Eyes full of stars | ✔️

Chapter 6: When you say nothing at all

"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me

There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me

The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if wherever I fall

You say it best when you say nothing at all"

-Ronan Keating

*

What were the chances of bumping into Sebastian like that? It was absolutely CRAZY! Sherlock running after children... being stopped on the way of chasing them by Sebastian and his friend with the amber eyes... my dog!... petted by Sebastian... who could make a perfect Benedict Cumberbatch impression... my poor, POOR, heart!

The next morning, Felicity tried once again to reassure me that everything was going to be okay and that I needed to stay calm. I pretended to follow her advices, but by the time I got to the tube station, I was covered in cold sweat. I even forgot my iPod and my head was so full of thoughts that I just couldn't focus on my book.

Someone stepped on my right foot when a bunch of school kids got in the train at the Gloucester Road station.

"Ouch!" I shouted. "Hey, be more careful!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am!" they replied.

I turned around in their direction and my eyes met a pair of unmistakable amber ones.

"Toby?!" I exclaimed.

He smiled. "Oh, Lily! It's you!"

"What a coincidence" I said, as the train left the station. Toby rested his hand on the coach wall behind me to hold himself. I hadn't noticed it the day before, but he was very tall, the top of my head barely was as the same height as his shoulders. Sebastian was a little shorter than him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to work" he explained. "I'm an architect. I start working at David H. Pierce today."

"Wow" I commented, genuinely impressed. "So you will be working with Sebastian! What a cool thing, working with your best friend."

Toby shrugged. "I also live with him at the moment. I have lived in the United States for the last ten years, I arrived in London only a few days ago."

"I see." I didn't know exactly where Sebastian lived. I think he once mentioned that he was from South Kensington, but I wasn't sure. The train was stopping again when I asked "If you live with Sebastian, why are you not coming to work with him?"

He shrugged again, bent his head and solemnly looked at me. "He's the worst driver ever lived" he confessed, making a very hilarious face that made me chuckle. "Don't get me wrong, he's my best friend and I love him. But there are some things that you can't just ignore, you know."

"Oh, you're right" I agreed. "Every morning I wake up and forgive Felicity for being a Slytherin."

He laughed, moving to let some people getting in the train.

***

We talked until we exited the Tower Hill station together. I arranged my scarf around my neck and said "I usually take a tea to go at Starbucks on the St. Katherine Docks. You are in a hurry, or...?"

"Good idea" he smiled, hands in his pockets. "I would love to have some tea now. Let's go."

We entered the Starbucks and while he was reading the menus on the wall, I froze when I noticed that the person ahead of us in line was Amanda. She was half turned towards us, tapping on her expensive mobile phone. I prayed all the gods and goddesses above that she wouldn't raise her head in our direction.

But my wish wasn't granted.

I almost hid behind Toby when she casually saw us. It was too late, she looked at me with her big and piercing green eyes. All of her tall and thin - and breast-lacking - model body was facing me when she said "Oh, you are Edmund Lavender's secretary, aren't you?!"

"I'm his assistant" I replied in a flat tone. "Lily Montgomery."

She grinned and cheerfully squeaked "Lily! Right! What a sweet name!" She noticed Toby and somehow understood he was with me. She quickly moved her mobile phone from her right hand to her left one and shook his hand, introducing herself in the same cheerful tone. When Toby politely responded, she made a loud surprised sound. "Oooooh! So you are TOBIAS! The new guy! Seb's friend!"

"Everyone calls me Toby" he patiently explained.

"Seb?!" I thought, clenching my fists.

Luckily, it was her turn to order, which saved her from being viciously killed by me. Then she took her paper cup of chai latte, smiled, waved at us and left. The moment she got out of the place I started feeling better.

"Are you alright?" Toby asked, taking his wallet out of his pocket.

I sighed. "I am, thank you."

***

That week, I kept meeting Toby on the tube and Sebastian in my office. They barely mentioned each other during conversations and I hadn't seen the two of them together since that day in the park. I learned that Toby was a very nice guy, passionate about his job and fond of movies, like me, although this was everything we would chat about. He didn't say a word about his personal life and I didn't as. He even hadn't any social media, which was quite strange nowadays. But I liked him and I came to the conclusion that if Sebastian had Toby as a friend, he was more special than I thought.

On Friday, Sebastian and I were examining some new documents that he needed Mr. Lavender to sign. I was lost in his every movement, in the way the light would draw shadows on his neck and the way he would clear his throat, when his mobile phone rang.

"Excuse me for a moment" he apologized, looking at the display. I made a gesture to say that there was no problem, so I kept on writing notes on my pad. He got up and moved closer to the window. "Hello" he answered. "Yes, I'm still at the meeting... well, no, I'm not sure... it's probably similar to that project we made for Hector Bouverage... okay, Amanda, we'll talk about this at dinner..."

I broke my pencil tip and stopped writing.

Amanda... AGAIN!

Sebastian sat back on his chair and, smiling, apologized again for the interruption. As he examined some documents I thought "Come on, it's just a business dinner. Nothing more."

But there was a part of me that just couldn't stay quiet, that kept on screaming that Amanda Conway was dangerous. And then, I heard Felicity's voice saying "Just make sure it won't become too late, Lily. And I'm not talking about the phone number only."

"I think we have finished for today" Sebastian declared two minutes later. He got up and arranged his folders.

"Sebastian, would you like to have lunch with me sometime?" I found myself saying.

I froze. I couldn't have really said that! And when did I get up? I didn't even notice that I was on my feet now!

He looked at me in utter silence for a moment. "Oh..." he murmured. He seemed to really be taking my proposal into consideration, but a shadow of doubt covered his eyes. "Well, I don't know, I have to check my appointments..."

"Oh, don't even bother" I said, my heart beating so fast that I could feel it in my fingers. "Forget it. I know that you are busy."

"No, I just have to--"

"I shouldn't have asked" I quickly added, not wanting to give him the chance to refuse and made me feel even more embarrassed than I already was. I grabbed my folders and pad and exited the meeting room with a strained smile.

He silently followed me as I led him towards the office entrance. "Thank you for everything" I said, avoiding his eyes. "I'll send those documents to Mr. Lavender straightaway. See you on Monday."

Noteven waiting for his reply, I ran towards my desk, where I dropped the foldersand everything else, went to lock myself inside the toilet and cried my eyes out.