AN

I felt like some things would be better said from the character's point of view, so hereafter I'll be switching between them both. Sorry for the confusion.

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Rayne:

Sebastian! This big dork sprained his ankle while walking. I mean, who does that?

You'll think that he'll be more careful, since he's not a child. But guess what? He is a child. A careless one at that.

Right now, he's leaning on to my shoulder. I can hear his heart, softly beating against my ear. If he was not in pain and limping, I can probably get used to this. This is such a good place to be.

Wait. What am I even thinking? I haven't been out of a relationship for long. Which was a toxic one, by the way. I definitely shouldn't be thinking about jumping into another now.

After all, what do men do, if not hurt you? No one is any different.

'This one might be.'

Oh shut up, heart! We do not want you here.

Wow, my heart and brain are contradicting each other again. I'm tired of this shit. Let me just go back to hearing his heartbeat.

I have officially lost my mind.

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"And, we are home," He announced.

Wow, this is his home? Looks .... spectacular.

It was a three storey apartment. He lived in the second floor. I could feel the cool air hit me as soon as I stepped foot into it. He must have had the air conditioner on. It felt good, after spending the last 20 minutes outside in the hot weather.

The first thing you could see as you enter, was his massive television. The walls were all glass, it definitely looked like a high-end apartment. Looking around, I found the biggest couch I have ever seen. It was probably bigger than my whole bed, more comfy. Suddenly, it hit me that he still held onto me and I increasingly became aware of the places where our skin made contact.

I led him to his couch, and helped him onto it. His arm graced my exposed neck as he tried to shift his weight to it. I felt a sudden chill up my spine, but my cheeks got hotter by the second. He flopped into the cushion as I tried to support him.

He smiled nervously. The distance between us felt different now.

"What do you want to eat? It's your first time coming here. I should cook you something," he finished that in the same breath. As I met his eyes, I could see that the nervous smile was still lingering on his face.

"I don't think you are in a position to cook," I pointed out, standing there awkwardly as if there was no place for me to sit. I didn't want to be away from him. I wanted to be near him. But I can't sit right next to him, while he's hurt his leg, while there were two other seats  available. So, like the big idiot I was, I stood.

He chuckled sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I never thought you'd come here under these circumstances."

So, he had thought about bringing me here?

I took in the apartment. Everything was so right in its place. Nothing was out of the ordinary. His apartment was so 'him'. Every little thing screamed that it was his. You could see him in his place. A sudden feeling washed over me. It felt like home. He felt like home. I quickly pushed that thought away, as I felt my heart race.

"So, do you want anything?" I asked, still standing before him, as I shifted my weight from one leg to another. One of my hands found the other elbow, as I clutched onto it, as if for support.

"I should be the one asking that, Ray." He patted the space near him in the couch, urging me to sit near him. I might've been a bit hasty in accepting the offer, because, in a moment, I was next to him.

"My name only has one syllable, I didn't think you'd try shortening it." I laughed out loud.

"I'm sorry, Do you not like it?" His face changed, as if he was not expecting me to say that. A small frown replaced his beautiful smile. I wanted to kiss him at that moment. Kiss away his frown.

I mentally cursed myself for being such a wreck. "Oh no, nothing like that. I was just pointing out that it was short already, Seb." I could see that his face quickly changed as it did before, now to a happier shade.

"I like Seb. I could get used to that." He ran his hands through his hair, and his shirt pulled up, exposing his skin.

I stared at him in silence, oblivious to everything except him. My body heated up in spite of the cold surroundings. I had lost count of the number of times I've blushed like a cherry today.

"Ray, you okay?" 

Excellent, He has caught you staring, you dumb idiot. Quick, say something to cover up the fact that you just ate him alive at the sight of his abs.

"It's so hot in here," I blurted out. I hadn't felt this kind of pressure in a long time. It was like talking to my 7th grade crush all over again.

Hot? Really? How could you say that after spending the last 10 minutes gushing about how nice it felt to be in a cool room? Oh my God! What is he going to think about you? Do you have anything in your head? Zero, zilch, zip, nada, nothing.

My brain was playing games. It was all over the place. It did both: said stuff it shouldn't say, and condemned itself for the things it did say.

"Is it hot? Whoa, I thought I was freezing. The meds might have messed with my head." He tried to retrieve the remote from the table in front of him, so that he could change the temperature.

No, Seb, these meds can't do that. It's me who's messed up. Quick, Rayne, just say him that you have a surgery tomorrow and you have to leave right now.

"So, I should probably leave right now. I have this surgery tomorrow," I said as I got up from the couch, absolutely not wanting to, as I could feel the emptiness soon enough.

I could've be seeing things because I've made myself quite dizzy with all the unusual feelings, but did I just see his face fall? I prayed to God that I wasn't imagining it and searched his face for answers.

"Okay, then. I was just going to sleep anyway. Here, I'll walk you out." He tried to get up.

I thought about it for a second.

"You know what, I guess I'll stay for a bit," I said and quickly added, "In case, you need anything, you can't really help yourself right now."

He smiled at that. And I felt my heart skipping a beat.

God, what is this man doing to me?

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Sebastian:

I don't recall when I fell asleep, but I must have dozed off. I woke up to a phone ringing. Rayne's. She's here. Here in my place. With me. I still couldn't believe that I accidentally met her and then she was with me.

Okay, not so accidentally.

But I really didn't think about talking to her. So I did count that as an accident.

I had my eyes closed. She probably thought that I was sleeping, "Hey, Paige," she said in a hushed voice, not wanting to wake me up.

I couldn't hear what Paige was saying. This must be the same friend she talked to the other day.

"I am with Seb. He sprained his ankle," she continued in the same low volume. A smile formed on my face as I heard her call me by the name she gave me mere hours ago. It was my name, people call me by that everyday, but coming out of her mouth, it felt different. It felt correct. It felt like home. She felt like home.

She paused to listen to what Paige was saying, and I  opened my eyes to catch a glimpse of her. She looked comfortable. She looked comfortable in my home, and that feeling alone gave me an immense pleasure that I haven't felt in ages.

"This is the most beautiful apartment I've ever seen," she paused, then continued, "I don't remember his job, I don't remember asking him about it, but now I'm too scared to ask." She almost looked embarrassed about it, she tried to hide her face with her hand. I could see a tint of crimson spread over her cheeks, and I wondered whether the cold or the heat must've done it.

I know that she didn't ask me about my job. It must've slipped her mind. But I was glad that she didn't remember anything about that. I didn't want to be a celebrity around her. That will probably make her see me in a different light. I just wanted a normal life with her. Even though it was unfair of me to expect anything normal. But I took advantage of the situation, much to my dismay. She will get to know my job one day, but I didn't want it to be today.

Today I am just a man, who's in love with a woman.

"I know, I know, I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon, but that doesn't mean I don't know my way around legs, it's a basic thing, Paige. I did suffer in med school, you know."

She listened to her friend speaking, while she rubbed her free hand against her dress. I looked at her, wishing I could wash away her insecurity. I wanted to tell her that she was beautiful. I wanted to tell her that her hands were beautiful. I wanted to tell her that her hands made her more beautiful. I was lost in her beauty, when she spoke and brought me back to reality.

"By the way, I want you to take lead for my surgery tomorrow. I was in the middle of prep when Seb called, so I couldn't finish it."

Shit! I've called her in the middle of her work. I know how much her career is important to her. I've probably ruined my chance with her. She's going to be angry now.

Somehow, the thought of her missing surgery completely erased the fact that she was here with me willingly. At that moment, all I could I about was that she missed work, and it was because of me.

I was panicking, but then, I heard her say, "I know I still have time. I could come and finish my prep. But I just want to stay with him and make sure that he's alright. I-I mean, he is alright, but I just wanna be with him right now, Paige." Her voice was very low at the end, almost like a whisper. But I still heard it and that brought a wide smile to my face. I slowly drifted off to sleep from her voice sounding like my very own lullaby.

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