Keeping It Together • Sebastian Bach

Chapter 21: Confrontation

Savannah and Sebastian drove to the Skids' house, both a little quieter than normal. Sebastian was staring out the window at the passing scenery, and Savannah was anxiously tapping her fingers on her steering wheel as she drove.

She was greatly unsettled by Sebastian's silence; he was the type to always have something to say. "You okay, Baz?" she decided to ask.

He finally looked at her, and his soft, gentle eyes made her heart melt. "Yeah, sorry." He chuckled. "I'm just trying to be prepared for anything they might say. Like, I'm envisioning every possible scenario and figuring out how I'd respond to them."

"Smart." She put on her blinker before turning onto the Skids' street. "But don't do that, I don't think they'll have an approach where that's needed. I don't want you stressing."

"They might," he grumbled in reply. "Clearly they're capable. We've seen that."

"Yes, but Rachel acknowledged that his approach wasn't the way to go. Besides, did the rest of the guys address you with the same aggression that Rachel did?"

A pause from Sebastian. "No," he finally admitted. After all, none of the guys had given him any issues until after he raised his voice in response to their logic.

"So, really, you don't know if the others are capable."

"I live with them, Sav. They're capable. I've seen them get in fights with each other, and with Doc. It's not pretty."

   "Yeah? Well, still, don't expect the worst."

   "Why not? It only sets me up so that I won't be disappointed."

   Savannah went quiet a moment. "I can't really argue with that," she acquiesced.

   And, with that, Savannah parked in front of the Skids' house, heaving a sigh. She removed her key from the ignition and exited the car, Sebastian following. Both of them shut their doors, and, with a cheerful beep of her car, it was locked.

   She stared at the house looming above them and exhaled, pocketing her keys. She had just cautioned Sebastian not to expect the worst, but terrible possible outcomes of this conversation were racing through her mind.

   Reading her mind, Sebastian grinned and took her hand in his. "Don't expect the worst," he echoed to her.

   His attitude of not giving a fuck, of not caring if the Skids saw this display of affection, made her admire him even more. She reciprocated the impromptu handholding session, smiling back at the man she was falling for. "Yeah, you're right."

   They walked to the door, and Savannah used its iconic knocker. She wanted to just wrap her arms around Sebastian, bury her head in his chest, and never move again. She wanted to smell his cologne and just be safe, free from Rachel's and the rest of the Skids' disapproval.

   She just wanted him, and as of then, she didn't know if he was what she would get.

   Rachel answered the door. Savannah's instincts caused her to attempt to pull away from Sebastian, but he continued to hold her hand firmly, staring at Rachel with a challenging look, almost daring him to comment.

   Rachel's eyes flickered down to the pair's intertwined hands, and his expression darkened somewhat, but he didn't comment. Instead, he raised his eyes and forced a smile. "Hey, guys. Come in."

   Rachel stepped aside to let them in, and Sebastian looked at Savannah, a self-satisfied smirk on his lips.

   She smiled timidly back, and they both stepped inside. Once they had entered the house, she shut the door, successfully sealing whatever fate awaited them.