Back To Our Roots, Book One

XIII. The Origin Of Mr. High Blood Pressure

"Well, we have some time to kill before we can pick up the prescriptions. Any ideas?" Matt asked.

"I can thank you profusely for going with me," Sebastian suggested.

"For half an hour?"

"Try me." They both chuckled. "Seriously, though. We could find a coffee shop or something."

Matt shrugged. "Sounds good. But no coffee for you, Mr. High Blood Pressure." He poked Sebastian in the chest.

Sebastian pouted. "A little bit of coffee for Mr. High Blood Pressure?"

Matt put his hands up in mock-surrender. "It's your heart attack, not mine."

Sebastian laughed. "Fine. I'll get a tea or something."

They quickly found a coffee shop, ordering their drinks to go.

They sat on a bench outside in the sun, splitting a muffin.

"We probably look like a couple," Sebastian said offhandedly.

"A couple of people? Because we are."

Sebastian chuckled, knocking into his shoulder. "You know what I meant."

"Yeah, I did. I just didn't want to talk about it," Matt admitted.

"Why?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"I don't want you to turn to the flirty Sebastian."

Sebastian laughed. "The what? I didn't know there were multiple Sebastians."

"You know what I mean. Whenever you're super nervous or anxious about something, you flirt. It's like a coping method."

Sebastian bit his lip, realizing Matt was right. "I never thought of it like that."

They were both quiet for a minute. "What other Sebastians are there?" he asked.

"There's the performance Sebastian. Cool, calm, collected on the outside and a jumble of nerves on the inside. But the second he begins to perform, everything's okay. He's in his element, and it shows."

"I like that one," Sebastian said softly.

"There's vulnerable Sebastian. That's when you asked me to come with you today, when you were talking so openly to Thad the other day."

"So you mean the weak Sebastian," he interrupted.

Matt frowned, shaking his head. "There is no weak Sebastian. You aren't weak. You've just been strong for too long."

"And you kind of led me into the next one. The hard-on-himself Sebastian. The one who believes all the insults that are thrown at him, that can't see past his imperfections to how beautiful he is."

"Beautiful?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And flirty Sebastian's back," Matt said, pretending to check his watch. "That's a new record for the longest you've been away!"

Sebastian laughed, punching him on the shoulder. "Shut up," he said playfully.

Matt chuckled. "And there's just... Sebastian. The one who's not trying to live up to anyone's expectations or be someone he isn't. He just... is." He smiled. "That's my personal favorite. Because it's just you being you."

Sebastian smiled, feeling warm. "I think that's my favorite too."