Caught In Your Chaos ✓

Chapter Thirty-One

Seb had offered to take me to a fancy diner, but I settled for the cafe near the campus. The earlier encounter with Jake had left my mood sour. Moreover, I didn't want to look like a grumpy old lady when going out for the first time with a guy. And not to mention, Seb always looked like a posh model fresh out of a fashion magazine.

"I'm sorry about Chris's behavior. I've given him fair warning. If he ever does something like that to you or anyone for that matter. He will have to face the college chancellor, and that would not be good for him. So he won't even dare to go anywhere near you." Seb said with an apologetic look on his face. He was wearing a black button-up shirt that fit his built upper body perfectly. His appearance reminded me of how much of a mess I looked. I didn't bother to change and was sitting in front of him in the same oversized hoodie. He took a sip of his coffee and gave me a weak smile. I felt terrible for him. The guy was practically feeling sorry for something which wasn't his fault.

"Seb, it's okay. You don't have to apologize on that blockhead's behalf. And before you go into guilt mode, it wasn't your fault either. I shouldn't have been drinking." I assured him. "I hope he never shows his face again. I'm not a very patient person, you know."

"That I know," he chuckled a little, and a single strand of his soft brown hair fell on his forehead. He looked so gentle yet handsome. I couldn't stop the admiration reflecting in my eyes. Yes, it was admiration. I wasn't attracted to him. Speaking of attraction, I could still feel the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I recall Jake's words. Not to mention his scent still lingered in my mind. If there was one thing that could pull me away from my insane thoughts, it was Seb. His presence calmed me as if I had known him for ages.

The waitress arrived with our orders. Well, it was only for me since Seb refrained from junk food. So while I ordered a mac and cheese for myself, he settled for chocolate croissant and coffee. He was on a strict diet, a soccer player thing. I had a sudden urge to see him on the ground. Maybe he would invite me to one of his matches if we somehow became good friends. The thought of him leaving the campus after graduation made me pout a little.

"Is something wrong?" Seb looked at me with a frown. "Do you not like the taste? You know we could still go to the diner I suggested."

"No, no! It's good. I was thinking about something else." I quickly recovered from my discomforted thoughts. I hardly knew the guy for a month, and I was already sad about losing a friend. I didn't even know if he considered me a friend or not.

"You are doing it again," he commented, taking a bite from his croissant.

"Doing what?" I asked, still not looking at him.

"Pouting," He laughed, and I looked up at him, a little confused. "Although you look cute when you are sulking, I prefer to see you smile," he added with a smile.

The way those words rolled out of his mouth warmed my heart. He wanted to make me smile, unlike some jerk who never let a chance slip to make me furious. Stop Amy! Keep Jake out of your mind. Concentrate on Sebastian, who cares for you. I reminded myself.

"Do you..." I trailed off, looking at his face with nervous eyes. I needed to know if he considered me as his friend. But I couldn't just speak it out loud. After all, he was still a senior, and I had met him three times only. "I...we hardly know each other, and it's probably a stupid thing to ask, with you being senior n all."

"Amy, you can ask anything. And nothing about you is stupid." his words made my heart flutter. How could he be so kind to someone he hardly knew?

"I would like us to be friends," I said with a smile. I genuinely liked Seb and having a friend like him would be the only nice thing since I entered college. Or would it?

He shook his head a little while laughing. "You were nervous about that. Aren't you the cutest, Amy? And yes, we could be friends."

His answer made me all giddy, not just because he called me the cutest but because I could finally find comfort in someone. I gave him an ear-to-ear grin, and the next thing I knew, he was patting my hair. His action made my cheeks turn red like a tomato. Did he pat my hair?

"So Amy, I hope Jake didn't cause you any trouble," Seb commented with a stern look on his face.

"Huh," his words caught me by surprise. The smile disappeared from my face the moment he took Jake's name. That jerk would never let me have a peaceful moment.

"At the party last Saturday, you suddenly disappeared, and I was worried about you. I called you so many times, but Jake picked up instead. He said you passed out due to the alcohol, and he will take care of you. Though I trust him, I wanted to be sure from you." his voice sounded a little strained.

I felt so small at that moment. The flashes of that night came rushing into my mind. I felt like curling into a ball and hiding in the corner of my room.

"No, he wasn't any trouble," I mumbled, suppressing the urge to tell Seb about the way Jake threatened me to go out with him.

"You don't sound very convincing. I want you to know that I'm here for you, and you don't have to hide anything from me." He frowned and looked into my eyes. There were so many emotions in his eyes. As if he was searching for something or looking through my lie.

"If there's a problem, I will tell you, Seb. Don't worry. I know how to deal with the obnoxious Jake." I rolled my eyes, trying to look all cool about the noodlehead. But internally, I was cursing the hell out of him.

"Okay," he rested his back on the seat as he took a deep sigh. "Please, stay out of his chaos. It's better that way."

I nodded weakly at him. All the things that happened as a consequence of my disoriented behavior suffocated me. I wanted so badly to tell him about everything that happened between us, except for the kiss, of course. Although, I didn't want him to know about me getting involved with Jake in any manner.

But one thought kept running in my mind while we continued our snacks.

Why did Seb trust Jake?