Chapter Six - Ignited

Slowly Sebastian started to wake up, he was on his back and Rina was sleeping peacefully on his chest, her arm wrapped around him. Surprisingly, he was comfortable. Normally he hated sharing a bed with someone, the few rare times Abigail had crashed he normally had to move to the sofa. She had a habit of kicking and fidgeting and Sam was only just bearable. The body heat alone was enough to keep him awake but with Rina… it didn't seem to bother him. When he finally came to, he reached down the side of the bed and felt for his phone. He picked it up and clicked it open. There were messages from most his friends, a few missed calls and he noticed that Abigail was the one that had messaged him most. He mentally sighed and rolled his eyes. In the drop-down menu where he could preview the most recent text that someone had sent, the last one she had written started with the word, "ungrateful".

'Not dealing with that right now,' he murmured and swiped it away, out of sight, out of mind. His other friends were just sending him well wishes and saying it was good to meet up. His phone vibrated as a new message popped up. Maru. He opened it and smiled a little.

Maru: Dr Harvey said to bring Rina in this afternoon. There are open appointments, so just walk in and have her register. I explained what happened so he already knows."

Sebastian sent a quick text of thanks and then put his phone down. It was almost mid-morning, certainly later than he had ever known Rina to sleep in. Carefully so he didn't disturb her, he shifted out the bed, softly allowing her head to fall against the pillows. She stirred a little but didn't wake. Sebastian sat on the edge of his bed and yawned, having a stretch before he stood up. There was a tentative knock on his door and before it could open wide, he walked over and did so himself, just a fraction so there wasn't too much light let in. 'Hey mum,' he said as he squinted against the brightness.

'Sebby,' she said smiling. 'Is Rina still asleep?' Robin dropped her voice to a whisper. She held a neatly folded pile of clothing and a pair of shoes on top.

'Yeah, thought it best seeing as she doesn't get a lie in,' he said honestly.

Robin smiled knowingly and passed the clothing over. 'I found some spare bits, she can't go to the doctors in that dress,' she said without judgement. 'If you're hungry, I'll whip up something light for you both?' She suggested.

Sebastian nodded, 'yeah, that sounds really good, mum. Thanks,' he said sincerely. 'Oh, she uh, she doesn't like butter,' he added as the thought pinged into his head.

'That's fine, scrambled eggs, some bacon and toast, okay? I'll find some jam or honey to put on the side?' She replied.

'Sounds great. Thanks again, ma,' he nodded, he didn't like eggs but didn't want to rain on her parade. Food was food and he appreciated the thought. Robin seemed to have a look in her eye that he hadn't seen before. Pride? Happiness about something? He wasn't sure. 'Mum, you, okay?' He asked as he moved into the small corridor before the stairs and shut the door behind him.

She sniffed and nodded, 'yeah, Sebby. I'm fine. I was… just really worried about her. She's almost like part of the family now,' Robin admitted. 'I know you care about her-' she held up a hand to stop him from interrupting with his denial. '-She's so sweet and lovely and seems to just cause you to light up. I know you both keep saying that it's not like that and that's fine… just… take care of her, okay?'

Sebastian looked down at his mother, she seemed really shaken. Awkwardly he reached out and held her gently by the arms. 'You know I will, mum. She's one of my best friends,' he said honestly. Robin sniffed and smiled up at him.

'I know you will, you're my good boy,' she said softly, reaching up and giving his cheek a caring pat. Robin then wiped under her eye with the back of her hand and cleared her throat. 'Okay, well, I'll start cooking, it'll be about fifteen minutes.'

'There's no rush,' he assured as Robin took a step back. 'Thanks,' he repeated as she walked up the stairs. He exhaled heavily; whatever Rina was doing to his family was… strange. He let himself back in and found Rina sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes. 'Hey, how you feeling?' Sebastian asked as he walked in and put the clothing on the end of the bed. Rina answered with a yawn and a disgusted look on her face.

'Well, my mouth feels like something furry died in it,' she said making him shake his head in amusement. 'I have to desperately pee and kinda like I'm hung over,' she admitted before smiling at him. 'You? Did you sleep alright?'

'Yeah, totally fine,' he said before moving so that she could clamber out the bed. 'We'll talk more when you come back, there's spare toothbrushes under the sink,' he directed as she skirted across his bedroom, aware that his top only just covered her backside. Rina scooted out his room and towards the bathroom, praying that she didn't bump into Demetrius or Robin as she did so. The whole, looking like a walk of shame, theme would be embarrassing. She found the toothbrushes under the sink like he said and cleaned herself up a bit, her hair was a mess and she took a minute to wash her face.

Rina yawned and looked at herself. She had slept well, and was desperately trying to ignore the voice at the back of her head that had suddenly grown very interested in Sebastian. In the last twelve hours she had discovered things that could have easily gone unnoticed her entire life. Like the fact that he had a large tattoo over his shoulder blades; she recognised it from one of his favourite comics, it wove across the top of his back and dipped down along his spine. Annoyingly, she wanted to trace it with her fingers, privately wanting to know what kind of reaction she would get. Oh Yoba, why the hell am I thinking like this? I need to get a hold of myself… though I do kinda wonder if he'd flinch… or enjoy it. She took a minute to imagine the situation before shoving the thought into a box at the back of her mind and chaining it there.

She had also noticed that although he was slim, his stomach was still defined. He wasn't ripped and she knew that he didn't work out but he did take care with what he ate. His arms were strong and she knew he'd be able to lift her without much effort. All of which she discovered was quite attractive. 'Damn,' she muttered. 'It means nothing. Passing flight of fancy that's all. Vulnerability and stress,' she said to herself. 'That's all this is. Stop it, stop it now!' She hissed at herself.

She didn't have time for attractions or distractions. Rina had one goal. Success. She would make her farm the best it could be and be totally self-sustaining with her work. She didn't need anyone or want anyone to rely on. Rina was obsessed with proving herself, even to her own detriment. It would be easy enough to ignore this minor… attraction. 'Focus, you silly mare. Like father needs more of an excuse to drag you back home. Pull yourself together,' she said, glaring at herself in the mirror.

With her pep talk over, she quickly made her way back to the bedroom. Sebastian had gotten changed and was brushing his hair when she slipped in. 'Thank Yoba, I was gonna drag you out the bathroom if you were any longer,' he joked as he moved past her. Rina's mind briefly dove into a dirtier mental alley before resurfacing.

'Sorry,' she said as she picked up the clothing that Robin had brought down for her. A pair of jeans and tank top, more than enough. Rina felt a little self-conscious about not having a bra on so she threw one of Sebastian's hoodies over it all. Hoping he wouldn't mind. The tape she had used the night before had dried out and was lying useless in his bin. He returned shortly after with a couple of plates in his hands and a tube of squeezy honey in his mouth. Rina giggled and ran over to take a few things before he hurt himself. 'You could have asked for help,' she said as they sat at the coffee table and began to eat.

'I had it,' he replied through a mouthful of toast. Rina rolled her eyes and Sebastian grinned at her. 'Once we've finished, I'm under orders to take you to the clinic. You're gonna be looked at. How is it?' He asked as he attacked his eggs, if he ate them first and fast, he could clear the taste with the toast and bacon.

'Bearable. Like a hangover,' she said honestly. 'Bit annoyed I can't brush my hair so I look like I've been dragged through a bush backwards,' Rina added. She had scavenged a hairband in her bag and pulled her hair up into a messy bun. Suited the whole look if she was honest with herself. They chatted a little more until both of them became focused on the quite delicious breakfast that Robin had made and silence descended.

Once they were done and the plates were cleared, Sebastian practically frogmarched Rina down to the clinic. She had protested, of course she had. He was adamant and wouldn't hear a thing about it. It seemed like everyone in town knew that she had stayed the night at Robin's because she got concerned looks and passing comments from pretty much everyone they came across.

Hayley was the bluntest though. 'Honestly, Rina. You could do better,' the pretty blonde stated as she looked at Sebastian's hoodie and the way Rina's hair was done. 'Settling for Seb just seems like giving up, y'know? Plus, he has that whole thing with Abi, you don't want to be a side piece, you're more quality than that,' she had said in a barely a whisper.

Rina looked at Hayley before laughing. Surprising both Sebastian who thought it better to just stay quiet and Hayley herself. 'Hayley!' Rina giggled and shook her head. 'Oh, you sweet summer child. You really have no original thoughts, do you? Repeating what everyone else says. Like a parrot. Beautiful yet with only the capacity of a toddler,' Rina said simply and then waited for Hayley to kick off.

'Excuse you! How dare you say that to me!' She snapped angrily.

Rina just folded her arms and looked at her coolly. 'Isn't nice when people provide opinions about something they know nothing about, is it? My suggestion to you, Hayley, is stop and think before you speak. A couple of corrections about your statement. One, whatever is between Sebastian and Abi is their business. I have no intention of being anyone's "side piece", I'm sure any man who wanted to be with me would know that and it wouldn't even be an issue. Secondly, the person that Sebastian gives his heart to should feel lucky. He's my best friend and a wonderful human. Shame on you for judging him without knowing anything about him,' Rina said with a steel in her voice that Sebastian hadn't heard before. Rina didn't seem to be angry, but she wasn't happy about this exchange.

Hayley gaped and gupped like a fish out of water before stuttering a rebuttal, 'you haven't had to grow up with him! He's a recluse! He's rude and… he's got that filthy habit,' she replied simply.

Rina exhaled heavily. 'Did you ever take the initiative and talk to him with kindness? Or without a judgemental tone? Or did you just assume what everyone else said was correct and treat him unfairly because he wasn't to your "standards"?' Rina pointed out. 'Also, don't talk about him like he's not here! He's literally two foot away from you,' she added as she faced Sebastian who just looked like he wanted to run away. Knowing that the confrontation wasn't really what either of them wanted, Rina decided to wrap it up. 'When you're ready to apologise like an adult, come find us.'

Rina stomped off and left Hayley to deal with what she said, it was only when they got down the steps and closer to the clinic did Rina pause. Sebastian continued to walk a few steps before turning back to her. He raised a brow when he saw that she was looking at the floor. 'Tyrell? You alright?' He asked. Used to the sort of behaviour from Hayley and others he had learned to ignore it. Water off a duck's back as the phrase went. In the end he had to step closer and reach down, tilting her head to look up at him when he realised, she was crying. 'Woah, hey, no…' he said a bit out his depth.

Rina sniffed and looked away, moving her head out of his touch. 'I'm sorry. I should have just ignored her… but she made me so angry,' Rina whispered in a hiss. 'I feel so stupid,' she added, almost stamping her foot and pressed her sleeve covered hand to her mouth.

'It's okay, honestly. Admittedly I wasn't expecting you to go off like that but I'm not upset or anything,' he said as he gently moved out the path and beside the building to give them some privacy.

'Why did you let her talk about you like that? She has no idea what you're like and well… I feel like I overstepped, talking about you and assuming things-'

Sebastian had no idea what to do, in the past when he had moments where he had to comfort Abigail about things, her temper would flare and he would get the right end of it. 'Tyrell… I'm not good at this sort of thing,' he mumbles, feeling awkward. As close as they were, after the previous night he was feeling a little out of place.

She nods and blinks heavily, trying to halt the emotional spiral her brain was insisting she travel. 'I'll be fine,' she whispers. Rina knew that Sebastian was actually a very physical person, he enjoyed human contact but disliked the social interest when engaged in doing so. People tended to assume things and make comments, both of which had discouraged him.

Biting his lip, he decided to go with his gut and simply pulled her close into a tight hug. Rina reciprocated and clung to him, her hands gripping his clothing firmly. Sebastian looks around without realising and hates himself for doing so when he does. With a deep breath he buries his head into the hood of the clothing that she had borrowed, finding it easier to talk when ignorant of everything else. 'I don't… engage in shit like that… because it's easier not to,' he said quietly. 'I'll be leaving in a few months and I just don't see the point in attempting to change their minds. They simply don't matter to me,' he said honestly.

She nodded against his chest and he felt her sigh. 'Can… I ask a stupid question?' She said in a muffle. Sebastian would normally have made a joke but knew that this wasn't the time for it. Instead, he made an agreeable noise and continued to lightly rub her back; subconsciously they had begun to sway lightly. 'I've tried not to listen to others in regards to the subject but I worry. Was there something between you and Abi? I don't want to cause issues between you both,' she mumbled, hating herself in that moment.

'Yoba, I'm sick of this,' he muttered causing Rina to move away, worried that he was upset. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, 'look, it's this stupid mindset that everyone around here has. It's one of the damn reasons I'm leaving. Everyone has in their head some pre-written future. Look, perhaps… once upon a time, yes… I'll admit I had feelings towards her and we tried the whole dating thing. We were barely teenagers and I look back on it and I realise that I was with her because it was more… expected of me.

Abigail and I… we don't work. She is, how do I put this? Territorial? Maybe possessive? We dated for… I don't know, under a year? Like I said, we were barely teenagers and held hands and at most, kissed. She broke it off, saying that she didn't want to trap herself through her teenage years and that was the end of it. I came to figure out that actually, I didn't really want to be with her anyway, she was controlling and I was right under her thumb. I can't say that of her now, she could have just been young and inexperienced. Lately though, I think that she's always thought that we would get back together,' he explained.

Rina wiped her eyes and nods, 'it would explain why she's been such a cow to me,' she muttered and then gave Sebastian a sidelong glance. 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have forced you to tell me. Also, didn't mean to make you feel like it's your "fault" that she has an issue,' she said with a sigh.

Sebastian shrugged, 'I feel like it was bound to come up at some point. Why not now?' He said simply. 'Look, Tyrell,' he took her arm and made her look at him. 'Abigail is a friend, and honestly with the way she's acted lately, barely that. You're one of my-,' he paused as he made himself say the right words; squashing down the most recent feelings he had towards her, '-best friends. Other than Sam of course. I don't want you getting trouble because of my past,' he sighed. 'If you want to spend a little time apart, I would understand.'

She glared at him, 'hell no. I am not being bullied out of our friendship just because someone can't get over the fact that an ex has moved on and grown up,' she said bluntly. Rina exhaled heavily and wiped her eyes. 'Fuck this whole thing,' she muttered.

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