Episode 609: Mean

Sebastian shrugged off his jacket and threw it with such frustration that it missed the hook near the door and heavily slapped the floor.

Evidently, it had slapped Shelby as well. The cat gave a startled meow and shot out from under his jacket. Avalon caught her and lifted the cat up into her arms. She cuddled and petted Shelby back to her usual sweetly purring self. If only it would be that easy to cure what ailed him, Sebastian thought as he watched her soothe the cat. If she cuddled and petted him at this moment he wasn’t sure he’d feel anything other than guilt. There were a couple giant lies between them and more than ever he wanted to tell her the truth, but more than ever, he didn’t feel like he should.

"You really frightened her," Ava said, though she looked more concerned for him than for the cat. The last thing he needed to feel from her now. It only made him feel worse.

"Sorry, Shelby," Bas said, giving the animal a brief rub between her ears before he stopped away from her and Ava. He crossed the foyer and properly hung up his jacket. "I didn’t mean to scare her."

"I know. You didn’t even see her there. She’s okay, that’s all that matters. And you being okay, that matters, too. Are you okay?"

Bas faced her as best he could. "I’m fine."

Avalon gently set Shelby on the floor and walked over to Bas. She still looked concerned. She rubbed one of his arms. "For someone who so wanted to reconcile with his parents you sure were subdued tonight."

"You weren’t exactly the life of the party either."

"Your father doesn’t put me in a partying mood."

"Neither does your anniversary of losing Xavier," Bas pointed out with no small amount of venom. It had been a major relationship of Ava’s life. It was no wonder it made her sad to think about it. It was no wonder it made him feel insecure. Still, he hadn’t meant to confront her with it, to give the past so much power. He wasn’t really upset with her. He was upset with himself.

Episode 610: Things