Blood Bound

Chapter 9

Giselle 

"Ok, so you're smart, funny and sexy...Too good to be true, there must be a bait there."

As I read, my eyes shifted away from the book for a brief moment to look at the stern, unemotional man sitting beside me. Sebastian refused to let his eyes wander from their course, sailing straight ahead even if I was reciting beside him. He appeared deep in thought, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was processing the story or if he was thinking of something else.

"Is now the time you'll tell me you're the most wanted criminal in France?"

" 'Well I can assure you I'm real.' whispered John as he took careful strides toward Gabrielle. He stared at her greedily as his eyes drew in on her, unwilling to stray from their path for even a second. She-"

'I thought you said that you had an excellent book to charm me with, Ms Williams,' interrupted Sebastian. 'What even is this?' He turned to gaze at me incredulously as if I was telling him dinosaurs still roamed the earth.

I narrowed my eyes at him as I pursed my lips thoughtfully, rummaging for the right words to present him with. 'It's a modern story, Mr Van Hansen. As you instructed me with.' I replied firmly. If I wanted to get anything out from this man, I certainly have to show him just how much of a force I was to be reckoned with.

The confusion and bafflement on his face increased tenfold as he tilted his head further down gawking at me from below like it would help him make sense of the situation if he did so.

After aeons have passed, he finally spoke and shattered the silence. 'I asked for a literary component, Ms WIlliams.' the urgency and frustration in his voice raised to a greater height. 'There is an abundant difference between that and whatever this is you're reading. I mean, this is not what romance is like. Is chivalry dead?' he spattered almost accusingly like his discontent was my fault. My eyes widened in disbelief as I scrunch my eyebrows at him in response.

'All Gabrielle and John have been doing is letting their lust drive them. There's no depth to their blossoming feelings or whatever it is that is blossoming between them. I think it's clear that their intentions with each other are salacious and obscene.' He countered, grimacing at his own words.

'They're clearly into each other. There's an obvious attraction there that they have yet to explore. I mean, this is the first step into their relationship. They felt attracted enough to engage with each other, and the passionate lust between them is their catalyst. You know, because that's what people feel for someone when they're invested in them, at least at first?' I shot back, annoyance began crawling up me like a spider up a wall.

I had no idea why this was even bothering Sebastian; if anything, he was the definition of old fashioned, maybe even more than his dad. And I guess he's simply a traditional man who believes in the old ways than what our modern society has to offer.

'Pfft.' He scorned as if I had insulted him terribly. 'Is that what all young people think about nowadays? Just casually finding a different person every day to rendezvous with? It's pathetic, really.' Something in his voice told me he was quite taken by this, and I have to say that makes two of us. Why he was so appalled by this discovery and the way he labels us 'young people' as if he wasn't one of us beats me.

His confusion and perplexion faded away quickly, returning to it's deadpanned state. He continued to gaze at me with that same distanced look in his eyes and as much as I didn't want to admit it, his scrutiny made me squirm slightly in my seat. And inevitably, I began fidgeting violently as I stared at him in return, but it became clear that I just didn't have the same matching energy against his tough demeanour.