The moment they stepped into the underground parking lot,Sebastian unlocked his car with a sharp click and opened the passenger door for her.
Isabel hesitated while her eyes flicked to him as she was totally surprised by the gesture.Sebastian didn't comment on it or look at her,he just waited.
She slipped into the seat quietly and he closed the door gently — too gently for a man as rigid as him, then walked around and slid behind the wheel.
The car engine hummed to life and neither of them said a word as the city lights slid across the windshield while they pulled out of the garage and into the empty streets.
It was past 2:30 AM and the roads were quiet but inside the car, the silence wasn't peaceful but….charged.
Isabel kept her eyes forward as her fingers tapped her knee nervously while Sebastian's grip on the steering wheel was firm as his eyes were locked on the road like he was forcing himself not to look at her but he did anyway.He stole quick glances at Isabel every few minutes.
At one red light, Isabel shifted slightly and winced as her head still throbbed and Sebastian noticed instantly.
"You should've told me you were still in pain."
"It's nothing," she muttered.
"It's not nothing."
Isabel's eyes snapped to him. "Stop acting like you—" She caught herself immediately.
"You don't have to care," she said softly.
Sebastian didn't answer and as the light turned green,he drove off.
Isabel sat still while tapping her knee but her eyelids couldn't help but grow heavy again and exhaustion she'd been running from all day finally caught up.She blinked hard trying hard not to give in to sleep but the warmth of the car and the soft vibration under her seat couldn't help but lure her in.
Slowly…her head leaned to the side as her breathing softened and before she could fight it—She fell asleep.Her head tipped over right onto Sebastian's shoulder.
His entire body went rigid,he didn't move,he didn't breathe or even blink.It was after deconds passed that he then relaxed slowly.He glanced at her as he saw her lashes fluttered lightly while her lips parted and exhaustion softening every sharp edge of her face.She looked nothing like the woman who yelled at him hours ago.She looked so small and tired.
He shifted his hand from the wheel for a moment and adjusted his shoulder slightly so her head could rest more comfortably.
When they reached her street, he parked the car slowly but didn't wake her immediately.He sat there for a moment, staring at the sleeping woman leaning against him, wondering why it felt like the world had suddenly shifted.
"Isabel." He whispered finally but there was no response.
"Isabel… we're here." He called again softly.
Isabel eyelashes fluttered as she stirred confusedly, lifting her head slightly.
"We're… home?"She said with groggy voice.
"Yes," he said quietly.
She blinked up at him, half-asleep, unaware of how close their faces were.
"Come on. I'll walk you to the door." Sebastian said as he helped her up.
Isabel didn't argue this time because she was too tired.He walked her to the door like someone carrying a fragile secret as she entered the house with a sleepy "Thanks…"
He waited until she was safely inside before turning back toward his car and only when he reached it did he exhale slowly,like, driving her home had taken more out of him than he expected.
Sebastian drove off into the night, the city lights blurring past his windshield as the hum of the engine settled into something steady, familiar. The car smelled faintly of her perfume and before he could stop himself, his mind replayed the evening in quiet fragments.
His grip loosened on the steering wheel as a slow smile curved onto his face.Sebastian didn't notice it at first as he was too busy remembering the way her eyes had softened when she looked at him and the stubborn she had and unfamiliar lightness settling in his chest, the kind he hadn't felt before. Just then he caught his reflection in the rearview mirror and the smile froze,his jaw tightened instantly as he straightened in his seat as if someone had just caught him doing something reckless.
The corners of his lips fell, replaced by a frown etched with confusion.
"What the hell are you smiling for?" he muttered as his eyes narrowed at himself.
He didn't have an answer and that bothered him more than the smile ever could.Sebastian exhaled sharply, shaking his head as if he could physically dislodge the thoughts of Isabel from his mind. She was… nothing but just a woman he's working with,so why did the silence in the car suddenly feel louder without her?
He pressed harder on the accelerator as the city stretching ahead of him, but no matter how fast he drove, the image of Isabel's soft smile and curious, stubborn eyes stayed right there with him and no matter how m
uch he denied it,he still smiled along while asking himself.
"Sebastian,why the hell are you smiling?"