There’s this awkward pause and then Sebastian says he needs to talk with someone and he’s gone. I watch him go, feeling kind of confused. He seemed sort of hurt—abandoned. That’s not what I expected. He’s been such a jerk lately—calling me “Stalker” and everything. I thought he’d be glad to be rid of me. He sure acted like that’s what he wanted.
In any case, after our encounter I don’t feel much like hanging around Mallory’s. My mission’s accomplished. Sebastian definitely grasps he’s free to roam the streets—I’m not going to pounce on him. I tell Jimmy I don’t feel well, and plan to just go home, but somehow we end up back at Jimmy’s house. I find out he has a Washburn guitar. Sweet. He lets me play it and I rock. Then he starts playing his drums. He rocks too. So, we rock together. It’s fun.
When we finally get to my house it’s almost twelve. Jimmy and I sit out on my front steps, talking. “Sara, I was wondering… Are you going to the dance next Friday?”
I bite my lip. Am I going to the dance? That’s a good question. I had all these dreams about going. But in my dreams, of course I was going with Sebastian.
“No.” I look down at my tennis shoes. “I guess I’m not. I mean … no one’s asked me.”
“Well, do you want to go? With me?”
I look into his eyes. He’s so nice. I wish I could make myself like him. Actually, I guess I do like him. I like him a lot, sort of. I mean, he’s not going to get my heart pumping—I don’t think of him like that. But I had a lot of fun tonight. Jimmy’s a cool guy.
“Sure,” I finally say. “It could be fun.”
And so, as easy as that, it’s decided. I’m going to the dance with Jimmy. That’s an incredibly un-stalker type thing to do, I figure. Still, I feel a little down. Only a little though. So what if I’m not going to the dance with the boy of my dreams? The boy of my dreams treats me like a doormat.
When Jimmy heads home I stay planted on my steps. It’s a nice night. The stars are out. I sit back and relive my talk with Sebastian. He missed my soup. And he noticed I’ve been spending a lot of time with Jimmy. And most importantly, he dropped the “Stalker.” It’s weird, but somehow it seems backing off has been majorly beneficial. Except … I would have really liked to have been there for him while he was sick. I know it’s dumb, but I liked making him soup.
I groan. “Geez, I’m pathetic.”
I’m about to go in the house when—whoa!—Sebastian pulls up, parking his Mustang at my curb. “Hey,” he says.
Totally stunned, I try to act nonchalant. “Hi.”
Inside, my heart is pounding—Sebastian drove to my house, Sebastian drove to my house, Sebastian drove to my house. Not only that, he did it in the middle of the night.
I watch with awe as he gets out of his car.
“I’ve been driving by every ten minutes,” he says. “I thought that guy would never leave.”
I hug my knees to my chest. “You’ve been driving by my house? What are you doing? Stalking me?”
Sebastian grins. “Is that what this is about? You’re mad at me because I called you Stalker?”
“I told you—I’m not mad.”
“Well, you’re acting mad. You didn’t come to my basketball game—you didn’t bring me cookies. I haven’t seen you in like, two weeks. If you’re not mad, what’s up?”
“Nothing’s up,” I tell him. “I’ve just been busy—with Jimmy and everything.”
Sebastian raises his eyebrows. “That’s another thing. What’s up with you and North? I thought you said the guy’s boring.”
I furrow my brow. What he says—I guess that’s true. Back when Sebastian first told me Jimmy had a crush on me, I blew him off. “He’s boring,” I said. “Definitely not my type.”
But things have changed since then. I’ve gotten to know Jimmy. We’re buds.
“I called Jimmy boring? Well, I was wrong. He’s really sweet. And we have a lot of fun together. I like him.”
“Like him, or like him?” Sebastian asks.
I grit my teeth. “What difference does it make to you?” I get up to leave, but Sebastian grabs my arm, pulling me back to him.
“It makes a difference,” he says.
“Why?”
He lets go of my arm and kind of backs away. “I don’t know.” He sounds majorly confused. “Since you haven’t been around I’ve … missed you.”
I widen my eyes, hardly able to believe what I’m hearing. “You missed me?”
“Yeah, it’s weird, but I hardly think about Amanda anymore. Now all I think about is you.”
I jerk my head up to look him in the eye, figuring he must be kidding. I expect to see a big smirk on his face, but I don’t. He looks totally sincere. That’s weird because whenever he and I used to get together all he’d talk about was Amanda. He made me feel like a fence post or something.
He clears his throat. “I kept expecting you to call and invite me to do something—anything, like you use to. But you never called and then I got sick and you didn’t come around. I felt really … hurt.”
He runs his hands through his hair. “Look, I’ve had a lot of time to think. I’ve treated you bad—I see that. I took you totally for granted. Can you just forgive me, though?—give me another chance? I swear, I’ve learned—you’re a good thing.”
“A good thing?”
“Look, maybe this isn’t coming out right. I had it all planned—what I was going to say. But now it’s getting all messed up.”
My neighbor’s dog starts barking and I jump. I swear, I go like a mile off the ground. When I look back at Sebastian he’s just staring at me, his face unreadable.
“Look,” he says, “all this time—I’ve just been really messed up. I didn’t know what I wanted.”
I bite my lip. What he’s saying—it’s exactly what I’ve been wanting to hear. He’s over Amanda … all he can think about is me. Hearing him say these things makes my heart beat all crazy. But it also makes me kind of mad. I mean, why did he sit around waiting for me to call? If he really missed my company, why didn’t he call me? Finally, I just come out and ask him—and not in a very nice way.
“I don’t know,” he says. “It’s dumb. It was like a game or something. You were the one who always called—I liked it that way.”
A game?! All this time, I was totally there for him—totally trying to help. And he was playing games?!
“Well, you know what?” I snap. “Jimmy calls me.”
I storm in the house, not looking back at him. I go up to my room and fling myself on my bed. Not even sure why, I start crying. The thing is, since I trashed my helping-Sebastian-get-over-Amanda-thing I’ve been getting over him. I gave him my best shot and blew it—or he blew it—someone blew it. Anyway, that dream—the dream of him and me getting together—it was blowing over. Away.
But his suddenly turning all nice tonight—it messed everything up. It’s like now I know. I know what it’s like to have him be sweet—to have him say sweet things. All the progress I’ve made, it’s like … gone.
What it is—I know it is!—he’s gotten used to having me at his heels. I was probably the only person in the world who willingly listened to him whine about Amanda. Also, he probably misses my cookies. After he won—or lost—a basketball game I’d always bake him a batch.
All this stuff—it isn’t really the same as missing me, though. Not even close. To him, I’ll always be Squeak or Stalker or … someone. Someone to playfully tease. Someone to play games with. Definitely not someone to take seriously.
I know what I need to do. I need to just go on with my plan to forget about him. Only after tonight that’s going to be basically impossible.
Luckily, I don’t see Sebastian again until Wednesday. He comes up to my locker after gym.
“I’ve been calling you all week,” he says. “Why don’t you ever call me back?”
“I’ve been really busy,” I tell him, and it’s true. I’ve been really pressed for time. But to really, truly be honest, I
was afraid to call him. Afraid he’d get all sweet again. My resolve isn’t exactly made of concrete. I just wish it was.
He leans against my locker, trying to get me to look at him. “Yeah, well you said that’s what’s the matter with me—you said I never call.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s not what I said.”
“Listen, Squeak—”
“My name’s not Squeak,” I snap. “And it’s not Stalker either. It’s Sara. Can’t you just say that? Is it hard for you to pronounce or something?”
Sebastian shakes his head slightly, looking frustrated. “No, I know what your name is. And I’m sorry about the “Stalker”—I was just messing around. But the Squeak … You have this cute little squeaky voice. I like it.”
A squeaky voice! I grab my trig book and for a moment think about being insulted. But only for a moment. I mean, I already knew my voice is squeaky, and I already knew my voice is why Sebastian calls me “Squeak.” But what I didn’t know is he likes my voice. He thinks it’s cute. I rummage through my locker, feeling confused.
“Anyway, Sara—”
“No,” I tell him. “That’s okay. You can call me Squeak.”
He pauses, uncertain like. “Well, whatever,” he says. “I saw you in the game yesterday. I didn’t even know you joined the volley ball team.”
I shut my locker. “Yeah, well, it was a spur of the moment thing.”
Actually, I joined the team three weeks ago—back when I bailed on being his “Stalker.” Back when I decided to get a life.
“Well, you did really good,” he says. “I have something for you.” He unzips his backpack and pulls out a gallon size baggy full of chocolate-chip cookies.
I widen my eyes. “What’s this?”
“I made them for you,” he says, “last night. Like you used to do for me.”
“Sebastian … that’s so sweet.”
“Yeah, well ...” He shoves his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “It used to let me know you thought I was special when you did things like that—make me cookies and stuff. I just wanted you to know I think you’re special.”
Hearing him say this, I can’t talk. I mean it. There’s this huge lump in my throat.
“Anyway,” Sebastian says, “the other night—when we were talking—I was going to ask you something. But then we got in that fight … ”
He’s standing really close and I can smell his “Sebastian” smell. It’s hot. It makes me want to nuzzle my face in his neck.
He goes on talking, having no clue I want to ravish him. “I was wondering,” he says, “if you don’t already have plans, would you maybe want to go to the school dance with me Friday?”
Tingles. That’s the only way I can describe it. Suddenly, I feel tingles all through my body.
“Yes!” I want to shout. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
There is nothing in this world I’d rather do than go to the dance with Sebastian. But there’s this tiny speckle of sanity in the back corner of my mind. Something demanding my attention. Jimmy. His innocent blue eyes.
I bite my lip, shaking my head. “I can’t.”
I explain that I’m already going to the dance with Jimmy. “Maybe we can do something Saturday instead,” I suggest, and then have to run because I’m late for class. “Call me,” I shout over my shoulder as I head for trig.
In class, I still have tingles. I eat my chocolate-chip cookies and try to picture Sebastian in his kitchen making them for me. The thought makes me smile.
He asked me to the dance!
Still, I’m glad I’m going with Jimmy. We’re only friends—Jimmy knows that. But we’re good friends. The dance should be fun. And after, we can jam on his guitar.
As for Sebastian … maybe that dream’s not over. Maybe we’ll get together after all. Maybe. You never know. Either way, these cookies are awesome. I have no problem with him stalking me for a while.
***
We hope you enjoyed the short story. Although the author’s book, “aka: Sara The Stalker … I Guess,” is loosely based off this short story, all of the names in the story have been changed (except Sara’s) in order to not give away mild spoilers in the novel, Finn’s Fall, which is included in the author’s new book, “Aka: Sara The Stalker … I Guess.” That book also includes a sweet romantic story called: The New Boy. Again: the book the two stories are in is called: “Aka: Sara The Stalker … I Guess.” It’s available now. Look for it.
Next in this book is information about the author and her other books and contact info. Thanks for reading!
A note from the author, Melanie Marks
I hope you enjoyed the story
There will be more to their romance in the future.
If you would like to receive email notifications of my newest books, or would like to get in contact with me (I love feedback) email me at:
MelanieMarksBooks (at) MarksFam.com
[email protected]
Books by M. Anne Marks:
The Heartbreaker Next Door
Always You
The Hockey Player’s Heart
AKA: Sara The Stalker … I Guess
More will be available soon
(Maybe by the time you read this)
email the author:
[email protected]
Book links:
The Heartbreaker Next Door:
https://www.amazon.com/Heartbreaker-Next-Door-Hockey-Team-ebook/dp/B06XDHWFBR
The Hockey Player’s Heart:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XDBHGKF
Summary of
The Heartbreaker Next Door
Faith Cooper lives next door to a heartbreaker—sadly. However, she has to admit, the man is sweet and charming and … okay, yummy hot. Unfortunately, she can see that. After all, she’s not blind. Or deaf. (Again, unfortunately.) She can hear the man through the walls of their connected townhouses. Hear him with his sweet son, talking about angels and about how his son’s mother is now in heaven watching over her sweet little boy. Sadly, Faith is falling hard for the guy. Sadder still, so is every other single lady in town. (Grrr!)
**Words from Faith Cooper’s neighbor, Justin Hanson—Hey, I’m not a heartbreaker! Not gonna lie though: I’ve always had a thing for Faith Cooper. She was my kindergarten girlfriend. When I find myself living next door to her, things are definitely looking up for me. Well, sort of. Too bad Faith won’t give me the time of day. But when beautiful sweet Faith unexpectedly owes me a favor, she offers to help convince the woman of my dreams that I’m actually not a heartbreaker. Sure, I’ll let Faith help me get my dream woman. Faith just doesn’t realize SHE’S that woman. Definitely Faith, help me out.
https://www.amazon.com/Heartbreaker-Next-Door-Hockey-Team-ebook/dp/B06XDHWFBR
Summary of
The Hockey Player’s Heart
When Summer Baker is stalked by her obsessed ex-boyfriend she’s forced to ask for help from her secret weapon—her “bad-boy” ex-friend, Mason … but that’s a lot of ex’s. Also, Summer’s not sure her heart can take re-connecting with Mason. Mason who had once—no matter how brief of time—been her “stepbrother.” Mason with his smokin’ hotness and lingering stare.
Still, Summer is forced to call on him, and he comes to her rescue. Just like she knew he would. But the problem is: Summer has always had a secret crush on Mason. But—whoa!—suddenly he’s looking at her all hungry and longing-like. And he says all the right words to get her heart spazzing. It almost has her thinking he craves her too. Almost. But let’s face it, actions speak louder than words and Mason has put out zero action … unless you’re talking about action with other girls. He’s put out plenty of that. Grrr! He breaks girls’ hearts at lightening speed and has made-out with every hot girl at their school … that is, every hot girl except Summer. Because in Mason’s mind, Summer is off-limits. But that bites.
(The Hockey Player’s Heart is now available.)
Note about The Hockey Player’s Heart: It is a stan
dalone novel that includes another novel in it as well, about a member of the Christian Hockey Team, Liam, and his secret crush on his childhood sweetheart, Tatum. The hockey team plays some matchmaking to get them together. It’s a sweet romance.
Both books in The Hockey Player’s Heart are standalone novels, and no book needs to be read before or after them, but they are part of The Hockey Team series, so you may want to read The Heartbreaker Next Door first. You don’t have to though … but right now that book is only a dollar.
The Heartbreaker Next Door:
https://www.amazon.com/Heartbreaker-Next-Door-Hockey-Team-ebook/dp/B06XDHWFBR
The Hockey Player’s Heart:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XDBHGKF
Look for: “aka Sara The Stalker … I Guess” by “M. Anne Marks.” UPDATE: It’s available now. Look for it.
Contact the author:
MelanieMarksBooks (at) MarksFam.com
[email protected]
When I Fell For You Page 18