As the night went on Ava's mood only improved. With Sébastien at her side, she almost felt invincible. It was surprising how one person's presence could do that to another.

It wasn't until Everly pointed out the still-forming hickey on her neck that her mood shifted. How could he do that to her?

The worst part wasn't even the hickey itself, Ava thought. It was the smug glances Sébastien snuck trying to look at it.

She hadn't noticed it before, but it was definitely noticeable now. But there wasn't much she could do at the moment. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene.

So instead, she pretended she didn't know while covertly brushing her hair forward in a weak attempt to cover it.

A few people had already left, making the group grow smaller as time went on. It wasn't until Everly announced she, too, had to go.

"He's already drunk too much and I don't want any puke in the car," Everly explained apologetically. Looking over at her brother Ava could see what she meant. He was a little unsteady on his feet and slightly green-looking already.

She hoped for Everly's sake they could make it back puke-free.

"It's fine, go," Ava assured her. She was already glad she'd come along to keep her company, and it had actually been kind of fun.

"Alright, see you Friday, then." She replied while hugging Ava. "Sébastien," she acknowledged while tipping her imaginary hat before walking over to where her brother was. She had to support him out the door but he was still able to walk without too much support.

With her friend gone Ava now had to listen to the guys speak, but their conversations weren't half as interesting. They were talking about people she didn't know, news, sport, and other topics she didn't quite care about but she didn't want to ask Sébastien if they could go. He seemed to enjoy himself too much and she knew he didn't really get out much.

So instead, she silently waited while sipping her drink and nodding her head every now and then to pretend she was listening. But apparently, she wasn't as good as an actor as she thought she was because Sébastien took one good look at her before turning to his friends.

"You know, we should go too. It's been great seeing you guys again."

"Already?" one of the men complained, looking up from his glass.

"What do you mean 'already'?" Sébastien laughed. "It's pretty late if you haven't noticed."

"Shit," the other guy muttered. "I told Jess I'd be home at 12."

"A little late for that, might as well stay now," another one chimed in, earning him a glare from the first guy.

"Do what you want but we're going," Sébastien announced while nudging Ava toward the door. "See you later."

With a small smile and a wave of her arm, they were out the door. The cool wind was a welcome change to the hot atmosphere within the bar. It was like she could finally breathe again.

"Let me get an uber," Sébastien muttered while pulling out his phone. He probably wasn't sober enough to drive so Ava was glad to hear it.

"How are you getting your car back?" she asked curiously. The shining black vehicle was still parked right out front and it was clear it wasn't going to go anywhere on its own.

"I'll have someone get it later," he replied dismissively. As if was the most normal thing in the world.

The uber arrived surprisingly fast for the late hour but Ava wasn't going to complain. As they got in she was about to buckle her seatbelt when Sébastien reached over to drag her towards him, putting her in the middle seat. He buckled her belt for her before slinging his arm around her to push her even more into him.

Her cheeks heated up at the thought of the driver seeing them like that but she didn't seem to care and just started the car.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked after a few minutes of silence, as if he was still processing the whole evening.

"Yeah, it was fun. I'm glad Everly came along too."

"Everly's nice," he said affirmingly. "I'm glad you have a friend like her."

The soft words pulled on her heartstrings and it was perhaps one of the nicest things he'd even said to her. She could hear he meant it, he really was glad she had a friend.

"Me too," Ava smiled, turning to look him in the eye without getting out of his embrace. "I'm also glad I have you."

The smile she got in return was enough to make her heart melt until she added, "Even if you didn't tell me that you put a hickey on my neck."

The tender smile was quickly replaced by a slight panic in his eyes before settling on smugness. "I think it looks rather good on you."

"Hm," she murmured while leaning her head against his chest. "I'm sure you do."

"I'm sorry," he said eventually. "I should have told you."

"It's fine," Ava replied. "But why though?"

He took a moment to answer her. It was as if he had to carefully think about his answer, but it might have been the alcohol too which made it hard for him to think straight.

"I like it when people can see it. It shows you're mine."

The words warmed her heart yet again and she didn't know if he was just in a good mood or if it was the alcohol loosening his tongue. He usually was a lot more guarded with his feelings and it was hard to discover what his thoughts were about at any given time.

Ava didn't quite know how to react, but luckily the gates of the estate came into sight and they had to get ready to get out so she didn't have to.

Lauren and George weren't present at the estate at the late hour so Ava didn't have to worry about their opinions. They reached the stairs and she suddenly felt awkward. His room was upstairs while hers was downstairs. Which meant they had to say goodbye for the night but she had no idea how.

"Um," she started, catching his attention. "Today was really fun, so thank you for that. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"What?" he asked confusedly until she gestured to the hallway she needed to go to. That's when he seemed to pick up on what she was getting at and continued, "Oh, no. Sleep with me."

"What?" Ava asked, a slight panic audible in her voice. Her brain stopped working at the words as she wasn't sure if she was ready for that at all.

"No, just sleep. In my bed? You don't have to, you know?"

"Oh, sleep. Um, sure," she replied awkwardly. She wasn't quite ready to say goodnight to him and if they were just going to sleep, that'd be fine.

"Come on," he said as he gestured towards the stairs, making her walk with him.

It wasn't until they'd already reached his room that she realized she hadn't brought her pajamas, and she wasn't about to sleep in the dress or her underwear.

"I don't have anything to sleep in," she said, making him look up and down her body unconsciously before nodding. "I have something you can wear."

He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a shirt and some shorts and handed them over. She took them gratefully and made her way towards the bathroom to change. But when she came back Sébastien had also changed.

The only thing he wore was grey sweatpants and no shirt, revealing the shiny piece of jewelry he wore under his shirt. She recognized it as the necklace she'd gotten him way in the beginning when they were still getting to know each other.

She looked up to say something to him but didn't get the chance as he bent down to kiss her fiercely. She immediately reacted by wrapping her arms around his neck but the kiss was over sooner than she'd liked.

Instead, he walked her over to the bed before getting in on the other side. He reached over to pull her into him and she instantly relaxed from the familiar warmth of his body. "Good night, Ava," he murmured tiredly.

"Good night, Sébastien," she replied.

What she wouldn't have given to enjoy the feeling of his arms around her for a little longer, but it wasn't meant to be. Her body betrayed her by falling into a deep and dreamless sleep and she could only hope she'd wake up again in his arms.

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Heyaa guys!

Hope you liked this chapter, if you did please vote!

We're working towards the spiciness so can't wait!

For the people who have been asking, I'm aiming to get this story to about 60 chapters and there's plenty of plot to go through before it ends ;)

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xx May