Eyes full of stars | ✔️

Chapter 9: Give your heart a break

"The world is ours. If we want it,

We can take it if you just take my hand.

There's no turning back now."

-Demi Lovato

*

Felicity kept on emitting squeaky sounds during the recount of my date with Sebastian. Actually, she got squeakier and squeakier as the tale went by. Because of this, Sherlock became so upset that he rested his head on my knees asking for cuddles.

"And what did you do afterwards?" my friend asked, totally excited.

I shrugged. "We had a walk in the park" I replied, my eyes looking up dreamily. "He bought me a tea, we sat on a bench and talked for a couple of hours until it was time to come back home."

"So..." Felicity came closer, more excited than ever. "Are you two dating now? I mean, did he... erm... did you get a vibe that he has feelings for you and wants to keep dating?"

That was exactly what I had been thinking about during my journey back home. Of course, Sebastian had been very charming, but he hardly gave me the impression to want more than a friendship. Okay, he had asked for my phone number to Grace, he made the first step - after my failed first step - and he had looked at me in a very unmistakable way, but it could have just been me seeing things. I couldn't be sure.

"He claimed that he had enjoyed the afternoon with me, he thanked me and we parted ways, as simple as that" I said, toneless. "I guess that tomorrow we'll be Sebastian the Architect and Lily the Assistant to the Lawyer again."

I bent down and hugged Sherlock, that started to lick my face. He always knew when I needed his cuddles.

Felicity gently stroked my back and kissed me on the top of my head. "I'm very happy for you" she whispered to my ear.

***

The next day, two o'clock arrived and my nerves hit the roof. Grace kept on winking at me each time I would step inside the reception area, but, luckily for me, hadn't made any comment yet. All morning, I managed to stay calm and just do my job, I even made Melissa talk to me about her weekend at home with her children - a girl who was attending Birbeck University and twin boys that had just turned 18 - and she actually didn't look at her computer screen for two minutes! We were definitely making progress.

But now it was time for my daily meeting with the man I began to date the previous day. If it was a date and not just two friends normally hanging out.

Grace called me to announce his arrival and I took a deep breath. Sebastian - he was Sebastian at Work, as I expected - came in, smiling. He was also wearing those glasses that made him pretty much irresistible. He didn't know that, of course, but a part of me hoped that he was doing it on purpose.

"Hi" I said, uncertain of the tone I should have used.

"Hi" he responded, moving closer to me catlike. He stopped right in front of me and I seriously panicked. I just started noticing that he had moved one step closer to me each time I saw him.

"Erm... should we?" I pointed at towards the meeting room and he wouldn't remove his hazel eyes from me as he entered the room.

I had goosebumps.

Someone cleared their throat behind me and I turned around to see Melissa moving her lips to say something in silence. I lip-read her and, although I did my best to ignore her and follow Sebastian in the meeting room, I was sure she had said "Dip that cookie in your latte."

I was red when I sat down, opened my folders and put my pad and pencil in front of me on the table.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked. "It looks like you need some water."

It wasn't a bad idea, actually. "Yes" I said. I got up again and took two bottles of water from the mini-bar. I gave one to him, who thanked me. By the time I sat down again, I had drunk mine almost completely.

"Stay calm!" I told myself. "Nothing has changed. Stay. CALM!"

"Okay" I finally said, smiling confidently. "Now we can start."

Sebastian looked down on his papers smirking, like I said something very funny that only he could understand.

Then we activated the "work mood".

When the meeting was over and I was about to open the door, Sebastian touched my arm and stopped me. I turned around very slowly.

"May I call you tonight?" he whispered, looking at me through those sexy square glasses. "After dinner?"

I said "yes" even before thinking about it. It just came out.

Sebastian smiled, stroked my arm for a moment and off he went.

***

All week, we would meet in my office in "work mood" with a little bit of "flirtation mood" - mostly from him, I was completely clueless - here and there, and chat on the phone after dinner. Sebastian loved to talk about his job, the thousands projects he had in mind, the dream of becoming David H. Pierce's official right-arm man until the day he could afford to found a business of his own. He loved dogs, and would ask me many questions about Sherlock. He was obsessed with sports cars and admitted that they will likely be his downfall.

"They are expensive, you know" he sighed. "My Jaguar had cost me three years of forced diet. I paid half of its price with the money that I inherited from my grandfather and still had problems to pay it in full. I am considering to buy an Italian brand car now, but I'm also telling myself that I could starve to death if I buy it."

We both laughed and Toby's words popped into my mind out of the blue. "He's the worst driver ever lived." I smiled to myself.

But there was one thing I was really curious about and I couldn't resist to ask now, since it was obsessing and upsetting me more and more as the days went by.

"So... erm... how is Amanda?"

I couldn't ask him directly, okay, but I had to dig somehow.

"Amanda Conway?" he sounded taken aback. "Well... she's fine, I guess. I saw her today at work and she was doing quite good. Why? I didn't know you two were acquainted."

"Sometimes, I meet her at Starbucks" I explained, toneless. This was a lie. Luckily for me, I had met her just that one morning with Toby and hadn't seen her ever since. "She is very pretty..."

"Yes, she is" he agreed. Jealousy was about to overwhelm me when he added "but she is a talented interior designer too. She has a great taste and is full of groundbreaking ideas."

"She must have had a lot of time to think about all these ideas while walking the Victoria's Secret catwalks in New York" I thought. Amanda had the power to bring out the worst in me, or at least the most sarcastic side of my character.

Still, Sebastian hadn't answered my unsaid question.

"Sounds like you two spend a lot of time together" I commented. There was challenge in my tone.

He said nothing for a few seconds. "There is nothing between Amanda and me, Lily" he eventually whispered. "I'm dating you... if you still want to date me."

Remember that something that did flips inside of me on our first date? This time it was doing DOUBLE flips! And partying with friends... and uncorking a bottle of the finest Champagne... and dancing the night away... Well, you got it!

Although this was happening inside of me, I just smiled and my voice sounded perfectly calm when I sighed and said "I do... I would like to know when you are going to ask me out again, though."

Sebastian chuckled. "Maybe I am just waiting to find the perfect place to take you to" he said in a flirty tone. "I'm eager to make an excellent impression on you."

I wished I could reply that I didn't care about that at all, that I just wanted to go out with him, kiss him, marry him and bear his children. But, of course, a girl must be properly chased in the game.

"I look forward to seeing your efforts" I said, as flirty as him.

The Flip Something and its friends all cheered and applauded me.