Beyond the Black Curtain

Chapter 6 - A Friendly Call

A/N: I got a long one for ya. Tell me you like it by tapping on the little star at the bottom of the page!

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Rae

"Ma, I'm home," I announce tiredly as I close the door of our rented home. I hear a light shuffle from the living room and within seconds, Rex was bounding up to me with a huge grin on his face. It soon got replaced with a frown and then just plain worry as he approached me.

"Oh my god, honey, what happened?" He inquired anxiously. I swallowed the onslaught of tears and focused on getting myself on the couch instead. Just remembering the look in Sebastian's eyes before avoiding me was enough to push me into crying again.

I tell Rex everything that happened over the last eight hours and my dear assistant, for the first time in five years was at a loss for words.

"I couldn't be more thankful right now that you're such a bad liar, otherwise I would've pulled all your teeth for telling me such a farfetched story," Rex finally responded after trying to absorb everything I just told him. "And my god, Sebastian had the nerve to say those godawful things to you? And here I thought Bucky Barnes was such an icebox. I have never felt the need to punch a jerk in all my life as a gay man, but jeez, honey, do I feel that urge right now."

My lips curl up slightly in a ghost of a smile as I looked up to Rex. Worry still lined his forehead and so I put a hand up to his cheek to caress it.

"Stop worrying that pretty little head of yours, Rexie-Poo," I say as he smiled at the nickname I have for him. "At least I don't have to expect anything since he made it pretty clear he doesn't want to have anything to do with me at all."

"What?!"

"What do you mean 'what?'" I sit up, confused as to why Rex reacted that way.

"Oh Rae-gun," Rex's eyes lit up. "You poor, innocent thing."

"Jeez Rex, whatever the hell do you mean?"

"Raezelle San Rafael, you have been officially single for far too long. I can't believe I'm about to say this but," he paused for dramatic effect. "As much as I loathe Sebastian freaking Stan right now for being such a topnotch dickhead, I think what he's doing is a classic case of fight or flight. And honey, I think he got too scared to fight so he took off instead."

"Fight for what?" I wasn't sure if it was the room or my head that was spinning. In any case I started to feel dizzy.

"His feelings for you," Rex said simply. "If I heard everything you told me correctly, I'd say Sebba bear likes you a whole fucking lot."

I tossed and turned in bed that night. I tried to piece everything together and realized that maybe, just maybe, my mind and my heart weren't just conniving to play cruel tricks on me after all. That I wasn't imagining it at all when I caught Seb sneaking glances at me, or when he purposefully shoved Chris forward so we could walk side by side just the two of us. And that I definitely didn't imagine the look on his face when he took my hand and laced it with his as we returned to the car. I knew, because I couldn't stop looking at him the same way. From the moment I bumped into him that morning to be met with those faint blue eyes, I was a goner. Even if the sit down went as scheduled, Sebastian Stan would have stolen my heart anyway and I wouldn't let him return it to me.