Seven Devils | Sebastian Stan

Chapter Nine

"I can't believe he kept that from her, you know? She deserved to know. She was in danger, too." Salvatore spoke about the musical passionately. It made Sebastian think about their own situation, how she would react if she knew the whole truth about everything. Suddenly, he felt guilty, like he was lying to her and she didn't deserve it. He tried to tell himself he wasn't lying, considering it didn't seem like they were in danger.

"Well, it was personal for him. I can see why he didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to talk about it." Sebastian replied, and she shook her head.

"It would've been better for him to talk about it. I get that people don't understand that, and that's typically the route stories take, but still. He should've confided in her. She was the one person who was always going to be there for him, who he could trust. Plus, it always helps to talk about things. Nothing was going to get done about it if he didn't." She rambled, and Sebastian nodded slowly. He swallowed hard, and she looked up at him. "What?"

"What?" He retorted instantly as he looked down at her. "I didn't say anything."

"No, but you're acting weird." She said. Her arm was intertwined with his. They held each other close for warmth. They didn't mind that the city was so busy, they were just taking their time and enjoying the scenery with each other. Not that it smelled great, but it was pretty this time of year. They were already putting up Christmas decorations. Thanksgiving would be soon. Salvatore usually had dinner with Madeline, Jacqueline, and Eleanor, but she wasn't sure what she would do this year. She didn't want that tradition to end since they were best friends, but she also hadn't been seeing much of them lately. They were all busy with conflicting schedules, but Salvatore wasn't making much of an effort, either. She knew she was being a bad friend, but she wouldn't admit it. Sebastian was the same way with Harrison and Johnathan. They were infatuated with each other.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, but it wasn't very genuinely. He was just lost in his thoughts, thinking about what she said.

"You know if there's anything bothering you, you can tell me, right?" She asked seriously, a tone in her voice that he'd never heard before. He looked down at her, seeing the look on her face. He nodded slowly, staring at her with nervous eyes. She didn't know what was wrong with him.

"I know."

"Okay." She mumbled, taking that as a hint to be quiet. He let out a sigh at himself, and she glanced back up at him.

"You know I'm always going to be there for you, too, Salvatore." He told her, and she nodded slightly. She didn't want to say much else. What she already said was already off putting to him, but she didn't know why. He knew he'd made a mess of their situation, and he wasn't sure what to do about it now. An awkward silence settled over them, but they still held each other close as they walked to the penthouse. Finn waited for them outside.

"I hope the two of you enjoyed your walk." He said to them, and one of them nodded in reply. He took their awkward silence as an indication that something had happened, so he changed the subject quickly. "What's the plan for tonight?"

"I suppose you can take me home." Salvatore answered, pulling her arm from Sebastian's. He gave her a look, but she ignored him.

"Aren't you going to stay the night?" Sebastian asked, and she sighed as she turned to face him.

"It's obvious you don't want me around." She stated bluntly, and he shook his head quickly. Finn just stood there awkwardly.

"What? No! Why would you think that?" He asked quickly, genuine concern ridden all over his face.

"You hardly spoke the whole walk here." She shrugged, and he let out a long sigh.

"Salvatore, I'm sorry, I just—"