When she got up this morning, Rena was actually feeling a lot better than she was yesterday. She'd been thinking last night about giving school a miss today, but her ankle was already less swollen now.

"Are you sure you don't need to rest at home today?" her mother asked again, scrutinizing her face with a concerned gaze. "Don't push yourself."

"Yeah," Rena said. "I'm feeling better. Thanks, Mom, but I think I can handle it."

Her mother eyed her for a moment before sliding her gaze to Sebastian.

"Well," she said, "alright. Since Sebastian's taking the bus with you, I guess it should be fine. Call me if you need a ride after school."

"I can take her back if it's more convenient for you, Mrs. Wilton," Sebastian volunteered, smiling questioningly at Rena. "Of course, it all depends on how your ankle feels later."

Rena gaped, not wanting to be a bother. Before she could say anything, her mother spoke.

"Oh, my." Her mother's tone suddenly took on an excited lilt. "If it's not too much trouble for you, that would be so kind of you."

Quickly, he shook his head. "It's no trouble at all! I'm happy to help Rena out."

She beamed at him, her eyes becoming little crescents with how large her smile was. "Thank you, Sebastian. You're so sweet! Rena, just give me a call if you need anything."

After they waved goodbye to her mother, Sebastian walked Rena to the bus stop where they waited for the bus together.

"I was really worried about you," he said, breaking the silence that had formed between them. "I'm glad you're feeling better today."

"Thanks, Seb," Rena said, smiling at his concern. "I think I should be fine after a few days. You really didn't h-have to accompany me this morning. Didn't you have to wake up super early for that?"

The way Sebastian always looked deep into her eyes with his soulful brown ones made heat tear through Rena's neck and up her face. Flustered, she averted her gaze.

"No way, waking up early isn't a problem for me." His voice got quieter. "I like getting to spend more time with you, anyway."

Even though it was a sweet sentiment, she genuinely didn't know what to say. She stared down at her hands, trying to will the warmth that was creeping over her cheeks away.

The bus arrived shortly after, and they got on it along with the others waiting at the bus stop.

Unfortunately, it was packed with passengers, and all the seats were already filled. In fact, there were several people who had to stand.

Rena and Sebastian settled for a small section of the standing area, where they stood about two feet apart, facing each other, with Rena leaning against the glass of the bus window and Sebastian using a grab handle for support. She would've preferred to find a seat, but it wasn't so bad since she could lean her weight against the bus hull instead of relying purely on her own feet.

The bus was filled with background noise of its moving parts and of the multiple voices of the passengers having conversations on the phone or with each other.

"How's your work going?" Rena asked, partly to fill the time and partly to hear more about his life.

They hadn't really had a chance to talk about what was going on in their lives ever since they drifted apart after Edward's accident. Even now, when she'd managed to draw closer to Edward, she and Sebastian were rarely left alone together to have a private conversation.

His smile lit up his entire face. It really suited him.

"It's been going well. Thanks for asking. I have an upcoming photoshoot for a magazine and a few new designs in the works that should be coming out in winter. I can't wait to see the reception for them."

"For the photoshoot or your new designs?"

He chuckled lightly, looking a bit sheepish. "For my new designs. The photoshoot is just the run-of-the-mill stuff. Well ... I guess it's nice to be able to model my own brand's clothing."

Rena had always thought it was cool he was already an established fashion designer at such a young age.

"That's really cool," she said, truly meaning it. "I'm glad you get to do it."

Abruptly, he cleared his throat and turned his face away. A faint hint of pink seemed to surface on his cheeks.

"Thank you. What about you?"

"M-me?"

He turned his deep brown eyes on her again. "How have you been? I haven't really had the chance to hear about what's been going on in your life."

Guilt hit Rena like a truck. She had been so focused on Edward over the years that she hadn't thought much about reconnecting with Sebastian and Adelynn despite the fact that they had all been so close as little children. It hadn't just been Edward she'd grown distant from—it had been all of them. After Aly and her stopped talking to Edward in the seventh grade, their friend group had fallen apart.

While it was true that she'd been too shy back then to really speak much with all of them except for Aly, she'd enjoyed it and looked forward to it every time they all hung out together. They had always been so accommodating towards her, not being put off by her bashfulness and stuttering at all.

"I've been good," she said, taking a slow, deep breath. "I've just been k-keeping up with my studies and riding my bike in my free time."

The look in his eyes was soft. "I hope your ankle heals quickly so you can ride your bike again."

"Me too."

"I haven't touched my bicycle since we were kids," he said, a wistful smile tugging at his lips. "I miss when we would bike to the beach together."

"You could always s-start again."

Rena loved the wind against her hair and in her face whenever she rode her bike.

"By myself? That's kind of lonely."

His face was pensive as he looked straight ahead, making her wonder what he was thinking about.

"If you're just doing it for fun, we can go biking together sometime," she offered without really thinking about it.

She missed the days when their entire childhood friend group would get together and bike to various places in town, too. He wasn't the only one.

He bent his head down to peer at her teasingly. "Ooh, is that an invite? I'll really take you up on that if you mean it, so now's your chance to take it back."

Her body seized up at the reality of what he was saying. Just her and Sebastian riding their bikes together down the streets towards the beach ... ?

The old her would have squeaked and attempted to shrink her head back into her neck, but Rena had resolved not long ago to courageously work towards a better relationship with Edward. If she could overcome her anxiety to persistently strike up conversations with someone who grunted answers at her half the time, she could indulge an old friend who wanted to hang out. Besides, he had helped her so much already.

With renewed determination, Rena faced Sebastian directly and nodded.

"Let's go biking o-one of these days."

The way his mouth fell agape told her that it wasn't a reply he'd expected.

His imitation of a goldfish made her chuckle.

He recovered his composure quickly, smoothing over the shock in his expression. "G-great. Let's find a time when we're both free. But without Aly, right?"

The old her would've asked Aly along as a social shield to anything and everything, but Rena wanted to prove to herself that she could be brave if she wanted. Her bravery didn't have to extend only to reaching out to Edward.

She nodded. "Without Aly. You two would probably fight the whole time, anyway."

He let out a startled laugh. "I think you're right about that."

They smiled at each other.

Then the bus jerked to a stop, and Rena found herself losing her balance against the glass of the bus window. Her right ankle was in no condition to act as a support for her weight—she began falling forward. Murmuring filled the bus as other passengers stumbled and righted themselves.

Rena's yelp was quiet as she mentally braced herself to fall onto Sebastian.

"Sorry," she squeaked out before her face could hit his chest.

She wasn't expecting Sebastian to reach his free arm around her shoulders, securing her balance with his support—he was surprisingly strong. The weight of his warm and sturdy arm over her back was reassuring.

Blood rushed through Rena's ears, deafening her with the racing of her pulse as she inhaled the light cologne of the soft shirt her nose was pressed against.

"Are you okay?"

His voice sounded from above her head, but she could feel the vibration of his words through his chest. His chin rested on her head, a slightly pointy but ticklish pressure that sent tingles down the back of her neck.

Rena's heart skipped several beats.

Slowly, she pulled back to peek up at him. His face reflected the same shock she was feeling, except that his ears were pink, and the bright hue was rapidly spreading through his cheeks.

That made it two times now that she had fallen onto him.

Rena's own face was now on fire, too.

"I-I'm okay! Sorry for falling onto you. I just lost my balance when the bus jerked—" She was babbling now, but she didn't know how else to react in a situation like this.

He hadn't removed his arm from around her either, something she was thankful for; she was still wobbly on her feet without something to lean on.

"Don't worry about it," he said instantly, his face still as pink as a carnation. "Here, let me help you—"

Acting as a support for her to grip onto, he guided her back against the bus window she'd been leaning against. The bus had apparently stopped at a traffic light, so they managed it without any further hiccups. This time, he put his free hand against the bus interior so that his arm was perpendicular to her side.

"For you to grab if you lose your balance again," Sebastian explained when she stared at it.

His blush hadn't faded, but he was avoiding eye contact.

"O-okay. Thanks, Seb."

Her heart was still pounding recklessly against her ribcage.

For the rest of the bus ride, Rena couldn't shake the thoughts of how safe she'd felt in his strong arms from her mind. The scent of his cologne and the softness of shirt against her face were seared into her senses.

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AN: AHHHH MY SHIP!!!! I AM RABID FOR MY SHIP!!! SEB X RENA SUPREMACY!!! why are they so CUTE together. i had soooo much fun drawing this! totally looking forward to doing more illustrations for my sebxrena ship (' ω '♡) can't wait to write about their biking date!!!!

thanks for reading <3 please remember to vote if you enjoyed it!!