Alone
You and Sebastian had gone back to work the following week once his parents returned home. You felt really comfortable with them by the time they left. They were such nice, open, loving people. You started to believe that if you and Sebastian decided to have a baby before getting married or to not get married at all, they would accept whatever the two of you chose to do.
Over the next month came full blown fall. Crisp, cool air, crunchy leaves, hot drinks of all kinds and lots of hanging by the backyard fire with the gang and wearing fleece lined leggings, oversized sweaters, jackets, boots and slouchy beanies. Your favorite thing was sitting in Sebastian's lap by the fire, him holding you close while you soaked up his warmth and the heat of the fire, surrounded by your friends.
You had been to all your follow up appointments for your surgery and got the green light to try to conceive again, but you and Sebastian decided you'd wait a couple weeks and talk about it again. When those two weeks were up, he was preparing for a three day business trip to California the next morning to meet with a large company who was a potential client.
You stood at the foot of the bed near him while he started packing, his back to you. He got a handful of socks from his dresser and pivoted, placing them in the empty suitcase on the bed. As soon as he turned back to grab underwear, you snatched the socks out of the suitcase and waited for him to turn back to put the underwear in the suitcase. Once he did, you quickly threw the socks back in the drawer. He paused when he saw the socks were missing, undies in hand and turned to face you, cocking an eyebrow.
You frowned, "I don't want you to go."
He chuckled, "It's only a few days, doll." He put the underwear in the suitcase and turned back for the socks again, gathering them into his hands, one pair at a time, since your tossing them spread them all over inside the drawer. "Besides, the more I do, the higher up I'll go and the more money I'll make for us."
You grabbed all the underwear and shoved them up under your shirt, holding the hem against your body to keep them in, "I don't want money."
He turned, finding the underwear now missing and he looked back in the drawer, not finding them there either, his eyes narrowed as you continued, "I want you to stay home."
This would be the first time the two of you would be apart for more than a few hours since you got together and you had slept next to him every night since then. He had become a sort of security blanket to you.
He dropped the socks in the suitcase and faced you again. He laughed at the little lumpy bump of underwear under your shirt at the belly. His face softened and then a small smile crept back onto it, imagining you pregnant. He gently removed your hands from the bottom of your shirt, reaching up to grab all the underwear and tossing them in the suitcase.
He took both your hands in his and looked at you lovingly, "Look, I'm gonna really miss you too, honey. But, if we're gonna have a baby anytime soon, I want to be able to take care of you and our child the best that I can. I wanna spoil the shit outta you." You giggled a little as he smiled and continued, "And I want our child to want for nothing." You nodded, looking at your hands in his and he continued, "And, if you'd like,", he tilted your chin up, "we can start trying when I come back..."
Your heart swelled and your face lit up, "You're ready?"
He kissed your nose, "Only if you are."
You nodded, beaming, "Yes, I'm ready."
The next morning, you and Chris drove him to the airport. His flight was pretty early, so you and Chris would be to work on time with no problems.
You all said your goodbyes before he went through security. He hugged you tightly and gave you a soft, deliberate kiss and then held you close, your head against his chest, his cheek on your head. You breathed in his scent deeply while he spoke, "I'm gonna miss you, baby doll."
You pulled back and nodded, your face reflecting a longing already, "I'll miss you too, honey."
"I'll call you when I get in and each night, okay? I love you."
"I love you too, Sebby."
He smiled and kissed your lips again, giving your lower belly a single light stroke with the knuckles of his curled fingers to silently remind you of what was to come when he returned. It gave you butterflies. He went to Chris and they exchanged one of their rough hugs with all the back slapping. You never understood how guys endured such brutal hugs; they looked like they stung like a son of a bitch, like a belly flop. He stepped back from Chris and looked him square in the eye, his face serious, "Take care of my girl."
Chris pulled up one corner of his mouth, his hand in his jacket pockets, "I promise, bro. See you soon."
Sebastian kissed your forehead and stroked your cheek, "I'll be home before you know it, baby."
"Okay.", you forced a smile as he turned and walked away.
You both waved to him once he got in the security line and then you headed back to the car.
You sighed heavily once you got to the parking lot.
"You okay, hon?", Chris asked.
"I need a crappy, junky, fast food breakfast. A couple breakfast burritos and like, three greasy hash brown patties."
He chuckled, "You got it." Chris was feeling a little anxious about being with you for three days without Sebastian around, though he hid it well. He knew you wouldn't want to be in the house by yourself having become accustomed to Sebastian being there with you... Especially overnight.
He went through the drive thru and ordered you both a big bag of food and two large coffees and drove to the office. He spoke while you were already ripping into a burrito, "If you need anything while Seb is gone, let me know, okay? I'll stay at the house until he gets back. Maybe we could have Sharon over and have a slumber party." He shrugged, "I might even let you paint my nails."
You laughed and mumbled through your food, "Okay. Thanks, Chris." It's not like you could cuddle him in Sebastian's absence and you definitely couldn't sleep in the same bed with him, so you weren't sure what he could offer other than company, but you appreciated the offer he made... And you would totally paint his nails if he let you.
Work was weird that day, even though you and Sebastian didn't even work in the same department, it felt like you were missing a limb... Or a wonderfully affectionate two hundred pound parasite with arms and legs... And amazing hands... And lips... And tongue...
"(Y/N),", Pepper came out of her office and startled you out of your sexy thoughts, causing you to turn quickly towards her, knocking your coffee all over your desk and lap.
"Shit!", you hissed, rolling back in your chair quickly, your hands up as Pepper exclaimed.
"Oh my God, are you okay? I didn't mean to startle you.", she uprighted the cup quickly.
"I'm fine, thanks." You cursed under your breath again and rolled the chair forward, reaching in your desk drawer for some wipes. Luckily, the cup was only half full, not scalding anymore, your desk was void of files and papers at the moment and you were wearing black slacks. "What's up?", you asked as you swiped at the desk surface.
"I need you to get these budgets typed up and down to development, testing, and engineering.", she handed you three folders. "And I need a meeting set up with these guys." She handed you another folder, "Whenever I'm available, but no sooner than a week from now."
"You got it, Chief.", you smiled at her, dabbing at your pants with a wipe.
She chuckled, "Do you need to go change?"
You shook your head, "Nah, it'll dry and maybe the smell will keep me awake all day, now that my coffee's gone."
She laughed, "Go get another coffee from the break room, those aren't that much of a rush anyway." She gestured at the folders she just gave you.
"Okay, thanks."
Sebastian called your work line once he landed. He let you know that he was still on the plane and that he had to go get to his hotel and then over to meet with the potential client. It was a quick call, but he said he would call again that night.
You went to lunch with Chris and that night, he had invited Sharon over, but she had to work an overnight shift. Sebastian called you right after dinner.
"Hi, honey!", you answered excitedly.
"Hey, baby doll." You could hear that he was smiling.
"You're calling to say you're coming home now, right?"
He laughed, "No, but soon. How's it going? You taking care of that sexy little baby oven of a body for me?"
You giggled, "Yeah. Though I fed it breakfast burritos and hash browns this morning."
"Nice.", he paused. "I miss you."
"I miss you too, Sebby... I hope I can sleep tonight.", you said, a little sad. "I'm so used to having you by my side."
"You can get one of my shirts, baby."
"Can I also sleep with one of your pillows?"
He chortled, "God, you're adorable. Of course." You made him feel so loved.
"Thank you! How's business going?"
"Really well. I think we got this one. If I can get them onboard, sooner rather than later, I might actually get to come home early."
You squeaked quietly, beaming, "That would be so great! Go get 'em, baby!"
"That's the plan!", he chuckled.
You talked for a few more minutes and said your goodbyes. You really hoped he could close that deal and get home fast.
You and Chris settled in to watch a movie in the living room, a bowl of popcorn between you. The only light, being one of the dim tabletop lamps on one of the end tables. About fifteen minutes into the movie, he turned to you. "(Y/N)?"
Your eyebrows raised expectantly when you looked to him, "Yeah?"
He felt a little weird about what he was going to ask, but, it seemed like one of the very few appropriate ways to be closer to you right now, "Can I braid your hair?"
You scoffed out a laugh and smiled warmly, "You know how to braid?"
"Well, yeah. My sister taught me when we were younger and since then I've just done it for whoever would let me so I wouldn't forget how. I really like to do it."
'Especially for someone I love.', he thought.
"That's cool.", you smiled. "Yeah. Let's do it! How fun!"
He smiled and scooted to the edge of the cushion, planted his feet on the floor, his knees apart. You stood, pulled the hair elastic out of your hair and put it on your wrist, since you had it in a messy bun. You then combed through your hair with your fingers to smooth it out. You sat between his legs on the floor, leaning your back against the front of the couch, his knees lightly touching your shoulders. You started watching the movie again.
He had the urge to lay his hands on either side of your neck, underneath your hair and softly stroke his thumbs on the back of your neck, but he pushed the idea aside.
When his fingers raked through your hair gently, you closed your eyes for a beat. You loved it when people played with or did your hair; it was so relaxing. You had had many a friend or relative do the same thing, but something started stirring inside you at his light, careful touch. You felt a warmth in your stomach, your breath increased very slightly and you found your eyes blinking more slowly, relaxing at his fingertips.
It was probably the most comfortable the two of you had been around each other since you and Sebastian became an item. As much as you didn't want to admit it, being with one of them definitely threw a wrench into the dynamic you all used to have. It broke your heart a little. You still missed the way things used to be with Chris; that longing may never go away, sadly. You still found him attractive as well, so it made sense that your body was reacting the way it was. But, you felt relaxed and comfortable, enjoying the time with your friend.
His touch continued to be slow and gentle as he dragged a fingertip against your scalp each time he sectioned off a chunk of hair to add the braid. He could've put you to sleep that way, and damn near did. He took his time, savoring being able to touch you and glide his fingers through your soft hair in an intimate, but acceptable way, without feeling guilty or unsure about it.
When he was finished, he put a hand in front of you in a silent gesture asking for the elastic. You handed it to him and he tied off the end of the braid, and put his hands on either side of your arms, "All done.", he smiled slightly.
You tilted your head back, looking up at him, your eyelids heavy, a soft smile on your face, "Thank you. That felt so good."
Now his breath was increasing slightly. 'Kiss her!', his head was screaming at him. His smiled spread a bit more, "You're welcome, sweetheart." No matter how badly he wanted to kiss you, he couldn't. You were both spoken for.
You stood, grabbed a blanket off the couch arm, sat next to him on the couch and spread the blanket over your legs and pulling your hands into the long sleeves of your oversized sweater. You were close to him, but not close enough to cuddle. You remember laying down at some point, your head away from him on the other end of the couch and your legs curled up into you. Then you got really sleepy.
You woke in the middle of the night half on your stomach, with your cheek on the couch cushion. The rest of you stretched down the length of the couch, your bottom leg ending between Chris's side and arm. He was sleeping on his back, a throw pillow under his head, one leg stretched out down the front of you. He was holding your foot and calf like a teddy bear. His other foot was planted on the floor, knee bent and leaning against the couch with your top leg draped over both his thighs. The DVD you had watched was just playing the menu over and over.
Shit. You both had to work in a few hours; you needed alarm clocks and to sleep in your beds. "Chris...", you croaked out quietly.
"Mmh?", He made a small noise as you started to sit up and pull your legs off him. He stirred slightly when you did.
"Chris.", you said a little louder.
"What?", he mumbled, opening his eyes.
You sat up and stood, "We need to go to bed."
He looked up at you sleepily and grinned, his inhibitions clouded by not being fully awake, "Mine or yours?"
"Chris.", you scolded gently, playfully shoving your knee against his leg. "You go to your bed. I'll go to mine." You offered him a hand, which he took, even though you weren't much help getting him up, he was too much muscle for you to lift.
He shut off the TV and player, you clicked the lamp off and the two of you shuffled around the love seat in the near dark to head to your rooms. In the haze of his sleepiness, he really wanted to smack your cute little ass as you walked in front of him. But, unlike his flirtation just a few moments earlier, he had a little more sense about him now.