Page 100 of Drawn Together

“It’s such a hassle to go everywhere by car. We should take more taxis or order Ubers,” I complained. Sebastian was still looking at his phone, where I supposed he had an app that told him where he’d parked. It was seven thirty, and I needed to let Rico out to do his business. Also, I wanted to show him all the toys I’d bought at a super-posh pet store.

When we finally got home, almost without a word to each other—although I’d delivered a few lines because I was incapable of remaining silent—I got a call from my father. To my surprise, he was in New York and wanted to meet me the next day for brunch.

“You’re already here, now?” I asked, starting to panic.

“I arrived an hour ago. I was going to pick you up for dinner, but I’m exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

I nodded and said goodbye, frowning.

“What’s wrong?” Sebastian asked, breaking his silence after being mute all day.

“Nothing,” I answered, and I went into my room.

I woke up early the next morning to be ready to meet my father at ten o’clock for brunch at the Plaza Hotel. He always stayedthere because one of his best friends was the son of the owner, so he always got the best suite.

I took a quick shower, knowing that Sebastian had been awake since at least seven thirty. He went out running at that time and then later again if I wanted to run in the evenings. By the time I entered the kitchen, he’d already done a thousand things.

I was wearing one of the dresses I’d bought the day before, cream colored and very pretty, although with how unpredictable the weather was being, I had to wear leggings underneath along with a coat, scarf, and boots.

Sebastian frowned upon seeing me dressed up.

“Where are we going?” he asked as Rico bounced around, begging for food.

I leaned down and scratched the dog behind the ears. “To brunch. My father wants to see me.”

“Your father is here?” he asked, surprised.

“You didn’t know?” I asked innocently. Weren’t they supposed to be best friends?

He disappeared down the hall without a word, and I assumed he was going to change out of his track suit—a shame, since seeing Sebastian in head-to-toe Adidas always caused my brain to short-circuit.

He reemerged fifteen minutes later, showered and dressed in a suit and tie, which I hated because it created distance between us. In that uniform, he was a bodyguard, nothing more.

“All you’re missing is the earpiece,” I said, trying to annoy him.

“I don’t need it. I’m not connected to anyone.”

“I was joking,” I answered dryly, turning my back on him and walking out the door, when Rico barked to get my attention. “Oh, shit, I have to take him out,” I said, realizing that I didn’t have time to walk him.

“I took him out this morning,” Sebastian informed me.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I answered as I followed him onto the elevator.

“I do a lot of things I don’t have to do, Marfil. What’s one more thing on the list?”

Was that a jab at me?

“Yeah, you do things you shouldn’t. Like touching me, for example.”

Sebastian pushed the button to stop the elevator. “Enough,” he said through gritted teeth, furious. His neck was inches from my mouth, and I could see his Adam’s apple moving up and down to the rhythm of his rage.

I fixed my eyes on his. “Why does it bother you so much? Just because you’re capable of forgetting what happened between us doesn’t mean that I can.”

“Well, you should.”

“An elephant never forgets,” I said, lifting a hand to caress his neck, more to provoke him than anything.

But before I could touch him, he pinned my hand against the wall of the elevator. “Keep it up, and I’m not going to be so friendly, Marfil. You and I both know you don’t want the old me to come out.”