Who: Sebastian Vance-Price, with a guest appearance by Andrea Price What: A phone call home. Where: Sebastian's room at the Bellagio When: In the hour following this. Warnings/Rating: None
It was nearly an hour after Nell had left that Sebastian thought to move. In her wake, he was left with a mass of thoughts and emotions that he wasn’t entirely prepared to deal with. A shower and a change of clothes later, he was no more emotionally settled than he was when the door had closed in Nell’s wake. He knew he needed someone to talk to, someone to voice some of these feelings to, so Sebastian did as he often had in the past. He called his mother.
Sebastian’s relationship with his mother had never faltered over the years. He grew up a mama’s boy, and even now, at the age of twenty four, he was just as close to her as he had been when he was eight. Her word was something he took to heart, her advice something he never brushed off. She was someone he could always trust, could always lean on, and who wouldn’t hold her words just because they might upset him. And that was what he needed right then.
Flopping back on the bed, Sebastian called up her number and pressed send, settling in to listen to the phone ring, and hoping she’d be around and available to talk.
<“Hello?”> The voice paused for a second, switching quickly from Italian to English. “Hey, sweetheart. How’s Las Vegas?”
There was no helping the smile that came to him at the sound of his mother’s voice, a slice of home half a world away. “Dry, full of people, not home.” He paused, gaze moving to the window outside. “How’s everything over there? I’m sure you’re all barely getting by without me there to brighten up your day.”
“Well your brother is acting out, refusing to do his homework without your help. He just misses you. We all do, Seb.”
“I miss all of you too.” Sebastian let out a breath, closing his eyes and steering the conversation back to the main reason he had called. “I ran into someone from Seattle out here.” His tone said there was more to the story, not just someone. Someone important.
“One second, sweetheart.” The voice became muffled <“Could you watch your sister for a minute, Caleb? I have to take this phone call”> A moment later her voice was clearer, the children in the background no longer audible. “What’s going on, Sebastian?”
He was quiet for a moment, listening to the sound of the normal family things that went on, even when he wasn’t there. It brought a smile to his face, fond and entirely full of love. But when his mother came back on the phone, the smile faded slightly, the topic back at hand. “You remember Nell, right?”
“Nell the girl you dated? She’s in Las Vegas?” A pause. “What happened, honey?”
“Nothing. Nothing... big, at least.” His brow creased down, finding it hard to summarize all those feelings that had just happened, the ones that were still so real in his chest. “We had a couple drinks. I made her stay over because she was too drunk to go home. I... might have kissed her, though.” The words came with a sigh at his confession, leaving him to shake his head.
A long silence. “You’re old enough to make your own mistakes and decisions, Sebastian. I have only one question: do you still love her?”
“Yes.” His answer came without hesitation, but the word was pained as well. “I love her mom. That never stopped, but...” He trailed off as he sat up. rubbing at his head. “I love Serena too.”
“Oh, honey. Sebastian.” A rustle, the sounds of springs on a bed. “You know that won’t work, sì?”
“I know. And that’s why I’m calling you.” He pushed himself up to sit, and it was his turn to bury his head in his hands. “I don’t know what to do. She’s just - everything I felt back then, it’s all back. Like we haven’t been apart for nearly six years, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Is she the one you want? Because if she is, you have to talk to Serena. She’s still planning a wedding, Seb.”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know if Nell would want something like that with me. And I don’t want to hurt Serena. This. It just fucking sucks.” His hand buried in his hair, tugging and pulling, and he made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat.
“Nell might not be the same girl you fell in love with, Sebastian. You said so yourself, you were drunk. You’re not the same boy you were back then.” Her voice grows softer. “Someone’s going to get hurt, amore. You need to talk to Serena and figure out how you feel about her. And find out if Nell really is the same person you love.”
Sebastian was quiet for a long while, thinking over his mother’s words and the truth in them. “I just need some time to figure out what’s going on with Nell, I think. Figure out what I want. It’s not fair to leave Serena wondering what her fiance is doing.” He sighed, chewing on his inner cheek. “I talked to her this morning. Serena, that is. I didn’t tell her what happened, though.”
“That’s a good idea. Figure out how you feel before you scare Serena half to death. If you realize your feelings for Nell are just wedding jitters in disguise, you’ll worry her for nothing. But sweetheart? Please don’t do anything you’ll regret, okay?”
“I won’t, Mom.” Sebastian sighed softly, feeling no better, but at least he had some direction. “I miss you. You and Dad.”
“We’ll love you, no matter what, Seb. But you know that.”
That brought the smallest of smiles to his face, and he gave a nod that could not be seen. “Thanks, Mom. I love you, and tell dad I love him too. I should probably go. Get something done today, but I’ll call again soon. Promise.”
“Good, you should. Bye, sweetheart.” There’s the sound of a click, followed by the silence of an empty line.
Sebastian didn’t move from where he sat on the bed for a long while, finally putting his phone down and flopping back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “What kind of mess have you gotten yourself in?” Sebastian asked the empty room before throwing an arm over his eyes. Decisions would have to be made, and no matter what, someone was going to end up in pain because of him.