Chapter 20

-Jianna-

"Ok," I said softly. "Ok, Sebastian. Let's go."

He looked up at me and I could tell he was crying.

"Oh, Sebastian. Why are you crying?" I asked. I held up his face so I could take a good look at him. "What's wrong?" I wiped a tear from his cheek.

"I don't know. I don't know why you make me feel like this." he started. "I can't sleep. I can't concentrate. My focus is shit. I barely eat, but that's nothing new." he chuckled. "I feel like I'm going deranged. What the fuck are you doing to me?" He held my face and took me closer. He kissed me so passionately like he had a hunger he just had to gratify.

As I kissed him back, I could feel my body heating up. His words lingered in my mind and I knew exactly what I was doing to him. I was making him fall for me, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of power from it.

But at that moment, I knew I had to be careful. I couldn't let myself get too lost in the intensity and forget about my feelings for James. I pulled away from the kiss and looked at him.

"Sebastian, I don't want to hurt you. I care about you too but I-," he cut my sentence off by kissing me again. This time it felt more fervent than the first.

"I know," he whispered. "But I can't help the way I feel. I need you, Jianna."

"Sebastian..." My heart screamed for me to stop him, to save him from himself, and yet my head told me that I couldn't. His reckless behavior was something that I had grown used to, but now it seemed so dangerous and wrong. I knew I should step in and try to help, but at the same time, I knew that he needed me just as much as I needed him.

I let him take me in his arms and lead me to the house that I never even noticed before. It's magnificent. It was hidden between gigantic trees and weeping willows so the grandeur wasn't shown to me until we got behind the set of trees.

"Welcome to Cross Manor." he motioned to the house. "It's a family home that's been passed by through my family for generations. Now I've taken the responsibility of taking care of it so I've added my technological flair to it."

I looked at him, tilted my head slightly, and squinted my eyes.

"You'll see." he sounded so excited. Like a boy finishing up his first science experiment.

We walked further and the grass became impeccable. and I could smell sweet fragrances from the flowers around me. I stopped at a rose bush and smelled one of the many roses that occupied the greenery.

"Mmmmm...Roses. My favorite." I closed my eyes and inhaled the intoxicating scent of the flower. Then remembered the time of year. "How do you have all these flowers blooming this late in the year? Isn't it too hot for it now?"

"Not these. I have a friend who's a botanist who made this specifically mutated to withstand the seasons of the East Coast. So I have roses all year round." he said proudly. "And now that I know they're you're favorite, I'll make sure your room always has them."

"Sebastian, you don't have to do that," I said. I'm trying to keep him at bay to make sure that he doesn't get too involved with me more than he already is.

"I want to." he kissed my forehead. "I want to make sure that you're always happy." He tugged on my hand and led me to the front door.

He opened the gigantic doors and I was in awe with what I saw. There was a grand chandelier in the foyer and a beautiful staircase just past it. The foyer itself is bigger than my apartment alone.

"Is this where you currently live?" I asked looking around in awe.

"No. I live in the city. My work is in the city. But I come here as much as I can. I like the quiet. It helps me think. I came here the first time I met you." He confessed.

"Why?" I looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Why did you come here?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I just felt like I needed to get away. I was trying to get away from everything. My work, my family, my responsibilities. I needed a break. And when I met you, I felt something I've never felt before and I wasn't sure how to handle it." He looked at me with intensity in his eyes.

I felt a shiver run down my spine at his words. My mind raced as he spoke, and I felt my heart tighten in fear. He was being so genuine, and it was so hard to accept knowing that I couldn't give him what he was offering. I wanted to be able to reciprocate all the love and care he was showing me, but deep down I knew that I wouldn't be able to.

We walked through the house, and Sebastian showed me all of the upgrades he had made. He had made this house a smart house. Every step we took a light would turn on without him using a switch. He showed me the way he's made the house environmentally friendly. He added a state-of-the-art home theater, a game room with every gaming console imaginable, and even a spa room. It was clear that Sebastian had put a lot of effort into making this house a dream home.

"The whole house doesn't use the power grid for electricity. It's mainly solar powered and if there ever was a day that the sun doesn't shine, it runs on steam power that draws from underground. I've designed all of the upgrades for this house myself. It's the only house in the entire world that runs purely out of environmental resources rather than electricity or fossil fuel." he said with pride. I can tell he's very proud of what he has accomplished with this house.

"I plan on one day making a fleet of houses that uses the same method of power. Not only will it eliminate our carbon footprint, it will also help with the impoverished since there would be no need to pay for the electricity." I was mesmerized by the way he's describing all of this.

"

So you plan on saving the world then?" I asked amused but awestruck. "Should I start calling you Superman now or later?"

He looked at me and smiled, the intensity in his eyes still present. "If it means I get to save you too, then sure. Call me whatever you like." I couldn't help but feel a tug at my heartstrings at his words. And now, being in this house, surrounded by all of Sebastian's love and attention, it only made me feel more guilty.

But then, Sebastian took my hand and led me up the grand staircase. He showed me room after room, each more exquisite than the last. And finally, we reached a room that took my breath away.

It was the most beautiful room I had ever seen. The walls were a light blue, with white accents in the form of curtains and bed sheets. The bed was a king-sized four-poster bed with a canopy draped over it.

"And this is your room." he gestured at the room.

My jaw dropped at the grandiosity of it all.

"Sebastian. This is amazing!" I was taking all of it in. "Thank you." I looked at him and he was already looking at me.

"I will give you the world, Jianna. Just tell me and I will give you the world."