Every Second [COMPLETED]

Chapter 41 - "What are you doing here?"

The next morning  soft light fell across Amelia's comforter, its finger's slowing making its way to touch her eyelids. She blinked her eyes open. Her gaze landed on the painting of Santa Barbara. The painting forced her sleepily mind to clear.

Dressing hurriedly, she moved to the front door.  She reached for the door handle as she was pulling on her shoe. She staggered backwards at the sight of Sebastian on the other side. One hand still pulling on her shoe, she fell back into the wall. Sebastian rushed forward  but Amelia still tumbled to the floor. She stared up at him, mouth open.

"Aims, you alright?" he asked.

She blinked, returning to herself. She stood, letting her shoes fall.   

"What are you doing here?" Amelia asked.

"It's Wednesday. I tried to call but your phone must be dead or something," Sebastian explained vaguely.

"Yeah, I turned it off Saturday night and haven't turned it back on yet."   

Puzzlement flashed across his face.

"It kept ringing and beeping with texts and phones calls from people at the showcase. I didn't really have it in me to handle it," Amelia said.   

He nodded.

"Do you need to be somewhere? I can come back later, you looked like you were in a hurry," he said.

"Um, actually I was going to go talk to...you."

The corner of his mouth twitched up.

"I guess I saved you a trip then. I bought bagels," Sebastian said, raising the bag.

"Breakfast?"

He nodded and placed the bag on the kitchen counter. Amelia set to making tea and scrambling eggs, handing Sebastian a cutting board and knife to deal with the bagels. They bustled around each other, their talk light. The conversation and the words spoken from the previous Saturday hung about them, adding a stiffness to their movements and glances.

"Where's Charlie?" Sebastian asked, as they settled in the family room.

"He went to have breakfast with Natalie before their last final of the year."

"Has he asked her out yet?"

Amelia laughed remembering she had told Sebastian about Natalie.

"Not yet, but I hope over the summer after the bar exam he will do it. But who even knows with Charlie."

They ate in relative silence, their glances darting to and away from each other, apprehension hovering over them. Amelia set aside her empty plate, her gaze fall to Sebastian.

"Bash are you alright?" she asked, softly.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Why do you ask?"

"Danny said you were brooding and moody the last couple of days. Waking up at random times at night, so I just..." She trailed off.

"Did he really say that?" Sebastian asked, amusement playing around the corners of his mouth.

"He said that you were playing the guitar and scowling. So in his mind, brooding."

His smile stepped forward and the sight of it eased Amelia's worries.

"Aims, you said it yourself once, apparently I scowl when I'm concentrating. I was writing music. Not brooding. And as for the sleep thing, I'm a restless sleeper. I'm not going to lie and say that the last few days were all that easy, but I didn't dive in a spiral of depression just because you said you needed space."