the moment the mysterious girl smiles as she, too, seems to have recognized him, sebastianโs world stutters. he forgets how to breathe, his heart swelling with a strange combination of disbelief and happiness. he doesnโt even know her name, thought heโd never see her again and here they are. two worlds colliding. their eyes lock and heโs certain hers are drawing him in, casting yet another spell. whatever sheโs doing, itโs working, making his heart thump and palms grow clammy with nerves and excitement. her smile lingers, and he canโt tell if itโs an invitation or a warning. probably both. she spins around and something inside sebastianโs chest tightens. is she leaving already? did she not notice him? she must have! so what is she doing? she doesnโt seem like the type to try and lure him out of the crowd just to meet him in some secluded place, beneath the pier or at a lonely lifeguard post just toโฆ no. no way. something reckless and stupid has him walking towards her, fear clawing at his throat because what if he loses sight of her in the crowd? what if heโll never see her again? โjackson!โ he calls out to his friend, โiโll be right back.โ his friend doesnโt seem to mind, giving him a thumbs up before refocusing on the blonde with whom heโs been flirting. โfuck,โ sebastian cusses under his breath, realizing the dark-haired girl has disappeared into the crowd. he pushes past different people, frantically trying to spot this one familiar face in the ocean of strangers. he continues to stride forward, shoulders bumping, someone yelling at him to watch where heโs going, but every beat of his heart is tethered to the swing of her curls ahead of him. he doesnโt let her out of sight when he finally does find her again. she walks like itโs all a game, a dare, like she wants to see how far heโs willing to go for her, and part of sebastian wants her to know the answer is โ as far as she wants him to. to the edge of the world.
