Sebastian had had enough.
For days, he had been trying not to lose his mind. Not to give in to the pressure, not to break. He just wanted to get through this catastrophe so he could move on afterward. Move to Zuzu. Start a new life.
But with every morning that he didn't wake up in his own body, he doubted more and more that there would be an "afterward" at all.
And when he opened Sam's bedroom door and saw Charlotte throwing all the principles they had set for dealing with other people during their body swap overboard - that was it.
Fine. Let her kiss his best friend, let her get her hopes up even more than she already had.
All this time, he had done everything to make sure Charlotte wouldn't look bad. He had gone jogging with Alex, showed up at Pierre's, greeted Marnie - for hell's sake, he hadn't smoked a single cigarette since he'd been stuck in this body.
And then Charlotte had her tongue down Abby's throat.
The thought made him sick. Not because he was afraid of the consequences - no, it was because it made him painfully aware that they still had no idea how to fix their problem.
He stumbled past Sam, who almost spilled his drink.
"Charlotte, are you okay?" Sam asked, his face creased with concern.
Sebastian just shook his head, grabbed the nearly full glass - and downed it in one go.
Sam raised his eyebrows in impressed surprise but gently placed a hand on Sebastian's shoulder.
"All good," Sebastian muttered and made his way to the buffet.
He reached for a bottle of Coke - but then changed his mind, grabbing the bottle of rum meant for mixing instead. He pressed it to his lips.
The liquid burned his throat, but it did nothing to silence the thoughts in his head.
He took another sip, then another - until he had to set the bottle down, coughing, and slammed it onto the table.
His eyes scanned the room, but it seemed like no one had noticed except Sam.
A sudden wave of heat rushed over him, his chest felt tight - he needed to get out. He turned toward the door, but Alex was standing there, making polite conversation with Jodie, who had left her own party in the kitchen. No chance he was going to run into him right now.
The bathroom door wasn't locked, but when he burst in, Haley was just fixing her hair. Without a word, he shoved her out.
"What the hell, Charlotte?" she yelled from outside.
But Sebastian didn't hear her. He shut the door without another word. He opened the small window, hoping some cool air would help - but the warm summer night did nothing for him.
Then, he turned on the faucet. Ice cold. He let the water run over his wrists until they started to protest with pain - and then he held on even longer, until he couldn't anymore and finally pulled his hands away. His fingers trembled, the skin where the water had hit was red - and he felt a strange mix of tingling and throbbing.
Every time Charlotte thought Abigail had finally calmed down, she started sobbing again. Tears streamed down her cheeks, darkened by her smudged eyeliner, and Charlotte handed her the last tissue from the pack Sam had left on his nightstand.
"Abigail..." Charlotte murmured, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Abigail flinched and turned her gaze to Charlotte.
That look could have obliterated her. And yet, beneath it, there was undeniable vulnerability.
"Don't you dare touch me," she hissed before sniffing into the tissue again. Then she wiped her cheeks with her sleeve, smearing her already ruined makeup even further.
"You've been playing me this whole time."
Charlotte sighed.
"I never wanted to give you false hope," she tried, but Abigail just scoffed.
"Maybe you shouldn't have fucked me then. Over and over again."
The scornful words sent a queasy feeling through Charlotte's stomach. And the images that followed in her mind. She didn't want to picture Sebastian and Abigail together.
"I just thought we were trying to achieve the same thing," Charlotte continued, trying to de-escalate.
"Yeah, well, so did I."
Abigail's tone was sharp, biting.
"But apparently, you just wanted to distract yourself from that red-haired whore."
With a sudden movement, she stood up.
"But just between us? You never had a chance with her. If she ever lets someone in, it'll be a guy like Alex. Not a loser like you."
After Abigail left the room, Charlotte needed a moment for herself. She felt horrible. Because she was messing around in Sebastian's life. She just wanted to get over with this party - and it turned into the worst evening in a long time. It wasn't her intention to break Abigail's heart for Sebastian. Hell, this would have been his job! But on the other hand - when would he have been able to do so? Would they be able to live their own lives ever again?
As the heavy riffs blasted through the speakers, Sebastian felt a shiver ignite across his entire body. Sam's playlist had taken on a harder edge, and the party was now in full swing. And so was Sebastian.
The rum had long since taken effect, but he had managed to hold back - until now. With the guitars in his ears and the bass pulsing through his entire body, he couldn't help but move. He stood at the edge of the dance floor, but it wasn't long before Emily grabbed his hand and pulled him in.
Emily danced wildly, hands in the air, eyes closing in blissful abandon.
Sebastian laughed and downed his drink, letting the burning liquid warm his throat. Normally, he'd be the guy standing in the corner, nodding his head to the beat while watching everything unfold. But what good would that do him? Let them stare. He wasn't himself. He didn't care.
This feeling of weightlessness hit him so intensely that he gave in to it completely. The stares of others only seemed to spur him on. And the alcohol in his veins sent his confidence skyrocketing.
He didn't even notice when Abigail came storming out of Sam's room in tears - his entire focus was on the music.
"Yeah, cowgirl!" Sam called out, swaying unsteadily himself, watching in drunken amusement as Sebastian danced wilder and wilder. For the intoxicated guests, this was an unexpected spectacle - but one they were more than happy to enjoy.
The real highlight, however, came when Sebastian suddenly climbed onto the buffet table , almost tipping it and everything on it over. He didn't notice and continued dancing among empty bowls and crumpled chip bags. Had he ever felt this free? Being unburdened by the weight of looming consequences? He bent down, grabbed the rum bottle - already half-empty - and took another swig.
He swayed his hips, threw his arms in the air, reveling in this freedom and all the other feelings the rum sent swirling through his veins. He caught a brief glance at Maru, who stared in shock past Harvey at her brother. Sebastian scoffed. If she actually cared about what he was doing, she'd stop him. But Maru only had eyes for her boss. Whatever the hell he did to her that made her forget she was actually into women the moment she laid eyes on his mustache was beyond him.
"Sam!" Sebastian called out to his friend, who froze for a second and then immediately turned beet red.
"Charlotte?" Sam shouted over the music, stumbling toward the table. He braced himself with both hands on the surface, looking up at her.
Sebastian knelt down to him, almost toppling backward, but the wall behind him caught him. He placed his hands on Sam's shoulders and looked deep into his eyes. Sam's face somehow turned even redder, his mouth slightly open.
Shit, did he think Sebastian was about to kiss him? This damn crush had to stop. And if Charlotte was already messing around in his life, then Sebastian sure as hell wasn't going to hold back either.
"Forget it," he murmured, suppressing a burp. His tongue felt oddly heavy and he could still taste the rum and feared a bit of bile creeping up with it. But he held himself together.
"Forget what?" Sam asked, tilting his head. His gaze was as clueless as only Sam's could be.
"Me. You need to forget about me. This isn't going anywhere," Sebastian stated flatly. "You're a really great friend. But this… this isn't going to turn into something serious," he quickly added when he saw the hurt flash in Sam's eyes.
Shit. He didn't want to ruin his birthday, too. But it was better to rip off the band-aid now before Sam fell even harder.
Sam cleared his throat.
"Alright," he whispered, glancing around helplessly. He was probably looking for his best friend. But he had other plans, Sebastian thought bitterly. Sebastian could tell that Sam wanted to add something to the conversation - but he didn't know what to say.
Sebastian clumsily raised the rum bottle in a toast to Sam and stood back up. The table was his dance floor - and he wasn't going to give it up willingly.
And he didn't - until he felt the table wobble, again almost tipping over, but he didn't register that someone had braced a knee against the tabletop to reach for him. But then two arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Sebastian let out an indignant yelp, the bottle slipping from his grasp and spilling its contents all over the buffet table.
Charlotte had to summon every ounce of strength to not only catch her own far-too-drunk body but also keep hold of it. The night had taken its toll, and she felt utterly exhausted.
She was done with arguments - she just needed to end this before Sebastian lost another piece of clothing.
The sheer mesh top he'd been wearing over the tiny bandeau had already landed in a flowerpot - thrown there with dramatic flair after Alex had tried (and failed) to calm him down.
"You don't get to tell me what to do!" he had shouted in Alex's face, prompting Alex to bid Sam a curt farewell before leaving. The look in his eyes had been a mixture of disgust and… disappointment?
Charlotte ignored the cheers and whistles from the party guests, as well as Sam's confused stare, as she carried her now-limp body across the room. Sebastian had apparently passed out within seconds - and under different circumstances, Charlotte might've found that funny.
But right now? She was absolutely furious at him. All she could do was pray that after his fourth - or was it fifth? - bottle of red wine, Robin wouldn't remember this scene.
Because it was painfully obvious how this all looked. To the residents of Pelican Town, Sebastian and Charlotte were now officially a couple. And news like that spread faster than any rumor Caroline picked up at her workout classes.