Seth waited in the restroom with a paper bag that has waiter uniform as per Zara’s instructions.
He didn’t know what the silly girl is up to but he couldn’t deny her wishes.
He sighed leaning on the wall and checked the time on his wrist watch.
Selina must be waiting for the food.
He knew it because spaghetti pesto is her favourite which is why he packed extra portion in case she craved for more.
A chuckle left his mouth as he thought about tomorrow.
What would her reaction be when she saw him?
He bet she’ll cry like a kid.
But first, he should tell Zara to keep his arrival secret.
He wants to see the surprise in her eyes when the time comes.
While his mind wandered around Selina, the restroom door opened from the outside revealing a tall man whose face is covered with mask and hoodie.
It must be the man Zara mentioned in the text.
Without any delay he approached Sebastian and handed him over the paper bag.
“She told you to change into this as fast as you could and meet her at the counter.”
Sebastian is startled to see someone waiting for him inside but took the bag when the stranger talked about the girl who he assumed to be the same one who is helping him to escape and watched him leave.
When Lucien saw Seth coming out of the restroom, he recognized him as the man who talked to Zara earlier at the counter.
He smirked as the realization hit him and appreciated her brazenness.
The little girl is not just a charlatan but a real warrior though.
But she definitely needs his help to have a clean escape.
So, he distracted the bodyguards by talking about Sebastian’s protocol and that’s when Sebastian who is dressed in waiter clothes came out, covering his head with the cap and walked past them casually without attracting their attention.
Sebastian is feeling adventurous because he always wanted to escape from his bodyguards but couldn’t as they never left his side when he’s out but now he believed he could make his wish come true.
He will surely thank that girl if he succeeded in escaping their eye.
Before disappearing from the guards line of sight, Sebastian looked back at Lucien who immediately sensed his gaze and gave him a curt nod, assuring him that he’ll take care of the guards.
Sebastian wasted no time and rushed towards the counter to see the little girl waiting for him and when she spotted him, she paid the bill and left the restaurant leaving him behind.
What the fuck?
Why did she leave without him?
He looked around, standing in the middle of the restaurant, confused about what to do next.
The rest of the bodyguards sat in their seats but their eyes kept wandering around, doing their job.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he realised the situation that silly girl put him in.
Don’t tell him she is turning her back after coming this far?
Lucien can’t fool the guards for long and it will be a matter of time when they find him missing.
Atmost he got five minutes to decide what to do.
Should he follow her out or curse himself for believing a crazy stranger and retreat to the restroom and go back to the hotel.
The time is ticking and he broke into cold sweat looking at his surroundings helplessly.
What if his bodyguards recognized him in this dress?
They will report to Mr. Gibbs for sure and he’ll be doomed for good.
Fuck!!
He shouldn’t have blindly trusted that damn girl.
He is really dumb.
While he is battling within himself about going out or in, someone patted his shoulder and gave him a note.
Sebastian let out a shaky breath as he saw the folded note in his hand.
He felt like he got back his soul seeing the contents in it.
‘Go to the kitchen.
You can find the exit.’
Thank god!
She didn’t abandon him.
He kissed the note which is his saviour and ran towards the kitchen where Seth helped him to find the exit which led him into the dark alley.
His freedom.
It’s here.
He exhaled sharply with a sigh, a low chuckle leaving his lips as he shook his head at his actions.
Everything happened so fast that he didn’t even think whether he’s being rational or not.
His indecisive actions can lead to many complications but at that moment all he wanted was to get the hell out of that damn restaurant.
He stretched out his hands wide, welcoming the victory with great pleasure when someone grabbed his wrist and said “Run.”
His body acted on it’s own before his brain can register what’s happening after hearing the sweet voice.
He followed her blindly and ran into the alleys without giving much thought to his safety.
This girl can be a serial killer or a paparazzi or anyone who can harm him but he couldn’t bring himself to doubt her.
Her delicate voice, the sweet lingering smell of hers in his nostrils, the soft and warm touch around his wrist told him to believe otherwise.
She can never harm him.
The girl who recognized him from afar, the girl who predicted his bad mood before anyone, the girl who risked everything to help him escape can never be the bad person.
As they ran into the streets, the dim lighting on the footpath helped him to see her little form clearly.
She didn’t look back at him, not even once but is eyeing side to side to be careful not to get caught.
Her actions made him chuckle as he remembered his adventure.
How can he be so foolish to believe in a stranger?
He didn’t know who she is or what she looked like but he put his faith on her just like that.
After running for quiet a while, Zara stopped at a place which is a bit far from the restaurant.
No one can find them because she lived here for more than a year and knew about this place like the back of her hand.
She avoided all the surveillance cameras and made her escape clean.
She should appreciate herself for being so intelligent.
Both of them panted heavily, reminiscing about their victorious escape and waited by the side of the road, still oblivious to the consequences.
After catching their breaths, they finally saw each other for the first time under the moon light.
Time stopped at that moment as Zara felt her heart thumping against her chest as she looked into his eyes.
Oh!!!
He is strikingly handsome.
She thought as her eyes traced his features like a slow music.
Sebastian isn’t normal either as he looked into her eyes which sparkled like crystalline water.
For the first time after the concert, he took a real deep breath as he felt like he’s living in a dream world.
First – he escaped from his bodyguards, second – with this little girl’s help, third – she is a stranger and four – she is breathtakingly beautiful with her sparkling eyes staring at him like he’s the only one in her world.
He didn’t know what to feel about the present situation but admired his courage for being so irrational.
Millions of questions revolved around his head which he wants to ask her but before he can open his mouth, the little girl spoke
“Let’s leave this place. We can talk later.”
Sebastian nodded like a fool as he got lost in her eyes but her giggle pulled him back from his trance.
What’s so funny?
Zara didn’t mean to laugh at him but his silent acceptance of her request made her smile.
Swallowing her excitement, she avoided his piercing gaze and turned around to lead the way and only then she realized that she is still holding his hand.
Oh no!!
She let go of him swiftly as if she’s electrified and scratched her neck to hide her embarrassment.
‘Try to act normal Zara Jones.’
She chided herself and walked forward with her trembling legs.
Why is she shaking?
Is it because of the cold or because of the man who is walking behind her with his slow steady steps?
She will vote for the latter because she still can’t believe what she just did.
She saw her Bash, the idol who she can only dream of watching him on the screen.
She chatted with him, helped him to escape and the surprising part is he obeyed and followed her out.
It’s unbelievable.
She took deep breaths to control her racing heart and lead them to a remote place which is surrounded by trees and sat on the bench.
After making sure that they were alone and safe, she turned to Sebastian who is already looking at her and asked him “Why did you follow me?”
Her question caught him off guard because even he didn’t know why he followed her like a dumb fellow.
Maybe he’s craving for alone time away from his agency but he could get that late at night with Lucien’s help.
It’s not like they never sneaked out under the heavy security.
So why?
Why did he follow her out?
Zara waited for his answer patiently as he remained silent without uttering a word but he kept staring at her, making her uncomfortable.
Heat crept to her cheeks despite the cold outside but she didn’t dodge his eyes.
“I don’t know.”
Sebastian finally said after a long silence as he is busy looking into her sparkling eyes.
How can anyone possess such beautiful eyes?
They’re like two magic crystal balls, hypnotizing him with her spell.
He knew he’s being ridiculous but his intuition is telling him that something is going to happen tonight but he is not sure what it is and he just doesn’t want to think about anything else for now other than drowning in her sparkles.
Zara laughed at his answer and lowered her head shyly, unable to tolerate his intense gaze.
Her face turned red like a tomato because of his presence and she is sure that if she looked into his eyes for more than few seconds, her heart would jump out of her chest.
A comfortable silence fell between them again as no one took the initiative to start a conversation.
Zara fiddled with her fingers, clueless about what to do with Sebastian.
She is like a superwoman, kidnapping an influential figure but now she’s in dilemma about what’s going to happen next.
Should she leave him alone?
No!
He’s already in a bad mood.
How can she do that?
After thinking for a while, she sucked in cold breath and opened her mouth to fill the deafening silence which is killing her.
“The one who gave you these clothes…”
She pointed her fingers at his uniform, to which he nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“He is my friend. Don’t worry. He’ll take care of everything back at the restaurant. They can’t find how you escaped.”
She said, assuring him that he’s safe and can be free of worry.
Sebastian nodded with a chuckle and lowered his head, taking off his cap.
He ran his fingers threw his silk locks and looked up at the distant sky.
Zara’s heart skipped a beat seeing his side profile without any restraints.
He is bare faced without any makeup and he looked so handsome in reality compared to his idol self.
“Thank you. I needed this escape badly.”
Sebastian said tilting his head towards her and his eyes unintentionally fell on her cherry lips which are now quivering because of the cold.
They looked so soft like rose petals and he wants to touch them, to know how soft they feel under his fingers.
Fuck!
What’s wrong with him?
He turned away from her when he saw her bottom lip struggling under her white teeth and closed his eyes to distract his mind.
Zara who is oblivious to his thoughts smiled, hearing his confession.
See!
She knew it.
He really wants to be alone.
She did the right thing by getting him out of that hell.
“I know.”
And they wrapped themselves with the silence again, their eyes locked with each other for unknown reasons.
Zara didn’t understand why he is staring at her like that and it only made things awkward between them.
She turned away from him and touched her face to check if she had anything smeared on her face, if not why would he look at her without blinking?
After making sure of her appearance, she asked him the question which is bugging her from the moment she saw him.
“Why are you in a bad mood?”
Sebastian finally took his eyes off her and looked at the space before him with a bitter smile.
How can he tell her about the cruelty of his agency?
He never shared his worries with his family or friends let alone tell a stranger he met less than an hour ago.
Forget about his misery.
He’s curious about her.
He wants to know how she managed to attract his attention in mere seconds.
“How did you recognize me?”
Zara who is waiting for his explanation didn’t expect to get hit by a question.
Before she can answer him he spoke again.
“How did you know that I was in a bad mood?”
He wanted to ask her these questions from the moment she passed him the note but he got trapped in a roller coaster ride.
Thanks to her, he can enjoy this peace under the beautiful moonlight with a beauty beside him.
“I recognized your mother’s embroidery and it has your initials on it.”
Zara said as she pointed her eyes at his sleeves which made him raise his eyebrow in amusement.
It’s hard to see the initials as his mother mixed them with the design but she recognized it from a far.
She’s amazing.
Seeing him who is looking at her with appreciation, she couldn’t help but speak about her inner thoughts.
“I just felt your bad mood.”
Her mind travelled to the times where she captured all his smiles with her eyes and would feel content just to see him live happy.
“I remember your happy smile and always wished to see you with one but at the restaurant, I saw someone who isn’t you.
Someone with a dejected look and lost, which is not a good sight for me.”
She fiddled with her fingers and looked at him before continuing “I don’t know if my intuition is right or not but I feel that you are not happy when you are alone.”
The shimmering light in her eyes dimmed as she talked about him.
The pain in his eyes back at the restaurant reflected in her own and is now visible to Sebastian who is observing her every detail.
“I always feel that you are searching for something in this world. I don’t know what it is but I guess it’s the peace or maybe time, just for yourself.”
Zara took a deep breath, being aware of her words.
She knew she spoke too much about the things she shouldn’t but she can’t help herself.
If her Bash is sad, she should make him happy.
Moreover, his silence only encouraged her and she let out everything that’s in her heart.
“I know you work hard to make your family, fans and country happy but I just feel that you are also human with feelings just like everyone else. You deserve to have your own space, so I made this decision for you.”
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she averted his gaze and rubbed her neck to erase the ticklish feeling in her belly.
She bet her face looked so funny now.
“Sorry, I took you away without your security notice. I know this can put you in lot of trouble but I just want you to have your space just for sometime, only if you are willing.”
She apologized him for being reckless and understood the severity of her actions.
She never wanted to bring him harm in any form.
She’d rather die than hurt him.
“If you want to go back, I can take you now.”
At last she dropped her head, looking at her hands which are resting on her knees and spoke softly.
She really is happy and hoped to spend some time with him but she didn’t want to force him against his will.
It’s enough that she at least got a chance to see him for real.
Even if it’s only for few minutes, she can cherish this moment for a lifetime.
Sebastian said nothing but looked deeply at her as her words kept running in his mind.
No one has ever thought about him like the way she did, not even his parents understood him like her and he felt overwhelmed to hear a mysterious girl who is sitting beside him like an angel speak about him with so much affection.