Husband With Benefits
Chapter 434: From Bad to Worse.

Chapter 434: From Bad to Worse.

Seb drove to his place in a mood that was even worst off from when he had dropped his date for tonight. ’SHE’ kept appearing on the fringes of his memory. And it was his own darn fault. First he’d gone ahead and slept with her, knocking over the pandora’s box. It wasn’t enough that it had loosened, after Mrs B’s death, he should have backed off, instead of sticking by her. He had no one to blame but himself for creating new memories to torture himself with. If he had the strength to back away, then he would not be tormented my memoried now.

He’d been with so many women in the past few years, but did he remember anything about their bodies? No. And yet, here he was, always thinking of the way her body had changed from all those years ago... her image was seared into his brain, every curve-she’d filled up a bit, every scar- old and new, every imperfection etched into his mind.

He needed to let go of her the way he had done in the past. But that stu*idly Frost part of him wouldn’t let go of her. And this was worse. At least in the past, he’d been able to forget her by drinking and fuc*ing. But now neither the alcohol nor the dating was working. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at another woman... Maybe he should take a vacation as well. A chane of place and pace might help him.

As he weighed his options and pulled up to his house. A glance towards the gate, had his heart skipp a beat. There she stood, bathed in the soft glow of the streetlamp. His breath caught in his throat, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within him. Why was Olivia here? And so out of the blue. It was very much unlike her...

Seb’s hands gripped the steering wheel with a tightness that matched the knots in his stomach. The streetlights blurred past him as he drove, his mind consumed not by the evening he just had, but by memories of a past he couldn’t shake off.

He pulled up to his house, the tires crunching on the gravel of his driveway. As he glanced towards his gate, his heart skipped a beat. There she stood, his ex-girlfriend, bathed in the soft glow of the streetlamp. His breath caught in his throat, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within him.

Without thinking, he hurriedly stepped out of the car, even as his movements were heavy with uncertainty. He approached her cautiously, the gravel shifting under his shoes. She tensed slightly as he drew nearer, and the vulnerabilit in her eyes tugged at him.

"Hey," he called out softly.

Her gaze met his, and for a moment, he saw the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. Then, she nodded, a small, hesitant smile on her face. "Hey," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Shaking his head at the awkwardness, he reminded himself that he had promised Mrs B to let go of the past. Promised himself to treat her as an old friend. The way Lucy and the others treated her. Covering the distance between them, he leaned down and kissed her cheek casually," How are you doing? I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Come on in."

Olivia watched him walk forward as she slowly followed him. He’d been with a woman. The knowledge was like a knife to her gut, though she did not know why. She knew Seb. She knew how he thrived on the physical release. So she shouldn’t have been hurt. So what if he smelt of a woman’s perfume and there was a lipstick mark on his neck and jaw? At least he had come home alone. She’d been fearing that she would have to witness a scene with him and another woman coming home, already kissing each other. She’d been spared that.

As she stepped into the house, she couldn’t help but feel awe at the sheer organized space. It was not what she expected from Seb. "Wow, your place is... immaculate."

Seb grinned and quipped," I can hear the surprise in your voice. You’re wondering how a slob like me has such a clean place. You’d have thought I live in a pigsty. I have gnomes who come to clean this place the moment I go to sleep. "

Olivia chuckled at that as she took the glass of water he offered and sat down gingerly on the couch. " I dare not call you a slob... but you are a bit unorganized..."

"I know that. You should see my bedroom." Seb murmured, causing the atmosphere to shift. He grimaced. He’d gone and ruined the casual mood himself as he watched her sip the water.

"So, Miss Olivia Brown, what brings you here?"

He watched as she placed a small bag on the coffee table, her movements hesitant and uncertain.

"Um, Olivia," he began again, his voice tentative. "Is everything okay?"

She glanced up at him briefly, her expression unreadable, before looking away again. "Yeah, everything’s fine," she replied, her tone forced and strained.

Seb frowned, sensing that something was amiss, but before he could press further, Olivia spoke up, her voice soft and trembling. "I... I wanted to thank you," she said, her words came out in a rush. "For... for everything. For being there for me when my mom passed away, for... for being a friend when I needed one the most."

"I didn’t do much, Livi. There is no need for this." Seb answered quietly.

Olivia shook her head, a sad smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "No, Seb, you did enough," she said softly. "And... and I wanted to give you this." She pointed to the small bag on the table.

"It is a photo album of all of us from childhood. My mom... she kept this as precious memories. She would have wanted you to have it."

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