Page 145 of Please Open Me
I figured that was as good a sign as any that she was about to wake up, and I should probably clean up our mess. So, I snuck out from underneath her, grabbed the styrofoam clamshell and foil wrapper, and headed to the kitchen.
I dropped them into the garbage before realizing I should probably get her something to drink. The doctoralsosaid Mason needed to try to drink a gallon of water each day, and I couldn’t remember if she’d hadanywater. So, I started to root around Sebastian’s cabinets.
I wasn’t short, not in the slightest, but the cupboardsfelthigher than they should have been. But, seeing as this place reeked of someone obnoxiously showing off their wealth, Sebastian’s gargantuan ass probably had them specially hung that way.
Still, I managed to find a stockpile of metal water bottles and decided that would be good enough. I grabbed a white one that had a mostly matching lid and headed toward the fridge in the corner.
I pressed a few buttons on the water dispenser to turn it to ice and placed the bottom underneath. The machine growled to life, spitting crushed cubes into the narrow top, and just as I went to flip it to water, the air behind me shifted.
Inhaling sharply, I turned to look over my shoulder, only to see Sebastian mere inches away from me. I jumped, not because I was scared, but because where thefuckdid he come from?
My mind struggled to process the sudden interruption as he turned me around, back to the fridge, caging me in.
His shittily dyed hair was damp with sweat, and his pupils stood like pinpricks in his sky colored eyes.
“Why thefuckare you here?” His whisper was low and dangerous.
I paused and sucked my teeth.
“What?” I asked, playing dumb.
“I’m done being nice.”
My head tipped to the side. Had Sebastianeverbeen nice?
“Why do you keep hanging around Mason?” he continued. “Who the fuck are you working for?”
I tried to laugh off his outburst in hopes of making him feel crazy. “It’s a little rude that you don’t think anyone can just like–”
“No. Iknowpeople can just like, or even love, Mason. Don’t get it twisted. But, people don’t hang around her, tell her that I kill people, and then follow her three hours away.” Sebastian leaned in, almost pressing his nose to mine. “Who. Do. You. Work. For?”
I let an easy smile hang from my lips even though Ididfeel somewhat intimidated.
“Who do you think I work for?” I whispered. “You’ve seen me in the pews of Saint–”
“Bullshit!” He snapped, maybe a bit too loud considering Mason was fast asleep about a room over. “I called Dale; he didn’t send you.”
“Did you ever think that Reverend Cole maybe, lied to you?”
Sebastian shook his head. “He doesn’t have a reason to. I’m not fucking dumb. Don’t treat me like I am.”
My lips parted to tell Sebastian that, if he didn’t want me to treat him like an idiot, he shouldn’t act like one, but my comeback was interrupted by stumbling footsteps.
Ones Sebastian apparently didn’t notice.
He remained zeroed in on me, while I watched Mason tiptoe into the kitchen.
Her hair was wild with sleep, and her eyes were red-rimmed and glassy, like she’d spent the last few minutes crying, even in her dreams.
Mason's lips parted and quivered like she had something to say, but words didn’t come out. And, I wondered if there was aslightchance she was sleepwalking.
After a moment, Mason's breath hitched, and she started for us, and I prepared to shove Sebastian out of the way so I could comfort her, but she didn’t want me.
Instead, she crashed into Sebastian’s back with enough force to knock him forward, almost causing us to kiss.
Thankfully, he caught himself before his head snapped back, and he looked at her with a downright satanic expression.
Mason clung to his back, burying her face in his shirt as she breathed him in with unsteady breaths.
