Untouchable

0.36

Ivy’s POV

“I think I’ve made a huge mistake.”

Sebastian doesn’t look up from his book. He just flips a page, perfectly unbothered, and says, “Which one? You’ve made a lot recently.”

I scowl at him, but he’s not wrong.

I don’t even know why I came here, but when I saw Sebastian sitting alone in the library, I just… walked over. Like some part of me knew he was the only person who wouldn’t judge me for what I was about to say.

Probably.

I sink into the chair across from him, dropping my head onto the table with a thud. “It’s all a mess.”

Sebastian finally looks up, studying me with a raised brow. “Define mess.”

I groan. “Where do I even start?”

“Chronologically usually helps.”

I sigh and lift my head. “Okay. First, Alistair and I break up.”

“Fake break up,” he corrects.

“Real fake break up,” I clarify. “And then Nathaniel starts acting… different. Like, different different—getting closer, saying things, and then suddenly he kisses me—”

Sebastian doesn’t react, just tilts his head slightly. “And?”

“And Adrian saw.”

That gets a reaction.

Sebastian blinks once, then leans back in his chair with an exhale. “Ah. I was wondering when that was going to blow up.”

I frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you and Adrian have had an unhealthy amount of tension for a while now.”

I gape at him. “No, we haven’t!”

Sebastian gives me a look. “You glare at each other like it’s foreplay, Ivy.”

I choke. “We do not—”

He holds up a hand. “I’m just saying. If you didn’t want things to get complicated, maybe you shouldn’t have let Nathaniel kiss you where Adrian could see.”

“I didn’t know he was watching!”

Sebastian shrugs. “Unfortunate.”

I groan again and drop my head back onto the table. “It gets worse.”

“How?”

I peek up at him. “I talked to Alistair about it.”

Sebastian doesn’t say anything for a long moment. Then, finally: “And?”

“And he told me not to let Nathaniel break my heart.”

Sebastian’s expression flickers—so quick I almost miss it. Then, as fast as it came, it’s gone, and he sighs, rubbing his temple. “Alistair is a lot of things, but subtle isn’t one of them.”

I stare at him. “What does that mean?”

Sebastian levels me with a dry look. “It means you’re in a love square, Ivy.”

I groan. “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I—” I stop myself, running my hands down my face. “Okay. Maybe.”

Sebastian leans forward, clasping his hands together. “So let’s review: You fake-dated Alistair, but now you’re actually sort of dating Nathaniel, while Adrian is brooding about it, and Alistair is definitely not over you. That about right?”

“I am not dating Nathaniel.”

Sebastian lifts a brow. “He kissed you.”

“It was—” I exhale. “I told him I needed time to think.”

“Yet here you are, asking me for advice.”

I groan. “Because you’re the only sane one in this entire situation!”

Sebastian lets out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “That’s a terrible thing to say about me, Ivy.”

I huff, sitting back in my chair. “So what do I do?”

Sebastian tilts his head, considering. “That depends. Who do you want?”

I freeze.

His question hits harder than I expect.

Who do I want?

Nathaniel, who makes my heart race with every touch, every calculated word?

Adrian, who drives me insane and makes my head spin in ways I don’t understand?

Or Alistair, who—

I stop that thought before it can even form.

“I don’t know,” I whisper.

Sebastian nods like he expected that. “Then maybe you should figure it out before someone gets hurt.”

I swallow. “Someone already has.”

Sebastian sighs. “Then make sure it’s not you next.”