Sebastian did the usual four knocks and then another so Chris knew it was him at the door. Chris opened it and Sebastian practically pushed past him, already beginning to pace.

"What's going on Seb?" Chris asked. Alexa was in the other room but heard Chris and came to join them in the kitchenette. She was surprised to see Sebastian so frustrated, she wasn't sure if she'd ever seen him like that.

"That article is what." Sebastian quickly stated, running his hands through his hair.

"What about it?" Chris asked, confused more than anything.

"Rylee and I have talked before about paparazzi and how you just need to ignore them, not practically fucking threaten them." Sebastian sat down on the couch, hands still in his hair, tugging it now, elbows on his knees.

"Rylee didn't threaten anybody?" Alexa now joined the conversation confused.

"Well that article sure makes it sound like it. Why the fuck did she do that?"

"Sebastian. Listen. That article had a tenth of the actual story."

"Then fucking explain Alexa because I'm baffled." Sebastian responded dripping with sarcasm his hands out in disarray.

"Ay, cool it Seb." Chris chimed in.

Sebastian threw his hands up in defeat, taking a breath and prepared himself to listen.

"We went to that cafe and as we were sitting there we noticed the girl across from us just staring, so we both agreed with one another to just leave. As we were leaving Rylee overheard the girl on the phone say 'They're leaving now, go.'"

"Hearing her say that scared the shit out of Ry. She thought someone else got sent by Michael to do shit. So she turned around and asked the girl what she wanted. The girl said she was a journalist and then Rylee had said something like 'did she ever just think of talking to the people she wrote articles about instead of just eavesdropping on them and stalking them.' And then yeah, she did tell the girl to get a life, but it wasn't as crazy as the article made it out to be. Yeah, she yelled at her for a second, but mainly, it was honestly out of fear."

Sebastian lifted his head from his hands and looked at Alexa as she continued. Fear?

"You know what she's been through. She's told you everything, and I'm guessing you know more than I even do of what Michael did to her emotionally, mentally, physically...and even with what's happened to you the past few months...to hear someone saying 'they're leaving, go' must have been utterly terrifying."

Sebastian's face dropped, eyes softening as he listened to her speak. Shit. He didn't know about that part.

"That 'anonymous girl' was acting all innocent but she was anything but. Yes Ry 'yelled' at the girl, but not without means in my opinion." Alexa finished with a shrug.

Sebastian stared at the floor for a minute. Fuck. No wonder Rylee freaked out. You're an idiot Sebastian.

"Why didn't Rylee say that..." Sebastian asked quietly.

"Did you give her the chance to?" Chris asked.

Sebastian reflected on their conversation and his ears flushed. She was probably going to, but you jumped the gun you fucking idiot.

Shit.

Alexa's phone had chimed a few times while they were all talking. She finally took a moment to take her phone out of her pocket and saw she had three new messages. All from Rylee.

🌻

Alexa I fucked up.

🌻

Is Sebastian okay?

🌻

He left his phone. Can you tell him I'm sorry... and I'm here when he's ready

"Look..." she held her phone up for Sebastian to see, showing him her messages. "She's not worried about herself...or anyone else...she's worried about you. Just...go fix this Sebastian." Alexa put hers hands down at her sides, finalizing her thoughts.

Sebastian nodded once, quickly wiping away a tear that streamed down his cheek. He stood up and hugged Alexa tightly, thanking her. He nodded at Chris as he left the room and headed down the hall.

——————————

Rylee laid in bed, replaying the last few moments Sebastian was in the room in her head. How angry and frustrated he looked. All because of her and how her past still affected her to this day. It felt like Michael still had control over her life and it made her sick.

Rylee heard the outside door click open through the silent hotel suite.

A few moments later, the bed dipped carefully behind her, and an arm wrapped gently around her waist, a face burying deep into her neck and wavy hair.

"I'm so sorry." Sebastian whispered quietly into Rylee's hair. "I didn't let you explain. And that was my first mistake of many tonight. My second mistake was walking out that door. As soon as I did my gut told me to go back but I kept walking."

Rylee turned over, staying in Sebastian's embrace, looking into his deep sea blue eyes.

"Alexa told me everything. What that girl said. And how it made you feel. If I had just given you six seconds to explain instead of flying off the handle..." Sebastian placed his hand gently on Rylee's cheek, out of habit he rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone.

"You were right though Sebastian. Paparazzi and articles aren't just about me. They reflect on you too. And it wasn't right of me to do that..."

"Yes it absolutely was, Rylee." Sebastian retorted. "She said something, that to you, sounded very threatening and very real. I would've reacted the same way, and quite honestly probably worse."

"But...again. I'm so sorry I didn't just let you explain. I'm the one always saying 'don't believe articles' and then I went and did just that....just....I'm sorry."

Rylee nodded lightly, accepting his apology.

"How about we cuddle up, dig into this Chinese, and find a movie to watch? Relax the rest of the evening?"

Rylee nodded again leaning into his embrace, hugging him tightly. She was so relieved that he wasn't angry with her.

They both got out of bed and made their way to the living room area together. And sat down on the couch, beside all of the food they had left half an hour earlier. Surprisingly their food was still warm.

They separated out their meals and got comfortable, turning on the movie Venom, mainly listening to it as background noise as they chatted while they ate.

Rylee seemed to be picking carefully at her food, Sebastian noticed and lightly elbowed Rylee's own elbow, "you okay?"

"Yeah," she said sliding on a quick smile. "Just not super hungry."

He nodded and scooted in closer to her, finishing up his food while her plate continued to sit half full.

——————————

After their movie finished they got ready and headed for bed. Sebastian curled up behind Rylee in bed, pulling her closer with his arm around her waist. They were both exhausted, and before Sebastian knew it, he was asleep. But Rylee couldn't get her brain to slow down.

She slowly slipped out of bed, sliding her pillow into Sebastian's grasp, watching him grip it tighter in his sleep. She padded over to the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

Rylee was wearing a baggy t-shirt, courtesy of Sebastian, and shorts. She stood in front of the floor to ceiling mirror and just stared for a moment, taking her body in. Her hair in a messy bun, no makeup. She moved her leg and watched her thigh lightly jiggle. She turned sideways, pulling her shirt tighter against her stomach, examining it.

"...but do we see a bump peeking through? Hmm..." the article still gripping at her thoughts.

Rylee stared longer, lifting her shirt and poking her stomach. A bump? Rylee always prided herself on how well she took care of her body and how she looked. And now people look at her and see a bump?

Am I actually gaining weight? When did I miss that...is it all the stress? When di-

A knock rang out quietly on the bathroom door. Rylee jumped, dropping her shirt down quickly.

"Hey baby, you okay?" She heard Sebastian ask through the door, sleep flowing through his words.

"Yeah Seb, I'll be out in a minute." Rylee spoke, her voice caught in her throat for a moment. She swiped at a tear that she didn't realize had fallen as she looked up in the mirror instead of down at her body.

There was a momentary pause and then she heard, "Mmkay," as Sebastian slowly padded back down the small hallway.

Rylee took another moment to glance in the mirror quickly and then turned around to leave the bathroom.

She crawled back into bed where a half asleep Sebastian curled immediately back into her, draping his arm back around her side.

"Luh you Ry," Sebastian whispered quietly.

Rylee couldn't respond. For the next five minutes she was caught up in her own head, thoughts running and racing and rolling through.

You're worthless.

You don't matter.

You're not good enough.

You're an awful girlfriend.

And now you're apparently gaining weight.

Why do you make him deal with you.

"Ryles...Ry...baby...take a breath...breathe with me..."

Rylee's thoughts weighed so heavily on her that she hadn't even realized that she started hyperventilating, tears streaming down her face and onto her pillow. She was shaking like a leaf, unable to catch her breath.

She didn't know when Sebastian rolled her over to face him, or when he put his hands on either side of her face, or how long it took her to actually catch her first real breath, but eventually it all happened and she was now curled into Sebastian's chest, her breaths still heaving, but much less so than a minute or so ago.

"Ryles...can you hear me?"

Rylee nodded into his chest faintly.

"Good. Can you do something for me?" He continued holding her tightly to his chest, "Tell me five things you can see."

Rylee was confused by his request. She was in the middle of a panic attack, why ask something like that, but she still tried to oblige.

She looked up slowly from his chest out into the room, "Mug... clock... s-suitcase... painting... y-you."

"Great...how about four things you can feel?"

She tried to focus, but her head was still reeling. She shut her eyes tightly, "y-your skin, sheets, my shirt, and...a-and..."

Great you can't even think of four things you can feel? Why does he even deal with you? Pathet-

"You've got this...me, the sheets, your shirt, what else? One more." Sebastian's voice rang out over Rylee's self-deprecating thoughts.

Through heaving ragged breaths, Rylee forced out, "mattress."

"Good, good girl." Sebastian said quickly, "you're doing so good. Now. Tell me three things you can hear."

All while asking these questions, Sebastian made sure to keep his breathing steady, so Rylee had something to base her breathing on.

Rylee was a little quicker with these answers, "traffic....your heart....clock ticking.."

"Perfect...now, tell me two things you can smell."

"The Chinese from dinner...and," Rylee chuckled lightly through a gasped breath, "your cologne."

Sebastian chuckled too, "Hopefully it smells good."

Rylee nodded, her heavy breathing died down much more now. She still occasionally had hiccup filled breaths, but compared to five minutes ago, breathing is a breeze now.

"Alright, last one. Tell me one thing you can taste."

"Mint toothpaste."

"Good girl." Sebastian replied quietly into the top of Rylee's head, playing with her hair as her breathing slowly evened out to normal.

Besides a few short hiccuping breaths, the room became silent, enough for Rylee to really hear Sebastian's heartbeat bumping through his chest, but she soon broke the silence, "What were those questions?"

"Grounding Techniques...I learned them from my therapist...they're to help you focus on other things. I'm glad they worked...I've never asked them before." He continued running his hands slowly through Rylee's hair.

After another beat of silence, Sebastian asked, "What happened?"

Rylee flushed a light pink across her cheeks, unsure of what to say. A lot happened. And all at once.

"I...what they..." Rylee couldn't explain where it all came from, but Sebastian was patient. He rubbed soothing circles into the back of Rylee's hands while he waited for her to respond.

Rylee closed her eyes, the only way she could get the courage to get the words out. She just had to say it all. And just like that, the words poured out.

"I don't deserve you. My anxiety's overwhelming. My baggage is too heavy. It affects how I think and how I feel and I can't stand how much control Michael still has over my life. Just like how I can't stop thinking about that fucking article and how I apparently have a baby bump so I had to have gained weight and I-"

Rylee was becoming overwhelmed with her thoughts again, but Sebastian reeled her in before she went completely overboard.

"Hey, hey, hey. You are enough. You will always be enough," Sebastian said, pushing a small lock of hair out of Rylee's face, "and fuck that article. And fuck E!News. They say whatever they want to get people to read their trash. You are perfect. Every single inch of you. Perfect. And I honestly don't know how I tricked you into dating me."

Rylee rolled her eyes at the end of his sentence.

"I'm serious, Rylee. You're one of the most amazing people I've ever met and I'm so lucky to not only know you, but to love you, and know that every day when I come home, I'm coming home to you. I just don't have words for it."

Rylee could feel tears starting to brim the corners of her eyes at his words. He poured so much emotion and love into every word that he said that it sank deep into her bones. She could truly say she could feel his love.

"What's wrong, are you okay?" Sebastian asked, worried, not expecting Rylee to cry.

"I am so very okay. I love you so much Sebastian. Thank you for always knowing what to say when."

Sebastian relaxed again, realizing she wasn't upset. "And I love you, Ry."He went back to playing with her hair for a moment and then stopped. He stood up abruptly, surprising Rylee slightly.

"What're you doing?" Rylee asked, confused.

Sebastian offered her a hand off the bed and said, "can you be ready in five minutes?"

"Um, I guess? Why? What's going on?" Rylee asked, even more confused.

"Surprise, obviously." Sebastian stated simply. He picked up his phone and texted someone and then set it down again. She couldn't figure out who he'd be texting at almost 1:00 am.

Sebastian jumped into a pair of sweat pants and threw on a t-shirt, quickly running his hands through his hair in front of the mirror to look a smidge presentable.

Rylee put on a pair of grey leggings and a matching grey crop top and left her hair in the messy bun that it already was. She put her arms out in a form of "good enough?" to Sebastian who gave her a thumbs up as he put on a baseball cap.

He shoved his keys and wallet into his pockets and she grabbed her wristlet as they walked out the door towards the elevators together hand in hand.