The Sweet Spot (25 page)

You could see the fear seeping out of
the pores on a young kid as he stood huddled in the corner of the prison yard, sweat streaming down his face. The look of elation on another prisoner’s face surprised Ani, and she wondered what he could possibly have to be happy about as he leaned against the fence and shared his news with a fellow prisoner. Another guy with bulging muscles sat on a bench doubled over laughing next to a short skinny guy with pockmarked cheeks. But it was the sheer hatred on another prisoner’s face that took Ani’s breath away as she stared into his glittering eyes and took in the array of complex tattoos that covered every inch of his face and neck.

After Ani finished looking through Sebastian’
s sketchpad, she wandered over to the easel that he kept in the corner of the room and turned it around to see what he was working on. It was a painting of her, and Ani was startled to see herself through Sebastian’s eyes. It was a nude, and Sebastian was working from a sketch that he must have done while she was sleeping. Ani was lying on her stomach in the rough sketch with the blankets kicked down around her feet, and her hair spread out across the pillow.

She traced her finger wonderingly over the painting, down the curve of her bare back and to the crevice of her ass.
It was a beautiful painting. The sunlight streaming in through the window caught the gold in her hair and it shone brightly against the deep blue of the pillowcase. Ani had bought Sebastian those sheets as a housewarming gift, and he’d told her that they matched her eyes exactly and he would always think of her when he slept on them.

After Ani finished looking at the painting and turned the easel back around, she glanced at her phone and realized that she’d been at the apartment for almost an hour already. She tried Sebastian’s ph
one and got his voicemail again and with a frustrated sigh, she called Sawyer.

“Hey Soy?
Do you mind if I’m out late?” she asked quietly when her sister answered the phone.

“No
of course not, is everything ok?” Sawyer asked in concern.

“Yes,” Ani whispered, choking back a sob. “It’s just that Bast isn’t here and he’s not answering his phone so I thought I’d wait for him.”

“That little prick,” Sawyer sighed. “I don’t know what your fight was about A, but don’t wait for him all night. If he’s going to be a dick about it then just come home,” she said, shushing Siobhan in the background.

“I’m going to wait,” Ani replied softly, blinking back tears and hanging up the phone.
 

Ani wandered over to Sebastian’s bed, picking up his pillow and
pressing it against her face, inhaling deeply. She tried reading a book on Irish mythology that Sebastian had on his nightstand, but when she felt her eyes starting to close, she stripped out of her clothes and slipped one of Sebastian’s t-shirts on and climbed into his bed. 

The sound of Sebastian
noisily opening the door and clomping into his apartment woke Ani up several hours later, and she sat up and turned the bedside lamp on, blinking sleepily. Sebastian swayed drunkenly through the door, kicking it closed behind him.

“
Hi,” Ani called out softly as Sebastian threw his keys down on the hall table and leaned against the doorframe, staring at her with brooding eyes.

“I told you I didn’t want you to chase after me,” he mumbled, holding onto the wall as he swayed unsteadily on his feet.

“Did you drink everything in the bar?” Ani asked, sliding out of the blankets and walking over to Sebastian to help him over to his bed.

“Didn’t go to a bar,” Sebastian replied sullenly, pulling away from Ani and stumbling over to his bed himself.

“Where did you go?” Ani asked softly, standing next to the bed in Sebastian’s t-shirt and bare feet.

“I wish I could sketch you right now,” Sebastian murmured, staring up at Ani
illuminated in the lamplight.

“Where were you?” Ani asked again, perching on the side of the bed next to Sebastian’s outstretched frame.

“Big Hector’s garage,” Sebastian murmured, reaching out a finger to brush a strand of hair away from Ani’s eyes. “Drinking a bottle of Mexican tequila.” He closed his eyes against the light, wincing at the glare. “Can you turn the light off?”

Ani got
up and turned the lamp off and locked the door, coming back with a glass of water and three Advil.

“Wow, you must be really angry with me to drink
an entire bottle of tequila,” Ani murmured, handing Sebastian the water and Advil.

“I am,” Sebastian replied, taking the
Advil from Ani and swallowing them down dry.

“You should drink some water,” Ani whispered, hol
ding the glass out to Sebastian. He took the glass from Ani and lifted his head slightly, chugging it down and handing it back to her without a word.

“Do you want me to stay?” Ani asked softly, putting the glass down.

“Not really,” Sebastian replied, closing his eyes.

“W
hy are you so angry with me?”Ani choked, blinking back the tears that started to fill her eyes.

“I can’t believe you can
really fucking ask me that,” Sebastian mumbled back in reply, pulling his hand away from hers.

“All I said was that I don’t need you to take care
of me, I never said that I wanted Jordan to instead,” Ani protested, climbing on top of Bast’s outstretched body. “I have money from the bakery, I don’t need money from you or Jordan.”

“That’s fucking bullshit,” Sebastian replied, staring up at Ani.
“I know Jordan gives you money every month and I know that he’s giving you more in the divorce settlement. What I don’t know is why the fuck you think you need his money or why you would think it would ever be okay to spend it on us,” he hissed, grabbing Ani’s waist and flipping her off of him.

“All I said was that I would pay for
the house rental,” Ani exclaimed.

“Why?” Sebastian demanded, sitting up on the edge of the bed and lowering his head into his hands. “Because you think I can’t fucking afford it?”

“No,” Ani wept.

“Why do you take his money every month A?” Sebastian choked. “If you need money why don’t y
ou ask me?” Sebastian lifted his red eyes to stare back at Ani. “I don’t even know what I am to you A, do you know that?”

“You’re everything to me,” Ani wept, climbing into Sebastian’s lap and wrapping her arms around his waist. “You’re my life,” she sobbed against his chest.

“What does that mean?” Sebastian whispered, finally giving in and wrapping his arms around Ani and pressing her against his chest. “Does it mean that you want to be my wife and build a life with me? Does it mean you want to have my children? Or does it mean you want to live in a separate house that your husband pays for and fuck me a few times a week?” he asked hoarsely.

“Bast,” Ani choked in horror. “How could you ask me something
like that?” She lifted her tear-streaked face to meet his. “Of course I want to be your wife and have your children. But I also have a daughter that I have to take care of, a daughter who I love with all my heart and soul.”

“I have plenty of money you know,” Sebastian sighed
wearily, the fight easing out of him as he stared at the tears streaming down Ani’s face. “I’m not just a lobsterman like my father Ani, I sell my paintings too.”

“I don’t care if you have money
, and I love that you’re a lobsterman like your father,” Ani sobbed, pressing her lips against Sebastian’s. “I would be happy living in this apartment with you forever. I don’t need anything else for me.”

“But you do want more for Raffi don’t you?” Sebastian whispered
against Ani’s lips.

“It’s not about what I want for Raffi
, Bast,” Ani murmured. “She has a certain life already and it’s a life that her father wants to provide for her. I take money from Jordan for Raffi, not for me or us.”

“And what about our children?”
Sebastian murmured wearily. “Will you spend his money on them too?”

“Of course not,”
Ani sighed, pressing her forehead against Sebastian’s.

“I
probably have more fucking money than he does,” Sebastian muttered.

“You probably do,” Ani agreed with an exasperated laugh.

“I could pay for Raffi’s school and everything that she needs if you lived with me,” Sebastian mumbled.

“It’s not your job to Bast, he’s her father,” Ani replied gently.

“Well I know my fucking dick is a hell of a lot bigger than his,” Sebastian mumbled before he dropped back onto the bed and finally collapsed.

“Much bigger,” Ani whispered, stretching out beside Sebastian and res
ting her head against his chest tenderly.

……………………………………………

“He lives!” Ani called out affectionately when Sebastian walked into the loft the next day.

“Barely,” Sebastian admitted with a grin. His eyes were shaded behind dark sunglasses and he was holding a paper cup of black coffee in his hand.

“You look a bit green,” Siobhan called out cheerfully from the couch where she was painting her toenails again.

Sebastian waited until Raffi’s back was turned and then he gave Siobhan the finger in response
, and walked over to the kitchen.

“Hi,” he said softly, pulling Ani into his arms and pressing her against his chest tightly.

“I love you,” she whispered in response, lifting her head up and kissing him gently.

“Sorry I passed
out last night,” he murmured. “What time did you leave?”

“Not until
three this morning,” Ani replied, resting her head against Sebastian’s chest. “I didn’t want to go at all, but I had to get back for Sunday brunch.”

“I know,” Sebastian murmured against her hair.

“Sebastian, you missed brunch!” Raffi scolded with a pout. “I had a Belgian waffle with nutella, bananas and strawberries!” she announced with delight.

“Yum,” Sebastian replied weakly as his stomach churned at the thought.
 

Ani laughed and kissed him softly. “Want a shot of tequila in th
at coffee?” She grinned.

“Evil wench,” Sebastian mutte
red, swatting Ani on the rear as she pulled out of his arms. “So what are we doing today?” He stuck his head into the sink and drank from the faucet.

“I can’t believe you just did that!” Raffi squealed as Sebastian stuck his whole head in and soaked it.
 

“Headache,” he
said ruefully, accepting a dishtowel from Ani.

“Go lie down tequila boy,” Ani said, shaking her head at Sebastian and pushing him toward her room.
“I’m going to go drop Raffi off at Jordan’s anyway.”

“Already?”
Sebastian asked, looking confused. “What time is it?”

“
Two thirty,” Ani replied with a grin.

“Wow, I guess I really did miss brunch,” Sebastian murmured, pulling Ani against him and brushing his lips against hers. “Okay, I’m
going to lie down now. Throw a bucket of ice water on me if I don’t wake up when you get back.” He grabbed a bag of peas out of the freezer and held it against his head as he walked off to Ani’s room.

“Holy shit, how much did he drink last night?” Sawyer laughed as she watched Sebastian walk away.

“Just a bottle of the Hectors’ finest Mexican tequila,” Ani replied with a grin.

“Wow, it must have been some
fight,” Sawyer whistled.

“It wasn’t good,” Ani admitted softly, scooping up her car keys as Raffi walked into the kitchen with her backpack.

“I’m ready,” she announced.

“Let’s go peanut
butter,” Ani said, ruffling her daughter’s hair and slipping an arm around her shoulder.

“Where’s Bast?” Raffi asked. “I didn’t get to say good-bye.”

“He went to lie down sweetpea; he has a migraine,” Ani replied, giving Sawyer and Siobhan the finger behind Raffi’s back as they laughingly suggested Raffi go yell good-bye to him.

“He’s probably hungry, you should make him a tuna
fish sandwich before you go,” Sawyer suggested as they walked out the door.

“Leave him alone Soy,” Ani warned before she closed the door behind them.
“Remember payback is not sweet. You don’t want to be on the other side of this coin if you abuse him.”

The trip back to the brownstone only took a few minutes and Jordan was waiting at the door for them when they arrived.

“There’s my girl!” he called as they pulled up and Raffi ran into his arms.

“Daddy,” she cried, giving him a big hug.

“
I missed you this weekend,” Jordan murmured, holding Raffi against his chest tightly and gazing at Ani over her head.

“Everything
go ok?” he asked quietly.

“All good,” Ani replied, holding his gaze th
oughtfully. He seemed different but she couldn’t put her finger on what the difference was.