you?" he said, his voice low, almost teasing. "That you can keep all of your little secrets, keep people at arm's length. But I've seen the cracks in your armor, Lila. And I'm not going anywhere until I've figured out what's behind them."

She felt a sudden, sharp pang in her chest. Cracks in my armor. That's what he thought she was? A broken thing that needed fixing? The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, and the walls around her heart tightened.

"You really think you can get through all of that, don't you?" she shot back, her tone sharper than she intended. "Well, newsflash: no one ever has. Not even the people who claim they care."

The words slipped out before she could stop them, and the second they left her mouth, she regretted them. The vulnerability she had worked so hard to protect was creeping up to the surface again.

Sebastian's expression softened, just a fraction. "I'm not like everyone else, Lila. I'm not going to run when things get messy. And believe me, they will get messy. But I'll be here. Waiting."

Lila clenched her fists in her lap, trying to contain the surge of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Messy? That was an understatement. Her past wasn't just messy—it was chaotic. She had spent years pretending it didn't exist, burying it as deep as possible. But now, Sebastian was digging into it, unraveling all the carefully constructed layers she had so carefully built.

He was right, in a way. There were cracks. Deep ones. The scar on her side was only the surface. The real damage? It went much deeper than that. And she wasn't sure if she was ready for him—or anyone—to see it.

For a moment, they sat in silence, the weight of their words hanging in the air, thick and heavy. The clattering of silverware, the low murmur of voices, the soft music playing in the background—it all felt distant, as though they were in a world of their own.

Lila couldn't help herself. "What about you, Sebastian?" she asked, her voice quiet but curious. "What's behind your mask?"

Sebastian's gaze flickered, but only for a second. "My mask?" He let out a soft chuckle, though there was no humor in it. "You think I have one? You've been wearing one much longer than I ever have, Lila."

Her pulse quickened. "I'm not hiding anything. Not from you."

His smile was almost cruel. "That's where you're wrong."

Before Lila could respond, the waiter returned with the check. Sebastian glanced at the bill, then slid his credit card across the table without another word.

Lila watched him, her mind still reeling from their conversation. She didn't know what she was more afraid of—opening up to him or pushing him away. Either way, it felt like she was trapped between two impossible choices.

"Are we done here?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Sebastian stood, his chair scraping against the floor. "For now," he said, his tone darker, more serious. "But I'll be seeing you again, Lila. Don't forget that."

Lila stood as well, her knees suddenly feeling weak under her. She had expected this night to be a simple dinner. But now, it felt like something far more dangerous was at play. And no matter how hard she tried to resist, part of her couldn't help but feel drawn to him—drawn to the mystery, the intensity, the pull that Sebastian Blackwell had on her.

She forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm sure you will."

They walked out of the restaurant together, their steps synchronized, but the distance between them felt wider than it ever had before.

As they reached the street, Sebastian turned to her. "I meant what I said, Lila. No more running. Not from me. Not from your past."

Lila glanced up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to say something—something that would end this, stop the impending storm. But no words came.

Instead, she simply nodded, her lips pressed tight.

And for the first time in a long while, she wasn't sure if she was ready for what came next.