Captured by a Demon

IX Chapter - Better Choose Treat

Rachel held her breath.

„Actually, scratch the coffee, I’ll have some white tea... to stay.“

Rachel quickly broke off the eye contact and looked out of the window.

She didn’t need this right now. She didn’t want to deal with this right now.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Sebastian sit on a low couch near the counter, facing her as he waited for his tea. He was calm, but with the kind of resoluteness in his eyes, that Rachel wasn’t used to and she started to get restless because of it.

Although Margaret saw Sebastian as well, she didn’t seem to notice the weird tension between them. Rachel was starting to think that Margaret was rather oblivious to these things, because even the server who brought Sebastian’s tea to him, looked at him and Rachel and then him again before raising her eyebrows. Sebastian wasn’t exactly subtle and Rachel, although she tried, couldn’t really help but glance at his direction from time to time. He wasn’t smiling like last time, not that Rachel expected him to, but now that she thought about it, she had never really seen Sebastian looking at her with such a serious and unreadable expression on his face.

It was unnerving, a bit intimidating and very uncomfortable. Rachel was fidgeting on her seat because of it, trying to think of the right thing to do.

Sebastian had called her quite a few times the previous night, but sent no messages. Perhaps he was more into the old-fashioned ways of communication. Nevertheless, Rachel hadn’t returned his calls, and was now feeling a bit guilty about it. She wasn't prepared to talk to him yet, however.

„You know he works at the university too,“ Margaret said, when she saw him. 

Rachel turned to look at her friend. „What?“

„That guy over there with the grim face,“ Margaret looked over her shoulder to Sebastian, who was now reading a newspaper. „Remember, he was at Simon’s party too with my friend Fiona. Anyway, apparently he just got a position as a part-time professor.“

„Oh,“ Rachel tried to sound indifferent. „What is he teaching?“

„Umm...“ Margaret, „I don't recall...“

„Oh, okay,“ said Rachel trying not to sound disappointed and avoided glancing at him. Her knees were shaking a little. „Maybe we sh...“

„Oh, I remember now,“ Margaret hit herself over the head as if finding it funny that she didn’t remember it before. „He teaches business psychology. I heard that his class is extremely popular. Maybe we should check it out?“

A song started to play in the background; this sort of calm and warm jazz-like melody with an unusual pensive undertone. Unaware of it, Rachel started to swing his fingers to the beat of the music.

She moved her eyes to Sebastian and as if sensors had notified him of that, he raised his gaze from the newspaper as quick as a flash and looked at her straight in the eyes. She held that eye contact, unable to look away. He looked different. Handsome yes, but in a way also harsher than before. Maybe he was mad at Rachel. Still, he was mesmerising.

The song played on and got louder. Rachel found that this kind of music, this song in particular, suited together with Sebastian. It was... Rachel didn’t know why she heard so much of him in the song, maybe it was only because he happened to be there, looking at her with his beautiful green eyes that in this light reminded her of shining emeralds.

„...I didn’t know we had a class like that in our college, it seems really interesting from what I've heard. What do you think, perhaps we can squeeze it in our schedules?“ Margaret continued.

Rachel slightly narrowed her eyes looking at Sebastian, while his face stayed unchanged. Rachel imagined all the freshmen girls swooning over him. Surely many of them would have gone to the class with the aim of just staring at him. Do they feel no shame? thought Rachel. But no matter, Sebastian already had a girlfriend, so these poor girls were gonna get some rain poured on their parade. Rachel hoped Fiona would kick their asses, every last one of them. Everyone, who dared to gaze at him with want and lust. Yes, she would put them in their place. Fiona would. Oh, Fiona. They sure went well together. He was perfect and she was perfect. Rachel fidgeted. She hoped Sebastian’s gorgeous, outgoing, flawless and successful girlfri...

„Rachel, calm down,“ laughed Margaret looking at something under the table. Rachel looked too and saw her leg trembling so furiously now, that the table had begun to shake.

„Sorry,“ she muttered as Margaret’s phone started to vibrate

Margaret looked at the caller-id and sighed.

„I gotta take this, Rach, it's my dad again. I’ll go out to talk and then we’ll go back to the lab, right?“

„Sure,“ Rachel said absentmindedly, looking at Sebastian, who was no longer looking at her back. She knew he knew that she was looking at him, but for some reason he didn’t look back. Why didn’t he look back? Did he decide that he doesn’t care?

Why did she care?

This was ridiculous!

Rachel wanted him to look at her, she wanted it, but she didn’t want it either. As she noticed the table that started to shake again, she stood up decisively, left a tip on the table and went out putting on her coat without even giving Sebastian a glance. She tried to think of him as the most beautiful and warm wallpaper, but nothing more. Nothing real. She just wanted to get away. Breathe some fresh air and go back to work. It was the best distraction. From everything. Just work.

Rachel had barely gone two steps out the cafe door, when she was suddenly pulled back by a strong hand. She looked up and saw Sebastian, who looked like he was trying to suppress his anger.

„You were just gonna leave like this?“ he said still holding onto her arm.

Rachel didn’t know what to say. She felt upset, happy, scared and guilty at the same time. So she stayed silent. For some time, he did too.

„Are you okay?“ Sebastian finally asked silently and there was genuine worry in his voice.

Rachel didn’t want to look him in the eye again, she didn’t want to feel more guilty.

„I’m fine, I’m fine,“ she simply said and was proud that she sounded calm and collected.

 „Can we talk?“ Sebastian asked, carefully studying Rachel’s face. He still hadn’t let go of her.

„I have to go to work, maybe another time.“

„Tomorrow morning?“

„I can’t, I’m having breakfast at work.“

„Tomorrow evening?“

„I can’t. I’m meeting a friend.“

„What friend?“ Sebastian’s voice was way sharper now, almost as if accusing Rachel of having her priorities messed up. Rachel didn’t say anything once again, feeling like an i***t.

Sebastian sighed. „The day after tomorrow then?“

Rachel looked at him for a moment. „I am out of town that day.“

„Where?“

„Another time, Sebastian. Could you let go of me?“

There was clearly hurt in his eyes now as he ran his fingers through his hair again and seemed frustrated by the situation. He still hadn’t let go of her. Then, as if he had an idea, he came very close to her, so she could almost feel his minty breath on her face.

„Fine, you want to be like this, so be it. You don’t have time, so be it. But we will talk. I’ll pick you up after work and drive you home. We’ll talk in the car. And that’s final.“ He let go of her abruptly, turned his back to her and walked away, leaving Rachel standing in front of the cafe with wide eyes.

She didn’t know whether she felt like crying or smiling.

...

„Could you give me your keys now?“

Margaret was shuffling through the things in her bag and searching her coat pockets looking for the key to her apartment, where Rachel was going to stay for a few nights.

Rachel was very anxious and impatient. She hadn't been able to concentrate on work all afternoon. She had decided that if Sebastian was planning to take her home, then she should just leave before six o’clock. Then Margaret or Henry could tell him that she had already left. Then she could avoid him a bit more. It wouldn't be nice of her, quite the opposite actually, but she was just adamant on avoiding everything emotionally difficult or challenging at her current state. Only by some miracle was she still under the influence of caffeine. But of course she had drank quite a lot.

She didn’t really even know why she was avoiding him. There was just something that she wasn’t prepared to face, to admit to herself. To him. To anyone. It felt like it was draining her energy, but talking about these things, thinking about these things seemed even more tiring than keeping them in. So she had decided to keep them in. For now.

„Found them!“ Rachel flinched and Margaret threw the keys to her, laughing at her flinch. She didn’t know what the flinches meant. She just thought she shouted to loudly and too suddenly. There weren’t many loud noises in the clean and quiet lab, so by some miracle Rachel had managed to not reveal her bad nerves to any of her colleagues. She found that among other things, it could also slow her career.

„Yes, great and thank you again.“ Rachel sighed in relief. She presumed Sebastian was going to come at six o'clock, when the workday usually ended, so she had decided to leave at five.

She said goodbye to Margaret, let Doctor Doyle know that she was done for the day – he only grunted in return – and left the lab. She was almost running through the hallways, afraid that somehow Sebastian might see her and demand an explanation for her childish behaviour. Reaching the big front door in the atrium,  she slowed down putting on her scarf and gloves and thinking about calling a taxi. 

Somebody let out a loud cough. 

She flinched and then recognizing the voice, she froze in mid-step.

Sebastian was sitting on a bench across the front door. Then he stood up and walked to her, a big smirk on his face. He stopped before Rachel and c****d his eyebrow, almost as if expressing amusement over her surprise. His voice was soft, but determined as he said: „Didn't you know, Satchel? I know you. There's no point in trying to trick me.“

Then his smirk disappeared and his face went very serious. For a moment, he looked like he was going to throw a tantrum right there right then.

But then, with the same grave look on his face, Sebastian winked at Rachel, sending her into a spiral of confusion.

Why does this guy suddenly act like he has bipolar disorder?