Pawnshops and Carousels
AvalonReeseFanFics
A/N: Another chapter late. Sorry Mother's Day kept me busy yesterday. I hope you enjoy this new update, Seth is moving on little quicker with Sabrina, hopefully things work out with them. Don't forget to leave a review and hopefully I'll see you guys next Sunday!
Chapter 9
Ashley storms out of Les' office, tears in her eyes. She comes to her desk, picks up all her stuff and begins to put on her coat.
I watch her go concerned. "Oh, wait, Ashley, are you okay?"
"Just shut up!" she snaps at me and I blink her eyes. Wow really?
"Don't tell her to shut up just because you…" "Oh fuck off Seth! Fuck off and fuck you!" she screams as she heads for the door. "Just leave Ashley! Just leave!" he calls which makes no sense because she's already doing that and then the door slams behind her.
I turn to him and he's just standing there with his arms crossed over his chest while he's shaking his head. "Sorry about that… she's just being…"
"Well I mean, you disrespected her and a customer on the sales floor in front of everyone and then she was trying to talk to your dad about it and you interrupted so…"
"Wait… she literally just told you to shut up why are you on her side?"
"Well… she doesn't normally tell me to shut up Seth, she was just very upset... cause you're constantly being rude to her. Why… why do you have to do that?"
Seth glares at me. I clearly haven't said the right thing. I haven't been able to say the right thing since I got out of the hospital. I've apologized a hundred time for kissing him, I explained just as many times that the hit to the head had knocked me senseless, but no matter how many times I apologized he stayed mad at me.
"Wow, okay, so you're all for the store going down?" he asks. That was a leap, where the hell did he get that from? "Because Ashley is chasing customers away, making ridiculous purchases, and you're on her side."
"As opposed to you who bought an Olympic torch we can't sell and made a ridiculous purchase on a UofM jersey no one wants?"
"Okay you know what, go home Sabrina. Go home for the day."
My mouth drops open but, it occurs to me to argue but Seth has stormed into his office and slams the door after him. Oh that… that asshole! Really, he's sending me home because I sided with his sister? Really? He was still that petty? I get up quickly, my cheeks red in embarrassment, grab my purse and quickly leave. I can't believe he did that to me, or maybe I can. Here I was thinking that Seth had changed, but clearly… clearly I was wrong.
Ashley: I haven't been in my car for more than thirty seconds when someone's knocking on my window. I assume it's going to be my dad to ask me to come back, or maybe Seth who's either going to gloat more or has been sent out by my dad to apologize. I was not expecting Sabrina.
"And then he just kicked me out. He just kicked me out Ashley!" she shouts and I nod. Am I surprised? Course I am. My brother's obsessed with Sabrina, in his eyes she can do no wrong, he must have been pretty pissed to kick her out.
We're sitting in a food court eating mall pretzels and soft serve ice cream in a pay as you go massage chair. This discount spa day was my idea. After we're done our snacks we're going to head to Sephora for face masks and samples to try.
"Well my brother's a dick."
"Okay. Maybe he's a dick to you but he's usually not like that with me."
Of course not. He's trying to get back together with her. He may not have said anything, he may not have actually made a move yet, but I know my brother. He's just evaluating all the options, he's playing the long game. Problem is, Sabrina doesn't realize that and she doesn't know what he wants, and the longer he waits the more confused she'll be.
And if I wasn't so mad at my brother I'd tell him that. But I am mad so I don't care what happens… but I do care that Sabrina's upset.
"Okay, you know what… I gotta ask, do you still have feeling for my brother?"
Sabrina colours and looks away from me. "I have a boyfriend, and he has a girlfriend."
"Yeah but that doesn't mean you can't have feelings for him or him for you."
"Seth doesn't have feelings for me."
Everyone in my family knows Seth still has feeling for Sabrina. He has told everyone who would listen that she's the girl that got away. He dotes on her, he hangs on her every word and follows her around the store. If a patron even so much as looks at her the wrong way, Seth is there, arms crossed over his chest, a deadly glare on his face ready to jump in to protect her.
Sabrina was the only one who didn't see it.
"If you still like him, you should tell him," I say to her and Sabrina just lowers her eyes and shakes her head. "No really. You forget, I was there when you guys broke up. I saw how badly it affected him. Losing you really broke him and he hasn't been the same since."
Sabrina won't look at me anymore. She does that when she's either about to cry or she can't handle what you're saying. She was like that for a full year after her father died.
"I unno I'd just consider it. Or don't, my brother's a dick and he doesn't deserve you anyway."
She laughs at that and I half smile and finish my ice cream. Okay time to get off this topic. "You ready for Sephora?"
She nods and we get up.
Seth: It doesn't take me long to realize I've fucked up. But by the time I go out to apologize, Sabrina's already gone. Her car's in the parking lot but she's gone. I take a look at the camera feeds and I see her get in Ashley's car. My dad's worried that Ashely won't come back and we'll stop being a family store, I didn't care about that, but I sure as hell care that she took off with Sabrina. What if she convinces Sabrina to quit with her? God. What have I done?
We return and Seth's car is parked right beside mine but Seth himself is leaning against my car.
"Well… would you look at that…"
"Nope not going out there."
"Well you're going to have to," she tells me. Seth is standing now staring at us through the window. His hands are in his pockets and his jaw is pulsing away. I just stare back at him. I don't want to have the conversation he wants to have, the one that is I can clearly see on his face.
"Please don't make me, I had such a nice rest of the day, please don't let him yell at me," I cry to her.
Ashley just shakes her head at me. "I doubt he's going to yell at you," she says a secret sort of smile on her face. But when I just stare at her with a look I hope she reads as a I don't believe you look she adds: "Alright, you go talk to him, and I'll stay in the car and if it looks like he's going to yell at you, I'll come out, okay?"
"You promise?" "Yes, I promise." "I swear Ashley if you drive away—" "—I swear I won't leave you, I swear on my baby's lives."
I scowl but I open the car door to get out. Seth has gotten closer to me without me knowing so when I get out he's right in front of me.
"What are you still doing here Seth?"
"You left your car in the lot, I couldn't leave until you got here," he tells me.
"Ashley has keys she could have let me in," I remind him and he sighs and nods. "Why are you really here Seth? What? You want to yell at me some more because your sister and I went out today?"
"No." "Then what do you want?" "I want to apologize, okay?"
I stand there and stare at him. Seth Gold's pride was large enough that it had its own solar system revolving around it. Seth Gold never apologized, never admitted he was wrong, and usually just ignored what happened and moved on. This was a completely new territory for the both of us and I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. But Seth takes my silence as permission to move forward because he immediately lowers his eyes and begins to talk.
"I was out of line today. I was mad at my sister and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."
I blink my eyes. "Did you… did you just admit that you were wrong?" I ask with a bit of a smirk on my face.
He half sighs and looks down to his feet, the hanged head used to mean I won, I think it still means I've won. "… Yes Sabrina… I was wrong… I can admit that now. I mean I still don't like it, but I'll do it."
WOW that's a major change from college. I wonder how far I can push my luck. "Can you apologize to Ashley too?"
Seth looks uncomfortable but he glances to Ashley's car before turning his eyes back to me. They had a pretty big argument this afternoon and he does hate to admit he's wrong.
"She made a shitty call," he says shaking his head.
"Can you please, just apologize to her? You really hurt her feelings today, Seth, and she's your sister. It's the least you could do."
He sighs again, runs a hand over his face and then moves past me and to Ashley's car. He knocks on the window with three sharp raps. Ashley rolls it down and Seth leans down. "I stepped over a line today and I am sorry. If you come back tomorrow, I will do my very best to not take over one of your deals or disrespect you on the sales floor… if you can stop yelling at me on the sales floor too."
I don't hear what Ashley says but her and Seth shake hands
"God you're lucky you're cute," he says to me as he heads back towards his car which is parked right beside mine.
"You think I'm cute?"
Seth pauses and suddenly becomes quite flustered. "I mean… I've always thought you were cute…"
"I'm joking Seth," I say and he nods. "I'll see you tomorrow."
He nods again, opens his mouth as if to say something else but quickly decides not to and just turns and walks back to his car. I wave good-bye to Ashley and return to my car with the stupidest, biggest smile on my face.
It's a little too early to tell, and I don't want to get my hopes up, but Ashley might be right. I might still have a chance with Seth.
