SASHA’S POV
I stood at the edge of the bed, letting out a slow breath as I turned the framed picture over in my hands. My mind felt tangled in a web of uncertainty.
Telling Sebastian about the photo felt both necessary and nerve-wracking. He was sitting across from me, leaning back against the headboard, his brow furrowed in curiosity.
The warm glow of the bedside lamp bathed the room in a soft amber light, casting faint shadows on his sharp features.
“Sebastian,” I began, my voice soft but steady. I walked closer, placing the frame on the nightstand as I sat on the edge of the bed.
“I need to tell you about the picture I was upset about earlier.”
His eyes locked onto mine, the intensity in them a reminder of how deeply he cared. “Go on,” he said, his voice calm yet probing.
I hesitated, my hands fidgeting with the hem of my sleeve. “The man in the picture… it wasn’t who I thought it was at first. I jumped to conclusions,” I admitted. “It was Roland.”
Sebastian’s posture relaxed instantly, his lips curving into a small, relieved smile. “Roland?” he repeated, shaking his head slightly.
“Sasha, you had me worried there for a moment. Roland and I go way back. If it’s him in the picture, I can guarantee it’s nothing you need to be concerned about.”
I nodded, though a lingering unease flickered inside me. The picture itself wasn’t the issue anymore; it was the hug I had shared with Roland earlier that kept replaying in my mind. Something about it felt too close, too intimate.
But how could I explain that without sounding hypocritical or irrational? After all, I had initiated the embrace in the first place.
Sebastian shifted closer to me, his hand reaching out to rest gently on my knee. “What is it?” he asked, his voice softer now. “You still look troubled.”
I bit my lip, debating whether to say more. “It’s nothing,” I said finally, forcing a small smile.
“I just felt awkward about the hug. It lingered longer than I expected, and it caught me off guard. But it’s not a big deal.”
His gaze lingered on me for a moment, as though he could sense there was more I wasn’t saying. But instead of pressing further, he nodded.
“If it made you uncomfortable, that matters,” he said.
“But like you said, it’s not worth overthinking. Roland isn’t the kind of guy to overstep boundaries.”
“I know,” I murmured, leaning into his touch. “And I shouldn’t have started the hug anyway. I just… I didn’t want him to feel like I was holding a grudge or anything.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Sebastian assured me.
He pulled me gently toward him, and I let myself sink into his embrace. His warmth was grounding, a silent reminder of how safe I felt with him.
For a while, we stayed like that, the silence between us comfortable and soothing. But as the moments passed, I found myself compelled to fill the quiet with words.
“I had such a long day,” I began, my voice muffled against his chest.
“Delivering orders back and forth, trying to keep everything running smoothly… it felt endless.”
Sebastian tilted his head, his hand tracing slow, calming circles on my back. “You work too hard,” he said, his tone laced with concern.
“You don’t have to do all of this, Sasha. I can take care of us, of you. You know that, don’t you?”
I pulled back slightly to look at him, my expression soft but resolute. “I know you can,” I said, my voice firm yet tender.
“But I like working. I like feeling productive, like I’m contributing to something. And besides, it’s not as overwhelming as it sounds. I can handle this much.”
His lips quivered into a half-smile, his eyes filled with admiration. “You’re incredible, you know that? Stubborn, but incredible.”
I laughed softly, the sound lightening the weight that had been pressing on my chest. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” I teased.
“It is,” he replied, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “But promise me something.”
“What?”
“Promise me that if it ever gets to be too much, you’ll stop. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, least of all me.”
I nodded, the sincerity in his words making my heart ache in the best way. “I promise,” I said, and I meant it.
We talked a little longer, the conversation drifting from my day to his, to random musings and shared memories. It felt like a return to the simplicity we’d once had, before life’s complications and misunderstandings had threatened to pull us apart.
Eventually, our words grew slower, softer, until they faded into a companionable silence. I nestled closer to Sebastian, his arms tightening around me as we lay back against the pillows.
“Goodnight, Sasha,” he murmured, his voice a low, comforting rumble.
“Goodnight, Sebastian,” I whispered back, my eyelids growing heavy.
As sleep claimed us, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. Whatever challenges lay ahead, I knew we would face them together. For now, that was enough.