Page 8 of Stormi & Sebastian (Shorts #1)

Stormi’s POV

For the next six months, Sebastian and I dated, exclusively and slowly.

We both wanted to be sure that this was exactly what we wanted.

I also wanted to make sure I wasn’t completely damaged.

We had our breakfast date right after the interview, and it was wonderful.

We held hands, ate delicious food, and talked about everything and nothing that meant the world to me.

About midmorning that day, we went for a walk through downtown afterward.

Sebastain never once let me go.

He always had a hand on me, touching me in some way.

Whether he was holding my hand, or his hand was on the small of my back, or he had his arm around my shoulders or waist.

That’s how he remained.

Every day after, he was always touching me when we were together.

He opened up a lot more about what happened with his late fiancée, how she died, and how he was left feeling after that, if there was anything he did to support him.

He appreciated my kindness and care, as far as his late fiancée was concerned.

Things were easy with us.

He was always complimenting me, kissing my cheeks, making sure I felt the best I’d ever felt about myself.

I made sure he had something for lunch, asked about his day, and always checked in to make sure that we were on the same page and feeling heard in our relationship.

He also acted as the go-between for my dad and me in the beginning.

I wanted to believe that he was all in and wanted to be a big part of my life, but I was wary, for about ten seconds, only to realize this man had proved himself to me every day for over two years.

He didn’t need to do more, just be himself.

Things had gone better than expected with my dad, and we’d all been working towards a better, less toxic relationship.

Dad respects my boundaries, and always has.

He’d only had Sebastian’s number as I wasn’t ready for that step, but we did talk at least twice a week until the divorce from my egg donor was finalized.

Once it was, Dad asked if he could move closer to me.

I told him I needed space to think and process what that would look like.

After thinking for a couple of weeks on it, I said yes to my dad’s idea, and gave him the name of the town we lived in.

He moved to town a month later after packing up, finding a new job, housing, and settling everything back home.

It was our six-month anniversary.

He’d planned a date night for us, promising to take care of all the details so all I had to do was show up and smile, being the most beautiful girl in the world.

He had made all the preparations.

We started with dinner at our favorite little hole-in-the-wall restaurant we’d found by accident one day after a long hike through the surrounding forests.

We dressed up a little that night, wanting to feel special.

This restaurant made the best eggplant parmigiana I’d ever had! The sauce never gave me heartburn like ever sauce out of a can ever did.

The pasta was always al dente, and the service was amazing.

They treated everyone like family.

We’d become regulars there, stopping in on date nights, or after hikes, or sometimes if we were just craving it.

Walking through the doors, the hostess led us to the back of the restaurant, where they’d been working on turning the outside space into a patio.

Walking out of the back door, my jaw dropped.

There were lights strung above the patio, a few tables and chairs were set out, but we were the only couple there.

Sebastian pulled out my chair so I could sit in it, then pushed it in for me.

We ordered a bottle of Riesling, and our bread and oil were delivered with the bottle and two glasses a few minutes later.

I was busy looking around, taking in the potted plants, the lights, and the Italian opera music that was playing softly from the speakers outside. It was magical.

“Happy six months, Stormi,”

Sebastian smiled at me, holding out his glass of wine.

I held up my glass to cheers him, taking a small, practically nonexistent sip, wishing him a happy six months also.

I wanted to keep my wits about me. I knew I was going to take the plunge and tell him tonight that I loved him. I just didn’t know when the right time would be.

“Do you know what you’re going to order?”

I asked, grabbing the menu, like we hadn’t been here hundreds of times already. I was just stalling, and it seemed he was okay with that. He looked nervous, actually. I reached across the table, putting my hand on his, making him look up at me.

“Are you okay, Bastian?”

“Yeah,”

he sighed.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I’m on a date with the best, most beautiful, funny, and amazing girlfriend in the world.”

I heard the hostess bringing more people out, but I was too worried about why he was nervous to listen closely to the conversations.

He said there, trying to get me to focus back on the menu, but I kept peeking up at him, trying to see if he’d relaxed.

Soon, the patio was full of voices, while I closed my menu and stared at Sebastian, who was looking at the menu like he couldn’t decide what he wanted to eat.

“Bastian. We can go somewhere else if you don’t want to eat here,”

I smiled up at him.

“I’m happy as long as I'm with you.”

He took a deep breath, exhaling.

“Let’s do this.”

Let’s do what?