summer in the city 「 s.stan 」

DAY 1

— AUGUST 1ST —

After picking up some coffee from the Starbucks at the airport, you arranged to meet your friends the next day. As Luca drove them away in his new convertible, they all waved frantically and pulled ridiculous faces, which made you giggle.

When you finally turned around, Sebastian had packed your bags into the back of his car, ready to drive both of you to his apartment. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for you.

"Ready to go, m'lady?" he joked, tipping his hat. His smile was contagious, and you couldn't help grinning back at him.

"What a gentleman," you replied, climbing into the car.

The journey was about an hour long, but it barely felt like ten minutes. You spent the whole time talking to Sebastian, getting to know each other a little better; from what you could tell so far, he was remarkably friendly, easy going, sweet and funny, as Allie had already told you.

And yes, you found him cute – gorgeous, in fact. But you couldn't let yourself think of him that way, not when you would be living with him for a month. You couldn't let yourself get too attached to him.

A little voice in the back of your mind told you that a lot could happen in thirty one days, but you ignored it.

Before arriving at his apartment, you made a quick stop at McDonalds; it was getting late, both of you were hungry and Sebastian insisted that you wouldn't want to try his cooking.

"I tried to make some mustard chicken stuff the other day," he told you, while reaching through the car window to grab your Happy Meal (yes, you still ordered those) from the drive through window. "I literally thought I poisoned myself."

You giggled, imagining the scenario, before deciding to share a disastrous story of your own. "Once I offered to cook for my grandparents and ended up setting fire to the frying pan. So with both of us under one roof, who knows what could happen? We need the emergency services on speed dial."

Sebastian laughed, and you noticed the way his nose scrunched up. You had to shake your head to clear the adorable image from your mind.

"You're close with your grandparents, then?"

Undoubtedly, he was just making friendly conversation. But his question struck a nerve, and you cleared your throat before answering nervously. "Yeah, I... I lived with them for a while."

Seeming to notice your sudden change in mood, Sebastian dropped the subject. The rest of the drive was slightly quieter, and you were glad when he finally parked his car and helped you carry your bags inside.

After briefly showing you around his apartment, he led you to the room that would be yours for the next month. It looked strangely like your room back home – a cozy double bed, white, glossy fitted wardrobes and an en suite.

"So, uh, my room is just down the hall if you need anything, okay?" Sebastian smiled reassuringly at you from the doorway.

"Okay. And thank you for this – letting me stay here, I mean. I really appreciate it. Especially since I can get pretty annoying sometimes," you joked.

"That's exactly what Allie told me about you, y'know?"

"Yep, that sounds like her. She basically just told me that you're funny, cute and my type."

Your eyes widened when you realised the words that had slipped out of your mouth. Luckily, Sebastian didn't seem too bothered. He just smirked effortlessly, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"Well, I hope I lived up to your expectations."

You could've sworn he winked at you as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. Flopping down onto the bed, you groaned, hiding your face in the crook of your elbow.

You didn't know if you could take a whole month of this.