My stiff muscles groan and my bones crack as I wake up and stretch.

As soon as Sebastian had dropped me off, we kissed goodbye, and I made my way inside. After finishing my homework, I slept even though it had been early, just two-thirty in the afternoon. Now it's five pm. My parents are home, meaning dinner should be ready soon.

Getting up, I stretch with a yawn. Taking off my clothes, I pull on a pair of comfortable leggings and a loose t-shirt instead. Sebastian's coming over for dinner, so I'll shower after the meal.

Or maybe I'll ask him to join me and scrub my back.

My cheeks redden once I wipe the last bold thought from my mind and head downstairs. I scrunch my toes when my feet come into contact with the cold, wooden steps. There was a time when they were carpeted until my mom decided to make our house look more elegant by reverting to the wooden floors.

With one last stretch, I stride off the last step and head into the kitchen.

"Hey, sweetheart," my mom greets without even glancing behind her. I rub my eyes and take a seat at the island. "How was school?"

"It was okay. I only had one piece of homework to do for Stat," I tell her, folding my arms and laying my head in them. "Micah and Jenny fought again. Well, not really, it was more like a disagreement."

My mom laughs as she stirs the bolognese sauce. My guess is she's making spaghetti. It's our favorite meal. My father would rather have chicken and vegetables, but hey, you don't fight with the queen.

"Is that lovely boyfriend of yours coming over?" She glances at me with a small smile on her face.

I nod. "Yes. He should be over before six."

"Good, we haven't seen him around for some time now."

She's right. Before senior year, Sebastian used to come over almost every day. This was like his second home, just as his was mine. Maybe something happened over the summer. Sebastian had gone to Hawaii for a family vacation. Unlike most people in our town, the Caldwells are filthy rich. They come from old money and had built a successful business empire long before Sebastian was born.

Anyway, since Sebastian's return, he hasn't come over as much. This will be the first time he's come over since school started over a month ago.

Just as I'm wondering what changed, the doorbell rings. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. I run over to the front door and pull it open.

"Ten!" I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him down l. "I've missed you."

Sebastian chuckles as we walk into the house. Removing my arms from around his neck, he presses a chaste kiss on my forehead before walking to the kitchen. I pout, feeling an odd ache in my chest. It seems like lately, he's avoiding affection save for a few pecks here and there.

"Sebastian!" my mom exclaims as she grins.

Following his lead, I make my way to the kitchen too, and sit at the island. Rather than join them, I watch and listen to my mom and boyfriend interact. Mom asks him everything about his summer, family, school, and football. I love the way his eyes light up when he talks about football which has always been in Ten's life. His father played, as did his grandfather, so did his great-grandfather. Now, it was him, and I know that his son will play too. Possibly our son might inherit that passion too?

"Emie bear?" Sebastian says.

It seems today I'm distracted and zoning out all the time. I've never done this so much before. "Sorry." I shake my head and run a hand through my hair. "I don't know what's up with me today."

Ten gives me a small smile before sitting down next to me.

During dinner, I manage to look mildly interested while listening to Sebastian tell stories of his summer in Hawaii. Apparently, he, his brother, and some guy named Cody went surfing for the first time. They nose-dived so much that the 'rents' banned them from the beach for the rest of the day. Watching him wave his arms around as he speaks is nice and familiar, as is hearing him laugh constantly. The only thing I can't get behind is how he refers to his parents as rents. He's never done it before, so it has to be something new he's picked up.

I honestly can't picture Sebastian's little brother, Simon, doing something so reckless. The kid is a sweetheart. Initially shy, he is genuinely kind and soft-spoken, and has just turned thirteen. Out of all Caldwells, Simon is my favorite. Well, after Sebastian.

"Cody says the key is to bend your knees slightly, but he was always the first to fall," Ten says with a toothy grin which makes both my mother and father—who only left his dungeon for dinner—laugh out loud.

I wonder who this Cody guy is? Sebastian hadn't mentioned him to me before, not during the last month or over the summer when we'd regularly texted and called. Whoever he was, it was obvious Ten liked him. I've never seen him talk so animatedly about someone apart from his family. Not even me.

After dinner, my mom sends us away from the kitchen so she can clean up. Usually, I would've been the one washing the dishes, but since Sebastian's here, I skip my chores to keep him company.

My dad, as usual, retires to his home office. He works at this publishing firm in the city. His daily commute to work is long and tedious which leaves him exhausted. Still, I'm glad he doesn't want us to move to the city, even though it's selfish of me to want to stay in Elderwood at my father's expense.

"God, I haven't seen your room in months," Sebastian says as he falls back on my bed.

I look around my room. The walls are light pink, a color I'd favored when I was younger. Now, if I could change it, I'd choose plain white. Maybe I should change it. White is pure and elegant, while the dusky pink now feels girlish, maybe even childish. Nothing's on the walls except two framed photographs of me with my friends and family. There's a dresser across from my bed with a flat-screen tv sitting on top of it. The neat, uncluttered room suits my personality, but sometimes I want to add a bigger splash of personality to it. My favorite part of the room is my bed. My soft, comfortable mattress is on a flatbed frame. The sheets, with their bright floral design on a white background, add brightness to the room.

I go lie down next to Ten.

"You haven't been over in a while," I whisper.

Sebastian looks away and tenses up. "Yeah, been busy, you know?" he mumbles.

His reaction makes me frown. Is something bothering him? Why can't he tell me? I tug lightly on a lock of my hair.

Without overthinking my actions, I throw my leg over his waist, hoist myself over him, and straddle him. My elbows rest on either side of his head just as my knees do his waist. Our faces are close to each other, but still, Sebastian refrains from looking at me.

"Ten?" He still doesn't look at me. "Please, Sebastian. What's wrong?"

Hearing his full name, Sebastian finally looks at me. For the first time, I can't tell what he's feeling. His expression is strange, as if he's constipated, but also thinking hard. Shaking my head, I do something possibly stupid. I lean down and press my lips to his. Sebastian doesn't react for a moment, causing the cold hand of rejection to grab my heart before his mouth moves. I sigh as our lips move together.

Sebastian and I have never gone beyond first base. We've laid in a bed before, but certainly not with me on him. Now that we're in this position... I realize I like it. I also like the way this kiss is different–more sensual, even desperate. And the way my hips shift slightly... I like all of it.

Trying something new, I nip at Sebastian's bottom lip. His mouth opens and our tongues touch timidly. My hips slowly move on top of him and the sound of rustling clothes fills the room. Sebastian emits a sound; a mix between a moan and groan which deepens as it draws out. Hearing him fills me with a surge of confidence.

"Em," Sebastian mumbles. My mind is clouded and I believe that he wants me to go further. I press down harder on him. "Emie, no."

Ten's curt command breaks my reverie. My eyes snap open and I stare down at him. His cheeks are red. My face heats, growing hotter as he grips my hips and pushes me off of him.

"What's gotten into you, Emie?" he asks, looking over at me as if he doesn't even know who I am. There's a small wrinkle between his eyebrows as he furrows them, his mouth dropped open in disbelief.

I hate to admit that his rejection makes me feel ashamed and so embarrassed.

He looks so disappointed, even disapproving. The way he's looking at me makes me want to disappear. Maybe I've been smelling yellow irises, and that's the reason I'm feeling so needy and passionate. But clearly, I'm too misplaced.

"Nothing... I just thought we were ready," I whisper, too embarrassed to look at him now.

"Ready for what?" Sebastian grabs my face, pulling my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes.

"Ten, we've been together for five years now," I start slowly. Since he doesn't want to continue our makeout session, I'm scared to bring this up. I even doubt how I feel. Am I reading too much into this? "Maybe we should take our relationship to the next level," I suggest, biting my lip.

Ten's brows furrow as if he doesn't understand what I'm trying to say. Is it really so weird for me to bring up more extraneous activities? Sebastian gets up from the bed and begins rubbing his neck nervously. I'm so surprised by his reaction that I follow him and go stand in front of him.

"Ten?"

"Are you crazy, Emie?" Sebastian glares at me, his face as disapproving as his words. "Your parents are downstairs and you wanted to have sex? Jesus, Micah's really gotten into your head, huh? I thought our relationship meant more than that?"

His harsh statement makes my stomach churn as I start feeling guilty. How could I have been so selfish? Of course, our relationship is more than just sex. I can't believe I had been like this, so... hungry. I've just hurt Sebastian and I have never knowingly hurt anyone before. How I feel about Sebastian is more than just physical attraction. I love him, more than anything in the world.

"I'm so sorry, Sebastian," I whisper and walk over to him, but he steps away from me.

"No... I'm gonna go. I'll see you later, okay?" He looks away from me and shakes his head. Without another word, he walks out of my room.

Baffled, I stand there wondering what the heck just happened?

*1869 words before the author's note. Edited: 4/23/20. Hi, thanks for joining me for another chapter. If you stuck it this far, yay. I hope this chapter was enjoyable for you guys and I hope you've had a chance to vote and comment. Don't be afraid to voice your opinions. By the way, I started a discord server and I'd love to connect with some of you there. Pm me for details. Thanks so much for reading.*