Celebrity Status (currently being revised to 1st person) Walk of Fame-- Book 1

Chapter Ten

 "Remember that December, 

When we held each other tight, 

The fire sparked desire,  

The darkness turned to light."                                              

-   Bach's Revenge debut album, track 10

She managed to stay awake with Sebastian... mostly. The things he'd said to her last night were like the words she'd read in fairy-tales. He'd touched her, held her, sang to her.  

It was still dark when his hands pressed her shoulders gently to rouse her from her sleep. "Bella, wake up."  

She opened her eyes. He'd put on glasses sometime during the night, probably when his contacts became too dry to bear. He looked different now, not because of his glasses, but because overnight, he'd changed somehow. He'd turned...beautiful. She chastised herself for taking this long to notice. She smiled. "I didn't stay awake with you," she mumbled. "I'm sorry."  

He kissed her nose. "Ah, but you put forth substantial effort."  

She stretched. "What time is it?"  

"Four forty five in the morning," he said. "You should go back to sleep. I just wanted to say goodbye."  

As his words registered, Charlie bolted upright. "You're leaving?"  

He nodded and ran a finger across her shoulder, following it with his lips. "I have to."  

"I don't want you to leave."  

"That makes two of us," he whispered. "I want you to promise me something."  

"What's that?"  

"Wait for me," he breathed. "Promise me you'll wait. I need to know you'll still be here when I come home."  

His eyes sought hers, desperate for some sort of confirmation.  

"I promise. I'll wait for you forever."  

He put her hand to his chest. His heart raced under her palm. "I swear. I can't handle the thought of--" 

Charlie leaned in for a kiss, "Shhh, don't even say it."  

"If I came home tomorrow, it's still not soon enough," he said. He kissed her one more time and stood, leaving her alone in her bed.  

It was well into the afternoon when she finally opened her eyes again. The events of the night before unfolded in her mind. They left the friends zone the moment Sebastian declared his feelings for her, and last night she ensured they could never go back.  

Her stomach churned and she wrapped her arm around it, unsure if it was hungry or full of guilt. She thought of Mitch. What she had with Mitch was puppy love, the kind she'd look back on later in life with warm recollections. She knew from last night and the way butterflies took flight in her stomach when she thought of Sebastian, the pain in her chest, knowing he was gone, that what they had brought things to a whole new intensity level.  

She had to tell Mitch. What she'd done to him was bad enough, to let it go on any longer would be unforgivable. She dreaded how he may react, but after she let him go, she'd be free to love Sebastian.  

She padded her way down the hall, overcome by a light-headedness that she didn't know was a result of lack of sleep or her new infatuation with her best friend.