SEBASTIAN
? ?? Life is ours, we live it our way… ???
Iwoke slowly, stretching my arms above my head. I couldn’t believe we’d stumbled across Raven and that it had gone so well. I rolled onto my side, a smile on my face that quickly fell when I realized that she was no longer in bed. I sat up quickly, scanning the room for her clothes and purse, my heart falling seeing they were gone.
“FUCK!” I roared.
Chase startled awake, staring first at me and then at the empty space in the center of the bed.
“Fuck. She ran, didn’t she?”
“It looks like. C’mon, maybe she just left,” I said, flying out of the room, desperate to find her.
We searched the club, but she was just gone. I didn’t see her friend either. So much for trying to find her through her friend.
“Seb, her friend was dancing with Jason, right?”
“I think so,” I said, scanning the room.
“There,” he pointed, “at the bar.”
We beelined for him, desperate to find anyway to find Raven again. She might be questioning things, but tonight had only solidified things for Chase and me. She was perfect for us.
“Jason, who was the girl you were dancing with tonight?”
“You mean Leah? Why?”
“She brought a friend with her tonight. A very shy friend who came to our room and played a little. We fell asleep…” I grumbled.
“Let me guess, she tucked tail and ran?”
“Exactly,” said Chase.
“Leah and I have played a few times. I’ll give you her number and maybe she can help you out.”
“Thanks, Jason. We really appreciate it.”
I blew out a slow breath and took out my phone, adding her to my contacts. Walking away, I looked towards Chase, my jaw tight, and sighed.
“We’ve got to find her, man.”
“We will. Send Leah a message. It’s late, so don’t get pissy if she doesn’t answer right away.”
“You think you know me so well,” I chuckled.
I ordered drinks for Chase and I and then headed to our room. I brought up her number as I sipped my whiskey.
Sebastian: Hi Leah. It’s Seb from the club. Jason gave me your number. Message me as soon as you get this.
I watched my phone, waiting for a response.
“Dude. It’s the middle of the night. She’s probably asleep.”
As if on cue, my phone sounded with a text notification.
Leah: What the fuck happened??
Sebastian: That’s what we want to know. Raven seemed fine with everything that happened. The three of us fell asleep, but when we woke up, she was gone.
Leah: I just got off the phone with her. She ripped me to shreds and then hung up. She won’t answer the phone now. I’m not sure if she blocked me or turned her phone off. Maybe both.
Sebastian: We didn’t even get as far as trading numbers. We figured that would happen before we wrapped up for the night. Please, tell us how to reach her.
Leah: Listen, she’s my best friend, even if she is pissed with me right now. You guys have a good reputation in the club, but I need to know where you guys see this going. I’m sure you’ve figured out that she’s not the one-night stand kind of person.
Sebastian:We aren’t either. Leah, we’re looking long-term here. We understand that she’s new to this and that she’s going to need time to get used to things. We’re okay with that. We can already tell she’s worth the time.
Leah: Okay, her number is 925-554-2849. I’m not going to give you her home address, but if you happen to be around Jumpin’ Java on 49th around 8 a.m., there’s a good chance you’ll run into her.
Sebastian:Thanks, Leah.
Leah:No problem. Good luck!
I tossed my phone to the side and updated Chase. We figured it would be better to talk in person, but didn’t want to overwhelm Raven, so I was going to try to find her in the morning on my own. The last thing we needed was for her to feel ganged up on.
“Let’s head home, Chase. We might as well try to get some sleep.”
“What if we don’t find her? Even worse, what if she decides she doesn’t want this?”
“I can’t think about that right now. I have to believe that we crossed paths with her for a reason. Let’s wait and see what happens come morning.”
I dozed off about 6 a.m., groaning when my alarm went off an hour later. It was going to be a long fucking day.
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