Chapter 18

Stephanie

As frustrating as it was to take time off from school, the extra time to write has been great. I’m pleased with the three chapters I’ve written today after finishing my outline. I stand and stretch. I can hear Sebastian talking to the medical team as they call to check in with him. David, a member of the medical team for the Green Thunder was over here earlier today to check on him. Other than waking to eat a piece of toast and some eggs, he’s slept pretty much nonstop.

I make grilled chicken and salad for dinner. After waking Sebastian and coaxing him to eat, he goes back to sleep; and I get ready for bed. I”m hoping to get some good sleep tonight, so I’m ready to get back to teaching tomorrow morning. David said I didn’t need to wake Sebastian during the night tonight, so I’m hoping for a good night’s sleep. I check on Sebastian one more time before I go to bed. “Hey, I’m going to bed for the night,” I say softly. “Do you need anything?” I don’t think he’s going to say anything, but he surprises me.

“Will you rub the back of my head again?” His voice is quiet and so reserved compared to what I’m used to from him. I step close and run my hands over the back of his head. He groans softly, and I stop.

“Does that hurt?”

“No. Keep going please.”

I start on the back of his head again. I’m not sure how long I massage his head before I hear him breathing heavily and know he’s asleep again. I head back into my room and get ready for bed. It”s weird having him here in my house. It makes my house feel...not quite so empty and lonely. I put those thoughts to rest and go to bed.

The next morning, I’m up early so I can get ready for school. After showering, I dress in a black pant suit with a teal blouse, black wedge shoes, and silver dangly earrings. I feel ready to get back to school, back to my students...I think. I have to admit, it’s been nice to have a few days off. I head to the kitchen and start my single-serve coffee machine. I hear a noise and turn around just as Sebastian comes into the kitchen. He stops right at the entry and frowns at me. I swallow. Hard. I saw him the other day without his shirt on, but the room was darker. At least that’s what I’m blaming my staring on. Sometimes I forget that the guy makes a living as a professional athlete. I’m not forgetting that fact right now. He coughs, and my eyes shoot to his face, mortified. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to have noticed that I was totally checking out his six pack...eight pack...ten pack? Then I notice his face. “Are you okay?” I walk over to him, suddenly more worried about his head than about how many abs he has. “Do you need pain meds?” I almost reach out and touch him because he looks like he’s in pain, but I pull my hand back at the last minute.

He frowns at me. “We’re at your house, right?”

His question really makes me worry about his head injury. “Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

“No, I’m fine. I just...have I been here this whole time?”

I reach up and feel his head. I can’t help myself. “It’s Friday, and we’re at my house. Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t have a fever, but maybe we should call David again.”

“Did you rub the back of my head?”

His question makes me pause. “Uh, yeah.” I feel the need to explain myself. “You seemed to be in a lot of pain. I know when I get migraines and just want relief that massage can sometimes help. I...you asked me to do it,” I add quickly.

His eyes meet mine. “It was good. I don’t remember much from the last two days, but I remember that. Thanks for taking care of me; I can’t believe I’ve been out of commission for two days. I’m so sorry you had to take care of me, Stephanie.” I know he’s serious when he calls me by name because he never does that.

“It’s okay. Are you feeling better now?” He stares at me a moment, and I can’t figure out for the life of me what he’s thinking. He’s so somber, it’s throwing me off. “I need to get to school. Will you be okay by yourself? David is supposed to come over midmorning to check on you, but do you need me to call one of your family members or teammates or anything?”

He shakes his head and then frowns, like the movement hurt him. “I haven’t told my family yet, but I’m fine. I’m just going to go back to bed. I can’t believe how tired I’ve been.”

“That’s one of the side effects of your concussion; that’s what the medical team said.”

“I’ve been concussed before, but this one is a beast.”

“You should probably eat before you go back to bed; you haven’t eaten much the past two days,” I suggest.

“I’m fine. I can order something; you don’t need to worry about taking care of me.”

I’m already moving towards the refrigerator. “I can’t cook like Brielle, but how about an omelet? I have leftover grilled chicken and some veggies.” When he doesn’t say anything, I glance over at him. “Sebastian, why don’t you sit down before you fall down.”

“I’m fine,” he grouses but sits in the seat at my tiny kitchen table. His body dwarfs the seat, the entire space really. I turn back to the stove and make quick work of making an omelet. A few minutes later, I put a plate of food out in front of him. He looks up and meets my eyes. “Thank you.” He smiles, and I feel just a little bit better about leaving him. After he eats, his face has more color in it. “That was good; thank you.”

I grab my coffee cup. “I need to get going; call me if you need me. Otherwise, I’ll see you after school.” I put my laptop bag on my shoulder and head to the front door. “Bye.”

“Bye, Stephanie.”

I’m thankful to see that the school parking lot is void of any outsiders that aren’t supposed to be there. The trip into the building is smooth and problem-free. I settle in my classroom and prepare for the day. “You’re back!”

I look up as Brielle barrels into my classroom and takes a seat in one of the student desks. “I am.”

“Welcome back. How’s Sebastian doing?”

She’s texted a few times over the past two days, and I’ve kept her and Aiden informed of how he’s doing. “He got out of bed for the first time this morning, so that’s a start.”

“What’s the frown for?” she asks.

I hadn’t even realized I was frowning. “He’s just really weak; it’s...weird seeing him like this. He’s actually quiet.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine Sebastian being quiet. Is he bummed about the game tonight?”

I look up. “They have a game tonight?”

She nods. “Yeah. You still don’t follow their games?”

“You’re surprised by that? You know how not into sports I am.”

She looks contemplative. “I just thought with things with Sebastian that you were more invested now.”

“Bri, you know we’re not in a real relationship, right? I can’t stand the guy.”

“But you let him stay with you the past few days.”

“Because he had a head injury and needed a place to go,” I point out even though we both know he has family members that would have taken him in in a heartbeat. I don’t want to consider too closely why I felt led to be the one to let him stay with me and take care of him.

“So you haven’t softened towards him at all?” Brielle asks.

“No. Sebastian is—” I pause. Kind. Funny. Gentle. I don’t say any of those words out loud. “Obnoxious,” is the one I finally settle on.

Bri grins. “He is that. I just thought—” She doesn’t finish her statement, and I’m curious.

“You just thought what?”

“I don’t know. You seem different.”

My eyebrows rise. “Different?”

“Yeah, you seem a little more relaxed and at ease or something. I don’t even really know.”

I laugh. “Bri, I’ve been incredibly stressed out with all this. The stuff online, the people showing up here at school. I had to take a few days off because of him!”

“Yeah, that part was dumb. I can’t believe they made you take a few days off. I told Principal Goodman that he was overreacting.”

I shake my head. “You’ve spent too much time with Aiden; he’s starting to rub off on you.” She just grins, not denying my accusation. The eight o’clock bell rings, signifying the start of school in a few minutes.

Brielle stands. “I need to get back to my classroom. I’m really glad you’re back; I’ll see you at lunch.” She leaves just as my students start filing in. I take a mental breath and prepare for the day ahead.

The day passes slowly, even though it’s a Friday. I check my phone periodically throughout the day before I realize what I’m doing and put it down. I tell myself I’m just checking to make sure he hasn’t texted because I’m worried about him, his health that is. When the day finally ends, I’m ready for it. Then I feel badly because I only worked one day this week.

I sit down in my chair with a sigh. I wonder if I’m burned out on teaching. “Hey, I’m leaving soon. I just wanted to check in,” Brielle says as she enters my classroom.

“Do you ever feel burned out from teaching?” I ask.

She stops. I can tell I’ve surprised her. “I love teaching.” She frowns at me. “Are you burned out?”

“No, I just...” I don’t really know how to finish that thought. “Are you heading to the game?” I ask, attempting to change the subject.

“Yes and because I’m riding in with Aiden, I need to get going but don’t think I’m forgetting about this conversation.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” I say with a smirk. She gives me a look, like she’s thinking something but she doesn’t say it out loud.

“I’ve gotta run. Tell Sebastian we’ll miss him playing tonight. Or maybe not, if that will make him cranky. See you, Friend. Love you!”

“Love you too,” I call out after her. I check my phone again and see there’s no missed calls or texts. I decide to pack up my work and take it home. On the way, I stop at the store for food for dinner. After overthinking it a million times, I finally grab chicken meatballs, red sauce, corn, and the ingredients for Caesar salad. When I get home, the house is quiet. I take my grocery bags to the kitchen and drop them off and drop my bag on the chair. I walk quietly down the hallway and stop outside the closed door. When I don’t hear anything, I figure he’s sleeping. Feeling something that is not disappointment, I head back to the kitchen. I dig a granola bar out of the cabinet and settle in at the kitchen table to get some work done. I’m obviously behind after being out of the classroom all week. Soon, I’m fully consumed with all the work I need to complete. I don’t sense Sebastian’s presence at first. In fact, I’m not sure how long he’s been standing there. I notice his hair is wet, like he just showered. “Hey, how are you feeling?” I keep my voice soft in case he still has a headache. He stares at me for a moment that feels really long. “Are you okay?”

He finally nods. “Yeah.”

“Are you hungry?”

He nods. “Yeah, but you don’t need to cook for me. I can do it.”

“It’s fine,” I tell him as I stand from the table and escape over to the refrigerator. I need the space between us.