Sometime Last Week - London

While I don't usually feel like I owe anyone an explanation for why I do what I do, there are exceptions to that rule.  If what I do affects others close to me, then clearly they deserve something, right?  Lucy Wylde and I have hit it off famously.  We enjoy each other a great deal but we haven't yet exactly gone public with this new relationship.  Seb is owed a coming out moment and I've been a little hesitant to do so.  Something tells me he'll be less than enthusiastic about the whole thing.

Why?

He's very close to both of us.  He knows us probably better in some ways than we know ourselves.  And at the end of the day, Lucy and I probably don't grow as close as we are now without his invitation to the Arizona desert.  Her and I spent loads of time together that week and loads more since.

”He should be here soon,” I said to Lucy from a corner booth in a small, out of the way eatery in London.

The trip was kind of impromptu.  I had some XWF business pop up and knowing Sebastian was in London, it felt like there was no time but the present to show ourselves to him.

”What do you think he'll think?” Lucy wondered as we sipped on a couple of drinks.

”I don't know,” I replied honestly.  ”I just hope he sees what I see.”

”...And what do you see?” she prodded me playfully.

”A wonderful,” I began as I threw my arm around her and kissed her cheek.  ”Gorgeous,” another kiss on the cheek.  ”Beautiful,” one on the lips.  ”Smokin’ hot,” She smiled before I kissed her again.  ”Incredibly caring sexy woman… in mind, body and soul, that currently has me wrapped around her little finger,” I said before another kiss.

”What in the bloody hell?  Did you find a woman at the–” Seb shouted as he interrupted us at the table, but when the two of us looked up and the realization settled in… ”Lucy, what are you even doing…”  Seb’s voice trailed off as his eyes darted back and forth between us.

”Wait, what are you doing kissing him?!” he asked Lucy before turning his attention towards me, the gears in his head turning as he continued his unanswered challenges. ”And what are YOU doing kissing HER?!”

He stopped for just a second.

”And WHAT–” Seb began what I’m sure we both assumed would be another barrage of questions, but instead he sighed, shrugged his shoulders and let himself drop down into the booth across from us. ”I don’t know, that’s all I’ve got.”

I opened my mouth to begin, but again our BFF interrupted.

”I mean.. Really?  Really?!  This is how I find out?  A bit uncouth, wouldn’t you agree?  I expect this from you,” he motioned at Lucy, and then turned his gaze at me. ”But you?”

I shrugged my shoulders in response.

”We've been wanting to get us all together to talk about this,” I began.

”You're our best friend,” Lucy chimed in.  ”We weren’t trying to keep you in the dark about this.”

”H-how in the world did this happen?” Seb asked as he tried to make sense of it all in his head.

”Well, when a man and a woman…”

”I don't mean that!” Seb interrupted with a shake of his head.  After a few seconds of thought, I swore I saw his face turn a bright shade of green.  ”Oh bloody hell, I wasn't even thinking about that part!”

”You are now,” I joked.

”No thanks to you!” Seb leaned back.  ”You two are like my brother and sister…”

”So your porn searches just got a little more awkward than normal,” I joked some more.

”Oh my God, gross,” Lucy laughed.

”This is all your fault by the way,” I continued to joke.

”Me!?” he seemed shocked.  ”How could this possibly be my fault?”

”You're the one that invited him to Wrestlestock,” Lucy said with a shrug of her shoulders. 

”He was alone!” Seb pleaded.  ”I wanted to be there for him but I was stuck there…” he stopped, his eyes widening with another realization.  ”You two!  That night you got the papers…”

”No,” I cut him off.

”Not then,” Lucy backed me up.  ”But things did change that night.  We definitely grew closer.”

”Truth be told Seb, we've started hanging out far more often than it seems since then and…”

”We decided to…”

”Stop trying to put that image in my head!”

”That's not what we're talkin’ about,” I insisted with a laugh.  ”We're just saying that we decided to make a go of this… whatever it is.”

”You don't even know what it is?” he questioned, perhaps rightly so.  ”How can you make a go of anything when you don't know what it is?”

”We just mean we're taking it one day at a time and just… enjoying each other's company.”

Seb looked back and forth between us, darting his eyes quickly.  Suddenly, Seb gets up and starts to walk away.

”Wait!”

”Where are you going!?” Lucy followed suit.

”I'll be right back!” he called back.

Lucy and I sat quietly for a few seconds.

”I'm not sure I expected dad to show up today,” I joked… sorta.

”Yeah,” she agreed, letting out a soft sigh. ”Then again, maybe we should have.”

Sitting quietly again as we waited for Sebastian to return, I pulled Lucy closer to me.  She leaned her head against my shoulder and I played with her hair as we waited.

”Are we wrong?” I asked Lucy.  ”I mean I get that he’d have questions, but he just seems…”

”Angry?” Lucy finished my question.  To which I confirmed with a nod.  ”I don’t think he’s angry,” she argued.  ”I think maybe it just caught him off guard, ya know?”

”I dunno,” I sighed.  ”I just don’t like him tryna make me feel guilty or feel like shit simply because I care about you,” I said with an unintentional hint of my own anger.

”Relax,” Lucy advised.  ”Just give him time to process everything.  We did kinda spring this on him.  I’m sure–”

Lucy glanced up, her voice trailing off.  I followed her gaze to see Sebastian standing beside the booth once more, his arms crossed over his chest.

”Okay,” Seb said as he returned to his seat.  ”I cannot say I was entirely expecting to do this today, but if that’s what we’re doing then I have some concerns.”

Lucy nodded her head. ”And we’re ready for you.”

Seb sat back and stared between us for a few silent, tense moments before he finally spoke up.

”So, when did this begin?” Seb asked.

”Last Wednesday,” I replied.  ”At the Rabbit.”

”Oh for fucks sake,” Seb rolled his eyes.

”It’s not the way it sounds,” Lucy chuckled.  ”We went on a date after his shift and…”

Seb put his hand up in the air, stopping her.

”I don’t need to hear the rest,” Seb interrupted.  ”All seems well and good now, but what happens if this ends in a week?”

”Then it was a great week,” I insisted.  ”And I’d be grateful for the week or so we spent together.”

I glanced over at Lucy to find her smiling at me.  From the other side of the table we hear Seb scoff and when we look back at him, he’s tapping his fingers on the table.

”So it’s that simple, yes?” Seb pushed harder.

”No,” Lucy replied.  ”But it’s not very difficult either.”

”Thad, you’re still married,” Seb said with a quiet inflection.

”Seb, she filed for divorce,” I reminded him.  ”That shouldn’t disqualify me from pursuing my own happiness.”

”And when Lauren finds out?” he pressed further.  ”She isn’t exactly friendly on a good day.”

”I have pretty thick skin,” Lucy spoke up.  ”I can handle it.”

”Sebski,” I interjected.  ”I know you’re concerned.  You love us both.  The last thing you want to do is see this thing fail and then you feel like you gotta choose between us.”

”That’s not going to happen here,” Lucy backed me up.

”Even if we give it a good try and we don’t work out then,” my voice trailed for just a moment.

”Then we don’t work out,” Lucy chimed in.  ”It’s not the end of the world.  We’re just taking each day for what it is.”

Seb stared at me for what felt like an ion before he turned his attention to Lucy. 

”And you.  Let us imagine that in a month, two, six, or hell, even a year from now, the tides change and you decide you wanna get back with Rogan, then what?”

A bit of pink rose to Lucy’s cheeks.  “Seb, he’s made it very clear that he wants nothing to do with m–”

Seb leaned forward. ”And if the day comes that he does?

”I- I,” she stammered and stumbled.

”Then I’d support her.  Hell, I’d help her do it if she wanted,” I stepped in, picking up the ball Lucy fumbled.  To be fair, I think the question only blindsided her and her stumble wasn’t an indication of anything else.  Lucy and I have spoken of our past relationships, though neither of us at any great length.  I don’t know that she has even considered that as a possibility.  As for me and Lauren?  The way I see it is that she left.  She ran.  She filed for divorce.  What she likes and doesn’t like about what I do or do not do these days, is really not my problem and it isn’t Lucy’s either.

”I’d do the same for Thad and his wife.  Neither of us are here to get in the way of what the other wants.” Lucy agreed.  ”Relationships don’t have to be so…”

”You and Sloane,” I cut her off.  I could almost feel Lucy cringing from the inside.

Seb let out a grunt and an eye roll.

”I’m sorry!” I backpedaled.  ”I don’t mean that the way it sounds.  I just mean that things turned bitter between the two of you.  I understand it, but it doesn’t have to be that way if Lucy and I don’t work out.

“Hell, I’d much prefer it didn’t.  Lucy’s been an awesome friend and I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t go back.”

Seb sat there watching me as a tension rich silence filled the space between us.  Finally Lucy sat up beside me and cleared her throat, drawing the attention of both of us. 

”You two love one another too Goddamn much to be staring at each other like that.  Now I’m going to go get us a round of drinks and we’re going to enjoy ourselves because this?”  She motioned between herself and the two of us, ”This ain’t going nowhere and that’s the way it is.”

With that, she took one more look between the two of us and walked away.

”What the hell is your problem?” I asked once Lucy was gone.

”If you expected me to roll out the red carpet, I’m not doing that,” Seb replied.

”That much is obvious,” I stated somewhat angrily.  ”Even if you don’t love the idea, the least you could fucking do is show us some god damn support.”

”I’m getting there,” Seb insisted.  ”This just isn’t what I was expecting.  I thought you two were just screwing around.”

”Wellllllll…”

”Stop that!”

”I caaaan’t,” I laughed.  ”It makes me laugh.”

”I just don’t want either of you to get hurt,” Seb said just as Lucy reappeared.

”We won’t,” she said as she set down some drinks and sat in the booth beside me.  ”Trust us.  We got this.”