When the money’s spent and all my friends have vanished, and I can’t seem to find no help or love for free, I know there’s no need for me to panic.

When the money’s spent and all my friends have vanished, and I can’t seem to find no help or love for free, I know there’s no need for me to panic. by pinklipstiiick featuring long sleeve shirts

"Seb?" My voice broke the silence as I peeked my head out from over the couch, my lips curving into a smile as soon as my eyes met with my mans.

He couldn't help smiling too as he walked over to where I was laying, setting his hands on the back of the couch and bending over to kiss my pink lips. "Hi babe," He said quietly before walking around the couch and sitting next to me. "What were you doing?"

I lifted myself into a sitting position as I glanced at my kindle which was still on the page I was just reading. "I was reading," I answered and leaned into him, my hand reaching for his to wrap an arm around my shoulders as I set my head on his chest. "How was your date with Rob?"

He glanced down at me and the silly smirk on my lips, not even bothering to protest because he was used to all the silly jokes Erin and I made about the two guys. "It was okay," He answered in monotone, not bringing up the big news Erin broke to me earlier and the main reason why Rob had flown into Seattle, intent on telling Seb himself.

I didn't say anything for a moment, then pulled my head back to stare into his eyes to search them for any emotion. I swear, his poker face killed me. "Erin came over earlier..." I trailed off slowly, afraid to bring up his best friend proposing to his assistant in case he hadn't yet received the news.

"I see," He said simply, dismissing the subject once again by pulling away from me and getting up. "I'm going to get changed," He added and kissed me once more beforeheading to the bedroom.

I let out a sigh, making sure that it was quiet enough for him to miss. We hadn't fought much since coming to the new city, but our hours together were limited and maybe that was the reason. I mean, between living with Seb again and my new job? I was happy... I'd be happier if I saw him more often though. Dropping the Kindle onto the couch, I contemplated giving Seb his space while he digested everything Rob had told him but thought better of it and stood up, making my way up the stairs in the same direction he had just went. I pushed our bedroom door open and found his shoes discarded by the bed, along with the shirt he was wearing earlier. "Baby?" I called out just as he walked out of the bathroom, pulling a new tee over his head, it falling slowly to cover up his perfect stomach. My eyes took him in, meeting his just as his met mine. "You're not happy for them?"

"I am," He replied i the same monotone voice he used when he meant the opposite and was trying to hide how he truly felt.

I crossed my arms over my chest and kept staring at him, "Are you?"

"I just said that I was Aria," He said flatly this time. "I'm going to work on editing."

I grabbed his arm as he brushed past me, sliding my palm flat up his strong arm and letting my fingers find the back of his neck to cup it, "What's wrong? Talk to me."

He stopped in his tracks and shook his head, "Nothing's wrong." He answered quietly and looked down before making eye contact.

I cocked my head to the side as I kept staring at him, picking my next words carefully. "We both know you're lying," I said eventually.

He set his jaw, "I thought we already established that none of us lie instead." 

I shot him a glare and for a moment I thought about just going back over to the bed and sleeping. Instead I sighed, knowing that a nap wouldn't solve anything.. it'd just lead us right back to the same place. "Why are you so upset?" I asked, going straight to the point.

He stared at me for a long moment, considering the question. "I'll get over it.," He said finally, after it felt like an eternity had passed. 

My hand slid down his chest and stopped there as I took a step closer to him, "Talking to me won't kill you." I stared up at him, offering a small grin as I tried to make the moment lighter.

He shook his head once again, "I'm too tired babe."

I wrapped both arms around his waist and pressed my body against his as I looked up at him, "Can you at least not work tonight? You've been out all day..." 

He kissed my forehead, setting his hands on my hips to pull away gently and grab my hand. "Deal," He said simply as he led me outside the room and back to the staircase. 

Keeping a tight grasp on his hand, I followed him back down the stairs with our bodies not more than a few inches apart. I parted and then reclosed my lips, doing the same a few more times as I wondered whether to drop the conversation and have a silent night with Seb or to just bring it up. "Where'd you two go tonight?" I asked instead, silence never something I felt comfortable around. 

"Lark and then a dive bar next to it for drinks after dinner," He replied, his voice not giving anything away much like his expression.

He sat down on the couch first and pulled me half onto his lap, my legs sprawled out on the couch as my body relaxed against his. "Sounds like a good night," I looked up at him and smiled. "I made a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner."

"You need to take cooking classes," He said with a smile.

I laughed and then wrinkled my nose, shaking my head slightly, "I can think of better ways to spend my time... and I'm still a much better cook than you are."

"That's why I keep you around," His smile turned into a wide grin as he relaxed beside me, thankful that his friends were no longer the main topic. For now at least.

"When Erin takes time off, maybe I'll fill in for her," I joked, the look on his face dropping a little. "Hey! I'm joking, but would it really be so bad?" I poked him in the chest, knowing what a disaster it would really be. Erin was a saint to be able to handle working for Seb.... maybe he was afraid he'd lose her after the wedding.  

"Yes," He said in a tone that was as flat as honest. "No offense," He added.

I raised one eyebrow slowly, curious now why he thought so because I was a hard worker... Not that I had any desire to be his assistant, but still. "Why do you think so? Don't you believe in my skills?"

"No one can do Erin's job like she does," He said seriously as he set his head against the back of the couch, looking exhausted and anxious at the same time.

A small pout appeared on my lips, a fake one as I kept trying to put a smile on his gorgeous face, "I'm good at learning too."

"I could never talk to you like I do to her, it wouldn't be pretty for either of us," He sighed, letting me know that this was no joking matter to him.

I looked up at him and offered a smile, lifting my hand to cup his cheek and brush my thumb against his scruff, "Don't worry, I have no desire to be yelled at."

"Good," He replied simply, wrapping his arm around tighter around me instead. 

"Do you want to watch tv?" I asked, hating the silence even more since I knew he was in a bad mood. 

"No," He answered quietly as he tilted his head to let it rest on top of mine, getting lost in his thoughts instantly. 

I let out a small sigh and started drawing lines on his chest with the tip of my index finger, helping him relax while the silence made me tense up. "Did he ask you to be his best man?" I asked after not more than a minute.

"Yes," He said simply, knowing that more questions were about to come.

"What did you say?" I asked and then shrugged as soon as he raised one eyebrow at me, "I'm curious."

He ran his hand up and down my arm, "I said yes, of course." He paused and offered a small smirk, "Don't worry, you're invited too."

"I better be," I wrinkled my nose before smirking back at him, nestling my body even closer up against his.  

Silence fell between us once again, this time me being the one lost in a thought. If I'd ever met anyone even a little bit like Sebastian, it was Robert and the idea of him settling down and getting married? It was weird. I had no idea that him and Erin were back together, so where'd the idea of him proposing to her come from? "What are you thinking about?" Seb asked and I blinked, giving him a shrug of my shoulders.

"I'm thinking about how handsome you're going to look in a suit," I replied, tilting my head slightly to grin at him. I didn't want to tell him where my thoughts were, always cautious about mentioning the big M word. Marriage wasn't one of Seb's favorite topics. Marriage, family; the two words didn't fall into his itinerary and surprisingly, I was fine with that. I wanted to travel and see the world with this man by my side, I knew that kids didn't fit into what I wanted for myself.

He laughed quietly and kissed the top of my head, hugging my body against his, "You've seen me in a suit plenty of times."

"I know, but this is different," I replied, thinking of how weird it'd be to see Erin in a wedding dress. "You know what? I don't think I've ever seen Erin in a dress."

"Our premiere," He said simply, reminding me of the tiny blonde wrapped up in an emerald green dress.

"Right," I said, silently wondering what her wedding colors would be. Or what kind of wedding they would have. Erin was a lot like Seb in the sense that she was quiet, kept to herself and was an extremely hard worker... but Rob was out going and had a lot of friends. I'm sure that most of those friends were girls he'd slept with, but still. "I didn't even know that they were back together..."

He shrugged, "They were."

"Well, apparently!" I said back and my tone was one of a surprised person, not that only, I couldn't really understand them. "I wouldn't think they'd ever get married. They don't look like the kind of couple who gets married." 

He processed my words before muttering under his breath, "Welcome to the club." 

"Oh well, good for them," I shrugged it off, "If they're happy..."

"They're getting married because Erin was tired of his shenanigans. It's not like she really wanted to get married, but it's her way to keep him on the right road," He explained as if it made perfect sense and wasn't an awful way of looking at it. Which it really was. 

I widened my eyes a little, taken aback, "Did she say that?"

"No, Rob did," He shook his head and sighed, not seeing what a douche bag his friend could be. "They're basically signing a deal, there's nothing romantic about it."

I flashed him a grin before getting the chance to call his friend out, leaning my head against his shoulder and tilting it back to look at him, "Because you're all about romanticism right?" 

"Hilarious Aria," He said in monotone, rolling his eyes at my silliness.

"Hilarious is your friends outlook on marriage instead," I corrected him in a more serious tone. He shot me one of those looks, the kind telling me that he wish I'd drop the subject that was fast on its way to becoming an argument. "What? All I'm saying is that if someones getting married, then they should do it for the right reason... not because they're being tricked into it."

"I never said that Erin is tricking him," He replied quickly, defending either his friend or his assistant, I wasn't sure. 

"You didn't have to say it. There's nothing romantic about it, so she's just afraid he'll cheat on her or...?" I trailed off with an eyebrow raised, it sounding even worse as I said it out loud. I always knew that Rob was that kind of guy, but hearing Seb say it out loud like it was nothing? It kind of made me uneasy. He shrugged his shoulders for his response while I shook my head. "That sounds like tricking someone into marriage if you ask me."

"What's the big deal Ar?" He asked in a drained tone. 

"The big deal is why marry someone who you're afraid will cheat on you?" I asked, curious to hear his answer. "If someone is against marriage but they're afraid that the man they love will keep up his shenanigans as you called it, obviously those two aren't meant to be together."

"If you feel that way, then it's a good thing you don't make their decisions for them," He said sarcastically.

"If you feel that I'm wrong, please convince me on why your friend isn't the worlds biggest douche bag," I retorted in a calm voice.

He looked taken aback by my words and kept staring at me, the anger obvious in his eyes and almost making me regret saying it. Only almost. "You don't even know him," He said eventually.

"I don't and at this point I don't feel like knowing him either," I said harshly. 

He broke eye contact and set his jaw, his body now motionless beside mine, "Then you probably don't feel like going to their wedding either." 

I turned my body to face his, my eyes on him as he ignored me immaturely, "That's not what I said."

"You don't go to the wedding even though you think they're getting married for the wrong reasons," He said back, sounding both disappointed in me and angry too. "It'd be pretty hypocritical, don't you think?" He added as he finally looked at me, challenging me to say another thing that he wouldn't agree on just so we could spend the rest of the night fighting about it.

"I'd be going for Erin, not for what I believe in," I replied honestly while looking at him blankly and wondering when he stopped wanting to hear my opinion. "What about you? Do you think they're getting married for the right reason?"

"They're my friends," He said back, not answering my question.

"That's not what I said," I repeated, not sure how he couldn't see where I was coming from and how his friend looked so bad. I think he spent so much time 

comparing himself to his friend when really, they weren't that much alike. By now, Seb should have some what of an idea on how I felt about marriage and while I wasn't completely for it? If we were to one day get married, I'd want it to be for the right reasons... not because I was tired of his shenanigans. I couldn't help but wonder how Rob had even popped the question, or why if Erin didn't really want to get married, then why'd she say yes? "Do you think they're getting married for the right reason?"

"I heard you the first time," He said sharply. 

"Then answer," I said back stubbornly. 

"If they're getting married they must have good reasons, right?" He questioned even though his voice came out all in the same tone.

I snorted and rolled my eyes, "Don't deflect now Seb." 

He exhaled deeply from his nose, "I'm just saying that just because you don't think they have good reasons doesn't mean they really don't." He explained, not so calmly anymore, his voice low and his face straight. "Maybe their good reasons are right for them even if they're wrong for you."

"I want to know your opinion," I said back, not even blinking.

"Why does it matter? You already judged them without even knowing anything," He spat in a groan, lifting his arm from around me and leaning his elbows on his knees as he ran both hands through his hair in frustration.

"Since when don't you tell me your opinion? Or you don't want to hear mine?" I asked bitterly, hating where this conversation was going because won't we started it was always hard to stop... or worse, to fix. 

He snapped his head in my direction, staring at me coldly, "I heard your opinion loud and clear Aria."

"Are you sure you're listening? Because every time I ask you a question, you don't give me an answer," I pulled away and crossed my arms over my chest, giving him his space. 

"I swear it's like you want to argue."

I blinked again in confusion since he was the one who technically started the fight. I told him how I felt about the situation... if he didn't want to hear my opinion, then maybe he was right and I shouldn't go to the wedding. "Seriously?" I asked and shook my head slightly, "I don't agree with their choices, but it doesn't mean that I like them any less."

"No? It sounds that way," He stood up and I was sure it was just to put more distance between us. 

"Rob isn't a saint. You can ask any girl who knows him her opinion on him and I'm sure you'll get the same response, but that doesn't mean that I dislike him," I told him honestly. Maybe Erin deserved better, that wasn't my call. I liked spending time with the two of them, but was I Rob's biggest fan? No.

"Okay Aria," He said flatly, already tired of the conversation and I couldn't blame him for that. We were both too stubborn to ever agree on something we had such a different opinion about.

I raised one eyebrow at him, not believing that he was already willing to give up. Unless it was just an excuse to get back to work and away from me. "Okay? Where are you going Sebastian? Are you running away like always?"

He laughed bitterly and shook his head, "No, that's your thing." I didn't say anything but glared at him instead. "I already had a long day, it's better if I go to bed before I say something I might regret later."

"No," I spat as I got up, setting my hands on my hips since the last thing I wanted was to have him avoid me for the rest of the night. "You're not going anywhere until we're done fighting."

"Are we fighting? Because it's exactly what I'm trying to avoid," He groaned as he stared at me blankly.

"We are not fighting-"

"Yet," He cut me off and I glared again, only thing time he glared back.

I sighed, feeling exasperated, "We are just talking, arguing maybe, but that's what couples do Sebastian."

He stared at me for a long moment before setting his hand on the small of my back and leading me toward the kitchen. "Fine Aria, let's talk."

"Where are you taking me?" I raised one eyebrow slowly but followed his lead anyway.

He said nothing and dropped his hand along his side once we stepped into the room. "Sit," He ordered firmly, glancing at me as he opened the fridge to grab a bottle of wine, next reaching for two glasses and filling them. He took a seat across from me, the kitchens island separating us as we both took the first sip of wine. "So, you were saying how you don't like Robert," He said after swallowing.

"I said the opposite Sebastian," I kept glaring, annoyed by how little he listened to me sometimes. "As long as he's nice to me I have no problem with him."

He leaned his forearms against the flat surface, looking down at the clear liquid as he rolled the glass in his hands. "Don't worry Aria, if Erin's moving back to San Francisco with him I doubt we'd have many chances to spend time with him anyway," He said quietly.

I nodded my head slowly as I studied his expression, "Is that what you're worried about?"

"I'm not worried about anything Aria," He replied in another one of his flat tones, his face giving him away though. While I had no idea why he was acting the way he was from the start of this conversation, now it all made sense. He was afraid to lose his assistant, whether he'd ever admit it or not... This wasn't about his friends getting married and his outlook on the entire thing. 

"Are you afraid that Erin will quit to live in San Francisco?" I tried again and stared at him more seriously, wishing he'd open up more since I hated having to pry things out of him. It was probably one of the main reasons we argued and it made me feel like one of those nagging girlfriends I'd always promised I wouldn't become. There was just something about this man that made me go crazy, he made me vulnerable.  

"It's a possibility, but no, I'm not afraid." 

I took another sip of the wine and swallowed, running my tongue over my top lip as I saw where this conversation was headed: nowhere. I didn't know whether to give up or keep pushing, afraid that I'd eventually push him away. "Then why are you acting like this?" I asked with my gaze still on him, our moods jumping all over the place and it was starting to exhaust me. 

He blinked as he stared back, looking confused for a moment, "Acting like how?"

I shrugged because I wasn't even sure how to word it myself, "I can't tell. You say that you're happy for your friends, yet you're acting the opposite."

"I'm acting as if I'm not happy for them?" He asked back and looked confused for a moment. 

"Yes..." I trailed off and shrugged, "Kind of."

He shook his head, "As I said before, if this is what they want and need, I'm happy for them." He paused and took a sip of wine, noticing how I was staring at him in silence, waiting for him to go on. "What worries me is that Erin could throw her career away and I'd end up firing a neverending number of assistants, wasting a lot of time too."

I raised one eyebrow at him, "Throw her career away?" 

"I make her work hard, but no one treats their assistants like I treat her," He said with frustration in his tone. "She couldn't have a better boss than me."

"Always so modest baby," I offered a small smile. "I think you feel like this because she's your friend too."

He pursed his lips together and seemed to digest my words, never one to admit that he mixed his personal life with business. "Maybe," He admitted quietly as he stared back at his wine, lost in his thoughts. 

I stared at him without saying another word, wondering what he was thinking and why their was an array of emotions on his handsome face. "Where are your thoughts right now?" I asked quietly, leaning closer to him with my eyes still studying his hard expression. 

His eyes flicked up to meet mine for a second until he shrugged and looked back down at his glass, throwing the rest of its contents down his throat and then reaching for the bottle to pour more. I shook my head when he motioned the bottle towards me, my glass only a little more than halfway full. "I'm wondering if we're done arguing," He replied in a tone giving nothing away. It was like he had perfected the art of hiding every emotion possible, both through his expressions and through his voice. 

"I'm not trying to argue with you Seb," I said honestly. "I just want you to open up to me and tell me why you're acting upset."

"You're sounding like a broken record now," He sighed and took another sip, silence in the room as he swallowed. "I'm not upset, worried yes, but not upset."

"You don't think Erin's going to really quit to become a stay at home wife, do you?" I grinned at the idea, even trying to picture her with kids... I couldn't. Plus I had the feeling that Rob didn't want children either. 

"That's not what I said," He retorted, not sounding amused by my joke or how I was finding a funny side to all of this. What was new? 

"I didn't say you did," I leaned further into him and shrugged casually. 

He stared at me as he took another sip of wine, taking his time, "I don't think she could ever become a stay at home wife, it's obvious."

"I can't really help you feel better if you keep deflecting Seb," I sighed as my playful face turned into a more serious one. 

"Had you ever thought you would've end up flying through three states to follow me?" He asked seriously, the question surprising me since it seemed so random. 

I parted my lips, taken aback as I blinked my eyes at him, "No...I guess." 

"But you did," He said as he reached for my hand, lifting it to his lips to kiss its palm. "And Erin could do too, mostly because San Francisco is where her home is."

I parted my lips, wanting to tell him that she'd never leave her job since she felt the exact way about Seb that he did with her. Somehow throughout the years, they'd become friends... almost like family. I couldn't reassure him though, I knew what love was capable of and how it changed people. I mean, I up and packed to come to Seattle didn't I? "We'll figure it out together," I offered instead, giving him a small smile and squeezing his hand.

He sighed and nodded his head, "Yeah."

"All we can do now is be happy for them," I added and let the silence consume us. Neither of us knew what to say or how to handle this. "Do you think they'll have kids?" I asked after a moment, still unable to imagine tiny Erin birthing a child... or Rob changing a diaper.

"Honestly? I never imagined they'd get this far," Seb admitted and I nodded.

"I wonder if they'd hire someone to change diapers," I grinned.

He stared at me blankly, looking desperate to change the subject. I wasn't sure where Seb thought my opinion on children stood, but I knew where his was and that was all that mattered. "I hope they never have a baby," He said back seriously.

"Why?" I furrowed my eyebrows, not surprised but curious anyway.

"Because they'd probably hire someone to change diapers and it'd be bad," He answered and made a face, then sighed before getting up 

"I don't know from experience but changing diapers is never good," I joked as I smirked at him, my eyes following his flawless body.

He walked around the kitchen island and set his hands on my neck before moving them to my jaw and tilting my head back in his direction to kiss my lips softly. "If you want to have that experience my sister's kid should be available soon."

"Available soon?" I raised an eyebrow with a smile on my lips, a result in his sweet kiss. "Is she planning on renting them out?"

He sighed again but smiled back at me ever so slightly, "You're a real comedian tonight."

"Are they going to visit us?" I asked more seriously, thinking about how the last time I spoke with his sister was when we were at her house for dinner. That night hadn't really ended well and I'm sure she could sense the tension between Seb and I. 

He shrugged, "You tell me. You're the one so close to her." I rolled my eyes playfully, "They should come visit us. The girls would love Seattle. I could take them to the children's museum or Planet Happy Kids." 

He grinned at my words, "Take a breath and remember that Haylie's not really capable of doing anything but cry and go to the bathroom in her diaper."

I stared at him for a moment before laughing, "Then I'll take Julia out and leave you at home with your sister and Haylie."

"Yeah sure, it sounds like a nightmare," He groaned, corking the wine bottle again and putting it in the fridge before grabbing a bottle of water instead. "I'd never trust myself with kids." 

"Your sister would be with you," I pointed out with a smirk, just teasing him since I knew that kids were one of the few things that actually terrified him. "Haylie would be safe."

He shook his head as he stretched an arm toward me, "Still not happening, you're forgetting an important detail." He said quietly as He waited for me to grab his hand and slide off the stool.

I raised one eyebrow slowly as I looked up at him, "What?"

"I'm Julia's fave," He shot me a small smirk as he lifted our locked hands and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him gently as we walked back to the bedroom.

I smirked back at Seb, "Then maybe we should leave you with her and your sister and I could talk behind your back while taking a walk with the tiny cutie."

He shook his head again, looking almost mortified at the idea of being left alone with a child, "I wouldn't survive."