Page 35 of When We Ignite

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The drive ended in the basement parking of a high-rise. He led me through a private elevator and the kitchen of a restaurant, emerging into a separate dining room set up with a single table and a terrace overlooking the city. Soft music played in the background, and a server stood ready.

I sat down, suddenly feeling awkward and out of place.

Sebastian ordered a whiskey and looked at me expectantly. “Anything for you?”

I shook my head, and the server left. Sebastian leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he studied me.

“You hate it,” he said.

“What? No. I don’t,” I lied, and his knowing nod made my face heat up.

“Is it being here with me, or is it the place?”

I sighed, glancing around. He’d obviously gone to a lot of trouble, but it felt…too much. Too adult. Too polished.

“It’s fine,” I said, waving it off.

He leaned back, lifting his brow. “A little bit of both?”

I hesitated before admitting. “It’s just…uncomfortable. I’m sorry. This whole thing is already hard, and this place feels like...” I trailed off, unsure how to articulate it. “I just feel really out of place.”

The server returned with his drink as Sebastian nodded thoughtfully.

Sebastian turned to him. “Could you help us with something? We’d like to move out to the terrace. Could we just move a couple of chairs and whatever table you have? It doesn’t have to be big.”

My face burned hotter. “It’s fine, really,” I protested.

He ignored me, smiling at the server as they worked to rearrange everything outside. When it was ready, he waved me over, and I followed him into the cool night air. The terrace overlooked the city, the sounds and breeze replacing the soft jazz from inside.

Sebastian poured me a glass of wine himself, then lit a cigarette. He smiled as I settled beside him.

“Is this better?”

“Yeah,” I admitted, my shoulders relaxing. “This is better.”

We sat in silence for a while, the glow of the city lights painting everything in gold and silver. I took out my vape, and we smoked quietly together.

Sebastian liked calling the shots. I knew this about him, but he also did things like this—being the provider, taking care of people. It felt odd being in this role. I was used to being the one asking a girl out, paying the bill, doing the whole dance. I never imagined being on this side of things. Sebastian made it even more pronounced—handling everything, picking me up, the gifts.

“Are you normally like this?” I asked after a while, breaking the silence.

“Like what?” He seemed genuinely curious.

“This…role you play.”

The corners of his lips turned upward. “I wouldn’t call it a role. It’s just the way I am.”

I nodded. That tracked.

“You do bring it out in me even more,” he added after a moment, taking a drag.

“Why?”

“Maybe the age difference.”

“I thought you were used to that,” I quipped, smirking.