(nah he pulled back)
Sebastian shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them from touching her and unbalancing the slow calming process that was taking place. "Hey, that guy's gone, okay? He's gone. He's not going to call to you anymore."
Heal This Broken Heart [Private // Closed]
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(Good choice. Devon would probably have flinched away, then felt bad because she would think she'd offended him.)
"I know… I know, but it's hard… I just– A lot of things have happened, and… It's hard to explain, so–" Devon clamped her mouth shut as she started to apologize again. It was a habit of hers; she apologized for every little thing. "I'm just a mess…"
(yeah I figured)
"You don't have to explain anything to me, Devon, you got that? You don't have to apologize, you don't have to explain. Just–" He chewed his lip, wishing more than anything in the world that he could somehow comfort her. "Tell me what you want me to do. How can I help you right now?"
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Devon shook her head slowly. "Just… Stay with me… I don't think I can be alone right now," she whispered, moving to to sit against the wall of a building they stood beside.
“I’ll be here with you for as long as you want me to,” he promised quickly, sincerely.
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Devon slowly nodded as she sat down and pulled her legs to her chest. "Thank you…" she whispered, burying her face in her knees.
Sebastian crouched next to her, craning his head to meet her eyes. “It’s okay, you know that right? You’re okay. You’re okay. It’s going to be okay.”
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"I know… I just… need a moment to calm down," Devon said softly, hugging her legs tightly.
He hesitated, before nodding. “What do you want from me right now? Do you want me to give you space? Or comfort? I’m fine with either.”
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"Space would be nice… Or comfort… Or…" Devon sighed, tightening her arms. "I don't know."
“How about…” Sebastian bit his lip. “How about we get you some water, hm? I could take you home, you should rest.”
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"Water sounds good," Devon agreed softly, nodding as she looked back up. "But I still have to work… They need my help…"
Sebastian shook his head firmly. “Call in sick. Come on, Devon, don’t do this to yourself. Rest.”
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"But… We're understaffed," Devon argued weakly, chewing on her lip. She really didn't want to go back to work, but she also didn't want it just ditch them and go home…
“Well, they’ll just have to figure it out.” He paused. “And you don’t even have to lie or anything… tell them you had a really bad panic attack, you feel like you’re going to throw up, can’t come to work yet.”
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Devon sighed and rested her chin on her knees. "Okay… I probably should… But I still feel bad about it."
“Don’t. You’re taking care of yourself. You come first, right?” He stood, straightening his back. “Ready to go, or do you want to stay here a little longer?”
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Devon nodded slowly as he spoke and looked up at him when he stood. "I think I'm okay now. We can go," she said as she uncurled and pushed herself to her feet. "Thank you, again."
“There’s no need to thank me,” Sebastian told her softly, keeping his hands shoved carefully into his pockets.
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"I have a lot of reasons to thank you, but you might never understand all of them," Devon said softly, keeping her gaze trained past him as she spoke, her cheeks heating up slightly.
Sebastian shrugged loosely, though his mind raced to comprehend her meaning. “And I don’t have to understand them. Not until you want me to.”
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Devon looked over and smiled at him. That was one of the reasons she was thankful for him: he didn't push her to talk or explain anything.
"I left some of my things at work, so I guess we should head over and pick them up," she mused. "Then I can tell them that I can't work."
Sebastian nodded, returning her smile warmly. God, I’m sorry for whatever she went through… if it’s what I think it is.. god, that’d be awful. “Good idea.”
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Devon nodded once before she started to walk. He was one of the only guys she actually trusted, and that was saying something. Her list of trusted guys didn't really extend to outside of her family…
After a few more uneventful minutes of walking, they arrived back at the cafe. Sebastian held open the door for Devon, smiling down at her.
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Devon gave him a quick smile in return as she stepped through the door. With a sigh, she headed over to the counter and explained the situation — in as little detail as possible — to her coworkers. They assured her that it was okay — they could handle the rest of the day without her, they were sure — and that she should definitely go home.
She thanked them a few times before heading to the back to get her things. Her eyes landed on the present from Sebastian, and she smiled softly as she picked it up. It was very kind of him to bring it for her, and the way he had handled the situation from earlier just made her glad they'd gotten to know each other.
After she had the rest of her things, Devon stepped back out and walked over to Sebastian. "All right, I've got everything. I'm ready to go."
Sebastian offered her a comforting smile. “Great. Where’s your car parked?” he asked, holding open the door for her.
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"It's just down the street," Devon said, nodding toward it before she started to head that way.
Sebastian fell into step with her, eyes flickering over her facial expression to gauge how composed she was. “Feeling better now?”
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Devon nodded slowly, her grip on her purse tightening for a moment. She took a deep breath and loosened it. "Yeah, I'm okay now, I think."