Page 13 of When We Ignite

“I’m not going to hook up with Oliver’s brother, Char. That’s insane.”

“You’re not seeing anyone, and he’s...persistent. Henry said?—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.Henrysaid?” My cheeks heated with embarrassment. “Have you been talking to Henry about this?”

“No! I told him there’s no way you’d ever…” She trailed off. “But he mentioned Ash is like a dog with a bone and he won’t give up easily. And let’s be honest, we both know he didn’t come here to see us.”

I shrugged, exasperated. “Charlotte, come on. I’m your kid brother, and he’s SebastianfuckingLangley. He’s not seriously interested in me. He’s probably doing it out of boredom, and he’ll move on in a week, if not sooner.” Trust her to turn such a small thing into a big deal. “We have nothing in common. I can’t even hold a conversation with him. If he likes how I look, he’ll get over it soon.”

She still looked skeptical but finally nodded. “Okay, maybe you’re right.”

“Can I go get my stuff now?” I asked, annoyed.

“You’re right. I’m making too much of it.” She waved it off. “Oli must have gotten to me.”

I turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm again. “Wait, wait. We didn’t get to talk about Dad and the tennis thing.”

Not this again.

“Char, I told you—I’m fine. I like it, okay? Maybe it’s not the most fun I’ll ever have, but at least I’m doing something.”

Her expression softened into that hurt puppy dog look, only this time, it was aimed at me. A mix of frustration and something heavier—sadness, maybe—crawled up my spine and settled in my stomach.

“You are doing something, E. Some people take a little longer to figure it out. There’s nothing wrong with that,” she said in that gentle, comforting Charlotte voice. It helped. It just didn’t fix anything.

“I know.”

“Why don’t you tell him you want to take a break?” she pressed.

A break. I’d thought about faking an injury—so fucking dramatic. If I could play less, it would be fine. He sucked all the fun out of it. I used to like it. I just had to find my way back to that.

“I’ll think about it, okay? But right now, I really have to go,” I said firmly.

She gave me that same look but nodded reluctantly.

I shoved thoughts of my dad and my chaotic college life aside as I grabbed my things. By the time I walked out the door, my sole focus was on the tight knot in my stomach as I headed toward him.

Sebastian’s car was impressive—a sleek sports model. I expected he’d have a driver, but he slid behind the wheel himself. As I settled into the passenger seat, he took a work call, and I put on my headphones, letting the music drown everything out as I stared out the window. It smelled nice in there—like him.

After some time passed, a warm hand on my shoulder jolted me.

“Sorry about that,” he said, returning his hand to the gearshift.

I pulled off my headphones, my heart racing. “It’s fine. You didn’t have to stop on my account,” I replied.

His lips curved into a slight smile. “What do you usually do on weekends?”

“Go out.” Realizing how lame that sounded, I bit my tongue, feeling self-conscious, and rubbed my nose.

He chuckled. “Do I make you nervous?”

My heart skipped a beat. I was usually good at hiding that. How did he figure it out? I was probably acting like a nervous wreck.

“A little,” I admitted, trying to sound casual.

“I don’t bite, Ethan.” He paused. “What are your plans for today?”

“I’m playing tennis at three. Later tonight, I’m meeting a friend to go out.”