SASHA’S POV
The moment I stepped into the dim hallway leading out of the ballroom, the weight of everything I’d been holding back finally hit me.
Tears, the ones I’d stubbornly refused to let fall during the evening, slipped down my cheeks. The voices in my head, the doubt, the paranoia, the fear, they all came crashing in, almost deafening in their intensity.
I thought I’d done a good job of hiding my emotions, at least until now. But the sight of Sebastian talking to that woman, the way they leaned in close, their faces shrouded in quiet conversation… it struck me like a knife to the heart.
Rationally, I knew it could have been nothing, just a polite exchange in a crowded room. But with everything else, with the warnings, the messages, my mind refused to settle.
I hugged myself tightly, desperate for some sort of anchor as I made my way toward the exit.
Maybe I could just slip away, catch my breath, find a way to silence the growing ache in my chest. But as I turned a corner, everything halted.
I collided right into the one person I’d been so torn about: Sebastian.
He was just coming out of the men’s room, his face shifting instantly from surprise to worry as he caught sight of me. I tried to pull myself together, to wipe the tears from my cheeks, but it was no use.
“Sasha? Hey, hey… what’s wrong?” His voice, usually so controlled, wavered, and he reached out to gently hold my shoulders.
His hands felt warm, steady, like they were the only real thing holding me together right then.
I swallowed, willing myself to speak, but the words felt like they were tangled inside me, trapped behind a thick wall of emotions.
“I… I just…” I stammered, averting my gaze. I didn’t know where to start. “I saw you… with her. That woman.”
Sebastian’s brows knitted together, his expression a mix of confusion and concern. He glanced over in the direction I’d pointed, as if searching for this phantom woman.
“Which woman? Sasha, I haven’t been with anyone tonight, except for you,” he said, his voice soft but laced with a hint of defensiveness.
I tried to explain, the words rushing out in a messy spill. “I saw you, Sebastian. I thought I saw you with her, talking so close, like there was something… something I wasn’t a part of.” The last words choked out, barely a whisper, but I saw the understanding dawn in his eyes.
“Sasha,” he started, his gaze never leaving mine.
“I swear to you, I wasn’t with anyone. That woman, if it was who I think it was , she asked for directions to the restroom. That’s all. Nothing more.”
My heart ached, torn between wanting to believe him and the pain of my own insecurities clawing at me. “Then… then why did it look like… why did I feel like I was losing you tonight?”
Sebastian closed his eyes briefly, his fingers tightening on my shoulders as if he, too, was struggling to find the right words.
“Because this distance between us… it’s hurting both of us, Sasha. I can feel it, and I hate it. Every second away from you feels wrong.”
“And tonight… Well, I guess that woman and her timing just happened to catch you at the worst moment. But there’s nothing going on. Nothing. I swear.”
The raw sincerity in his voice, the way his gaze seemed to anchor me, it all chipped away at the wall of doubt I’d built around myself.
“Your suit,” I mumbled, almost feeling foolish as I did, “it’s… it’s common, isn’t it?”
Sebastian’s lips twitched in a slight, understanding smile, and he nodded. “Yes. It is.” His voice dropped to a soothing murmur.
“A lot of people wear suits that look like this. I can’t blame you for thinking… well, for mistaking someone else for me. But Sasha,” he said, gently lifting my chin so I was forced to meet his eyes, “I only have eyes for you. No one else.”
He let his words sink in, the depth of them, the weight. And for the first time all night, I felt a sense of peace settle over me.
The whispering doubts, the faceless fears, they started to lose their grip. He wasn’t just reassuring me with words. He was saying something so much deeper, something that touched my soul.
“Sasha,” he whispered, leaning closer, his lips brushing my forehead softly. “Let’s go home. Please.”
A small, trembling smile formed on my lips as I nodded, the need for distance fading into nothing. “Yes. Let’s go home.”
The car ride back was silent, filled with a kind of quiet understanding, as we sat close yet didn’t speak, our hands clasped together. Neither of us needed words.
It felt like a gentle calm after a storm, the kind where everything settles and the world finally feels right.
When we reached home, Sebastian didn’t rush. Instead, he guided me through the door with a gentleness I hadn’t realised I missed.
The familiar surroundings, the warmth of our home, it all felt like a safe cocoon, wrapping us up, protecting us from everything outside.
He didn’t let go of my hand as we made our way upstairs. Step by step, my heart beat faster, filling with anticipation, with the longing that had built up over our days apart.
The silence stretched between us, a delicate, simmering connection that seemed ready to burst.
Finally, we reached our room. Sebastian turned to face me, his hands cupping my cheeks as he leaned in, his lips brushing mine in the softest kiss.
It was gentle, almost hesitant, as if he was savouring every second. And I melted into him, my hands sliding up his shoulders, feeling the solid warmth of him beneath my fingers.
The kiss deepened, becoming more intense, more urgent, as if we were both making up for lost time, for all the moments we’d spent apart.
His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer, and I felt myself give in completely, surrendering to the intensity of his embrace.
We barely made it to the bed before we were lost in each other, shedding every lingering doubt, every moment of distance.
His touch was tender yet consuming, a reminder of the connection we shared, the depth of what we meant to each other.
Our clothes slipped away, falling to the floor in a tangle, until nothing stood between us. And in that moment, there was no hesitation, no doubt – just us, together, as close as two people could be.
He whispered my name, his voice rough and filled with emotion, as if he needed to say it, to feel it, just as much as I needed to hear it.
I looked into his eyes, feeling the warmth and the love that radiated from him, and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was mine.
Our bodies moved together, a rhythm that felt both familiar and new, like a song that had always been there but that we were only now beginning to understand.
Every touch, every kiss, every breath felt like a promise, a vow that we were meant to be together, that nothing could ever tear us apart.
Hours later, as we lay tangled in each other’s arms, the world felt quiet, at peace.
The doubts, the fears, they’d all been washed away, leaving only the warmth of his embrace, the steady beat of his heart beneath my hand.
Sebastian’s fingers traced gentle patterns along my back, his lips pressing a soft kiss to my hair.
“You’re everything to me, Sasha,” he murmured, his voice a comforting whisper in the darkness.
I closed my eyes, a smile curving my lips as I snuggled closer to him. “And you’re everything to me.”
In that moment, in the quiet stillness of our shared night, I knew we’d found our way back to each other. And this time, nothing would stand between us.