Eyes full of stars | ✔️

Chapter 8: Just the way you are

"She's so beautiful

And I tell her everyday.

Yeah, I know, I know when I compliment her, she won't believe me

And it's so, it's so sad to think that she doesn't see what I see"

-Bruno Mars

*

I wanted to be and look like myself as much as possible, Sebastian already knew Lily At Work, now he needed to meet Lily Off Work. Okay, we had seen each other at the park for two minutes the previous week, but we had barely talked. That encounter had completely taken me off guard.

Now I was ready, though!

I was wearing jeans, casual looking boots, a cute burgundy cardigan and a white blouse. My hairstyle and make-up were simple but made me look prettier than my office version. Felicity had insisted that I should have worn a skirt or a dress and almost whipped me with a belt when I complained that my thighs were now too big to fit skirts. I won the battle only by promising her to wear a dress on our next date... if there would have been one.

I spent my journey from Chiswick Park to Green Park overthinking. I was nervous to the bone. So nervous that I almost missed the stop... and couldn't find my Oyster card to exit... and collided with a guy so violently that I spilled his coffee all over the floor. I insisted to give him the money to buy another one, but I hadn't any coins, so I handed him 5£ in cash. All of this happened in less than three minutes.

"Okay" I thought, sweating. "This is not starting in a very good way, Lily. But, nonetheless, it must happen."

Sebastian was already there, standing just outside the station. I stopped for a few seconds to take a deep breath and get the courage to walk towards him.

He was checking his mobile phone, one hand in his jeans pocket. Being an architect and not a lawyer, Sebastian rarely had to dress luxuriously, I had never seen him in a suit, I was quite used to his "elegant casual style", with all of those shirts, casual but stylish sweaters and expensive shoes. But I wasn't prepared for of his current outfit: a pair of white sneakers, a black hoodie and a leather dark brown jacket fulfilled the most casual look I've had ever seen on him. He was sexier than ever and my sweat wasn't caused by my nerves anymore. I had no idea as to how I managed not to open my mouth and drool copiously like an idiot.

Sebastian raised his head, saw me and smiled. "Hey" he greeted, getting closer to me, touching my shoulder and brushing his cheek against mine like he had done in the park. This time, though, he didn't step back, he just looked me straight in the eye and said "You look good."

I blinked. Something inside of me did a flip. "Thank you" I smiled. "You too."

He motioned for me to start walking and we headed together towards the place he had chosen to have lunch. At first we had small talk, followed by a couple of minutes of complete silence, until he asked "Do you like ethnic food?".

I thought about it for a second, then I shrugged. "I honestly never tried it."

"I hope you are very hungry, then!"

Indeed, my stomach was growling, but I doubted that it was all because of hunger.

Sebastian led me through St. James Street and then under a passage between buildings that I didn't even know existed. For a split of a second, I thought we would enter Diagon Alley. Nerd me. Down there we found some restaurants and he got in a small one, a fast food.

Out of all the places I had imagined Sebastian Lowe would have brought me to for lunch, this wasn't even a part of the top 50. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't fit the idea I had of him. I mean, he lived in central London, was an established architect, went to fancy parties and stuff... how could I ever expected that he would have invited me to eat together in a fast food on our first date?

I started wondering if that was a real date and that if I had misunderstood everything.

There were a few tables by the glass walls and Sebastian made me sit with him. We examined the menu and I chose to try the Greek wrap, he picked the Turkish one. When our orders came, he insisted to pay for both of us and then we ate in silence, sometimes commenting things like the weather, the place and the people, exactly like we used to do at Starbucks.

The thought of Starbucks reminded me of Toby, so I asked how he was.

Sebastian glanced at me and said "He is okay. He's working on a project at home. He is barely sleeping, but it's normal for him."

"How long have you two been friends?"

"Twenty years, more or less" he replied. "Since high school. We would stay together all the time, you know. At school, at home, on vacation..."

The photo I had seen on his Facebook a few weeks before popped into my mind. It pictured a teenage Sebastian and a friend on the beach... so that was Toby?!

"Wow" I thought. "They are basically brothers."

"And now at work, too" I added for him.

He smiled. "Yes" he said, taking a sip of his Coke. "Did you enjoy your meal?"

I nodded, honestly pleased with what I had just eaten. "It was delicious. Thank you for taking me here."

"You're welcome." He cleared his throat and rested his elbows on the table, getting his face closer to me. "I'm sorry for having made you feel uncomfortable the other day" he said, looking me straight in the eye. "I didn't mean to say no to your invitation, I just didn't know what to say on the spot. It was quite unexpected!"

My heart skipped a beat. "It's okay" I swallowed. "I was a bit nervous."

Sebastian made a funny noise, he was trying not to laugh. "Only a bit? You ran away and left me there speechless at the mercy of the reception lady!"

I frowned. "Grace?"

He nodded and something in his face - and/or something in mine - made the two of us burst into laughter together. Oh God, he had such a beautiful laugh!

"She wouldn't stop talking" Sebastian went on. "She wouldn't let me go! I was starting to panic, then I had an idea."

"What idea?"

"I asked her for your mobile phone number."

I looked at him. That something inside of me did another flip. I blushed and smiled. "I'm glad you did."

"I'm sorry if I didn't ask it to you directly. And sooner."

I didn't know what to say, my brain just shut off and my heart was about to explode out of my chest. Sebastian was still looking at me, smirking. That was a kind of gaze that could seduce even mannequins and I eventually had to look away, blushing.

But I never stopped smiling.