The Road To Price

by Justine Elvira

  *****

  It's the middle of October and I am sitting anxiously on the stool in Sebastian’s kitchen. I've on a pair of short jean shorts, a blue ribbed tank top, and flip-flops on my feet. I've straightened my hair this morning and loosely curled the ends of it to give my hair a little bounce. I have a navy canvas baseball cap on my head and my sunglasses are hanging from my tank top.

  Sebastian is taking me out on the water today. He has a lot of toys, as he likes to call them, which he plays with on the ocean. Today he's teaching me how to ride a Sea-doo. I'm super excited because I've never been out on the ocean. Sure, I’ve put my feet in, I’ve even gone in waist deep, but usually I stay on the beach. This will be a new adventure for me.

  Ever since that first night watching movies in my room, Sebastian has been amazing. He stayed true to his word and he has been an amazing friend to me. He also hasn’t tried anything with me. The only physical contact we've had has been a lot of hugging. He hasn’t even pecked me on the cheek.

  I should be happy about the fact that Sebastian is respecting my wishes and not crossing any boundaries, but I’m not. I want him to touch me, I want him to kiss me, who am I kidding; I want him to do more than kiss me. Unfortunately for me, Sebastian has been the perfect gentleman.

  We've hung out every night over the past six weeks. At first, I was worried he was doing this because he felt bad for me, but I quickly saw that he was enjoying his time with me as much as I was enjoying my time with him. The truth is, Sebastian is fun. He knows how to have a good time, he is funny, incredibly smart, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

  He is also extremely competitive. I found this out the first time he took me bowling. We were having fun on our lane, but he wasn’t getting any competition from me. I suck at bowling and after one game I was ready to throw in the towel. Sebastian wanted to keep playing, so he turned to a group of guys in the lane next to us and asked if he could join their team. He bowled two more games with them while I sat and watched. He was adorable to watch.

  We’ve played several board games at his estate and he usually wins. On the rare occasion he doesn’t win, he is a sore loser. These are the times I like to rub it in that I won because he is so funny to watch losing.

  He even makes cooking a competition. We've both tried cooking for the other person. Sebastian is a fabulous cook and I am not. He always eats what I make him and never complains, but it's obvious who is better in the kitchen.

  Competitiveness aside, I found out what an amazing person Sebastian is and I have completely fallen for him.

  That is just another reason why I'm practically bouncing in my seat waiting for him to come meet me in the kitchen. He's finishing up a business call in his office and then we will be on our way. I don’t know much about Sea-doos, but when Sebastian showed me a picture of one and then told me we will ride together, I was giddy with joy. I love anything that gives me an excuse to touch him.

  I'll start with my hands on his chest, and then I'll slowly move them to the waist of his trunks before teasing his-

  Just when my thoughts are getting away from me, Sebastian strides into the kitchen. Holy crap, he looks good. He's wearing a white short-sleeve polo, khaki shorts, white gym shoes, and a pair of sunglasses is resting on his head. He could convince me to do anything looking the way he looks.

  His eyes roam up and down my body, taking me in. When a smile appears on his face I'm inwardly happy. A part of me is pleased he likes the way I look.

  “How was your phone call?”

  “Boring as usual. I’m glad I dealt with it because now we won’t have any interruptions when we’re out on the water.” He reaches his hand out to help me from the stool, “You ready to go?”

  I hold his hand and stand up with a smile, “Absolutely, I can’t wait!”

  “I love to see you smile. Your enthusiasm brightens my mood after the phone call I just had.” He releases my hand, but I’m not ready to lose contact with him just yet.

  I raise my arm and place my hand on his shoulder while looking directly into his eyes. “Let’s go, old man. I want to get out on the water before you make us come back for an early bird dinner.” I squeeze his shoulder before letting go and walk towards the front doors that lead to the driveway.

  Sebastian quickly catches up and slaps my ass. “Are you ever going to stop calling me old man? I’m starting to regret telling you my age. Plus, most people consider thirty-one to be young.”

  I laugh, “I’m just giving you a hard time, old man. You still have a little time before you're eligible for the senior citizen's discount.”

  He is pouting now, actually pouting!

  “Well, if you’re going to be mean, I guess I won’t let you use my discount,” Sebastian declares with a slight smile reappearing on his face.

  “Sebastian, you have nothing to worry about. Your age is growing on me,” I say, smiling back at him.

  We walk over to his Jeep that's already in the driveway waiting for us. He opens the passenger door and waits for me to get in. Then he jogs over to the driver’s side to get in the car. Once he's seated I start in on him again.

  “A jeep? Are you trying to look like you're part of the normal folk?”

  He rolls his eyes and sticks the key in the ignition. “Mia, could you stop busting my balls for a few seconds. I happen to love my jeep. When I go to the beach, this is what I drive.”

  The car starts, he puts the car in drive, and we are off to the beach. Sebastian has the stereo on low during the drive and we are both pretty quiet, listening to the sounds of his Mumford & Sons CD playing on the stereo. It's a comfortable silence. I just enjoy being in Sebastian’s presence.

  He slowly moves his right hand from the steering wheel in search for my hand. He intertwines our fingers and places them on my lap. His eyes never leave the road, but I can see a smile on his face. He's content.

  I, well, I am freaking out inside. His hand in mine feels so amazing, like home, but this is out of character for him. We've never held hands. While my insides are doing flips, the outside of me looks happy. Actually, I am happy. This is the happiest I've been in a long time and I know that has everything to do with the God-like man next to me.

  I haven’t wanted to get my hopes up that anything could happen between the two of us, but I'm starting to wonder if today is a game changer. Sebastian’s mood seems different. I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is, but his mood is definitely different.

  He's been on his best behavior since that night in my room. I have overheard a couple of the girls complaining about Sebastian rejecting their advances. I asked Rachel about it and she said he hasn’t slept with anyone since I walked in on him and her in Sebastian’s office. I guess some of the girls are pretty upset, but they haven’t said anything to me yet.

  I'm lost in my thoughts when I hear Sebastian clearing his throat. I turn my head towards him and he speaks, “So, would you be terribly upset if I cancel the Sea-doo trip today?”

  I'm confused. Why would he cancel it if we are on our way there right now? “Aren’t we headed there now? Why would you cancel it?”

  “We are headed there, Mia, but I have another idea and I would really like to do that instead. We can do the Sea-doo trip another day, I promise.”

  I can't say no. He looks so adorable asking me if it's okay and I really want him to enjoy himself today. “Sure, that'll be fine. Where are we going?” I want to prepare myself, in case it is something crazy, like skydiving.

  “It’s a surprise.” He looks over at me and as if he can read my thoughts, “It’s nothing scary. It will actually be relaxing. We can stop in the next town and pick up something to bring with us for lunch.”

  So we're bringing food to eat with us to our new destination? Interesting. I reply quickly with an “Okay” and relax back into my seat to enjoy the ride, still holding Sebastian’s hand.