now that I think about it. It's almost sing-song, in a sexual, growling kind of way.
So I turn around to face him.
And goddammit, was I wrong about calling him a creeper.
He is--let's face it--smoking hot. He wears a newly-tailored suit that runs the length of his body. His dark hair is wavy and slicked back, and his skin is that perfectly sun-kissed kind of tan. His jaw is thick, and his eyes are a deep blue, smoky and icy all at once, like a fire on a frozen lake. He smiles at me when I look at him, broad and toothy, revealing a pair of killer dimples on either side of his mouth.
"May I?" he asks, reaching for my hand.
I hesitate, then nod.
It takes him less than a second to take my hand into his, lean in, and kiss it. Slow. Affectionate. His lips lingering on my skin just a little too long. He lifts his head up slowly, locking eyes with me, and I feel my skin crawl, because his lips feel so good against me.
"What's your name?" he asks after a minute.
I'm so busy thinking about his lips that the question catches me off guard. I look up, startled. "What?"
He smiles, but not rudely. "What's your name?" he repeats.
"Oh . Um, Crystal. I'm Crystal."
He cocks his head to the side for a minute, then nods slowly. "Crystal," he says quietly, like the word is sacred. "It's fitting," he says at last, looking up to meet my gaze. "It means you're clear and pure, like your soul is." Then, he reaches out a hand. "I'm Sebastian."
I smile despite myself. "It's nice to meet you, Sebastian," I say, and we shake hands like we're business acquaintances or something. And for once, when I say the words, I'm not lying.
" I could say the same about you, Crystal," Sebastian says. "Now, tell me, what brings you here on a night like tonight?"
I take another sip of my drink. "Loneliness," I mutter. "What else?"
"Ah yes," he says. "I know a thing or two about loneliness myself."
"Oh yeah?" I say , smiling a little. It's more of a challenge than an actual question. I can't imagine anyone this good-looking ever being lonely.
"Yes," he says. "I'm good at … abandoning people. Things. Finding a way to push away anyone who gets close to me.
" Drinks to that," I mutter, and we clink glasses.
We drink for a while , just talking about things, the weather, what shows are on tomorrow, and all that jazz while I wait for Ash to finish her flirting so I can leave. Sebastian is the perfect gentleman. He orders me more drinks, but stops me at three, saying getting too drunk in a club can be dangerous, and I reluctantly agree.
Whenever he talks, I let myself get lost in his words, in the emotion behind them. I feel connected to him, somehow. I don't even know why. I just know that talking to him makes my pulse pick up speed, makes my heart flutter a little, makes the empty feeling in the pit of my stomach go away, if only for a little while. Talking to him is an escape; Sebastian is an escape.
After a while, Sebastian sighs, deep in thought. "This is going to sound stupid," he says at last.
I frown at him at first, not understanding what he means, but the curiosity quickly sinks in. "Tell me, " I say. It isn't like I have anything else to do.
Sebastian nods. "Okay. I have a, uh… proposition."
I narrow my eyes. Oh hell, don't let him turn out to be a freak after all. "Proposition?"
"Yes." He clears his throat. "We're both lonely, right? We both know what it's like to lose everyone we care about. And now … now it sounds like we both have no one left?"
"I'm following."
Sebastian pushes his drink aside, and locks eyes on mine. He really does have beautiful eyes. Strong and intense, no matter what. "So what if we came together and… used each other to feel less lonely?"
Music continues to thump all around us, and the sound of laughter carries throughout the giant room. The whole place is stuffy and smells like beer and sweat, but with Sebastian, I feel sucked away into my own little world.
I snort. "So is this all part of your clever plan
So I turn around to face him.
And goddammit, was I wrong about calling him a creeper.
He is--let's face it--smoking hot. He wears a newly-tailored suit that runs the length of his body. His dark hair is wavy and slicked back, and his skin is that perfectly sun-kissed kind of tan. His jaw is thick, and his eyes are a deep blue, smoky and icy all at once, like a fire on a frozen lake. He smiles at me when I look at him, broad and toothy, revealing a pair of killer dimples on either side of his mouth.
"May I?" he asks, reaching for my hand.
I hesitate, then nod.
It takes him less than a second to take my hand into his, lean in, and kiss it. Slow. Affectionate. His lips lingering on my skin just a little too long. He lifts his head up slowly, locking eyes with me, and I feel my skin crawl, because his lips feel so good against me.
"What's your name?" he asks after a minute.
I'm so busy thinking about his lips that the question catches me off guard. I look up, startled. "What?"
He smiles, but not rudely. "What's your name?" he repeats.
"Oh . Um, Crystal. I'm Crystal."
He cocks his head to the side for a minute, then nods slowly. "Crystal," he says quietly, like the word is sacred. "It's fitting," he says at last, looking up to meet my gaze. "It means you're clear and pure, like your soul is." Then, he reaches out a hand. "I'm Sebastian."
I smile despite myself. "It's nice to meet you, Sebastian," I say, and we shake hands like we're business acquaintances or something. And for once, when I say the words, I'm not lying.
" I could say the same about you, Crystal," Sebastian says. "Now, tell me, what brings you here on a night like tonight?"
I take another sip of my drink. "Loneliness," I mutter. "What else?"
"Ah yes," he says. "I know a thing or two about loneliness myself."
"Oh yeah?" I say , smiling a little. It's more of a challenge than an actual question. I can't imagine anyone this good-looking ever being lonely.
"Yes," he says. "I'm good at … abandoning people. Things. Finding a way to push away anyone who gets close to me.
" Drinks to that," I mutter, and we clink glasses.
We drink for a while , just talking about things, the weather, what shows are on tomorrow, and all that jazz while I wait for Ash to finish her flirting so I can leave. Sebastian is the perfect gentleman. He orders me more drinks, but stops me at three, saying getting too drunk in a club can be dangerous, and I reluctantly agree.
Whenever he talks, I let myself get lost in his words, in the emotion behind them. I feel connected to him, somehow. I don't even know why. I just know that talking to him makes my pulse pick up speed, makes my heart flutter a little, makes the empty feeling in the pit of my stomach go away, if only for a little while. Talking to him is an escape; Sebastian is an escape.
After a while, Sebastian sighs, deep in thought. "This is going to sound stupid," he says at last.
I frown at him at first, not understanding what he means, but the curiosity quickly sinks in. "Tell me, " I say. It isn't like I have anything else to do.
Sebastian nods. "Okay. I have a, uh… proposition."
I narrow my eyes. Oh hell, don't let him turn out to be a freak after all. "Proposition?"
"Yes." He clears his throat. "We're both lonely, right? We both know what it's like to lose everyone we care about. And now … now it sounds like we both have no one left?"
"I'm following."
Sebastian pushes his drink aside, and locks eyes on mine. He really does have beautiful eyes. Strong and intense, no matter what. "So what if we came together and… used each other to feel less lonely?"
Music continues to thump all around us, and the sound of laughter carries throughout the giant room. The whole place is stuffy and smells like beer and sweat, but with Sebastian, I feel sucked away into my own little world.
I snort. "So is this all part of your clever plan
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