Dedicating this chapter to one of my dear commentator who makes me want to move on with this book. This is for you ♥ @jxnn_hxdgsxn_03

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Ok. Breathe in; breathe out... in and out...

I assured myself it was nothing and that Stephen was just on my side, or rather he was helping me... nothing more. I heard soft shuffling by my side and realized Seb was by my side now, ushering me to get down. I slowly, with his help, got down and just stood there in the moonlight unable to grasp what happened now.

Stephen came around, phoned someone and said, 'she's gone'. That's all! Should I be worried? Is Stephen on the other side? Was Tom really the bad guy? Too many questioned was tormenting my brain and I just wanted to sleep now. Just forget everything.

I never realized Seb walked me to the car parked under a shady tree just outside my home and that Pete opened the door and embraced me saying something like my boo-boo bear and that was what I needed to melt down. I didn't cry like I feared I would. I just held him and inhaled relief, trust, and protection, not his manly scent or some stupid perfume. But still wasn't this too soon to trust him. Oh! To hell with it!

Mistakes make one stronger and I am willing to take this chance here.

Seb drove into the night and I am not sure where he was taking me. After half an hour, he rolled into a shady part of the town and parked in front of a building. The place was not too shabby but not too clean. I guess it's fine...

In a haze, I was taken up to the sixth floor and I entered into a room on the left of the elevator. I didn't plan to see a neat and clean apartment but that's was what I saw. The room was clean as a baby's bottom and I looked up at them, marveled. Pete rubbed the back of his neck and Seb chuckled.

"It's his house; you are not safe with me," Seb said.

Too tired, too exhausted to argue, question or even talk, I nodded my head and got in.

"There is a spare room where sometimes Seb crashes when he needed to be away from his deathly pack. So you can take that room or mine." Pete said sweetly and I just smiled at him. I said anything is fine and then went with Seb to the spare room. The neatness of the room freaked me. I didn't think about it much, I just went straight and fell down to the soft bedding and pillow with my face slapping the mattress in a fine thud. Good thing, the bed, pillows and everything was super soft.

Pete sighed while Seb lightly chuckled and by his voice, I can feel he was shaking his head from side to side. Well, you can't blame a tired exhausted birthday girl. Might I add; I was still in my sports bra, leggings and Seb's jacket?

In between sleep, I felt someone pulling my sneakers and socks off. Then, pulled me properly into the bed and covered me with blankets. From the whisper, I knew it was Seb.

"What should I do to keep you safe?" he sighed then continued, "Only if we met in a different situation."

The soft rustle suggested that he got up from the side of my bed and walked away. I was there in between sleep and consciousness with my heart and mind open but closed at the same time. However, after a while, I felt myself falling to darkness.

The hazy breeze and soft morning light woke me up. I can see that someone has pulled the curtains and opened the windows. Damn, why did they have to do that for? I was having a good sleep. It's ruined. The urge to pee made me groan and get up from my warm beddings and I walked into the spacious bathroom to do my business. My hair looks like a birds nest, well, sort of and my eyes looked puffed. The beautiful kind that says I had an awesome sleep. Also, there are line and ridges onto my skin. Wow! I did sleep well last night.

It was so cute of Pete to get me his big black and white Adidas t-shirt which was oversized enough to get till my mid thigh. So, I didn't hesitate a bit; I took a nice cold shower, slathered some manly shampoo and soap into my body and freshened up. I wonder where my clothes that I gave to Pete from the diner are.

Walking out from the bathroom, I could smell food; the kind of food that didn't scare to be itself. You see the one without fearing how many calories it contains.

Walking into the kitchen, Pete screamed and an amused Seb turned back stifling in laughter.

"What?" I looked worried.

"You have put on my favorite t-shirt." He said with his hands on his lips and a very startled and scary expression on his face.

"Yea, well, I didn't see any of my clothes in there," I said in a huff. He was bothered about his shirt! Wow.

"I had them neatly tucked into the wardrobe, why didn't you check?" he was practically hyperventilating and Seb was still chuckling, doing something on the stove.

"He doesn't even let his boyfriend have his shirt," Seb said while munching on a carrot, looking back through his shoulders to me.

"Ex- you should sound that clear and wild. Ex-" Seb said harshly. Oops! Trouble in paradise!

"Fine..." Seb said with a roll of his eyes and I smiled sweetly at them.

"Ok, I will change into my clothes and wash them for you pee-pee," I said as I pinched his cute dimpled cheeks

"Don't call me that, it sounds as if you need to go to the bathroom real bad. And, I am sorry, I don't want that shirt again," he said with a duh tone. As if I was something that had some sort of contamination. Seb looked at me wickedly and I looked back at him. If his eyes said the same story as mine did, I slightly nodded at him to which, he smirked a very cunning one.

"Wait... what does that wink smile mean?" Pete asked. I didn't wait to answer him; I walked to my room, grabbed my oversized shirt, leggings and changed into it. Indeed, true to his words, everything was nearly tucked into the cupboard. Even my undergarment! That Pete!

When I came back to the kitchen, Pete was seasoning his eggs like the way he liked and Seb was waiting for me. I showed him the shirt and he held his hands to his lips and stifled a laughter that was about to break out. I rolled the shirt to my back, walked without a sound to Pete, just as Seb did and then stood next to Pete.

"I ain't making you breakfast, make what you like. Everything is stocked here." Saying that he moved to take a plate when Seb stopped him; in his own way Pete cursed at Seb but that didn't stop Seb from holding him down and I taking the chance, pushed the shirt down his neck into his torso and stepped back.

To see, Pete hollering and gagging was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I laughed merrily while Pete struggled to get it off. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Seb watching me. I just ignored him. I needed this laugh.

Finally, Pete tore it off from his body and said it was revenge time. And to him, the revenge was a mere five-year-old game. He took the container with a white powder and then dumped it all on me. At first, I stood shocked. But then I kneeled down and took a handful of it in both of my hands and rubbed them onto Pete's face. He wasn't expecting that since he was busy laughing at me.

Seb's oops didn't register into both of us because we were busy fighting with the scattered flour. After a while, we heard the monster laughing. When we turned to look at Seb, he had his phone recording us and his head rolled back in deep laughter. Pete smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at me and I didn't wait for a minute. I took a handful of it by scrapping on the floor and dumped it on his head as I got up on the island chair.

Oops! His mouth was open and I didn't care about that. The flour just went into his mouth and he started coughing real bad. His phone fell down and scattered to pieces but that was not even paid any attention to. Pete ran to fill a glass of water and gave it to Seb. When he could control his cough, he slowly sipped the water. His face was red, his eyes were red, and his ears were too. I was a little bit scared but then his sneaky grin suggested me otherwise.

However, luckily Pete came back to his senses and said, "Damn, my kitchen is ruined. Come help me with this."

Pete rolled his eyes and took his phone's pieces to the living room and I too rolled my eyes and walked out to change. I should shower once again. Flour onto partially wet hair was a big no-no! I could hear Pete hollering about how ungrateful we were.

After my shower, Pete was still cleaning the kitchen. Apparently, the whole kitchen was bombarded and it's no easy job. Seb asked me if I wanted breakfast and I replied yes. He picked the keys and handed me a hoodie which was hanging at the back of the door and I knew instantly what was it for. I covered myself pretty good when Pete walked out looking like a big clown rolled in flour.

"Where do you think you are going?" he asked annoyed.

"Breakfast!" Seb answered and closed the door to Pete's face. We could still hear the screaming as we descended the stairs laughing madly.

It was good to be carefree for once in our life.

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Short is the new stepping stone to madness! :D take you time as you read this... You are in for a blast in the next chap :D