After learning about Sean and his new ways of torturing Rayne, Sebastian needed some away from her. He had to restrain himself from hitting that bastard's face. Even thinking about it made Sebastian so angry and that he was clenching his fists in anger now.

"Easy there, Sebastian," Anthony's voice came through, he tried to calm his friend. Sebastian quickly loosened his hands, and looked over to where Anthony was standing, car keys in hand.

"Hey," Sebastian greeted his friend. "Should we go pick him up now?" He asked Mackie, referring to Chris.

Chris was flying in today from Prague. It had been long since both of the guys last saw him. He had just wrapped up his movie, 'The Gray Man'. Sebastian and Anthony were so excited to see him.

Chris had been Sebastian's friend for more than decade. So, meeting his friend was on the top of his mind as he cooled off of Rayne.

"Yeah, stop day dreaming about Rayne, and let's get this show on the road." Anthony playfully punched his friend.

✵

Sebastian, Chris and Anthony were gathered at Sebastian's flat. The three guys were leisurely sitting on Sebastian's couch, catching up with one another.

At first there was a lot of Chris talking and the other two nodding their heads in response. Chris had always felt at home with these two. They knew and understood him and he always referred to them as his best friends.

They spent a good amount of time talking gossip like high schoolers, until the moment Chris asked the inevitable question, when Sebastian was least expecting it. Safe to say that Sebastian was dreading this conversation. He gulped as he went into the kitchen to bring out a fresh batch of snacks for his friends to eat.

"When are we going to meet her, Seb? It's time. It's been a decade, to be really honest," Chris started as he made himself comfortable on the couch, thoroughly leaning on the armrest, with his legs spread on the coffee table before him.

"I've just started talking to her," Sebastian came out of his kitchen with two plates of cheese sandwiches, and continued, "Let us please not overwhelm the poor girl," somehow a smile formed on his face as he started thinking about Rayne.

Then he spoke again before anyone else could respond to him, "Also, I didn't think Mackie wanted to meet her."

"And why would that be?" Anthony asked as he threw his hands on the back of the couch, his arms surrounding Chris who was now sitting next to him.

"Maybe because you've made it clear the you don't like her?" Sebastian wanted it to be a question, but the way he said it made it more of a statement than a question.

"Wait, wait! Why? What am I missing here?" Chris - who was now lost - leaned forward and interrupted the other two.

Anthony thoroughly ignored his friend's question and focused on Sebastian's words, "I never said that to you, Seb," he answered him as he devoured a sandwich in one bite, and looked over to his friends triumphantly.

"You also didn't support my decision," Sebastian crossed his arms and pouted, although slightly acknowledging Mackie's achievement. This made Chris laugh even though he had no idea what was going on.

"I just didn't want you to have a bad reputation. I didn't want you to be known for jumping from one relationship to another, when it hadn't even been a month after Cassie," Anthony stated matter of factly.

Chris nodded in response, agreeing with Mackie, still a little behind in the conversation.

"I thought you didn't like Cassie," this was Sebastian's counter response. He still had his arms crossed and had a little pout.

Chris laughed his signature 'left boob grab laugh' and continued, "Wait, why does Mackie hate every girl you date?" He stopped and laughed a little again, "I assume he just wants you to himself." By this Chris couldn't control his laughter and soon enough Sebastian joined him, even though Chris was also making fun of him.

Anthony visibly face palmed, and glared at his friends who were busy laughing their asses off.

"Stop attacking me for no reason, while we have plenty to bash him with," he pointed to Sebastian, "He still haven't told her that he's an actor," he complained about his friend like little narc.

Anthony was the 3 year old who just couldn't shut up about what his other brother did wrong. Sebastian sighed in response.

Chris looked at Sebastian with raised eyebrows, as if he was asking him to elaborate.

"It just didn't come up, okay?" Sebastian replied defensively.

"Sure," Anthony smirked and helped himself to another sandwich.

Sebastian glared at the other two as they erupted into a fit of laughter. When you look at it from far away, you'd see Chris laughing non stop, while his other friends pouted occasionally and fought with each other.

"He also didn't tell her that he's known her for 10 years. And not one word about how he has been stalking her," Anthony pulled the notorious 3 year old brother again.

Sebastian looked at his other friend in defeat, hoping that he'd have his back. But Chris went, "Wow, innovative way to ruin a relationship, Seb."

Sebastian sighed, knowing that there's no winning Anthony when Chris and Anthony were in the same side.

✵

Rayne had always felt like she knew Sebastian before. Talking to him was easy for her. She was not the nervous wreck that she was with everyone else. Somehow, Sebastian seemed to get her.

When she admitted that she was weak, Rayne meant that. For a long time, Rayne had believed that she was weak. But when Sebastian told her that she was not, and she was indeed strong, she believed him. He had that kind of hold over her, somehow. When she accepted his words, at that moment Rayne felt strong. Truly strong.

She felt like she could do anything with him by her side.

Yesterday should have been a shitty day for Rayne. But Sebastian somehow turned it back. Now all Rayne remembered about that day was Sebastian.

Rayne wanted to be with him. But she couldn't figure out what that means, for the love of God.

She was nervously pacing around her flat - like she had nothing better to do - when Paige stormed into their home. Rayne had texted Sebastian while she was in the waiting room trying to avoid Sean. It had been almost 3 hours since that. When she hadn't heard back from him yet, she did what she does best. Panic.

She was interrupted by Paige when the latter ungracefully plopped down on their couch, screaming, "My husband's in town."

Rayne knew about Paige's 'husbands'. Paige had this weird obsession with actors who are way out of their leagues. But, hey, she was just dreaming. It was usually harmless, so Rayne played along.

"Which one, Paige? Is it the hot British one? Tom, I suppose?" Rayne smiled at the sight of the Chinese takeaway her friend had brought home.

"Aw, you remembered," Paige cooed, "No, It's Chris." Rayne mentally made a note of it - to remember Chris the next time Paige mentions him. Rayne had this weird habit of forgetting faces, names and, well, people, in general. Paige always joked that Rayne chose to forget these useless things - in a way, she purged these things from her memory - in order to accommodate the more important things in her brain - like Medicine. It wasn't easy to be a surgeon, and a Cardiothoracic one at that. It was tough enough to remember each and every single artery and its branches, that humans and their faces made it extra hard, and frankly worthless for her to remember. She found no reason to remember her high school crush who broke her heart, when she had much more important things to worry about, like how the left anterior descending coronary artery is involved in the anterolateral MI.

Because what's the point in remembering people? They're always going to hurt you in the end.

Rayne was pulled away from her contemplation when Paige spoke. She was focused deeply on her phone, probably reading out an excerpt from an article.

"Chris Evans, who had just wrapped up his latest film 'The Gray Man', flew in from Prague to spend time with his friends. He starred alongside them in a number of marvel projects, before saying goodbye to his character 'Captain America' by passing down his shield to Sam Wilson..... "

Rayne decided to tune her friend out after that, too busy and tired to hear her talk about her celebrity crushes. Rayne had an important matter on her hand that had to be dealt with immediately. Sebastian.

✵

AN:

So, that was the only thing that I could think about cardiac diseases. I know it can't be the toughest thing for a surgeon to remember, sorry!