The Cuddle Pact

18

Baby.

In which Sebastian starts opening up.

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"ARE YOU SURE YOU DIDN'T BUMP your head on your journey to discovering how in love you are with Sebastian?" James stopped to ask, sipping on his hot chocolate with his eyebrows furrowed. "Of course, we're planning something for his birthday."

I placed my mug down and gave him a deadpan stare. "I'm not in love with Sebastian, James." Yet. "But tell me about his birthday plans."

James shook his head with a smile and took a bite of his cheesecake, seemingly letting it go. "It's the last time I see him before I go back on my last tour so I want to make it really special. We're having a big dinner with family and friends, and then the fun will really start."

"And what's that?"

He flicked the tip of my nose with his finger and rendered me with a saccharine grin. "You'll find out on the night," he leaned back in his chair and reached into his pocket when his phone began ringing. "It's your man." He sang, laughing as he stood up. "I'll be back, but order whatever you want."

Scanning the menu, my mouth watered at the devil cake. After ordering, I glanced in James' direction, wondering what Sebastian was saying to make him smile like that. But when he caught my gaze the look on his face made me feel like he said something about me.

He had invited me to get something to eat with him because we were both meeting Sebastian later and we agreed that we had to get to know each other better. Minutes after the waiter delivered our slices, he returned with a soft smile.

"Have you got him anything?" I asked with slight worry in my voice. Albeit me feeling like I'd known Sebastian my whole life, it had only been a month. Of course, I knew it was down to the fact that we spent almost every day together.

"I bought him tickets to see his favourite American football team." Upon seeing the anxious expression on my face, he laughed. "Sebastian doesn't focus on the present aspect of his birthday,"

I chewed on my cake before I responded. "But what do you get a man who has practically everything and could buy it himself?"

He rolled his lips in his mouth and nodded understandingly. "He's quite a humble person, and you mean a lot to him so maybe think about something meaningful to the two of you. It's not about the price, it's about the story behind it."

Finishing our food, we proceeded to go to Sebastian's penthouse. Something I noticed and liked, was things had changed between us. The cuddle pact didn't require Sebastian to stay with me the entire night, but him holding me throughout it all made me fall even harder.

The moment I opened my eyes, he was there with a graceful smile on his face as his fingers caressed my face softly. He then began speaking to me about his childhood, which made me feel like I knew him a lot more.

The Harringtons couldn't go to their cabin as often as they did when everyone was younger since they had more responsibilities, so the idea to spend a few days there was Sebastian's because he always went before his birthday.

Upon arriving, James used his key to open the door because when we were in the car, Sebastian had called to say he was in the shower. To be able to come on the trip, I had to work overtime at work to get a couple of days off, so the break was definitely needed.

"I'm driving up there with Lena, so I'll see you two tonight."

I gave him a knowing smirk and acknowledged his words with a hum. I could tell James and Lena were more than friends, which made me happy but also gave me the opportunity to tease him back. Stepping into his hug, I wrapped my arms around him briefly. "Drive safely."

"Will do."

And with that, James left and I took a seat on the sofa and turned on the TV whilst waiting for Sebastian to get out of the shower. He was the type who enjoyed long showers, so in order to kill time, I rewatched an episode of The Vampire Diaries.

When I was a few minutes in, hands tilted my head back moments before I looked into his chestnut eyes. Lowering smiling lips onto mine, he kissed me softly and I was encompassed by the fresh smell of his shower gel and shampoo as a few warm droplets of water from his hair travelled down the column of my neck.

I was inwardly celebrating that I had decided to spit my chewing gum out before arriving because me choking whilst Sebastian kissed me like that certainly wouldn't be a pretty sight. Especially when I tasted the mint flavour of his toothpaste on his tongue.

He pecked my lips three more times before he stood up straight, allowing me to see that he wasn't wearing anything but a towel that was wrapped around his hips. Tilting my body to see him properly, I smiled genuinely.

"That was a nice hello." I laughed, watching him slowly grin.

"I like saying hello to you."

He left me with that comment, sauntering back into his bedroom to put on clothes. I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on the show so I decided to double-check I had everything I needed with me. Since we were only staying for two days, I didn't have to pack much.

"Mira!" he yelled from his room, catching my attention as I zipped up my bags. Placing it beside his, I proceeded to walk to his room.

He was holding up two shirts, a grey flannel in one hand and a plain black hoodie in the other. Thinking the flannel would go better with his jeans, I pointed to it and moved closer to him. Still shirtless, he was a heavenly sight so I cupped his face and pushed myself up on my tiptoes to kiss him.

It only lasted a few seconds before I stepped back with a sheepish smile. "I was thinking that since—."

Putting the clothes down, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up against him. "Tell me later," with one hand whipping an errant strand of my hair behind my ear, he grinned. "Kiss me again, baby."

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sebastian opted to take his helicopter because it was quicker and I lost myself in staring out of the window, simply revelling in the scenery. The sky was clear and I indulged in attempting to figure out what animals the clouds resembled.

I was excited to see what the cabin looked like since I loved nature and to not be surrounded by the hubbub of the city would be a nice escape. It was hard not to laugh when the second Sebastian woke up from his short nap, he offered me a tic-tac.

Staring at him curiously, I wondered how he could possibly sleep on a helicopter because I couldn't even blink for more than two seconds. A lazy smile passed his features as he adjusted his position in his seat.

"I prefer the view right in front of me."

Warmth flooded my cheeks and I leaned my head on his shoulder because I didn't want to get ahead of myself since one kiss would result in a full make-out session like earlier. "Who knew you could be so sappy?"

He laughed at the same time I noticed that the helicopter was beginning to lower itself. Tapping a beat on his thigh with his fingers, he sighed after moments of silence passed. "I'm quite passionate about everything I do, and I like to compliment you since you like to kiss me after I do."

I had to really restrain myself.

When we landed, I was quick to have my feet planted firmly on the ground and ignored Sebastian's laughs from behind me. The sight of the cabin captured my attention and I stared at it in awe as I took in the decor and the area surrounding it.

The trees stood tall in unison as they were reflected in the mirror that was the lake. In the midst of me enjoying the view, Sebastian hugged me from behind and pressed his lips to my shoulder. "We have a couple of hours to kill before James and Lena get here, you wanna do what I'm thinking?"

And that was what lead to us binge-watching The Walking Dead. It was slightly chilly despite the heating being on, so to compensate for that, we were cuddled up on the sofa. A blanket covered our legs that were laying on top of each other.

With my head resting on his chest, I focused on the television, which meant I didn't realise when he reached into his bag that was situated in front of the sofa. Catching a glimpse of what the book title read, I became very curious.

Harrington Photo Album.

"Do I get to see teenage Sebastian?"

He chuckled quietly, opening the book in front of us as he showed me what he called a tragic photo of him. He seemed to be no younger than 8 years old, and the wide grin showcased the gaps in his teeth. It was a picture taken at a spelling bee, which was made evident by the certificate he was holding.

I tilted my head upwards to catch his gaze, a smile painted on my face. He had the exact same grin as he did when he was a child except he looked more carefree as a child, which was understandable. "You're beautiful."

Laying a delicate kiss on the tip of my nose, he continued flicking the pages for a while whilst telling the story behind each picture, allowing me to get a deeper look into his childhood. When we came across a picture of Sebastian with James, what caught my eye was the young man standing to his right who looked exactly like James.

I simply stared at the picture, coming to the conclusion that I definitely wasn't seeing things and that James was a part of a triplet. A few long moments passed before Sebastian cleared his throat.

"That's Cade when we were 22, two months before he died." His fingertips outlined Cade's face before curling inwards to form a fist.

Sensing that he was upset, I laid my hand over his in a comforting manner. "You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready."

A forlorn sigh fell from his lips and he wrung my hand. "If you're going to be my girlfriend, I have to start opening up." I remained silent with a smile on my face, allowing him to continue. "Cade was always the wild one in the Douglas family, and whenever we went out together I would have the best time. So when he died suddenly, it hit me pretty hard and I became a person I'm ashamed of. I would party every day, and I was always drunk that I don't remember most of that year. I lost all contact with my family, and now they always worry around the time of his death because they're scared I'll disappear on them again. What brought me back to them was Avery being born. That's when I began to turn my life around."

He sighed and rested his chin on my head. "I stopped drinking, went to a couple of AA meetings and I haven't been completely drunk since the day you found me at Cade's grave. I still drink, just in moderation." That much was true, since I didn't think I ever saw Sebastian really drunk, buzzed maybe but not drunk.

"You changed for the better, and you should be proud of the person you are now. I know I am because you've done so much for me without me even asking, and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to know you."

A smile broke out on his face and he pulled me up to bring us closer together. "You're everything to me, pumpkin." He slanted his lips over mine, taking away my breath with every movement.

My legs rested on either side of his hips as my fingers combed through his short hair, gripping it loosely once his hands came under my shirt and stopped when I leaned up so he could take it off. Afterwards, he paused for a moment and his body relaxed under mine whilst he cupped my face and rested his forehead on mine.

"Mira—."

A knock reverberated around the room before we looked towards the door and realised that James and Lena had made it a few hours after us as he said. Sebastian's head fell back and he groaned in annoyance as I reached for my shirt and slipped it back on.

"Talk about bad timing." He laid another kiss on my lips when we stood up, proceeding to open the door as I adjusted my shirt and paused the television.

James entered holding both their bags with Lena following in his pursuit. Her blonde hair was tied up into a high ponytail as she held two milkshakes in her hand, a knowing smirk painted on her face when she noticed Sebastian's dishevelled hair.

Suddenly noticing her attention on him, he ran a hand through his hair and attempted to fix it as Lena extended her arm out to me, handing me the drinks.

"We thought you would be hungry."

"It seems not for food though," James muttered under his breath, eliciting a laugh from Lena and an eye roll from Sebastian.

Deciding to just drink my milkshake, I sat on the couch with an unnoticeable blush covering my cheeks. Sebastian laughed at my expense, grinning widely in my direction.

When they decided they wanted to take a nap after their long drive, Sebastian and I were left alone again. The first thing he did was hoist me up into his arms and proceeded towards one of the bedrooms. He made carrying me up the stairs look effortless, a sincere smile plastered on his face.

"I just want to hold you, I promise." He murmured as he placed me down on the bed, taking his socks off as he climbed in too. His arm came over my waist whilst he bit his lip softly. "Being friends with you just isn't enough for me anymore. I'm ready if you are."

Sluggishly, I placed a kiss on his cheek and lazily smiled. "I can finally call you my boyfriend now."