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Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

Reader's dream finally came true as Sebastian confessed his feelings for her and he became her first kiss. Soon they went on a first date to an amusement park which parallels the characters they're playing in a movie together. Being the silly guy that he is, Sebastian gave her a challenge during their date and the end result may be surprising.

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 16/28 (Might add more)

Chapter List >

Warning : This chapter has a lot of fluff from beginning to end. Just a head's up 😉

Word count : 9.8k words

Chapter 16 - Can't Take My Eyes Off You

7135 Hollywood Blvd, Penthouse, Los Angeles, California - July 26th 2023, 2 pm

She never expected her first kiss to be with him. Him! The man who for the better part of her life she could only see through a screen. Him! The man who had colored most of her dreams and fantasies. Him! The man someone like her usually never ended up being with. But apparently dreams do come true and somehow God arranged for it to happen for her, even if in a very strange and unusual way.

She didn't have anyone to compare the kiss with, having spent 30 years of her life not having a single boyfriend, but somehow she knew that he was a really good kisser. He kissed her gently yet with a hint of urgency, making the butterflies in her stomach fly around wildly.

Not satisfied just kissing her lips, his tongue licked her lips, requesting access to her tongue and their tongue finally met and danced in a very sensual way, making her feel a slight warm feeling deep down in her core.

She couldn't believe it! Just minutes ago she was fantasizing about the feel of his tongue on hers and now it was finally happening! Her heart beat so fast in her chest as she tried hard not to hyperventilate.

They finally broke apart after a while, gasping for air. His lips still hovered above hers that she could feel his breath on her lips. Both their hands cupped each other's faces, as if afraid that they would lose each other as soon as they let go. Their eyes gazed into each other and once again she felt as if he was seeing into her soul.

His eyes stared at her with adoration and a hint of desire in them, making her heart gallop fast in her chest.

He chuckled as he continued to hold her face in his hands and stroked her cheek gently, making her heart skip a beat.

"I'm sorry." He finally said.

"For what?" She asked, stroking his cheek gently too, feeling his coarse stubble under her fingers.

"If I startled you with the kiss." He continued.

"Well.. you did. I didn't expect it. But, no harm done. So.." she trailed and he laughed.

Then he leaned closer and captured her lips in his again, making her feel like her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

So this was how it felt to kiss someone. She thought as they continued to kiss. No wonder people loved doing it. She felt like she couldn't stop kissing him either.

Her hands let his face go and she placed them behind his neck, pulling him closer to her as she followed an instinct she didn't know she had. He let her face go too then gently pushed her to lie down on the sofa without breaking the kiss. Then he stopped for a moment, letting them both catch their breaths. His left hand laid by her face, his arm propping his body on top of her. Then he looked down at her with mesmerized eyes and his eyes darkened with desire, making her feel the warm feeling at the base of her stomach again.

"You.. are.. so beautiful, Aurora." He said as he stroked her cheeks gently with his right fingers.

Aurora.. yes, that was who she was in his eyes. She felt a pang in her heart as she realized that if she was still in her body, there was no way he would say those words. Beautiful was not something people described her as and the thought saddened her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Nothing." She shook her head and smiled as she quickly decided that she didn't want to ruin the moment by overthinking. She pulled the back of his neck closer to her and they started kissing again.

Their kisses became more passionate and his hand started to travel elsewhere along her body when she realized she could end up sleeping with him that day and nervousness finally got to her.

She pushed him away just as his hand started to sneak underneath her blouse, stopping him in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" He asked again.

"I'm sorry, Sebastian, I think we're probably moving too fast." She said slowly, feeling her cheeks warm as she said it.

"Oh! Yeah.. yeah. Of course. I'm so sorry." He said as he pulled out his hand from underneath her blouse and started to sit up slowly.

She realized she didn't know if Sebastian and Aurora ever did have sex before and she kicked herself mentally for forgetting to consider that before pushing him away.

"No offense or anything. I mean.. I really enjoyed kissing you and everything.." She trailed as she sat up as well.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Aurora. I'm sorry if I went too far. I mean.. I know, despite the fact that we have kissed each other numerous times but we never.. exactly.. did the deed. So, yeah. It's okay. I think you're right. We're probably moving too fast." He rambled as his face reddened as well and he put his hand behind his neck.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard him. At least now she knew they never did it so she could act accordingly.

"Yeah. I mean. Like you said. We don't know each other that well despite having been 'together' for a year. So maybe, we should get to know each other first." She said, hoping she wasn't going to regret it in the future.

Here she was, with the Sebastian Stan, all ready to make love to her but she was thinking that it wasn't the right thing to do for them yet. She was sure her friends in his fandom would scold her if they knew what was going on.

But she was somewhat of an idealist. She wasn't someone who liked to sleep around even if she had the face and body to support that kind of lifestyle. She had always imagined that her first time would be special. Something that she would do with someone she loved with her whole heart. She imagined going on a nice date beforehand and spending many times together before that, getting to know each other. So the idea of doing it right after their first kiss was something she didn't like.

She knew she loved him. She could feel it in her heart as they gazed at each other, but she wasn't ready yet. Besides, she didn't want to embarrass herself. She didn't want to end up being stiff as a board when he did it with her. She needed to learn more about it so she could satisfy him as well, as embarrassing as that may seem.

"Yeah.. you're right. I mean, I know it's probably weird but.. I feel you've changed a lot, Aurora, ever since we met last year and I want to get to know you, the new you, for real, before we.. you know." He blushed and she nodded, smiling at him.

"And I.. I think I owe you an apology too." He continued, making her raise her eyebrows.

"Oh? Why is that?" She asked.

"Umm.. you probably wonder why I acted the way I did after the table read." He said and she nodded.

"I did wonder about that." She responded, relieved as she finally was going to know his reasons for his change of behavior towards her.

"I.. umm.. let's just say that a dear friend of mine told me a story about you and his friend that happened years ago, and I.. well.. I believed him, and I just wanted to protect my own heart. You know. But my heart just can't lie. I realized that I.. I like you, Aurora." He said softly as his hand reached out and stroked her cheeks gently, sending shivers down her spine.

"Despite everything that my friend told me about you, I can't deny this feeling I have for you. Especially after the Amore gala, I felt it had become even stronger. So, I.. well.. your poem was so beautiful and the treasure boxes and picnic basket touched my heart and I just couldn't hold it back any longer, knowing that you care for me." He said, his eyes gazed at her with complete adoration.

She smiled and felt her heart soar in her chest. So he liked her! Well, it seemed he liked her personality but he liked Aurora's face and body. It was something she completely understood. She was a little sad about it but then again it was normal for him to feel that way. Not one man ever liked her when she was in her own body so why would he be any different.

"Oh, I see. I.. I like you too, Sebastian." She smiled and he smiled back.

"Do you mind telling me what exactly your friend told you about me?" She asked, still feeling curious about it.

He retracted his hand from her cheek and sighed.

"I.. I don't want to hurt your feelings but, maybe I do need to tell you so you can clarify it." He said and she nodded.

"Well, do you remember that you used to date Brad Jones?" He asked, referring to an actor Aurora once dated years ago.

"Oh.. yeah.." She responded. She wasn't exactly following Aurora's love lives but she knew Aurora and Brad used to be a couple.

"My friend is close friends with Brad. And, umm.. Brad told him what happened between you. You started off in a PR relationship with Brad but he ended up being in love with you for real. He thought you felt the same but apparently not because the moment he was dropped from that superhero movie, you know.. you.. broke up with him and just a month later started to date Landon Johnson." He said, referring to a famous tennis player and her eyebrows raised.

"Oh.." She said, not sure how to respond because she had no idea what happened between Aurora and Brad.

"Yeah. I mean.. My friend reminded me about your reputation as a girlfriend for hire and warned me not to fall in love with you because you were never known to stay with someone beyond the contract." He continued, grimacing a little.

"Oh." She said, still unsure what to say even though she agreed wholeheartedly with him because that's what she noticed as well.

"I'm sorry. But I mean.. before the Amore gala and you being cast in Pumping Black, our contract was ending and it seemed you were all ready to leave me and be with Harry Styles. But then you got cast in Pumping Black and suddenly you act all nice towards me again and I couldn't help but think that you really were just using me and being with me because of the contract, you know." He continued as his eyes searched hers.

She knew she couldn't speak for Aurora but she could speak about her own feelings towards him so she decided to do just that.

"Sebastian.. I.. I know I did all those in the past. But.. I.. I've changed. With you it's different. I mean.. we may have started in a PR relationship but.. When I saw you fell from the bike a week ago, my heart was just crushed. I couldn't imagine if I were to lose you. The possibility was just heartwrenching for me. And to see you in so much pain, I couldn't stand it. I wished I could do something to take the pain away from you. I.. I was confused on how you behaved towards me but Rosa advised me to start giving you those gifts and so.. here I am." She said, gazing at him intently, hoping he could feel the love she felt for him.

His eyes widened then he smiled, relief written all over his face.

"You know what? After I had the accident last week I thought you were just going to leave or at least ignore me like you did when I had Covid. But you started sending me those treasure boxes, making me feel confused. I told my mom everything and after the sixth day she told me that if you still send me gifts on the seventh day then I should try and give you a chance." He smiled, making her smile back.

"Well, I hope you don't regret that decision." She said.

He chuckled.

"No regret so far, not with you bringing me pizza and cupcakes." He winked, making her laugh.

"Good.. I promise you won't regret it, Sebastian." She said as she reached out and squeezed his hand. He squeezed her hand back and smiled at her warmly, making butterflies fly around in her stomach.

He pulled her closer to him and cupped her face. His beautiful ocean blue eyes gazed at her lovingly, making her heart flutter in her chest. Then he kissed her gently on her forehead, both her cheeks, her nose and finally he planted a soft kiss on her lips, making fireworks explode in her chest.

"I believe you, Aurora." He said softly, breaking the kiss and she smiled.

"Thank you for believing in me, Sebastian." She said as she placed both her hands on his and he nodded.

They rested their foreheads on each other as they enjoyed the warm and comfortable feeling of love, covering them like a blanket.

As she felt the warmth of his hands on her cheeks and smelled his lovely intoxicating smell, wafting from his body, deep down she still tried hard to process it all. She couldn't believe Sebastian just kissed her! But then she realized she could switch back with Aurora soon since the private investigators were actively looking for the Gypsy woman. She kicked herself internally for allowing the private investigators to continue their search. She wished she had been more patient. But she couldn't do anything now so she decided to just enjoy the moments of being with him as much as she could.

Suddenly a loud rumbling sound could be heard from her stomach and her face reddened.

"Umm.. do you want to eat the pizzas again?" She asked slowly and he laughed.

"Of course! Let's eat. I'm sure you're hungry after all the cooking you did for me." He responded and released her face.

"Yeah, I'm famished." She said and he chuckled again.

"I love this new version of you. You had somewhat an unhealthy relationship with food, in my opinion, but now it seems you can just enjoy them." He remarked.

"Yeah, well, Y/n showed me how to enjoy eating without thinking of calories and stuff." She shrugged.

"Good. She really brings a good influence on you. I hope she'll come back soon." He replied and her heart tugged at that.

"Yeah, I think she'll be back in like two weeks." She said and he nodded.

"Okay. Good. I kind of miss her." He said and her heart felt like it jumped out of her chest.

"What?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh! Not in that way, of course." He quickly interjected and reached out his hand to touch her cheek gently.

"Not in the way that I miss you." He said, smiling warmly at her as he stroked her cheek and she felt her cheeks warm at that.

"Oh okay." She nodded.

"She's kind of like.. a sister I never had. You know. It's weird but I feel this urge to sort of protect her. She's been through a lot but she's so strong. I just wish things are better for her. She deserves it." He said.

Her heart felt warm as she listened to his words. Granted, he saw her as his sister, but that still meant a lot to her. She couldn't believe that he would feel that way about her.

"Anyway, do you want to watch a movie? Make this like a proper date?" He winked, making her smile.

"Sure! I'd love to watch a movie." She smiled and he smiled back.

And so they spent the rest of the day, cuddling on his sofa, watching some movies and munching on pizzas and cupcakes, enjoying each other's company as their love story finally began.

For the next three days she spent the mornings preparing the treasure boxes for him and spent the rest of the day until night at his penthouse.

It was a delight for her to see his bright smiling face everyday welcoming her at his door. It was even more satisfying for her when she saw him enjoying all the delicious food and drinks she brought him.

Of course all of those feelings didn't compare at all to the feeling of kissing him. Their kissing sessions had gotten even longer and more passionate as days went by.

She didn't know that there were so many ways one could kiss another until Sebastian, under the guise of teaching her the different kissing styles as they practiced their scenes together, showed them to her.

Yes, the next day, which was a Monday, Sebastian was scheduled to do a shoot with her. Even though he still limped, he insisted on starting the shooting again as soon as possible. He didn't want to delay the shoot for longer than necessary.

Maya didn't allow him at first seeing how he still limps when she visited him the day before, but she eventually agreed after Sebastian persuaded her to let him shoot scenes where he didn't have to do a lot of physical activity. One such scene was the one where Mike persuaded Celeste to let him use the doping and they ended up kissing.

"So this is the 'I like you kiss but I'm too shy to say it'" He said as they sat on a sofa in his living room, facing each other and he leaned closer to her with his eyes hooded.

Her heart beat so fast in her chest as he finally closed the gap between them and his lips touched hers ever so gently, making the butterflies fly around in her stomach.

He pressed his lips on hers and she opened her mouth, letting her tongue brush over his lips as she wanted to feel his tongue on hers but he broke the kiss, startling her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"You're heading towards 'I want you so much and I want you right now' kiss." He said with a twinkle in the corner of his eyes.

"Sebastian!" She pouted and hit his arm playfully, making him laugh.

"I don't mind if you want to go in that direction." He winked and she could feel warmth crawling from her neck up to her cheeks.

"Oh stop it, Sebastian! Don't tease me!" She protested.

"But I love teasing you and seeing you blush. You look so pretty when you blush." He continued as he gazed at her with adoration in his eyes and he placed his hand on her cheek, stroking it gently, making butterflies fly around in her stomach.

She looked up and gazed at his gorgeous ocean blue eyes and couldn't help herself from drowning in them. As usual, he made her feel like he was seeing into her soul, making her heart feel warm.

"Do you want to practice another type of kiss?" He asked slowly, his voice low and husky, making her heart skip a beat.

"What type of kiss?" She asked, almost whispering, her heart pounded hard in her chest.

"The 'I think I never felt like this to anyone but you kiss'." He replied gently as his fingers continued to stroke her cheek.

"Show me." She whispered and he smiled.

He placed both his hands on her cheeks, his eyes showed a mixture of love and desire, making her feel weak all over. Then slowly he pulled her face closer to him and he captured her upper lip with his lips. She closed her eyes as he continued to kiss her and their lips meld into each other until he opened his mouth to let their tongues meet and his tongue did wonders on hers, making her heart beat so fast in her chest.

"Cut!" Maya's voice sounded loudly across the studio and they broke apart, both trying to catch their breaths after the intense kissing scene.

"Sebastian, Aurora, that was good up until the kiss." Maya said, appearing next to them.

"Okay. It was too much huh?" Sebastian said, his face reddened and he put his hand behind his neck.

"Yeah, kind of. I mean. The scene just needs a sweet kiss where Mike showed Celeste how much he's grateful for her for being so understanding. You know what I mean. Just a sweet, chaste kiss showing how he loves her and appreciates her." Maya explained.

"Right, okay. Sorry. We'll try again." Sebastian nodded.

"Sorry Maya." She said sheepishly, her face reddened as well.

"It's okay. No big deal. I know this could be a slight problem with real couples playing a couple, but totally understandable." Maya said, smiling at her with a twinkle in the corner of her eyes.

"Thanks for understanding, Maya." She said, smiling at her.

"No problem. Now let's take this from the beginning." Maya said and they both nodded.

"So, let's just do the 'I love you and admire you and I'm so grateful that you're mine' kiss." Sebastian said after Maya left them and she laughed.

"No tongue?" She teased and he chuckled.

"No tongue." He shook his head and she laughed.

-----

"Celeste! Hi! How are you?" An actress by the name of Emma, who was playing in the movie as Celeste's friend Sarah, greeted her as she entered the crowded cafe that morning.

It was the next day and they were shooting flashback scenes where Mike and Celeste met for the first time. It was done at a real cafe in LA not far from where Universal Studio was.

"I'm good, Sarah, thank you. How are you?" She asked as they gave each other brief hugs then she took a seat next to Sarah.

They were having a sort of reunion that day, Celeste, Sarah and two other of their friends when Sebastian as Mike entered the cafe along with his friends and they spotted each other for the first time.

It felt as if Sebastian was walking in slow motion as he walked closer towards where she was sitting. His eyes gazed at her in wonder and his mouth slightly opened, as if he was seeing an angel.

Then he walked straight into a waitress' back who was carrying drinks on a tray. The drinks fell over and liquid splashed all over the floor as the waitress tried to prevent the glasses from falling to the floor.

"I'm sorry.. sorry.." Sebastian said, his face reddened as he tried to help the waitress.

She closed her mouth with her hand and tried to stifle her laughter. Sebastian looked up at her and his face turned even redder. He turned around and finally took a seat near the counter of the cafe with his friends.

"What a loser." Sarah commented.

"I think he's kind of cute." She commented and smiled a little as she saw Sebastian turned his head around to see her for a moment but then he quickly turned his face away from her when he noticed she was staring at him.

"Cut!" Maya shouted. "Okay, that was good! Continue to the next scene, please."

The next scene was a scene where she stood in front of the counter at the cafe, placing orders when Sebastian stood behind her.

"One cappuccino, two vanilla latte and one matcha latte, please. Thank you." She said to the barista behind the counter.

She pretended to pay then stepped back only to step on Sebastian's foot, startling her.

"Ow!" Sebastian as Mike exclaimed out loud.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." She said Celeste's line as she turned around and stepped away from Sebastian.

"It's okay." Sebastian said, his face reddened and she could feel her face reddened as well.

"I.. I saw what happened. I hope you're okay?" She asked.

"Yeah.. I'm okay. I just.. ahem.. I think I saw an angel, that's why I didn't notice that waitress." He said slowly and she smiled, feeling her cheeks warm.

"That's.. interesting." She commented and he nodded.

"Yeah.. I mean.. at least I think I did." He continued, smiling a little at her and she nodded.

"Well.. I didn't see any angel but I saw someone.. interesting." She teased and he smiled.

"Hmm.. interesting." He nodded.

"Yeah.." She said, looking down shyly.

"I'm.. I'm Mike, by the way. Mike Taylor." Sebastian said, extending his hand towards her and smiling shyly at her.

"Oh, I'm Celeste.. Celeste Nichols." She said, shaking his hand and smiling back at him.

Their hands lingered on each other's slightly longer than necessary then..

"Cut!" Maya's voice sounded across the cafe.

"Okay, perfect!" Maya shouted and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She had done more than one scene now where they needed to take only one take and she was quite proud of it.

"You did great, Aurora. As usual." Sebastian smiled at her then he pulled her closer by her waist and quickly planted a kiss on her forehead, making her smile.

"Thank you, Sebastian. You were amazing as usual." She looked up and smiled at him.

He leaned close to her and she knew he was about to kiss her when he suddenly moved forward towards her and his chin bumped onto her forehead.

"Get a room, you love birds." Anthony's voice traveled to her ears as she saw him clapped Sebastian's back, making Sebastian stumbled forward and bumped his chin on her forehead.

"Oh Anthony." Sebastian shook his head as he rubbed his chin, looking at Anthony with an annoyed expression. Anthony just laughed and walked away from them, followed by Chris Evans who just winked at them as he passed.

"Are your friends okay with us being together?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah. I told them what you told me and what you have done for me. They're okay." He explained and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, good. I hate it if they don't agree that we're really dating."

"Well, even if they don't agree I wouldn't care." He shrugged and she smiled.

She pulled the back of his neck closer and tiptoed to plant a soft kiss on his lips. She was about to lean away when he chased her lips and his hand held the back of her head, preventing her from leaning away.

"I'm not done yet.." He whispered, breaking the kiss and she smiled. They continued to kiss at the cafe, hands holding each other tight as if the world was only theirs, oblivious with everything and everyone around them.

-----

Their kisses became more passionate as he opened his mouth and licked her lips, wanting to access her tongue. She opened her mouth and their tongues met again, making her feel the warm feeling at the base of her stomach.

She knew now what that meant so she broke the kiss and gently pushed him away.

"What is it? Something wrong?" He asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I.. umm.. I just think we should probably do something else. This whole kissing thing can lead into something else and I.. I just feel like it's not time yet." she replied, her face reddened.

It was the night after the shoot at the cafe and they were spending some time together at his penthouse, hanging out and practicing for the shoot the next day.

"Oh! Yeah! Of course! I'm sorry." He said, his face reddened as well and he released his hand from her face. For a split second she could see a hint of disappointment in his eyes and she felt guilty about it.

"I'm sorry, Sebastian. It's just that it's been what? A week? And we haven't even gone out on a proper date yet, not that I'm complaining. I.. I just. You mean so much to me, Sebastian and I.. I want our first time to be special." She said, feeling her face reddened even more.

He gazed at her warmly, the disappointment in his eyes gone and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're right. We haven't even gone out on a proper date yet. I'm sorry." He said, sighing, glancing at his ankle.

They had been so busy with the shoot that week that they didn't have time to go out. They spent the day at the shoot and the night at his place, practicing. Not to mention that he was still recovering from the sprain on his ankle so they tried to minimize going out except for the shoot.

"It's okay, Sebastian. The most important thing is the healing for your ankle and the shoot. Once you're healed we can go on a proper date." She said, smiling at him.

"Speaking of a date, how about I take you to Santa Monica Pier for our first date?" He asked with a twinkle in the corner of his eyes.

"Oh I would love that! Just like Mike and Celeste!" She exclaimed excitedly, making him chuckle.

As it happened, Mike and Celeste's first date was at an amusement park in Colorado and Maya decided to use Santa Monica Pier as the set for their first date.

"Yeah. We can go on the ferris wheel and hold each other's hands as we soar above the sky and enjoy the view." He said and she nodded.

"We can play games where you can try and win a plush doll for me." She continued, making him laugh.

"Yeah, that would be a good practice before the shoot next week." He said and she nodded.

"Then we can ride the roller coaster where you'll end up holding my hand for dear life." He teased.

"I'm not easily scared in a roller coaster, Sebastian, you'll see." She responded.

"Is this a challenge?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"What challenge?" She asked.

"To see which one of us gets scared easily on the roller coaster." He said and she laughed.

"Don't laugh. I'm being serious." He continued, looking at her with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Sebastian, don't underestimate me. I'll win the challenge for sure." She said sternly.

"Don't be so cocky, Aurora, the only way to know for sure which one of us is more easily scared in a roller coaster is to go on the roller coaster and see who ended up closing their eyes and holding on to the other's hand tightly."

"And screaming their head's off." She added and he laughed.

"Yes! Exactly!" He responded excitedly.

"Fine. What will be the prize for winning such a challenge?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well.. if I win the challenge, you're going to let me take you to wherever I want after the date at the pier is over." He suggested, making her smile.

"What place do you have in mind?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, it's a secret." He winked and she shook her head in disbelief but she couldn't help but let a smile escape her lips for a moment.

"Okay. If I win.. I get to.. umm.. " She trailed, not sure what she wanted from him. Being with him as she had been in the past few days had been heaven-like for her, she didn't know what could top that.

"You can ask me to do anything, Aurora." He said gently as she continued to rack her brain for a prize she wanted from him.

"Anything?" She asked slowly, her eyes widened.

"Yes, anything." He replied with a low and husky voice.

There were some forbidden things that crossed her mind as she listened to his husky voice, but she decided against them as they were not at that point yet in their relationship.

"If I win, I'm taking you on a picnic." She finally replied and he laughed.

"Deal!" He said as he extended his hand and she shook it.

-----

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Sebastian successfully hit two out of three moles that popped up, increasing his score to 7.

Bam! Bam!

Then he hit two more but missed the last one, making his score stopped at 9.

"There you go, sir." The staff behind the counter extended his hand and gave him a cute stuffed panda.

"Thanks man." Sebastian said as he accepted the panda.

"There you go, my lady." He said, giving the panda to her, making her smile.

"Thank you, sir, for this wonderful gift." She said as she accepted the panda then bowed her head, making him laugh.

"I hope you like it." He said as they turned away from the Whack-A-Mole game booth and continued their exploration of the Pacific Park amusement park at the Santa Monica Pier.

It was Sunday, the day of their first date ever and true to his word, he took her to Santa Monica Pier for a day of fun. His ankle had mostly healed and he was able to walk without limping.

"Oh I love it, Sebastian! Thank you!" She gushed as she hugged the panda tight in her arms.

"Glad you like it. But, I think I'm gonna try and win that giant pink teddy bear for you." He said as he dragged her towards the ring toss game booth where a giant pink teddy bear sat behind the rows and rows of glass bottles.

"Wow! That teddy bear is huge!" she gushed.

"Yeah, it's the biggest prize I've seen among these games. That's why I have to win it for you. Nothing but the best and biggest for my lovely lady." He winked at her, making her blush.

-----

Clang clang clang!

Sebastian as Mike successfully threw three rings and made them fall on three glass bottles successfully.

"Yay! You did it!" She, as Celeste, clapped her hands enthusiastically.

The staff behind the counter picked up a giant pink teddy bear from behind him and gave it to Sebastian.

"Congratulations, sir." The staff said.

"Thank you, man." Sebastian smiled then accepted the teddy bear and gave it to her.

"There you go, my lady." He said, making her smile.

"Thank you, sir for this wonderful gift!" She exclaimed excitedly as she hugged the giant teddy bear in her arms.

"You're welcome." He smiled as he took her hand and guided her away from the Toss-A-Ring game booth.

It was the next day after their first date, where they shot Mike and Celeste's first date at an amusement park.

They walked hand in hand towards a cotton candy booth with the camera and boom operator following them.

"That looks so fluffy and cute." She exclaimed, looking up at the colorful and fluffy cotton candies sticking out at the display.

"Oh you want one?" He asked as he started to pull out his wallet.

"No, it's okay. It's for kids, not adults like us." She said but Sebastian shook his head and proceeded to buy one of the pink cotton candies anyway.

"No food is just for kids. Especially not this." He said as he picked a small part of the cotton candy and popped it into his mouth.

"Mmm.. that was good." He commented, making her raise her eyebrows.

"Here." He said as he picked a part of the cotton candy again and extended his hand to her mouth.

She opened her mouth slowly and he placed the piece of cotton candy in her mouth. The cotton candy immediately melted in her tongue, leaving a sweet taste in her mouth and her eyes widened.

Sebastian smiled as he saw her expression and she immediately picked a piece of cotton candy and put it into her mouth.

"I'm gonna regret this but this is so good." She commented as she picked yet another piece of the cotton candy and he laughed.

"Haven't you ever had one before?" He asked as they continued to stroll along the park and eat the cotton candy along the way.

"No. My mom never let me have one. She said it's just sugar and bad for our teeth and body." She shrugged.

"Well.. she's not wrong. But just one cotton candy won't ruin your life." He commented and she nodded.

"What would though, is having a funnel cake afterwards." She said as they stopped in front of a booth selling swirly fried funnel cake.

"Wanna bet?" He asked with a twinkle in the corner of his eyes and he dragged her to buy the funnel cake, leaving her with no other option but to follow along, laughing and giggling as she did so.

-----

"Mm.. I know this is bad for our diet but this is so so good." She commented as she put a large piece of funnel cake topped with chocolate ice cream and whipped cream into her mouth.

"I know, right?" Sebastian chuckled then put a piece of funnel cake into his mouth as well.

It was the day of their first date and after playing five games at the park and losing in most of them they decided to get some snacks to eat.

She swallowed and licked her lips then looked up to see him gazing at her with a hint of desire in his eyes. He stared at her intently and his eyes flicked downwards to her lips, making her heart skip a beat.

He leaned closer to her and his tongue flicked the corner of her lips, making her breath hitch. Then he kissed her gently on her lips, making her blush.

"You had some ice cream there." He broke the kiss and smiled as he reached out and his thumb brushed the corner of her lips.

"Th.. thanks." She stammered, her heart beat fast in her chest as she looked up and gazed into his beautiful ocean blue eyes, feeling like she could just stare at them forever.

"So, do you want to have another snack or should we start getting on the rides?" He asked, dropping his hand from her lips and she blinked.

"Well, I'm full. I think we should start getting on the rides. I can't wait to win the challenge." She said and he laughed.

"Oh don't be so confident yet, Aurora. You might have rode on roller coasters before but this one is different. Get ready to lose the challenge." He threatened and she just shook her head.

He laughed then picked her hand and guided her towards the roller coaster. On the way there they passed a giant swinging ship. She looked at the people laughing and screaming in the ship and thought that the ride looked fun.

She pulled his hand back and stopped in front of the giant ship.

"Can we go on this first? It looks fun." She asked.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled then they continued to walk towards the giant ship and stood in the queue.

-----

The wind flew on her face and she felt her heart dropped into her stomach as the giant wooden ship swung downwards quickly.

They were riding on the Sea Dragon, a giant swinging green wooden ship with dragon heads on each end.

She closed her eyes and screamed then she felt her hand warm. She opened her eyes when the ship swung backwards and looked down to see Sebastian's hand covering hers.

"It's okay, Celeste!" Sebastian as Mike shouted and she nodded, smiling at him.

But she couldn't help but scream again as the giant ship swung downwards again. Sebastian chuckled then he whooped as the ship continued to swing hard back and forth, making her feel slightly nauseous.

The giant ship finally stopped and she immediately ran away to try and find a trash can. Thankfully there was one near the giant ship and she immediately put her head on top of it and let everything in her stomach pour out from her mouth.

"Celeste!" Sebastian shouted, running immediately towards her.

He placed one hand on her shoulder and the other one helped pull up her hair so she wouldn't get vomit on it.

After a while she finally stopped vomiting and coughed.

"I'm sorry." She said, wiping her mouth with her hand and glanced to see Sebastian staring at her with concern.

"No, I'm the one who should say sorry. I shouldn't have suggested that we go on rides after we ate." He said in regret.

She coughed again then turned around.

"It's okay, Mike." She said, taking a deep breath.

"I guess we should just skip the roller coaster then?" He asked.

"No, it's okay. But maybe we can do it a bit later." She replied.

"Yeah, you're right. Are you feeling better?" He asked as he reached out his hand and stroked her cheek gently.

"Yeah. Thank you." She replied, looking up at him and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the way he looked at her.

"I guess I was right." She said.

"Oh, about what?" He asked curiously.

"Eating funnel cake after cotton candy would ruin your life." She replied and he laughed.

-----

Her heart beat raised as the roller coaster slowly climbed upwards, taking them to the highest peak at 55 feet. She kept reminding herself not to close her eyes, scream nor hold Sebastian's hand so she could win the challenge. But seeing how high they were and how steep the drop in front of them seemed to be, she doubted she could stop herself from doing those things.

"Here..we.. gooo!" Sebastian shouted as the roller coaster finally rolled over the peak and dropped.

She tried hard to open her eyes as the wind whipped on her face but as the roller coaster went down even faster, she couldn't help but close her eyes. In the end she closed her eyes and she could feel Sebastian's hand on hers as they passed the last peak and a picture of them was taken.

"I guess we both lost." Sebastian commented as they studied the picture in his hand, right after they finished riding on the roller coaster.

She looked at the picture and grimaced as she saw Aurora's face on it. She was scrunching her eyes shut and her expression showed nothing but fear. But when she looked at Sebastian's face on the picture she couldn't help but laugh. His expression was even worse. Sebastian held her hand tight, his mouth opened wide and he closed his eyes.

"Clearly you lost." She chuckled.

"But you also closed your eyes." He protested.

"Yeah, I couldn't open it with the wind on my face." She responded.

"Yes, but you also look scared. Just admit that we both lost." He insisted.

"Okay." She chuckled, realizing he wasn't going to give up.

"What do we do then? Should we go on it again and do a rematch?" She asked.

"No, once is enough for me." He replied and she laughed.

"I guess since we both lost, we could just do both. Go to the place I told you about and also have a picnic." He said and she smiled.

"Good idea." She replied, nodding her head.

"But first, we need to go on the ferris wheel. No trip to the pier is complete without going on the ferris wheel." He said, grabbing her hand and guided her towards the ferris wheel.

-----

Her eyes widened as the ferris wheel stopped at the very top. She looked to her right and admired the beautiful sunset at the horizon, leaving the sky pink.

Several drones flew around them, shooting the scene of Mike and Celeste's supposed first kiss at the very top of the ferris wheel.

"Action!" She could hear Maya's voice in her ears, reverberating through the ear piece she wore in her ears.

She turned to look at Sebastian. He gazed at her in wonder, his eyes looked mesmerized and his mouth opened a little.

"You are.. so.. beautiful.. Celeste Nichols." He said gently, making her heart beat faster.

She blushed and smiled shyly as Sebastian reached out and placed his hand on the side of her face.

"I like you, Celeste." He said as his thumb carressed her cheek.

"I.. I like you too, Mike." She replied slowly, feeling the warmth crawling from her neck up to her cheeks.

Sebastian smiled then slowly leaned closer to her. It seemed time stood still as he finally closed the gap between them and his lips touched hers ever so gently, sending shivers down her spine.

They continued to kiss as the drones flew around them, capturing their kiss from 360 degrees.

"Cut!" Maya's voice sounded through her ear piece after a while and she started to break the kiss but Sebastian's hand held her in place as he continued to kiss her.

"Cut, Sebastian." Maya's annoyed voice sounded through their ear piece and he finally broke the kiss, chuckling as he did.

"Sorry. I couldn't help myself." He said, staring at her with adoration in his eyes.

"Get a room you two!" Suddenly they could hear Anthony's voice through their ear piece.

"Oh, Anthony. What happened to Maya?" Sebastian asked, looking down towards where Maya and the others were supposed to be. But they were so high up that it was hard to see.

"She had to go to the bathroom. She's disgusted at you two." Anthony replied.

"No, I'm not. I'm here." Maya's voice sounded through the ear piece.

Sebastian shook his head and rolled his eyes while she just laughed at Anthony's antics.

-----

Her hand felt warm and comfortable in his hand as they walked hand in hand along the pier towards the edge. The ferris wheel ride was nice and she loved seeing the beautiful view of the sunset in the horizon. But of course, the kissing session they had on top of the ferris wheel was even nicer. It felt so romantic kissing him with the sunset as the background.

But apparently the ferris wheel was not the last romantic spot she got to experience on their first date.

The sun had set almost fully, leaving the sky dark. Twinkling lights scattered all over the pier, making the atmosphere nice and romantic.

People had started to go back from the pier so they walked against the direction of where most people were walking.

The sound of the calming waves and seagulls flying above them accompanied them as they continued to walk. They finally stopped at the very edge of the pier where it was empty of people.

Her hand held the steel railing and she took a deep breath, enjoying the salty refreshing air coming from the ocean.

"I just love the smell of the ocean." She commented as they stood side by side facing the endless beautiful sea.

"Yeah, me too." Sebastian responded and she could hear him taking a deep breath as well.

"I had a lot of fun today. Thank you for taking me here, Sebastian." She said, turning to look at him.

"You're very welcome, Aurora. I had a lot of fun too." He smiled softly at her making her smile back.

His eyes gazed softly at her then she could see them darkened a little as he continued to gaze at her.

He turned to face her and placed his hands around her waist, turning her to face him as well.

He pulled her closer to him and looked down with hooded eyes. Then his right hand touched her cheek and he carressed it gently.

"You.. are.. so beautiful.. Aurora Watson." He gently said and she felt a pang in her heart.

Throughout the day she didn't think about the fact that physically she was Aurora. He rarely called her name so it felt like he really liked her real self. Him saying Aurora's name drove the fact back into her mind and she couldn't help but feel sad about it.

"What's wrong?" He asked, staring at her with his eyebrows furrowed as he continued to carress her cheek with his thumb.

"Nothing. Everything is fine." She smiled and decided to try and keep the sadness away. The day was an amazing day and she didn't want it to end on a sad note.

She looped her hands behind his neck and pulled him closer to her. He smiled and leaned close and their lips finally met again for the nth time since their first kiss eleven days ago. It was amazing that every time his lips touched hers she always felt an explosion in her chest or butterflies flying around in her stomach. If she could she would love to loop time and just relive kissing him over and over again until their lips are swollen.

"I think it's time to go to that place I told you about." Sebastian broke the kiss after a while and stared at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh, now?" She asked.

"Yup. It's dark and it's perfect timing." He said and she nodded.

"Okay." She responded, wondering where he was going to take her that made the darkness felt perfect for it.

-----

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off of you

You'd be like heaven to touch

I wanna hold you so much

The voice of Frankie Valli crooning the song Can't Take My Eyes Off You reverberated throughout the small diner she and Sebastian were in.

She had her right hand on his shoulder and her left hand on his waist and he held her the same way. Their bodies were close together as they swayed slowly to the music right next to the jukebox in the diner.

They were shooting a scene where Mike and Celeste did their first dance at a diner, right after they visited an amusement park earlier in the day.

She looked up and gazed at him and as usual she didn't fail to drown herself in his beautiful eyes.

"What are you thinking?" Sebastian, as Mike, asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just, umm.. I admire you for staying in this date even though I threw up earlier." She said, blushing as she said it.

"Oh." He chuckled.

"I hope I didn't taste like vomit." She said nervously, referring to their first kiss back during sunset on the ferris wheel.

"Well.. not at all. The mint worked well." He winked and she smiled.

"As well as the burger, fries and soda you had afterwards." He continued and she laughed.

"Nothing can ruin your image in my eyes, Celeste. You.. are.. an angel to me." He said as he picked up her hand and kissed it gently, making her blush again.

At long last love has arrived

And I thank God I'm alive

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off of you

-----

Pardon the way that I stare

There's nothin' else to compare

The sight of you leaves me weak

There are no words left to speak

But if you feel like I feel

Please let me know that it's real

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off of you

The song Can't Take My Eyes Off You came out through the radio in Sebastian's car where they were in that night.

Sebastian took her to a beautiful overlook on Mulholland Drive, the one she remembered he mentioned way back when she was still in her own body.

They were sitting side by side in his car, enjoying the beautiful twinkling lights of the city of LA in front of them while Frankie Valli crooned on the radio.

Too good to be true. That was exactly what she felt for the past eleven days. Never in a million years she thought she would ever experience going on a nice date with a regular man let alone Sebastian Stan! And having romantic moments and kisses throughout the date. She knew she wasn't exactly good looking and she was ready in case she would stay as a spinster forever. But God was good to her and He finally gave her a chance to enjoy life with him, even though it was in a very weird circumstance.

Eleven days, she couldn't believe that it had been eleven days! The private investigators hadn't contacted her yet and Aurora was still in jail for at least six more days which meant she still had time to be with him. Deep down she wished she would never switch back with Aurora. Having Sebastian in her life really made her life worth living. She really wasn't looking forward to living her old life in her own body.

Sebastian turned to look at her and smiled.

"So, how do you like this place?" He asked.

"Oh, I love it! It's so beautiful!" She gushed, making him smile again.

"Not as beautiful as you are though." He said gently, making her heart skip a beat.

They continued to stare at each other as Frankie Valli continued to croon in the background.

I love you baby

And if it's quite alright

I need you baby

To warm my lonely nights

I love you baby

Trust in me when I say..

"I think I'm in love with you, Aurora." Sebastian gently said to her. He reached out and his right thumb stroked her cheek gently. His eyes gazed at hers intently. She could clearly see the love and longing in the depths of his eyes.

She froze. She wasn't sure how to respond. He was in love with her? Would he still be in love with her if she was in her own body? She pondered as they continued to stare at each other. For a split second she made a decision to never think about it again and just enjoyed the moments with him.

He had bared his soul to her and the least she could do was to respond. She couldn't deny how she felt about him too so she decided to follow her heart and told him about it, not worrying about the consequences yet.

Oh pretty baby

Don't bring me down, I pray

Oh pretty baby

Now that I've found you, stay

And let me love you, baby

Let me love you

"Sebastian.. I.. I'm in love with you too." She said gently and his face brightened immediately.

"I love you." He declared, his voice shook a little.

"I love you too." She replied wholeheartedly, feeling a soaring feeling in her chest as his face brightened even more.

He placed both hands on her cheeks and caressed them gently with his thumbs. Then he licked his lips, making her swallow hard and he slowly leaned closer to her.

Their lips finally met and she felt fireworks exploded in her chest as they kissed. The kiss felt different to her. There was an urgency to his kiss and she realized that tonight was the perfect night for them to finally consummate their love.

She couldn't avoid it any longer and the warm feeling in the base of her stomach indicated that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

So she broke the kiss and held his face in her hands, both breathing hard as they stared at each other with love and lust in their eyes.

"Sebastian.. I.. I think I'm ready." She said slowly and his face broke into a smile.

"Your place or my place?" He asked, excitement glowing in his eyes.

"Yours." She quickly said. She didn't want to be reminded that she was in Aurora's body if they did the deed in her castle. She would rather do it at his place.

"Your wish is my command, my lady." He nodded and picked her hand up then kissed it gently, making her blush.

He let her go and turned around then started the engine of his car. Soon they were on the road heading towards his penthouse.

Her heart beat so fast in her chest throughout the drive. She had never been touched by a man ever in her life. She was practically a virgin! She wondered if it was going to hurt but thought maybe not since Aurora was obviously not a virgin.

She kicked herself mentally for thinking about it in too much detail. She had never kissed a man before, but eleven days into their relationship she thought she was good enough, otherwise Sebastian wouldn't seem to be too addicted to kissing her.

She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. It should be something natural and instinctive. She was sure she could handle it. She tried to convince herself.

They arrived at his place half an hour later. He let the valet boy parked his car and he immediately dragged her into the elevator.

He couldn't wait any longer it seemed because as soon as the elevator door was closed he crashed into her and kissed her passionately, making her lose her breath.

They kissed and kissed as the elevator continued to ascend and when they finally arrived on his floor, he picked her up off the floor and carried her bridal style towards his bedroom, making her laugh and giggle all the way.

He carried her and continued to kiss her all through the hallway then he kicked his bedroom door open, making her chuckle.

"Someone is in a hurry." She commented, making him laugh.

They finally arrived by his bed and he placed her gently on top of it.

"You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment." He said as he leaned on top of her, his left hand lying by the side of her face, his arm propping his body on top of her.

"Well, you don't have to wait anymore." She teased and he smiled.

He leaned close to her and started to kiss her lips while his hand started to travel along her body, caressing her face, her arm and along the side of her body. As his hand continued to caress her, her mind started to think. What should she do? She didn't know whether or not to caress him back so she left her hands looped around his neck. What if it hurts? What if she couldn't satisfy him? Slowly she started to feel suffocated and she felt she was at the edge of hyperventilating.

His hand caressed her thigh and traveled upwards to her privates. The moment his hand touched over her privates her breath hitched and she couldn't keep it in any longer.

She held his hand from continuing to do whatever he wanted to do to her and made him pause. She broke the kiss and her heart beat fast in her chest as she looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked, confusion in his eyes.

"Sebastian.. I.. I'm a virgin!"

She blurted out and his eyes widened in surprise.

Taglist

@dhoruwolfie @kandis-mom

#sebastian stan #sebastianstan #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x female reader #sebastian stan fluff

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sebstanaddict · 15 days

Text

Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

Seeing Sebastian hurt himself in a bike accident makes reader realize how strong her feelings for him are. But Sebastian still shows dislike towards her. Will she give up and leave him be? Or will she try and win his heart?

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 15/28 (Might add more)

Chapter list >

Warning : none

Word count : 8.5k words

---

Chapter 15 - Treasure

Somewhere on Mulholland Drive - Wednesday, July 19th 2023, 10 am

—

The blaring sound of the siren coming from an ambulance overpowered all other sounds. At the corner of her eyes she could see an ambulance going towards where Sebastian was. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she stood up and watched Sebastian’s face contorted in pain through the monitor.

She quickly got out of the spectator’s box and ran towards where he was.

“Aurora! Where are you going?!” A hand shot out and held her back. Lisa, her makeup artist, looked at her, her eyebrows raised.

“I need to see him! I need to see if he’s okay!” She shouted, panic coursing through her as she tried to struggle free from Lisa’s hold.

“Aurora, he’s like a mile away from here. You can’t run over there. And I’m sure the ambulance already got to him.” Lisa said and she realized that Lisa was right.

“Let’s just wait by the trailers and see where they take him.” Lisa suggested.

“Oh, right. Okay.” She nodded and walked towards the trailers, heart pounding hard in her chest, hoping and praying that Sebastian was okay.

It took a while but she finally found out that Sebastian was taken to a hospital not far from there. The shoot for that day was canceled and she immediately asked to be taken to see him.

When she got to the hospital Sebastian was still in the ER. She waited with Chris, Chace, Anthony, Johnny, Maya and Hannah in the waiting room. Her mind kept thinking of the worst.

She sat on one of the waiting chairs in the hospital, right across from the ER. Her eyes glued to the closed ER door. Everyone else was chatting around her but she couldn’t join them. She felt slightly paralyzed as the only thing she could think of was his face which was showing so much pain. She wished she could take the pain away from him.

In her worry she realized something. She had never felt this strongly about anyone. The thought of him being hurt and the potential of losing him, even though it was mostly unlikely, shattered her to her core. The thought made her realize how she had fallen in love with him so hard. Then she remembered the way he treated her in the past few days and she could feel herself drowning in the negativity of it all. A tear dropped from her eyes and before she realized it, she started crying.

As soon as she started crying everyone around her stopped talking. She realized she was making a fool of herself so she tried hard to stop crying but she couldn’t.

“Aurora.. ssshhh.. it’s okay. He’s gonna be okay.” Maya sat next to her and embraced her.

Maya rubbed her back gently and continued to say soothing words to her that successfully calmed her down.

“I’m sorry.” She sniffled as she released herself from Maya’s embrace.

“It’s okay. I know you’re worried sick about him. We all are. But I think, judging from how he fell down, he’s gonna be okay. It wasn’t that bad.” Maya said, patting her arm gently.

“Oh I really hope so.” She replied, sighing.

Maya offered her some tissues and she took them gratefully. She wiped her eyes and cleaned her nose then looked up to see Chris, Chace and Anthony all were staring at her with their eyebrows furrowed.

Chris smiled a little when she looked at him and she smiled back. Then he turned away and started talking to Anthony and Chace. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about as they were standing a good distance from her. Once in a while all three of them glanced at her and she couldn’t help but feel they were talking about her.

She took a deep breath and turned away from them. She realized her crying publicly would make people talk but she didn’t care. It was what she felt about him and she couldn’t hide it.

Finally the ER door opened and a male doctor came out.

“Family of Mr. Stan?” The doctor called out.

“We’re his colleagues, doctor. His family is not here.” Maya stood up and approached the doctor and she immediately followed her.

Maya explained who she was and the doctor nodded.

“Well, Mr.Stan is doing okay. We’ve examined him and cleaned his wounds. We’ve done an X-ray on him and thankfully he doesn’t have any broken bones. He only suffers from a sprain on his right wrist and right ankle, and some minor cuts and bruises on his arms and legs.” The doctor explained.

She breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she heard the doctor’s explanation.

“Oh thank God.” She exclaimed.

“How long will his recovery take, doctor?” Maya asked.

“Well, he has stage 1 sprain on his wrist and stage 2 sprain on his ankle. His wrist can heal in about one to three weeks while his ankle can heal in about two to four weeks. He needs complete rest for at least two weeks.” The doctor explained.

“I see. Is he allowed to go home?” Maya continued to ask.

“Yes, we’re preparing some medicines for him to bring home. As soon as they’re ready and the administration is done he can go home.” The doctor said.

“Can we see him?” She quickly asked.

“Of course but please keep it down and we can only allow a maximum of two people in at any one time. We also need someone to take care of the administration.” The doctor said.

“Of course, doctor. We’ll take care of the administration.” Maya nodded.

“Alright. Is there anything else you would like to ask?” The doctor asked, his eyes scanned hers and everyone else’s.

“No, doctor. I think that would be all.” Maya responded.

“Very well. Now if you’ll excuse me.” The doctor nodded then excused himself.

As soon as the doctor was gone Maya turned to her. “I think you can go in first, Aurora.”

“Oh.. yeah. Okay. Don’t you want to see him too?” She asked.

“Yes, but I’m going to take care of the administration first.” Maya replied and she nodded.

“What about the others?” She asked, turning to look at the others.

“You can go in first, Aurora. We’ll go in after you.” Chace said and she nodded.

She took a deep breath and slowly opened the ER door. She found herself standing in the middle among rows and rows of hospital beds, some covered with curtains while some others, the empty ones, were opened.

She wasn’t sure where Sebastian’s bed was but a nurse noticed when she entered the room and recognition flashed in her eyes.

“Over here, Miss Watson.” The nurse said and she guided her towards an area at the very end of the room.

A curtain covered the area and the nurse slowly opened it then beckoned for her to come inside.

“Mr.Stan, Miss Watson is here.” The nurse said, smiling at Sebastian.

She stood next to the nurse then the nurse quickly left them, closing the curtain behind her, leaving her standing by the side of the bed alone.

Relief coursed through her as she looked at him and found his perfect face staring back at her. He stared back at her and for a split second she could see the look of adoration in his eyes but then it was quickly gone and he immediately looked indifferent.

“Hi.” She croaked, her heart plummeted at his reaction but she tried to mask her disappointment.

“Hi.” Sebastian replied, glancing at her for a second then looked down.

She studied his face and thankfully she found no wounds or cuts on them, he just looked tired. Then her eyes scanned his arm. She found some cuts and bruises along his arm and there was a cold compress placed on his right wrist. She couldn’t see his legs because they were covered by a blanket.

“How are you feeling?” She asked, fighting the urge to place her hand on his.

“Like I just fell off a bike.” He chuckled and she laughed.

“The doctor said you have sprains on your wrist and ankle?” She asked.

“Yeah. God, this is going to push back the filming schedule.” He responded, a hint of frustration in his voice.

“Well, your recovery is the number one priority, Sebastian. I’m sure Maya and the others will understand.” She said and for an moment he turned and gazed at her softly but then his mouth turned into a frown and he sighed.

“Yeah, but still. Almost all of the scenes in this movie have me in them. I just hope I can recover quickly.” He said, still with some frustration in his voice.

“I’m sure you can. You just need to rest completely for at least two weeks.”

“Yeah. Definitely not looking forward to that.” He grumbled.

“I’m sorry..” She trailed. Seeing him being upset saddened her and she wished she could do something to make him happy.

He turned to look at her and gazed at her for a moment. “Are you okay? You look like you didn’t sleep all night.”

“Oh! I’m.. fine. I.. umm.. couldn’t sleep last night. It’s not important.” She quickly said. For a split second she thought of asking him about his difference in behavior towards her but she realized it was not the right time.

“Stressed about something?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

“No.. it’s nothing. Like I said, it’s not important.” she brushed it off and he nodded.

“Okay. Where are the others?” He asked.

“Outside in the waiting room.” She replied.

“Oh okay. Could you call them in? I’d like to talk to them.” He requested and once again she felt her heart plummeted.

“Oh, of course. I’ll go and get them.” She nodded.

“Thank you, Aurora.” He smiled softly at her but then quickly turned his eyes away, leaving her with a gaping hole in her chest.

“You’re welcome, Sebastian.” She said then she quickly turned around and opened the curtain, fighting the urge to cry again.

It was clear to her that he didn't want her around and the fact broke her. She wasn't sure what she did wrong. As much as she wanted to be there for him, he didn't want her, so after she called the others to come into the ER she decided to go home. She couldn't deal with the situation.

“Aurora? Where are you going?” Hannah called out after she told the boys that Sebastian wanted to see them and she walked towards the exit of the hospital.

“I forgot that I have an appointment, Hannah. I have to go.” She said as she tried hard to stop herself from crying again.

“Oh. Okay. I thought you would want to accompany Sebastian until he gets home.” Hannah remarked.

“Yeah. He has his friends that can help him with that.” She shrugged. “I'll see you later.”

“Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll see you later Aurora.” Hannah replied, still with a slightly confused look on her face.

She smiled then quickly turned around and exited the hospital.

When she finally got home she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She ran up towards her room passing Rosa who was cleaning the living room and went straight to the bedroom. She slammed the bedroom door shut and fell on the bed, her face buried on the bed while she sat on the floor. Sebastian's indifferent face kept flashing through her mind and a heavy feeling covered her heart like a blanket.

She had high hopes that with Aurora gone they would get closer. She remembered all the times he gazed at her with admiration in his eyes and how he had made the moves to kiss her several times. Were they all just her imagination? Was she making things up? But Aurora saw it too. Everything changed after Aurora went to jail. Did something happen after that? She couldn't imagine what could cause his difference in behavior towards her.

“Aurora, are you okay?” Rosa called out from behind the bedroom door.

She sniffled and finally stopped crying, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“I'm.. I'm fine Rosa!” She shouted but her voice shook.

“Can I come in?” Rosa asked.

She didn't answer right away. Then it occurred to her. Rosa knew Aurora and Sebastian before she did. Maybe she could help shed light on the situation. So she stood up and slowly opened the bedroom door and found Rosa, staring at her with her eyebrows furrowed.

“I'm sorry, Aurora. Are you alright?” Rosa asked.

“No.” She shook her head.

“I'm sorry to hear that, Aurora. Is there anything I could do to make you feel better?” Rosa asked.

“As a matter of fact, yes. Come on in, Rosa, I need to ask you something.” She said as she opened the bedroom door wider and Rosa got in.

She guided Rosa to sit across from her on the sofa then took a deep breath. Rosa placed her hand on hers and squeezed it.

“What would you like to ask me, Aurora?” Rosa asked gently.

“I.. I was just wondering. What do you think of Sebastian?” She asked.

“Mr.Stan? What about him?” Rosa asked, her eyebrows raised.

She started telling Rosa about Sebastian's change in behavior towards her. At times throughout her story she thought of letting Rosa know who she really was inside but she didn't want to sound crazy so she ended up not telling her.

“So, am I crazy for thinking that he's been behaving differently towards me?” She asked.

“Oh Aurora, from what you told me, yes, there seems to be a difference in behavior. I can't say for certain because I wasn't there when you met him. But I don't think you're crazy for thinking that. You've known him for about a year now. So I'm sure you would notice if his behavior changed towards you.” Rosa answered.

“Okay. If I'm not crazy then, why though? It seemed like he changed overnight. The last time I saw him, he was still his old self towards me. And then.” She snapped her fingers.

“Just like that, he changed completely. I don't understand.” She sighed, leaning back on the sofa and frowned.

“Well, if my husband starts acting like that towards me, I would think that I probably did something wrong but I didn't realize it. Men are quiet creatures, Aurora. They are conditioned to keep their feelings inside and not express them easily. Unlike us, women. So, maybe you can just ask him. Or, before you ask him, you can try and get into his heart by doing something that can make him happy.” Rosa suggested.

“Oh, that's a really good point, Rosa. But I wonder what can make him happy.” She said as the heaviness in her heart gradually started to be lifted.

“In my experience, food is the way to a man's heart.” Rosa winked.

“Oh okay. That's a good idea.” She smiled.

“Thank you Rosa.” She reached out and hugged her, startling Rosa little.

“Oh you're welcome, Aurora. You know I can help you if you want.” Rosa released her and winked again. She smiled as an idea popped in her mind.

—

Sebastian's injury caused significant changes to the shooting schedule. Her scenes were mostly with Sebastian and Jennifer. Seeing how Sebastian wasn't able to do any filming for two weeks, Maya decided to reschedule all the shoot and put almost every scene that didn't have Sebastian in it to be shot during the two weeks that Sebastian was absent. She was scheduled to do her shoot with Jennifer for the remainder of that week, leaving the following week free for her until Sebastian had recovered.

After listening to Rosa's advice she decided to follow it. So every morning before she went to Universal Studio to do her shoot, she dropped by Sebastian's apartment and gave him a box of gifts and food.

On the first day she put an assortment of pastries Rosa had baked along with her infamous chicken salad sandwich. She also included some of Rosa's healthy smoothies and juices in bottles that he could consume throughout the day. Along with the pastries and smoothies she included a poetry book, 'Vital Signs: Poems of Illness and Healing', a collection of powerful and courageous poems in response to the human experience of illness and healing. She hoped he could find some comfort and strength from reading it. She also wrote a personalized card and wished him to get well soon.

Sebastian texted her later that day, saying thank you to her and asked her to give his thanks to Rosa. She just replied with a simple “You're welcome”. She wasn't sure what else to say.

On the second day she decided to give him a complete healthy breakfast and lunch, all prepared by her and Rosa including her signature buttermilk pancakes but using healthier ingredients and a healthy vegan wrap she thought he would like. She also put in again several bottles of Rosa's juices and smoothies. In addition to the food and drink, this time she added a CD consisting of gentle classical music that is supposed to help someone from dealing with pain. She also wrote another personalized card wishing him to get well soon and wishing him happiness despite everything.

Again, Sebastian texted her later that day to thank her, but he also included a picture of the box consisting of everything she gave him and his face smiling next to it.

She smiled as she saw his face and replied how happy she was to see him smile.

Encouraged by how he reacted, she decided to continue giving him the food and gifts. It became something she had fun planning and doing. She put a lot of thought into what she put in the box, making sure she added food that contained ingredients that she knew was his favorite, like cashews, blueberries, chocolates and peanut butter and of course she also put in other gifts like books, CDs and Blu-ray of movies, knowing he liked to read, listen to music and watch movies.

Everyday after she gave him the treasure box - that was how she liked to refer to them now - Sebastian always texted her to thank her and she always replied to him back saying she hoped that he could enjoy her gifts and she wished him speedy recovery.

However, that was as far as their communication would go. After she replied to him, he never texted her back. After the sixth day she started to feel rather hopeless. She had hoped Sebastian would respond more by sending her more messages or maybe call her or something. But he did nothing of the sort. Making her wonder again if he really didn't like her. She knew she could ask him about it but somehow she still felt uncomfortable to ask him directly about it.

On that sixth day after she started giving Sebastian his gifts, the private investigators contacted her again, asking for confirmation to her on whether or not she wanted them to continue to track the Gypsy woman down. In her frustration at how Sebastian had reacted, she decided that maybe it was time to start looking for the Gypsy woman again. She realized she and Aurora couldn't possibly stay switched forever, and what was the use of her staying in Aurora's body if Sebastian didn't like her. So she decided to visit Aurora to ask her about it.

—

Century Regional Detention Facility (Lynwood Jail), Lynwood, California - July 25th 2023, 2 pm

The warden opened the door of the prison visiting room, revealing several small booths with windows and phones hanging on the walls by the side of the windows. Several people were sitting in the booths. She decided to sit in one booth the furthest away from other people.

The window in front of her showed nothing, but moments later Aurora walked in and sat in front of her. Her heart tugged a little as she saw her own body, looking thinner than she had ever seen herself. There were circles under her eyes, and her skin looked pale and dull.

She picked up the phone on the wall next to her and Aurora did the same.

“Hey, how are you?” She asked.

“Considering the circumstances, miraculously fine.” Aurora snickered.

“How are you? Having fun in my body?” Aurora continued to sneer.

“Yeah. Not so much.” She sighed, making Aurora's eyebrows shot up.

“And why is that?” Aurora asked, leaning closer to the window, her eyes showed deep curiosity.

“It's.. umm.. nothing. Anyway, Aurora, the reason I'm here is that the private investigators contacted me. They said they have a lead on where the Gypsy woman might be but they need five thousand dollars to pursue the lead because she seems to be out of the country.” She explained. She wasn't planning on spilling her feelings to Aurora so she knew she had to cut to the chase.

“Oh.. okay. Interesting.” Aurora said, leaning back on her chair.

“So.. yeah. I just wanted to ask you whether you agree with it or not.” She said.

“Hmm.. I can't tell if you're just stupid or if there's some kind of game you're playing.” Aurora stated, still staring at her curiously.

She sighed.

“Aurora. I just think that it's impossible for us to stay switched forever. So, we do need to find that Gypsy woman so we can switch back. I mean, isn't that what you wanted?” She asked.

“Yes, but I know it's not what you want. Not with you being an actress and getting closer to Seb.. wait.. this is about Seb isn't it?” Aurora said, leaning back towards the window, a gleam in her eyes and her mouth turned up into an evil smile.

“No, it's not about Sebastian.” She lied but Aurora was smarter than she gave her credit for.

“Ha! I knew it! Something must have happened between the two of you and it's not what I feared it was.” Aurora cackled and she took a deep breath.

“Did he dump you? Did he end up not liking you after all? Like he didn't like me all this time?” Aurora asked eagerly.

Aurora's words seemed to switch a lightbulb in her head and she thought she finally figured it out, the reason of Sebastian's behavior towards her! Of course! He must have thought she was still the old Aurora and he didn't like the old Aurora, so that was why he didn't like her either. lt was all the more reason for them to switch back. But of course she couldn't say all that to Aurora.

“Look, Aurora, I just need your permission to give the private investigators five thousand dollars so they can continue to track the Gypsy woman down. I'm not here to talk about Sebastian.” She said sternly.

“Fine. Of course you get my permission. No matter how much money they want, give it to them.” Aurora said.

“Okay. That's all I need to know.” She said and she put the phone back on the wall.

“Wait!” Aurora called out, putting her palm on the window.

She sighed and picked up the phone again.

“What?” She asked coldly.

“Is Paris okay?” Aurora asked.

“She's fine. We did the dog food commercial last week and she had a lot of fun doing it.” She replied and Aurora nodded, a look of relief flashed on her face.

“What about my mom? You're supposed to meet up with her tomorrow.” Aurora asked.

“Yeah, she called me earlier today, she's in Singapore with your cousin so she can't meet you, I mean me.” She answered, feeling kind of sorry for Aurora.

Aurora's face turned sour as soon as she heard her answer.

“Okay.” Aurora said. Miraculously that was all she said. She was ready to bear witness to Aurora's rage but she seemed strangely calm about it even though she clearly didn't like to hear the information from her.

“Anything else?” She asked.

“No. Thanks.” Aurora replied and her eyebrows shot up. Aurora, thanking her?! That was a first, she noted.

“So you thank people now?” She teased.

“Yeah. Why not.” Aurora shrugged.

“Oookay.. that’s good progress, Aurora.” She smiled and Aurora just rolled her eyes.

“Okay, I guess I'll see you later.” She said and Aurora nodded.

She finally put the phone back on the wall and Aurora did the same. Aurora left her without saying anything else, leaving her somewhat amazed at Aurora's slight change of behavior.

She left the prison Aurora was in and immediately contacted the private investigators, telling them she would transfer the money to them later on that day. Then her mind went to Sebastian. She had a feeling what she thought about him earlier was correct, but of course she wouldn't know for sure unless she asked him. However she wasn't brave enough to ask him directly and she thought that it would seem weird if she did.

Now that the private investigators were going to actively search for the Gypsy woman, she realized she might not have that much time being in Aurora's body. And that meant her time being near Sebastian was also coming to an end.

She couldn't help but feel her heart bleed as she thought about it. She couldn't bear switching back into her own body not having said her goodbye. Because she knew if they switched while Aurora was still in prison, Aurora could tell him where she was and she doubted Sebastian would want to have anything to do with her after that.

So she decided to give him one last gift and pull out all the stops for it. Even if he didn't want to see her again, at least she had given her all in expressing her love for him through the gifts.

For the last treasure box she was going to give him she decided to bake skinny peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes. She knew he loved both, peanut butter and chocolate so why not join them together in what she thought was the best combination. But she also knew Sebastian was watching his diet so she found a healthy recipe using oat flour and brown sugar for the cupcakes as well as Greek yogurt and cream cheese as the base for the creamy frosting.

The other thing she decided to put into the treasure box was pizza. She decided to try her best to bake a pizza similar to the one from Rubirosa restaurant in NYC, Sebastian's favorite pizza place. She decided to bake the Rubirosa Supreme, which was a pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella, pepperoni, mini meatball and roasted garlic but she substituted some of the ingredients for a healthier version. Rosa helped her of course but she tried to do as much of the cooking as she could, putting all her heart and soul into it, knowing it might be the last time she could express her love for Sebastian.

In addition to the pizza she also included green salad, Rosa's juices and smoothies and she completed it with a bottle of almond Macadamia latte she made herself based on the recipe she learned while she was working at Go Get ‘Em Tiger.

As for the additional gift aside from the food she decided to put a beautiful poem she found from a young poet named Whitney Hanson, and wrote it by hand on a card.

The poem wasn't exactly a love declaration but it was something she had felt about him for a long time. Being his fan for many years she had witnessed him dating different women and sometimes she felt like she could see how some of them didn't make him happy and didn't have his best interest at heart. So there was nothing more that she wished for him than for him to find love with someone who truly loved him for who he was. Someone whom he was truly happy with. Even if that someone was not herself.

It took a while for her to prepare everything so it was almost noon when she was finally ready.

She arrived at his apartment half an hour later, carrying a large decorated picnic basket. She decided to put everything into a picnic basket as it was easier to carry and could contain more items than regular boxes.

The security officer at his apartment smiled as she approached his desk.

“Miss Watson, I thought you weren't going to come today.” The security officer said.

“Oh, I had a lot to prepare so that's why I'm late.” She said, putting the picnic basket on the desk in front of them.

“Well, Mr.Stan is one lucky man.” He smiled.

“Oh, that's really nice of you to say that, Michael.” She smiled back.

“Well that's just the truth.” He winked, making her blush a little.

“Anyway, could you give this to him please?” She asked.

“I'm sorry but I can't, Miss Watson.” Michael said.

“Oh? Why is that?” She asked curiously.

“Because he said you should come up and give it to him yourself.” Michael winked and her heart seemed to jump out of her chest.

“He wants me to come up?” She asked, not believing her ears.

“Yes, that's what he told me this morning, Miss Watson. Come, let me take you to the elevator.” Michael smiled then grabbed the picnic basket in one hand from the desk and beckoned for her to come with him towards the elevators.

Michael pushed a button on the wall next to an elevator. The elevator opened and he walked into it with her following behind him. He swiped an access key card onto the elevator panel and pushed the button to the uppermost floor. He gave the picnic basket back to her hand then exited the elevator.

“Thank you Michael!” She said as the elevator door started to close.

“You're welcome, Miss Watson.” Michael saluted her, making her smile.

Once the elevator door was closed she felt her heartbeat rise as the elevator started to ascend. Finally, she could see him again!

The elevator ascended slowly and as it ascended, she could feel her heart pounding even faster in her chest, butterflies flew around in her stomach and her palms started to sweat.

What should I say to him? She pondered as she looked up to see the floor display above her and noticed she was just two floors away from the top.

The elevator dinged and the door slowly opened. She took a deep breath and made a silent prayer in her heart.

Just be yourself. She felt like someone was saying that to her and she nodded. That was good advice, she thought.

She stepped out of the elevator and found herself in Sebastian's sitting room. There was a built-in minimalist bar in front of her and a sitting area with two large light gray sofas and a glass coffee table next to it.

It wasn't the first time that she was there but the penthouse still took her breath away with its European oak flooring, giant marble and limestone walls, and jaw dropping floor-to-ceiling windows that were lined up throughout the penthouse, showcasing an unobstructed view from the Griffith Observatory to the Pacific Ocean.

“Hello?!” She called out and looked to her left towards the kitchen and living room but she couldn't see him.

She turned to her right and almost dropped the picnic basket in her hand as she saw Sebastian standing in the aisle. Both their jaws dropped as they looked at each other. His hands were holding the only thing that prevented him from being completely naked in front of her, a towel around his waist.

She closed her eyes immediately but couldn't shake the image of his glorious naked upper body still glistening from the shower he obviously just took and the way his hair dripping wet with water fell beautifully by the side of his perfect eyes.

“I'm sorry, Sebastian! I didn't mean to just barge in.” She said, still closing her eyes and feeling the warmth rising from her neck up to her cheeks.

“It's okay, Aurora.” Sebastian chuckled.

“Please have a seat, I'm going to put some clothes on and will be right with you.” He continued with a gentle voice.

“Okay.” She nodded.

Oh how much she missed listening to his voice, she thought as she turned around and opened her eyes. She decided to sit on the nearest sofa and put the picnic basket onto the coffee table.

She realized as she put the picnic basket on the table that she was shaking. She took a deep breath and tried hard to stop the shaking. She wouldn't want to be an embarrassment now that she finally could see him again.

Calm down. Calm down. She closed her eyes and repeated the mantra in her head.

Moments later she could hear gentle footsteps walking towards her so she opened her eyes. Sebastian was walking towards her, wearing just a white t-shirt and shorts. He smiled wide as he looked at her, making her heart skip a beat. She couldn't help but smile widely back at him, feeling like her heart soar from her chest as she saw his bright smile. But then she noticed he was limping as he walked and her smile was immediately gone. She could see his right ankle still swollen but it seemed he wasn't in too much pain, which made her glad.

“I'm sorry, I didn't hear you coming in.” Sebastian said as he finally arrived in front of her and sat on a sofa next to her.

“It's okay, Sebastian. I should have knocked or pressed a bell or something.” She said, blushing again as the image of his half naked body flashed through her mind.

“Yeah, there isn't exactly a bell. Michael was supposed to call through the intercom downstairs but I guess he forgot.” Sebastian shrugged.

“Oh! Yeah, he immediately ushered me into the elevator.” She chuckled.

“Oh okay, I should have known.” He laughed, making her heart warm.

“So, umm.. how are you feeling?” She asked, looking up at him. She couldn't help but notice how bright he seemed and she wondered why that was, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulder.

“Good, thank you. My wrist is so much better now. I can freely use it, almost like before I had the sprain.” He replied.

“Oh that's good. I'm happy to hear that.” She smiled.

“Yeah.” He smiled back and gazed at her softly, making her heart skip a beat.

Her heart soared from her chest as she noticed that this time he didn't look away. He continued to gaze at her with adoration in his eyes, making her heart beat so fast in her chest.

“How's your ankle?” She asked, glancing towards his ankle, trying hard to keep her cool.

“It's still swollen, as you can see. But it doesn't hurt as much. I should use a crutch but it's a pain in the ass you know.”

“Oh yeah, I know.” She commented, remembering the time she had to use crutches to move around after she sprained her ankle during the audition for Pumping Black.

“You've had an ankle sprain before?” He asked.

“Yeah, ankle sprain, broken arm, dislocated shoulder, you name it.” She chuckled and Sebastian smiled although with a slight confusion on his face.

Just then she realized she was talking about herself and not Aurora.

“Funny you never mentioned them to me.” He said, gazing at her curiously.

“Yeah.. well.. they happened a long long time ago. It's not important.” She said, trying to dismiss it.

“Yeah. I guess there are a lot we don't know about each other, despite having been ‘together’ for over a year.” He said, making quotation gestures with his fingers.

“Right, yeah.” She nodded, hoping she wasn't messing things up.

“By the way, I brought something for you.” She said, gesturing towards the picnic basket.

“Oh, right. Wow, a picnic basket? Are you asking me to go on a picnic?” He asked with a glimmer in his eyes.

“Not exactly.” She chuckled. “I just thought it has a bigger space than the usual treasure boxes I gave you, and it looks beautiful too.”

“Yeah, I agree. Although, I wouldn't say no to a nice picnic in a park.” He winked and she could feel her face reddened.

She wasn't sure why but it seemed he was back to his old self again towards her. It made her happy of course but also curious why that was.

“By the way, you call them treasure boxes?” He asked.

“Yeah.. I.. uh.. just thought they kind of are boxes of treasures.” She said, feeling her face getting even redder.

“Well, you're right about that. I really loved them. They truly felt like treasures. I look forward to opening them everyday. And I really appreciate all the thought you have put into each one. I.. uh.. I never knew you paid attention to what food and things I like. Thank you so much for that. I truly appreciate it.” He smiled warmly at her, making her heart swell in her chest.

“Oh, you're welcome, Sebastian. I just… it broke my heart to see you in so much pain after the incident and I just wanted to make you feel happy.” She said and Sebastian gazed at her with complete adoration in his eyes.

“Thank you, Aurora.” He said, reaching out and squeezed her hand. His gentle touch sent shivers down her spine and she froze as they continued to gaze at each other.

“You know you also made my mom happy.” He smiled then broke his gaze at her and released her hand.

“Your mom?” She asked, her eyebrows raised. As she looked at him she noticed how cold her hand felt and wished he had not released his hand from hers. His hand felt perfect on hers.

“Yeah. She stayed with me after the incident. I couldn't use my wrist and I couldn't walk with my ankle like this so I was in a wheelchair and needed some assistance.” He explained and she felt her heart break as she listened to him.

“Oh, Sebastian, it must have been hard on you. I wish you could have told me. I could come and help you too.” She said, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, I.. umm.. I didn't want to bother you, Aurora. Besides, you didn't seem to care when I had Covid last year, so..” He shrugged and her eyes widened.

“You had Covid last year?” She asked, dumbfounded.

“Yeah, like.. two months after we met.” He replied. “You don't remember?”

“Oh.. yeah. I'm sorry if I didn't seem to care.” She said as she felt a little angry at Aurora for not caring when Sebastian was sick. No wonder he didn't like her.

“It's fine. I guess you had a different priority back then.” He said and she nodded vigorously.

“Yeah, I did. And I'm really sorry about that.” She repeated.

“It's okay. I mean, we weren't really close back then. So.. “ He trailed and she nodded.

“I guess we weren't. Anyway, is your mom still here?” She asked.

“No, she went back home yesterday evening. My wrist is so much better and I can walk a little even if I still limp. She has some things to do back home so she had to leave.” he explained.

“Well, I'm here now, Sebastian. If you need my help in doing anything, just let me know.” She said. This time she reached out and squeezed his hand.

His face broke into a smile and he placed his other hand on top of hers and squeezed it.

“Thank you, Aurora. I really appreciate it.” He smiled warmly at her.

“You're welcome, Sebastian.” She smiled back, feeling like she was on cloud nine.

Slowly he started to lean towards her and she wondered if he would try to kiss her again. Her heart beat faster in her chest as she waited for him to make the move.

Suddenly a large golden retriever appeared between them, barking loudly. She jumped in surprise as she saw the dog.

“Zander!” Sebastian called out and Zander stopped barking.

“I'm so sorry, Aurora. I guess he's hungry.” Sebastian said as he started to stand up slowly.

“It's okay, Sebastian. Let me help.” She chuckled as she stood up as well.

She took his hand and put his right arm around her shoulder then circled her left arm around his waist.

“Aurora, I'm heavy. Are you sure you can?” Sebastian protested.

“Don't worry, I can.” She looked up at him and smiled warmly at him, making him smile back.

“Okay.” He nodded.

Slowly she started to guide him to walk towards the kitchen. The move reminded her of how he took care of her after she sprained her ankle and after he accidentally hit her with his car on Mulholland Drive. She was glad she could return the favor somehow.

They finally arrived at the kitchen and he took a seat on one of the stools by the kitchen island.

“Thank you, Aurora.” He smiled.

“Of course.” She smiled back. “So, where is his food?”

“Oh it's at the bottom drawer over there. His bowl should be there as well.” Sebastian said, pointing towards a drawer behind her.

“Okay.” She nodded and she opened the drawer and started preparing the dog food.

“Good boy, Zander. There's a good boy.” She cooed as she finished putting dog food in Zander's bowl and Zander immediately started eating. She knelt beside Zander for a moment and stroked the dog's fur gently then she released him to enjoy his food.

She stood up from her kneeling position and turned around to find Sebastian, staring at her with adoration in his eyes, making her blush.

“Thank you, Aurora.” He smiled.

“You’re welcome, Sebastian.” She smiled.

“So, do you want to show me what you have for me in the picnic basket?” He asked with a twinkle in the corner of his eyes.

“Oh yeah!” She said excitedly.

She went back to the sitting room to pick up the picnic basket and put it onto the kitchen island in front of him.

“So, I know you like pizza from Rubirosa, so I made you the closest pizza to Rubirosa's that I can make.” She said, pulling out the pizza box from inside the picnic basket and opening it.

“Oh my God. I can't believe it! That's like, that's exactly Rubirosa Supreme!” He gushed and his hand immediately reached out to pick up a slice.

She laughed as she saw his reaction and hoped it was as good as it looked.

“Mmm… mmmhmmm.. this is.. even better than Rubirosa.” Sebastian said after he swallowed the pizza and took another bite.

“Really? You're not just saying it to make me happy are you?” She asked and he immediately shook his head while still munching the pizza.

“I assure you.. I'm not lying.” He said as he finally finished his pizza and swallowed.

“I’m glad you like it.” She smiled and he smiled back.

“Okay, what else do you have in there?” He asked eagerly, making her chuckle.

“Well.. I want you to still have your healthy portion of fiber so I brought you garden salad.” She said as she picked up the box with the garden salad in it and gave it to him.

“Oh of course, everyone needs a healthy portion of salad everyday.” He said, smiling as he accepted the salad from her.

“But right now I don't really feel like eating salad. No offense.” He continued.

“None taken.” She laughed.

“Do you have dessert there?” He asked, trying to peek into the picnic basket.

“Well, I do but I need you to drink this first.” She said as she pulled out a bottle of smoothie from the basket and gave it to him.

“Oohhh.. yeah. Let's not forget, Rosa's famous smoothie.” He smiled as he received the bottle from her and opened it.

“Mmm.. so refreshing.” He said after he took a gulp and winked at her, making her chuckle.

“Okay, so.. time for dessert?” He asked and she laughed.

“You have such a sweet tooth, aren't you?” She commented as she reached inside the picnic basket and pulled out the box of cupcakes.

“Yes, guilty as charged.” He said and she laughed again.

“Well, you're gonna love this.” She commented as she slowly opened the box of cupcakes and his face brightened as he saw them.

“Oh.. wow.. that looks absolutely delicious!” He gushed as he reached out and picked up a cupcake.

“And it looks so pretty too.” He commented as he stared at the cupcake in his hand as if he was studying a piece of jewelry.

“Try it.” She smiled and he nodded.

He took a bite and smiled as he chewed it.

“You combined two of my most favorite ingredients for dessert.” He commented after he finished his first bite.

“And the result is?” She asked, teasing him.

“Absolute heaven!” He exclaimed as he took another bite, leaving some frosting on his upper lip, making her laugh.

“What?” He asked.

“You have.. some frosting on your..” She said as she gestured and pointed onto her own upper lip.

“Oh.. right..” He said, his tongue licked his upper lip clean, making her swallow hard as she imagined what it was like to kiss him and had his tongue on hers.

“Aren't you going to try one?” He asked, oblivious to her inappropriate thoughts about him.

“Oh! Yeah. Okay.” She blinked, willing herself to let go of the thoughts in her head and picked up a cupcake.

She took a bite and felt like she was transported to heaven for a moment. The cupcake was moist and soft with the right amount of sweetness and bitterness from the chocolate while the frosting was creamy and absolutely decadent.

“Mmm.. this is really good.” She commented as she continued to finish her cupcake.

“Right? Didn't you try it before?” He asked.

“Well, I tried them separately, the cupcake and the frosting. I didn't know that it would taste so heavenly when combined.” She commented.

“Well it does taste like heaven.” He smiled.

“I'm glad you like it, Sebastian.” She smiled back at him.

“Oh I absolutely loved it!” He gushed, making her smile again.

Suddenly he stared at her intently, his eyes traveled to her lips and she felt her breath hitch as he reached out and gently touched the corner of her lips with his index finger.

“You have some frosting there..” He said in a husky voice, making her heart flutter.

He licked the frosting he just cleaned from her lips and she swallowed hard, blushing furiously.

“Th.. thank you.” She stammered.

“You're welcome.” He smiled.

“I.. uh.. have two more things here for you.” She continued, turning away from him, heart beating fast in her chest.

“Oh, okay.” Sebastian nodded.

“I made this one myself. I hope you like it.” She said as she pulled out the bottle of almond Macadamia latte from the picnic basket and gave it to him.

“Oh, what is this?” He asked, receiving the bottle from her.

“Something you like to order at Go Get ‘Em Tiger.” She winked and he smiled.

He opened the bottle and took a sip. “Wow! This is exactly like the one they make at Go Get ‘Em Tiger.”

“Yeah, I.. I found out the recipe from Y/n.”

“Well that explained it.” He chuckled. “How is Y/n by the way? I haven't seen her since we started shooting.”

Her heart felt warm as she listened to him. It felt good to know he still cared about her real self.

“Oh, Y/n has.. umm.. a personal thing to deal with. She needed to go to her parents. So..” she replied quickly.

“Oh okay. Hope everything is okay with her and her family.” He commented.

“I think so. Anyway, that was all the food and drink I have for you.” She said as she didn't want the conversation to go too much in her direction.

"But, I have something else for you.” She said, blushing a little as she nervously pulled out the card with the poetry on it.

“Oh, what is that?” Sebastian asked, raising his eyebrows.

“It's.. umm.. a poem. Not by me.” She quickly added and Sebastian nodded.

“I just.. umm.. this is something that I have been wishing for you.” She said, her voice shook a little and Sebastian gazed at her softly.

“Why don't we move to the sofa in the living room where it's more comfortable. You can read me the poem there.” He suggested.

“Oh yeah, okay.” She immediately stood up, put the card with the poem in her pocket then placed Sebastian’s arm around her shoulder again. She helped him stand up and walk towards the sofa.

“Here we are.” She said as both of them sat down on the sofa and she released his arm from around her shoulder.

“Thank you, Aurora.” Sebastian said, smiling warmly at her as she took a seat a little further from him and turned her face towards him.

“You're welcome, Sebastian.” She smiled back at him.

“So. Whenever you're ready.” Sebastian said and she nodded.

She pulled out the card from her pocket and looked down. She cleared her throat and started reading.

"They say sometimes love starts with a spark

and that might be true

but if I were to wish you a love

I wouldn't wish fire for you

You see fire is powerful

it burns bright then it's gone it's beautiful and warm but it doesn't last long

So instead of wishing you a love that burns

I wish you love like a river that twists and turns

it changes and flows

it is powerful and free

but it consistently finds its way

back to the sea

And so like the water

I hope your love is ever-growing ever-changing

I hope your love is powerful and free

and may you always find each other

like the river finds the sea"

She finished reading and looked up to see Sebastian, gazing at her with his mouth slightly opened and his eyes looking at her in wonder.

Her heart beat so fast in her chest as she gazed at him, waiting for more reaction from him.

“F**k it.” He suddenly said and he leaned close to her and without warning his lips crashed onto hers, startling her.

His hands cupped her face as he continued to kiss her desperately. Fireworks exploded in her chest as their lips meld into each other. Her hands pulled the back of his neck closer and they continued to kiss, with the beautiful Los Angeles skyline as the witness to the start of their love story. A story she never thought she would ever experience.

Chapter 16 >

Taglist

@dhoruwolfie @kandis-mom

#sebastian stan #sebastianstan #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x you #bucky barnes #sebastian stan x female reader #sebastian stan fluff

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sebstanaddict · 2 months

Text

Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

Luck was finally on reader's side as Aurora was taken away to jail for a whole month. She was free to be who she really was. Great expectations were in her heart as she and Sebastian were going to spend the weekend together practicing their scenes. But what she expected to happen didn't happen and she was left to wonder what she did wrong as Sebastian's behavior towards her changed completely.

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 14/28 (Might add more)

Chapter list >

Warning : slight cursing, some spoiler from Sebastian's potential next project Pumping Black (I changed the character names and some of the plot details though). I also took a scene from the actual script and incorporated it here. Just a head's up.

Word count : 9k words

---

Chapter 14 - Great Expectations

13320 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California - Wednesday, July 12th 2023 - 3.00 pm

—

“No! I don't want to go to jail! I'm innocent!” Aurora shouted as she started to run away from them.

“We're really sorry Miss Watson, but it's the best we could do. Better than three months like what the judge originally wanted.” The lawyer continued to say.

“Yeah, thank you. I.. I know you did your best.” She smiled at the lawyer.

“No! Get away from me! Don't touch me!” Aurora continued to shout as she ran all over the backyard with the two policemen hot on her heels.

Her jaw dropped as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. Aurora insisted on not being caught but of course she was no match to two big bodied policemen. They succeeded in cornering her near the pool but Aurora decided to jump into the pool, startling everyone.

“Your assistant is.. interesting.” One of the lawyers remarked as they watched Aurora swimming in the middle of the pool and refusing to be arrested.

“Yeah, she's one of a kind.” She said, laughing internally.

Several minutes later the policemen finally succeeded in catching Aurora as they both decided to jump into the pool as well.

The three of them walked past her, dripping wet and Aurora looked at her in derange.

“This is all your fault! You are going to pay for this! I swear to God, once I get out you will pay for this!” Aurora spat right in front of her face, leaving wet marks on her cheeks.

She wiped Aurora's spit away from her cheeks and continued to look at her as the policemen handcuffed her and dragged her away.

“Miss Watson! Are you okay?” Rosa asked in surprise.

“I'm fine, Rosa. It's just spit and she had the right to do that to me.” She replied, smiling wanly at Rosa.

“No one deserves to be treated like this! I can't believe how different she is from the first time we met her! I mean.. breaking and entering? Cursing and spitting at you?!” Rosa asked, dumbfounded.

“Yeah.. I know.. It's like she's a different person isn't she?” She said and Rosa nodded.

“Well, Miss Watson, now that we've done our job, will you excuse us.” One of the lawyers said.

“Of course, thank you so much.” She said and they finally left after she shook both their hands.

“Are you going to tell Mr.Stan about this?” Rosa asked.

“No, I don't think I will. It will just make him feel bad. I'll just tell him she needs to go out of town or something to visit her family.” She replied.

There was no way she was going to tell Sebastian what happened. If he knew, she was afraid of losing the chance of becoming his assistant again once she and Aurora switched back to their own bodies.

“Yes, that's probably for the best. By the way, do you need anyone to replace her and Gabriella? I can probably find someone who needs a job.” Rosa offered.

“Umm.. I think I can manage without her for now. As for Gabriella, I'll help clean up whenever I can. So you don't need to do her tasks.” She replied.

Rosa's eyebrows shot up at that.

“Are you sure, Miss Watson?” Rosa asked, her face full of doubt.

“Of course I'm sure, Rosa. I can do some cleaning too. I mean, it's a great alternative to regular exercise, right? And you kill two birds with one stone by doing some cleaning.” She winked and Rosa smiled.

“Well, never in 15 years of being your maid have I ever heard you say something like this.” Rosa chuckled.

“Well, people change. I can change too.” She smiled, hoping Rosa wouldn't realize who she really was inside. With Aurora gone she felt like she didn't need to keep up with her behavior. She decided to just behave like herself. Besides, acting like herself made Sebastian seem to like her. So why shouldn't she start behaving like herself with other people too.

“Well, in that case, I'm happy to see the change in you Miss Watson.” Rosa smiled and she smiled back.

“Thank you so much, Rosa. Appreciate it.” She said, patting Rosa's shoulder.

“Anyway, what would you like for dinner Miss Watson?” Rosa asked.

“Hmm.. why don't we just order some pizza. You don't have to cook.” She winked and Rosa's eyes widened.

“Miss Watson! Pizza? Are you sure?”

“Rosa, I told you I've changed. Life is short, why not enjoy something like pizza once in a while. It's not like I eat it everyday.” She protested, remembering the time when she really did eat pizza daily for a week when she was still in Silicon Valley.

“Well, as you wish Miss Watson. Would you like me to order it for you?” Rosa asked.

“No, it's okay, I can do it myself.” She said.

“Very well, Miss Watson. Well, if you'll excuse me. I have some ironing to finish.” Rosa excused herself.

“Thank you so much, Rosa.” She smiled and Rosa finally left after returning her smile.

Once Rosa was out of sight a grin spread on her face. She couldn't believe her luck! Yes! She could finally say it now! Luck! Luck was finally on her side!

Then it hit her. This was God's answer to her prayer last night.

She looked up and smiled “Thank you God. I know now that You listen. I'm so grateful for this and I will not let You down.” She made a silent prayer in her heart then she walked back towards the house with a spring in her steps. Her heart felt light and for once she felt so carefree. No Aurora for a month!

A month! A lot can happen in a month! She couldn't believe all the things and the possibilities she could do as Aurora in a month.

Well, the first thing she should do, she finally decided, was to shop for new clothes. She had checked Aurora's closet and most consisted of dresses and mini skirts. She wasn't comfortable wearing them. She was much more comfortable wearing jeans and pants rather than dresses and skirts.

So after she took a quick shower and changed out of her exercise outfit, she asked Nelson to take her out shopping to Rodeo Drive.

It was her third time going to Rodeo Drive and the difference in experience going there compared to the first two times she went there as herself was immense.

This time around the store attendants immediately paid attention to her and were very kind and helpful. Some even asked to take a selfie with her, which she couldn't say no to of course.

“Oh, thank you so much, Aurora. This means a lot. I'm glad I asked because the last time you were here you didn't want to take pictures.” One of the store attendants commented.

Yes, she remembered it now. When she was there accompanying Aurora, Aurora rejected all requests from people to take pictures. She even scolded a fan and left the fan in tears.

Well, she wasn't going to be that Aurora anymore. She was going to be herself and there was no harm in agreeing to take pictures with some people.

It didn't take long for her to shop for some jeans and pants so afterwards she decided to drop by Felix Trattoria restaurant again and order some pizza to take away. The pizzas were to die for and she wanted to have some again and share them with Nelson and Rosa.

It was with great surprise that Nelson and Rosa accepted her request to eat the pizzas together that night while watching some movies together.

“Miss Watson, I'm really sorry to say this, and I'm saying this not to offend you in any way. But.. what happened?” Nelson had asked when they were all sitting on the sofa in front of a huge TV in the living room. A classic movie, one of Rosa's choice, was playing on the TV and 3 boxes of pizzas were opened on the coffee table.

“What do you mean, Nelson?” She asked, pretending not to understand what he was talking about.

“This.” Nelson said, gesturing his hand between all of them and waved his hand towards the pizzas and the TV.

“Nothing, I just want to share this amazing pizza I had the pleasure of having the other day and what could be better than enjoying it while watching some movies.” She replied, smiling at all of them.

“Well, in the five years that I have been working for you, this never happened. This definitely is one for the history books.” Nelson chuckled.

“I'm sorry if I was a pain to be working for these past years, Nelson. And you too, Rosa. I've changed. And I'm going to try to be a better person now.” She said and both Nelson and Rosa's eyes widened.

“Well, I'm really glad to hear that, Miss Watson. You know I've watched you grow since you were a teen and became this beautiful young woman. But there was always something missing. I think you finally found it now.” Rosa commented.

“Yeah, maybe I have.” She smiled. If Rosa meant Aurora was missing a heart, well, she was absolutely right, she laughed internally.

“Anyway, I don't feel comfortable that you guys are calling me Miss Watson again. Just call me Aurora, okay?” She said and once again Rosa's and Nelson's eyes widened.

“Oh, of course, Aurora.” Nelson nodded.

“Yes, Miss.. I mean.. Aurora.” Rosa nodded.

Well, she knew once she decided to change her behavior that Rosa and Nelson were going to be suspicious, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to change her personality just because she was in Aurora's body. And with Aurora gone, even if for just a month, she was free to be who she really was and she knew she was also somewhat helping Aurora.

—

The next two days were exhausting but interesting for her. On Thursday she did a photoshoot for Givenchy. The photoshoot was done both on location and indoors. There was a new fall collection that she had to model. So she had to wear a lot of sweaters and jackets. Being in LA during the summer it didn't take long for her to start sweating but she tried to be professional and hid all the feelings of being uncomfortable away.

It took her much faster this time to finally master posing for the photoshoot. She did the same as she had done during the photoshoot for AquaChic and pretended she was an actress that had a role as a model. That mindset worked wonders for her and the photoshoot director was really happy with her work.

“Aurora, that was brilliant! I remember having worked with you in the past and you were good but this time you were absolutely brilliant!” Dave the photoshoot director gushed as she was leaving the set.

“Oh, thank you so much, Dave. I really appreciate it!” She smiled widely.

Not only was she told that she was a good actress but she was also told to be a good model! She had never imagined ever experiencing something like this ever!

On Friday she did a shooting for a dog food commercial with Paris. She was kind of scared that Paris wouldn't want to work with her. But much to her relief, the dog was quite tame and was able to work well with her and the day went quite well for her too. She never knew she had the talent to be both an actress and a model.

It wasn't until Saturday morning that she felt her happiness start to taper away. She had high hopes of meeting Sebastian that day to practice their scenes together. She had chosen the best outfit she could think of and styled her hair and makeup the way she liked. She even had ordered some food for lunch that day because she had asked Rosa to take the weekend off. She also asked Nelson to take the weekend off. So she was essentially alone in the big castle, hoping that she could have some quality time alone with Sebastian.

She sat on the sofa in the living room that morning at 10, Aurora's cellphone in hand, contemplating whether to call or text Sebastian. He had not contacted her at all ever since he dropped her off at the castle after the table read, and she was too busy to contact him too. She assumed he would just show up like he always did. But it was already 10 in the morning and she wondered if Sebastian forgot about his promise of coming over.

She was just about to text him when Aurora's cellphone rang, startling her. Sebastian's name was on the screen and she immediately picked it up.

“Hello.” She greeted him.

“Uh.. hey, Aurora.” Sebastian's voice traveled through the speaker, his gentle voice made her heart flutter.

God, she really needed to control her reactions towards him.

“Hey, Sebastian.” She replied, smiling from ear to ear.

“How are you?” He asked.

“I'm good, thanks. How are you?”

“I'm good too, thanks. Umm..listen, I'm really sorry for letting you know too late but I'm afraid I won't be able to come to your place and practice our scenes together this weekend.” He said quickly and her heart dropped to her stomach.

“Oh.. okay. Yeah, that's.. fine. What's going on?” She asked, trying to mask her disappointment.

“I.. uh.. something unexpected came up and I need to focus on it for now. So, I'm really sorry, Aurora.” He replied.

“Oh, right. Okay. What about tomorrow?” She asked, still trying to have hope in her heart that he would be able to come the next day.

“I'm really sorry but the thing that came up.. it needs my attention this whole weekend including tomorrow. So.. I'm really sorry but I can't come either tomorrow.” He explained and she couldn't help but felt her heart dropped even more.

“Oh, okay. That's fine. I hope everything is okay?” She asked, hoping whatever it was that he had to focus on wasn't something bad.

“Oh yeah. Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about, really.” He replied.

“Okay.. that's good to know.”

“Yeah. Well, I gotta go. Take care, Aurora.”

“Thanks Sebastian. I'lll see you at the shoot then?”

“Yeah. I'll see you at the shoot. Bye.”

“Okay, bye.”

He hung up first, leaving her hanging, causing her to finally feel the disappointment in her heart.

She sighed as she looked at Aurora's cellphone screen. All the preparation she did that day was apparently for nothing.

She didn't want to think badly about him but he sounded kind of weird, like he wasn't telling her the whole truth. But she decided to brush it off. Maybe he did have something urgent that came up. Yes, she was disappointed that he couldn't come, but she was going to meet him at the shoot of Pumping Black for three whole months anyway, well, at least for a month, assuming she would switch to her own body after Aurora finished her jail sentence. So she shouldn't be too disappointed about it.

Having the castle all to herself she decided to enjoy it and also practice for the shoot herself. There were still many lines she needed to memorize and she needed to determine how she was going to perform them.

Being an introverted girl at heart she enjoyed being alone. She spent most of her time learning her lines but when she got bored she explored the whole castle.

Aurora's castle was truly a beautiful castle. It had everything anyone could ever need. She felt it was such a waste of space having a huge place just for one person. She knew if she was Aurora she would just move to a smaller place, like Sebastian's penthouse for example, which was still big compared to the apartments she had stayed at over the years, but she thought it was enough for someone with a status like Aurora.

Of course she knew that moving to a different house was something she couldn't decide for Aurora. But if she really was going to be stuck in Aurora's body forever, she would definitely move out of the castle.

Speaking of switching bodies, she had opened Aurora's cellphone earlier and read the messages Aurora and the private investigator she had hired had exchanged over several days. The investigator had texted Aurora saying they had found a lead of where the Gypsy woman might be and told her that they needed more money to pursue the lead because it was leading them overseas. They asked for five thousand dollars! She knew she needed to ask Aurora whether she would agree to it or not. But knowing how Aurora would definitely agree to pay the investigators more, she decided to just ignore it for now. She didn't want them to find the Gypsy woman so soon so she decided not to reply to the investigators question just yet. She would just prolong it as long as she could.

It was 7 at night during dinner when she finally felt the subtle feeling of being lonely. It wasn't the first time she was eating dinner alone. She had spent many nights alone back in Silicon Valley, but at least she had Lara back then as her neighbour. Now, Aurora's neighbours were far away. Her castle stood on top of a hill and had tall fences surrounding it. There were no humans around in her immediate vicinity.

Her eyes started to burn as tears started to form in her eyes. She never knew being a famous model and actress could feel so lonely. She wondered if Aurora ever felt that herself.

She realized being Aurora was not as much as fun as she once thought and she started to miss her own life.

She sighed and blinked furiously to stop herself from crying and decided to have a chat with Lara, her ex roommates and her parents. It had been a while since she last chatted with them.

Unfortunately none of them replied to her text, it seemed like they were all busy. She couldn't call them because she was sure she would sound different in their ears. So she had to fight the urge of calling them and just wait until they texted her back.

Having nothing else to do after dinner she decided to go back to learning her lines that night and hoping her friends or her parents would text her back soon. She couldn't deny that she missed them too.

Her friends and parents finally texted her back several hours later when she was getting ready to sleep. She spent a short time chatting with them and was glad all of them were doing okay. However, she still couldn't shake the loneliness in her heart. She ended up going to sleep imagining Sebastian again, lying down beside her and just being there for her. She wondered if that would ever happen. She wondered if a real relationship could happen between them. With that thought in mind she finally fell asleep with Sebastian's gorgeous face etched behind her eyes.

—

The next Sunday turned out more or less similar to the day before. Since she had allowed Rosa and Nelson to take the weekend off she was alone again in the castle.

In order not to feel so lonely that day she decided to turn the TV on out loud and just leave it on for the whole day even if she wasn't watching it. She also tried to focus back on learning her lines. The next day was the first day of shooting and she didn't want to mess it up.

Despite the loneliness she felt, she survived that day and was able to memorize almost all of her lines from the movie, making her feel more confident in doing the shoot.

It was finally the first day of shooting and she woke up feeling excited yet nervous. Rosa and Nelson both came to work and she felt much less lonely with them around.

It was 8 in the morning when she arrived at Universal Studio Lot for the shoot. She was scheduled to have her first shoot with Sebastian and Jennifer Aniston that day.

Heart pounding hard, she walked out of her car and was immediately welcomed by one of the crew members from the movie. She was quickly taken to her trailer and soon had her hair and make up done.

The scene they were going to shoot that day was in a wedding reception of one of Celeste's cousins so she was wearing a beautiful peach dress, something one of Celeste's cousin's bridesmaids was supposed to wear. Her hair was styled in soft waves and pulled back in a half up half down style, a floral hairpiece placed at the back completed the look. She smiled at the mirror as the make up artist and hair stylist were done and felt she looked the most beautiful she ever had in Aurora's body.

“You look absolutely beautiful.” The make up artist, Lisa said.

“Thank you, you did a wonderful job.” She smiled at Lisa.

“Thank you, Aurora. I didn't have to do much. You already look beautiful naturally.” Lisa commented, making her blush.

“Thank you again, Lisa.” She smiled.

“You’re welcome. You know, those that have worked with you in the past told me you would be a pain to work with. But, I find you to be nice and pleasant to work with.” Lisa commented.

“Yeah, I heard about that too.” The hairstylist, Shannon commented.

Her heart seemed to stop as she heard their comments.

“Well, rumors aren't always true huh.” She said quickly.

“Yeah, that's true.” Lisa nodded.

She was saved from commenting on the subject further when a crew from the movie came to fetch her.

It was 11 when she walked out of her trailer and was quickly ushered towards the studio where the set of the wedding reception was located.

As she walked towards the set she looked around hoping to find Sebastian or Jennifer but they were nowhere in sight. She was surprised that when she got on set, she was the first actor there. Well there were plenty of extras of course, and Maya as well as Hannah were there too. But Sebastian and Jennifer were still nowhere to be seen.

“Hi Maya.” She stopped next to Maya and smiled.

“Oh hey Aurora. Excited for today?” Maya turned to her.

“Yeah, excited and nervous.” She replied.

“Oh don't be. I'm sure you're going to be great.” Maya smiled and patted her arm.

“Thank you Maya.” She smiled.

“Hello everyone.” Jennifer Aniston appeared on set with Sebastian walking next to her.

She looked up and smiled at both of them. Jennifer smiled widely at her while Sebastian looked at her like a deer who just got hit by a headlight. His jaw dropped a little and he seemed to be mesmerized as he continued to stare at her, making butterflies fly around in her stomach. But then he quickly looked away and continued to walk towards her, making her wonder again why he did that.

“Aurora darling, how are you?” Jennifer stopped in front of her and gave her a brief hug.

“I'm good Jennifer, thank you. How are you?” She asked.

“Good too. Excited for today.” Jennifer smiled.

“Hey Maya.” Jennifer then continued to walk past her and greeted Maya, leaving her and Sebastian standing face to face. Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she looked up at him.

“Hi.” Sebastian looked down at her and smiled a little.

“Hi.” She smiled back. Sebastian looked gorgeous wearing a blue suit. The suit highlighted his ocean blue eyes even more. Staring at them made her heart flutter.

“You look.. good.” Sebastian said, looking at her from top to toe and she couldn't help but blush.

“Thanks. You look good yourself.” She smiled.

“Yeah. Thank you.” He smiled back but she couldn't help but notice how quickly he averted his eyes from her.

“So, ready for the dance?” He asked and her heart skipped a beat.

Yes, there was a dance scene they were going to shoot that day. It was nothing elaborate, just them dancing slowly to the music while talking, which was why they didn't prepare much about it. But it still made her nervous.

“I hope so.” She chuckled.

“Yeah, I hope so too.” He replied.

“Maya!” He called out suddenly, startling her.

“Sorry. I need to talk to her.” Sebastian said and she nodded.

Sebastian turned away from her and walked towards Maya who had walked away from them and was talking to one of the camera men.

Once again she felt Sebastian was kind of different towards her and she wondered why that was.

She decided to try and forget about it for now and focus on the shoot she was going to do that day. She was a professional actress and her feelings about Sebastian's behavior was not her priority.

The first scene they were going to do was a scene during the wedding reception where Mike, Celeste and Celeste's mother were going to talk.

She took a deep breath as she waited for everyone else to be ready and she repeated her lines in her head.

Half an hour later they were finally ready. She sat between Sebastian and Jennifer at one of the circular dining tables on the set. Extras were all ready around them, sitting on tables next to them. The actors playing Celeste's cousin and her husband were seen sitting at a special table in one corner of the room.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she noticed all the cameras facing towards them. It was one thing to practice the scenes at home or at the table read, the vibe was completely different during shooting and her hands started to sweat as the realization dawned on her.

She closed her eyes for a moment, made a silent prayer in her heart that she would not mess things up, then imagined herself as Celeste, being in her cousin's wedding, having a chat with her mother and boyfriend.

She opened her eyes just as she heard the sound of a person calling out “Scene 20, take 1, mark!”

A clapperboard was clapped then she heard Maya shout “Action!”

She picked up a fork and knife and started to eat the dish in front of her which was chicken gallantine with potatoes while she waited for Jennifer to start her line.

“So, Mike. How's the preparation for the Tour de France going?” Jennifer as Mary Nichols, Celeste’s mother said, looking towards Sebastian.

Sebastian, who was also eating, swallowed and cleared his throat. “It’s doing well.”

“Oh, that's good. I hope nothing like what happened last year will happen again, huh?” Jennifer snickered, referring to an accident Mike got himself into during last year's Tour de France.

“Mom!” She exclaimed in annoyance.

“What?” Jennifer turned to her, her eyebrows raised.

“Could you not mention that again, please?” She replied, exasperated.

“I was just expressing my hope that Mike will not get into the same situation again this year. I didn't mean to offend you, Mike, I'm sure you understand that, right Mike?” Jennifer turned to Sebastian with her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, I know you mean well Mrs.Nichols.” Sebastian nodded, then he placed his fork down and took a gulp of water.

“Will you excuse me for a minute? I need to go to the restroom.” Sebastian put the glass back on the table then pushed his chair back and stood up.

“Okay.” She looked up at Sebastian with concern all over her face. Sebastian gave her a small smile. She smiled back then watched as Sebastian left the table.

“I wish you didn't mention the accident, mom.” She protested as soon as Sebastian left them.

“Celeste, I mean no harm, you know that.” Jennifer defended herself.

“Yeah, it's just.. it took him a long time to get over the incident. Both, physically and mentally.” She commented.

“I understand, Celeste. I'm sorry if what I said caused you and him to feel uncomfortable.”

She sighed. “It's okay, mom.”

“So.. all of your cousins have been officially married now. When are you going to take the same step?” Jennifer asked.

“Oh mom.. why do you have to ask me that?” She whined.

“Celeste, you're almost 30, I had you when I was 25 having been married since I was 23. I'm just concerned, honey.” Jennifer said, reaching out and patted her hand.

“I know. It's just.. getting married is not exactly on our minds right now. Mike is focusing on the Tour de France this year and you know I have my own career to think about.” She explained.

“Well, you can't prioritize both your careers all the time. Before you know it, time has flown by and you will regret not having started a family sooner.” Jennifer advised.

“I know. I'll try and talk to him about it.” She sighed.

“Yes, you should. Celeste, listen. If he isn't willing to do the next step with you, maybe he's just not the one.” Jennifer said and looked at her pointedly.

“Oh mom. I love him. Okay? And I will wait. I'm not going to push him into doing something he doesn't want to do.” She stated, her eyebrows knitted together.

“But it's for your own good, Celeste. If he isn't willing to commit, I say you better dump his ass and find someone else who will. If he really loves you, he wouldn't hesitate to commit. I'm just saying. I love you so much, my baby girl. And I just want what's best for you.” Jennifer said as she reached out and placed her hand on her cheek.

She sighed as her eyebrows straightened and stared at Jennifer.

“Thank you, mom. I love you too. And you don't need to worry. I know Mike loves me. He just.. he still has this ambition, you know, of winning the Tour de France before he can focus on something else.” She said.

“Tour de France is just a race. He has been doing that for years hasn't he? He shouldn't prioritize a race over you. I'm just saying.” Jennifer dropped her hand from her cheek and stared back at her, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah. Thank you mom for the enlightening conversation.” She said coldly then she pushed her chair back and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Jennifer asked.

“The restroom.” She replied then she started to walk away.

“Cut!” Maya shouted and she stopped in her tracks.

Maya sauntered over to her with Sebastian following behind her and they stopped in front of her.

“Okay, that was good, Aurora. But could we do that again? You need to show more how annoyed you are at Mary towards the end.” Maya requested.

“Oh, yeah, of course.” She nodded.

Maya left them and went towards Jennifer, leaving her alone with Sebastian.

“That was good, Aurora. You did a good job.” Sebastian smiled at her and she couldn't help but blush.

“Oh, thank you Sebastian.” She looked up at him and for a split second could see the admiration in his eyes when he looked at her. But once again he quickly averted his eyes and started to walk back towards the table.

She sighed and wondered what was going on with him. She turned around and followed him and tried hard to brush the feeling away.

It took them four more takes before Maya was finally satisfied. She breathed a sigh of relief after Maya told them that.

The next scene that was scheduled to be shot was of her and Sebastian dancing and talking. The makeup artist and hairstylist touched up her makeup and hair as she sat on a chair by the side of the set.

She looked across and watched Sebastian talking with Maya and he laughed. Her heart swelled as she looked at him laughing and she couldn't help but smile. But then he glanced at her and abruptly stopped laughing. He said something to Maya and turned away, walking to the other side of the set.

If her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, it seemed he purposely avoided her. Again she couldn't help but wonder what happened. She contemplated whether or not to ask him about it. It made her sad to think that he could be purposely avoiding her. She wondered if she did anything wrong.

Her thoughts about them were gone however as they started to do the next shoot. Once the cameras started rolling she could see the change in him and how he turned to act like he used to around her.

“Celeste..” Sebastian whispered as she was shot walking towards where the restroom was supposed to be. He was standing behind a wall not seen from the reception area. His hand shot out, grabbed hers and he dragged her behind the wall, making her jump in surprise.

“Mike! You scared me!” She protested, clutching her chest.

“I'm sorry, sweetheart.” Sebastian looked down and smiled at her. She could now see the adoration again in his eyes and it made her heart flutter.

“What are you doing?” She asked as Sebastian let her hand go.

“I.. uh.. waiting.” He replied.

“For what?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.

“For the right time to come out.” He replied, blushing as he said it.

“Oh, Mike. I'm sorry about my mom.” She sighed.

“It's okay, honey. What did you talk about? You look annoyed.” He said as he raised his hand up and his fingers started to stroke her cheek gently, making her breath hitch.

“I.. umm..” She forgot! She forgot her next lines, so focused she was at how his fingers felt on her cheek.

“Cut!” Maya shouted and her shoulder slumped.

“Aurora! Focus!” Maya shouted at her.

“I'm sorry.” She turned to Maya and grimaced.

“The usual marriage talk.” Sebastian said.

“What?” She turned to him, looking at him in confusion.

“Your next line.” He replied.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah. Thanks.” She nodded, feeling the blush rising in her cheeks.

“No problem.” He smiled at her warmly, making the butterflies fly around in her stomach.

“Aurora! Go back!” Maya shouted.

“Oh yeah, okay.” She nodded and turned around back towards the reception area, kicking herself mentally for being so unfocused because of Sebastian.

They started to do the scene again until the part where she forgot her lines came up.

“It's okay, honey. What did you talk about? You look annoyed.” Sebastian said as he raised his hand up and his fingers caressed her cheek gently, making her breath hitch again.

“The usual marriage talk.” She grumbled.

“Oh, right. Typical at an event like this.” He commented.

“Yeah. I don't understand why she needed to push it on us. I mean.. we have our careers to think about.” She said, looking up at Sebastian expectantly.

“Yeah. We do. I mean, once we're ready, we'll do it but right now we both know it's not the right time.” He stated.

She didn't respond immediately and she gazed at him, trying to convey a million emotions through her eyes. Sebastian stared back at her and once again she felt like he was seeing into her soul, making butterflies fly around in her stomach.

“When will the right time come, though?” She asked slowly.

“Oh Celeste, please don't ask questions like this. I don't know. Okay? I just.. you know what's on my mind.” He stated as he dropped his fingers from her and he balled his fist in agitation.

“I know. The race! Which has been on your mind for the past.. what? Fifteen years? It's what's on your mind when we met five years ago and it still is.” She grumbled.

“I'm sorry, honey. I just need to win this one.”

“You've been saying that since we met.” She said pointedly and she could see the hurt flashed in his eyes.

“Because it's important to me, Celeste. You know that!” Sebastian protested.

“Am I not important to you?” She asked and Sebastian’s jaw dropped.

“Honey, of course you are! You’re the most important person in my life!” He exclaimed as he placed both hands on the sides of her arms.

“Then maybe.. maybe you need to show it.” She said slowly.

“I’ll show it right now. Come on!” Sebastian said and her eyes widened.

He grabbed her hand and guided her back towards the reception area. She could hear slow romantic music playing and some people were slow dancing on the dance floor.

Sebastian guided her onto the dance floor and they stopped at the edge. They stood facing each other. Her heartbeat raised as she gazed at Sebastian who was smiling warmly at her.

“Celeste Nichols, would you please give me the honor and dance with me?” He asked as he picked her hand up and kissed it gently, sending shivers down her spine.

“Oh, Mike. Of course.” She sighed and nodded.

Sebastian smiled wide and picked up her left hand with his right then placed his left hand gently on her waist. He pulled her closer to him and their chests almost touched each other. He started to sway to the music slowly and she followed.

He continued to gaze at her softly as she tried hard not to hyperventilate and shifted her mental state back to being Celeste.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Sebastian started to say.

“Hmm..” She mumbled and he sighed.

“You are important to me. Soo important that I want to give you the world! I mean, you know how much money I can get if I can win the Tour de France. I’ll get money not just from the race itself but also from sponsorships and advertising deals, you know.” He explained.

“I know. But I don’t need the money, Mike.” She protested.

“Honey, I know you’re a successful model but we will need more money in order to live comfortably and start a family. You know I still don’t make much with my current condition in the team.” He sighed.

“You can quit racing and continue your father’s business.” She suggested and Sebastian’s face quickly turned sour.

“You know it’s not my passion running a slaughterhouse.” He objected.

“I know, but it keeps the money coming in. And you know you just need to continue it. Everything has been set up by your late dad. I mean, I’m sure he would have wanted you to run it instead of having it run by a third party.” She suggested.

“Celeste, please. I don’t want to run it. I hate it there. Just.. trust me. This year will be different. I can feel it! Yesterday Alex brought in a new doctor. This doctor successfully made the American cycling team win at the Olympics! She said she has a method that will make us stronger and have better endurance. She’s going to start the method tomorrow.” He said excitedly.

“A method? What kind of method?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.

“She hasn’t told us yet what method she’s going to use.” He replied.

“Interesting.” She commented.

“Yeah. If I win the Tour de France this year then I can retire and we can live comfortably and start a family.” He said with hope in his eyes.

“Well, if you win, aren't you going to be needed for next year’s race?” She asked.

“No, I’m.. I will be too old. I don’t think Alex is going to let me stay in the team next year.” He replied, his mouth turned into a frown.

“So you want to go out with a bang.” She stated.

Sebastian’s mouth turned up into a smile. “Yes! You know me so well, Celeste.”

She couldn’t help but smile back at him, both, as Celeste and as herself.

“Trust me, Celeste. I love you and I want to give you the best life you can get. But I can’t if I don’t win this year’s race.” Sebastian pleaded.

She didn’t immediately respond to him but stopped dancing. She released her hands from his hand and shoulder and cupped his face.

“Mike Taylor, I need you to know that I love you, no matter what happens. Even if you don’t win the race and you have to retire and do a regular nine to five job, I will still be here. Because I love you as you are and not because you’re a pro cyclist.” She stated, gazing at him sternly.

Sebastian gazed back at her. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise. Then a smile broke on his face.

“I love you so much, Celeste Nichols. I don’t deserve you but I will try to make myself worthy of you.” He said slowly, giving her a look of complete adoration, making her heart beat so fast in her chest.

“By winning this race?” She asked.

“Yes.” He replied.

“Fine. I said I love you as you are and this ambition of yours is a part of you, so..” She trailed, dropping her hands from his face.

“Thank you for understanding, honey.” He smiled.

He leaned closer to her, making her heart do somersaults in her chest. Then he placed both hands on the sides of her face and kissed her forehead gently, making her smile. Then they continued to slow dance, but their bodies were even closer than before. His left hand took her right hand, he placed his right hand on her waist and she placed her left hand on his shoulder, then she turned her face to the side and leaned her cheek on his chest.

The cameras continued rolling as they slowly danced. It felt very comfortable to dance in his arms. She could smell his signature scent wafting from his suit. She could hear his heart beating fast in his chest. She could feel his hand in hers starting to sweat, making her wonder if he was as nervous about the dance as she was.

“Cut!” Maya shouted and Sebastian immediately let her go and stepped back, startling her.

“Okay, we got it! Great job you two!” Maya shouted at them from the side of the set.

“That was really good.” She commented and looked up at him.

“Yeah, as usual you did a great job.” He smiled but his smile didn't reach his eyes, making her heart plummeted.

“Umm.. I have to go and get ready for the next scene.” He continued, his eyes averting hers yet again.

“Oh yeah, okay. I'll see you.. hmm.. the day after tomorrow I think, for our next scene together?” She asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He nodded.

“Okay.” She nodded and he smiled then turned around, leaving her alone on the dance floor with people walking around her as the set was starting to be cleaned up.

She sighed as she watched him go and kept wondering why he acted so differently around her.

Maybe he has some kind of problem. The thing that came up yesterday probably stressed him out. She tried to reason. But deep down she had an inkling that she was the reason he was behaving like that towards her, as if she had made a big mistake.

She walked back to her trailer with a frown on her face and her shoulder slumped. The dancing scene was the last scene for her to shoot that day so she could go back home if she wanted.

She contemplated on staying to watch the others shoot, but decided to go home instead. She was tired and tense and needed to relax.

So she went to her trailer, changed into her own outfit and went straight home. Feeling the complete opposite of what she thought she would feel at the end of that day.

—

The next day she didn't have any shoot or any other work scheduled, but she knew Sebastian was going to shoot some scenes with Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie and Chace Crawford. She was curious about it so she decided to come to the studio and see it if she was allowed. She also wanted to try and talk to him about his change of behavior towards her. It was still bothering her and kept her almost awake the entire night.

Thankfully security let her in so she could watch the shoot. It was being done at a studio next to the one she was shooting at the day before.

When she arrived the shoot was already starting. The studio had been set like they were in the racing team's headquarters with two different areas set up. One was a changing room area with lockers while the other one was a room similar to an infirmary with a small hospital bed in the middle and an ominous machine standing next to it.

She could see Sebastian, Chris, Anthony and Chace with other actors she assumed to be part of the racing team, standing side by side facing Jude Law who seemed to be informing them of something. They were all standing in the changing room area.

Then she saw Rooney Mara standing to the side of the room behind a door, seemingly waiting to come out. After a while Jude Law opened the door and Rooney came in.

She watched as Rooney gave a chilling performance as the racing team's new doctor. She was tough, stern and mysterious. Being the professional that she was, she nailed the scene in one shot, allowing them to move to the next shoot in the next area.

The actors were given some break time and they walked out of the set to their designated chairs. She saw Sebastian walking towards his chair and just then he looked up at her.

She waved at him and smiled a little. He looked a little surprised but then waved back at her and nodded. She thought he would come and approach her but instead he turned his back on her and sat on his chair, his hand grabbed a bottle of water on the floor and he started to chug it down.

Her heart plummeted seeing how he behaved towards her, but she tried to make up another reason for his weird behavior. She thought maybe he didn't approach her because he wanted to focus on the shoot. He wanted to stay in character maybe and talking with her would just ruin that. She finally reasoned. With that thought in mind she continued to watch the shoot.

The scene they were shooting next was the scene where Rooney’s character Ava performed a stress test on the whole team.

She watched as Sebastian walked into the room with the hospital bed and ominous machine alone and faced Rooney.

Rooney circled him and prodded his arm, making him wince.

“Strip down.” Rooney commanded and Sebastian's eyebrows raised.

“I need to see what I'm going to work with.” Rooney continued when Sebastian didn't make a move.

He looked at her defiantly and they stared at each other, unblinking. Finally, Sebastian took off everything but his boxer shorts.

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at his body. He was lean but muscular with sculpted biceps and a six pack stomach. She had seen his naked upper body pictures and even his fully naked body in movies before, but to see him in person like this was a completely different experience.

“Lie down!” Rooney commanded.

“Which test is this?” Sebastian asked.

“Lie down!” Rooney commanded and Sebastian quickly laid down on the bed.

Rooney strapped his wrists and ankles onto the bed and put electrodes on his biceps, quads, neck, calves and both his temples.

“You will feel a shock.” Rooney said.

“Okay, wh..” Sebastian responded just as Rooney threw a switch on the machine and Sebastian's body started to convulse. Electricity coursed through him and his face contorted in pain. She couldn't help but be horrified to witness the scene in front of her. She knew Sebastian was just acting, but he looked to be in so much pain that it was unbearable to watch. The scene reminded her so much of the scene where Bucky Barnes had his mind wiped out when he was still the Winter Soldier.

“Do you want me to stop?” Rooney asked. “Nod if you want me to stop.”

But Sebastian didn't say anything, he looked at Rooney with his face in agony but he endured the pain.

Rooney glanced at her stopwatch and looked at Sebastian with a gleam in her eyes.

Sebastian continued to endure the pain as the machine hummed menacingly, louder and louder until..

“Stop! STOP!” Sebastian screamed.

Rooney turned off the machine and wrote down the time as she consulted her watch. Sebastian caught his breath, tears streaming down his face.

“F""k.. “ Sebastian said.

“Why?” Sebastian continued.

“Baselines. Your muscle’s maximum ability to contract is higher when the mind is not involved.” Rooney answered.

“How’d I do?” Sebastian asked.

Rooney didn't answer. She stared at him, reading something in his face.

“It is a difficult test.” Rooney finally said.

Sebastian's face fell.

“Let me go again.” He quickly said.

Rooney paused her movement. She gazed at Sebastian, reading him, unpeeling him.

“You would submit yourself again to this? Willingly?” Rooney asked.

“I can do better.” Sebastian stated.

“The pain will break you.”

“I don’t care about pain. I care about winning.”

The sentence triggered something in Rooney. For a split second she almost looked like she might smile, but..

“There are no do-overs in the Tour. Why would I give you one here?” She asked but her eyes gleamed as she said it.

Sebastian slumped, seemingly feeling devastated and like a failure.

“Cut!” Maya shouted.

“Okay, that was amazing, Rooney, Sebastian. We got it.” Maya continued.

She was amazed at how both Sebastian and Rooney were able to nail their scenes in one take and made a mental note to ask them for some tips.

There were several more scenes that were shot that day. She ended up watching all of them as she was fascinated by the whole shooting process and wanted to learn as much as possible by watching the other actors perform.

It was 6 in the afternoon when the shoot was finally done for that day. She waited for Sebastian by the side of the set. Throughout the whole day he effectively ignored her and she was itching to ask him about it.

He finally walked off set and walked towards her with Chris, Chace and Anthony walking next to him.

“Sebastian.” She called out as they went nearer.

“Aurora, hey.” Sebastian greeted her.

“Hey Aurora.” The other guys greeted her and she nodded.

“Today was amazing. I loved watching all of you perform. You were all amazing!” She smiled at them and they smiled back at her.

“Why thank you, Aurora. That's very nice of you to say that.” Anthony said.

“Where are you guys going by the way?” She asked.

“Umm.. We're going out for dinner. There's this new place near Chace's apartment that he said has the best Kung Pao chicken.” Chris replied.

“Oh, I see.” She nodded.

“We'd love to ask you to join us but..” Chris glanced at Sebastian, waiting for him to continue.

“We're having sort of.. a boy's night, you know. So.. I'm really sorry.” Sebastian said, staring at her, his eyebrows furrowed.

Her heart dropped at his answer. She was certain now that he was avoiding her. The question was why. Unfortunately she couldn't find the answer that night.

“It's okay, Sebastian. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow.” She said and they nodded.

She gave them one last smile, her gaze lingered for a moment at Sebastian who was gazing back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Then she turned around quickly as she felt the telltale sign of tears forming in her eyes.

—

She woke up the next morning with bags under her eyes. Once again she found it hard to sleep because she kept thinking of Sebastian. Several times she almost texted him to ask him why he acted so different towards her for the past few days, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Still feeling sleepy and worn out she left the castle having only drank a cup of coffee and nothing more. She wasn't hungry. She had no appetite whatsoever.

The scene that they were going to shoot that day was an outdoor shoot done at, coincidentally, Mulholland Drive. Sebastian and the others were going to be shot doing a local racing at Mulholland Drive. She was supposed to be shot being in the crowd and watching them.

When she arrived on set, which was only several miles away from the castle, Sebastian, Chris, Chace and Anthony were already there, wearing their team's signature cycling jerseys which were blue in color and had the team's name, “Inverness” written at the back.

She didn’t have time to greet Sebastian and the others because she was immediately ushered to her trailer.

Once Lisa and Shannon finished putting make up on her and styled her hair, she was rushed to the spectator's box.

There was a monitor at the spectator's box where people can watch the progress of the team. She sat on a chair in the box and watched the screen.

A real pro cyclist team had been hired to do the hard stuff but since some shots were for close-ups, the actors were also needed.

She watched as Sebastian and the other actors started the race. Chris, as the fastest rider, was obviously leading the team. Behind him was Chace, Anthony, another actor in the team by the name of Johnny, and Sebastian was at the tail.

The shoot for the part of the actors took several takes. It was on the fourth take that something unexpected happened.

They were riding past a curved road when all of a sudden a stray dog came out from the woods next to them and ran in front of Sebastian. Sebastian was surprised and steered his bike to avoid the dog. He couldn't control his bike and crashed.

“Sebastian!” She shouted in panic. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she saw Sebastian toppled over and fell down on the ground hard.

Chapter 15 >

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@dhoruwolfie @kandis-mom

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sebstanaddict · 2 months

Text

Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

Against all odds, reader and Sebastian's 'girlfriend' stayed stuck in each other's body for the third day, the day the table read for a movie Sebastian and her were starring in. She couldn't be more ecstatic when she found out all the big Hollywood stars that were cast in the movie, which included Jennifer Aniston as her mom and Chris Evans as Sebastian's rival. Will her happiness last? Or will Sebastian's 'girlfriend' ruin it again for her?

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 13/28 (Might add more)

Chapter list >

Warning : slight cursing, some very minor spoiler of Sebastian's potential new project Pumping Black, but I changed the character names and most of the plot details, so it shouldn't be a problem. I did take the first scene from the actual script and put it here though. Just a head's up.

Word count : 7.5k words

---

Chapter 13 - The Table Read

---

13320 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California - Tuesday, July 11th 2023 - 7.00 am

—

“Y/n.. Y/n..! Wake up!” A harsh shrill female voice entered her consciousness and she felt her body being shook harshly.

She opened her eyes and found her own body looking down at her in annoyance from behind thick glasses. Relief filled her heart as she realized she was still stuck in Aurora's body.

“What time is it?” She asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“It's 7! You have to get ready for the table read!” Aurora commanded and she sat up immediately.

The table read! Yes, the rehearsal and table read for Pumping Black was happening that day at 9 in the morning!

“Seb is coming in an hour.” Aurora reminded her.

“Yes, I know.” She immediately stood up and went to the closet to grab some clothes but Aurora pulled her hand back.

“I already prepared the clothes for you.” She pointed towards the bed.

“Oh, okay. Thanks.” She nodded.

“Stop..” Aurora said.

“Thanking people? Even you?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Even me.” Aurora nodded and she shook her head in disbelief.

“Why though?” She asked as she grabbed the clothes from the bed.

“I just don't do that. I thought you wanted to make sure you behave like me so people won't be suspicious? I want to make sure you remember that.” Aurora stated.

“Okay, yeah, that's true. But it's not a bad thing to change that behavior.” She shrugged.

“Hmm.. we'll see.” Aurora said and she raised her eyebrows. Her behavior seemed off a little bit, but she decided to brush it off. She needed to get ready so she turned and went towards the bathroom.

When she got out of the bathroom Aurora was nowhere in sight. She assumed Aurora must have gone out and went downstairs. Maybe to the employee kitchen or her bedroom so Rosa and Gabriella wouldn't be suspicious.

She went to the closet and put on a black blazer over the white strapless mini dress she had worn in the bathroom earlier. Then she looked at herself in the full body mirror in the closet. Once again she felt like the dress was too short. She pulled the hem of her dress down and sighed. Well, Aurora did have slim and smooth thighs, she knew she loved to show it off. She was just still not used to it.

She went to the dresser and she found instructions from Aurora again on how to put on her makeup. She sighed as she realized that the make up Aurora had chosen was again too much for her taste. But of course she had no choice but to follow along.

Once she was done putting the makeup on she slipped on the black stiletto Aurora already prepared for her. She wobbled a little but finally got the hang of it after a while.

She grabbed her purse and went out of Aurora's room. She was about to go down the stairs when she heard faintly the voice of someone crying.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to try to find the voice. It seemed the voice was coming from the living room on the second floor so she went towards it.

Moments later she found Gabriella in the living room. A piece of cloth was in her hand and she was down on her knees, cleaning the coffee table in the middle of the room.

Gabriella's hands might be moving back and forth across the table but her eyes weren't looking at it. She was crying and her other hand was wiping the tears from eyes.

“Gabriella?” She called out.

Gabriella jumped in surprise and sniffled, then she quickly wiped the tears falling on her cheeks.

“Miss Watson, is there anything I can do for you?” She asked as she stood up, her head bowed.

“I.. umm.. I was just wondering why you were crying. Is everything okay?” She asked, looking at Gabriella with her eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh! Umm.. e.. everything is fine Miss Watson.” Gabriella stammered.

“Are you sure?” She asked again.

“Y.. yes.” Gabriella nodded.

“Okay. Well.. if there's anything I can do to make you feel better, just let me know.” She said and Gabriella's eyebrows shot up.

“Really?” Gabriella asked.

“Yes, of course.” She smiled warmly and Gabriella's face immediately brightened.

“Umm.. actually.. There is something Miss Watson that you can do for me. But I was afraid to ask you about it as I'm sure you wouldn't give me permission. Even if you do, you'll just cut my pay and I can't have that. I'm already behind on some of my bills and..” Gabriella rambled.

“Sshhh.. Gabriella.. stop. I'm sorry, could you explain to me again? Much more clearly about what you want?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.

Gabriella took a deep breath and started to explain. “My mom and dad are both sick, with Covid. Thankfully I don't seem to have caught it and so far they don't need to be hospitalized but, you know my mom is in a wheelchair and needs help doing things everyday. Usually my dad helps her out but since they are both sick, it has been a challenge for my dad to help my mom. And I just wish I could stay home and take care of them. But I can't because you'll just cut my pay like last time when I had to take a day off to take my mom for her regular check up. I can't have that. I need the money to pay for everything. So.. yeah. I.. I just wonder if maybe.. I could..” Gabriella trailed, fear and uncertainty in her eyes.

“Take some days off to take care of your parents?” She asked and Gabriella nodded.

“But.. without cutting my pay… impossible isn't it?” Gabriella chuckled nervously.

“Of course not. Sure, go ahead. Take as long as you need. I won't cut your pay.” She smiled and Gabriella's eyes widened, the corners of her mouth slowly turned up.

“Really?!” Gabriella exclaimed in disbelief.

“Yes, really.” She smiled.

“Thank you so much Miss Watson!” Gabriella gushed, her face brightened.

“No problem. I'll have Y/n replace you. Focus on your parents and yourself. She'll replace you until you get back.” She said and Gabriella nodded.

*Thank you again Miss Watson!” Gabriella said, her eyes shone with relief and happiness as she looked at her.

“You're welcome Gabriella. Now go!” She commanded.

“Right away Miss Watson.” Gabriella nodded and smiled then she left her alone in the living room, watching Gabriella's back as she walked away from her with a pang in her heart.

For the first time in months she felt grateful and lucky that her parents were well. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if they were sick and she was far away from them, unable to take care of them. She felt the least she could do to show how grateful she was about it was to allow Gabriella to take some days off even if Aurora would most likely cut her throat for that.

She sighed and braced for the worst as she continued to go down the stairs.

When she arrived downstairs she heard Aurora's, well, her own voice coming from the employee kitchen so she went there.

“What?! She allowed you to go?!” Aurora exclaimed out loud.

“Yeah. She was really nice. I don't know what has gotten into her but I better take advantage of it before she changes her mind.” Gabriella said.

“And she said she was going to ask me to replace you?!” Aurora continued.

“Yeah. That's what she said. I'm really sorry Y/n. I hope you're okay with it. If my parents weren't sick I wouldn't ask for this.” Gabriella said.

“There's no way I'm replacing you!” Aurora yelled.

“What?!” Gabriella asked in confusion.

“Y/n!” She entered the employee kitchen, her voice startled both Aurora and Gabriella.

“Miss Watson.” Gabriella bowed her head while Aurora looked back at her in defiance.

“Miss Watson, I'm sorry, but I can't replace her.” Aurora protested.

“Why not? You did a great job last week. I'm sure you can do it again.” She said, referring to the time when Aurora was punishing her after the whole incident with the interview.

“But I need to come with you today, to the table read. Remember?” Aurora reminded her.

“You don't have to come with me Y/n. I can handle it. Just stay home and replace Gabriella until she comes back.” She insisted.

Aurora glared at her but miraculously didn't say anything else.

“Why are you still here Gabriella?” She asked, turning to Gabriella.

“Oh! Yeah. I was just letting Y/n know about replacing me before I go.” Gabriella explained.

“Okay. Well I hope your parents will get well soon. And don't forget to also take good care of yourself. I don't want you to get sick too.” She said.

“Very well, Miss Watson. Thank you so much!” Gabriella gushed then she quickly turned around and left the kitchen, her handbag slung around her shoulder.

As soon as Gabriella was gone Aurora immediately turned to her.

“I am not replacing her!” Aurora insisted.

“Aurora, it's just for a couple of days. Well, maybe a week or two. If you don't want to, Rosa and Nelson would be suspicious. I mean, if I were you, I would definitely replace her with no hesitation. You refusing to do it would just make them more suspicious.” She persuaded her.

“I don't f*****g care! There's no way I'm replacing her!” Aurora hissed.

“Y/n?!” Rosa suddenly entered the kitchen, startling both of them.

“What are you doing? Why are you cursing at Miss Watson?” Rosa asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Oh, Rosa, you surprised us.” She said, chuckling a little and feeling relief at her intrusion.

“Gabriella asked to take some time off to take care of her sick parents and I asked Y/n to replace her but she doesn't want to.” She explained, making Rosa's eyebrows raised even further.

“Well Y/n, even if you don't want to, it's not a good thing to curse at Miss Watson like that. I expected better from you.” Rosa said with a slight disappointment on her face.

“Yes, it's not a good thing at all. And I should just fire you, Y/n. But I'm not gonna do it. I know you need the money. So I'm gonna let you stay but you need to listen to me and replace Gabriella.” She said sternly, hoping Aurora would play along.

Aurora stood there and didn't say anything but just stared at her. If looks could kill, she would have been dead on the floor.

“Anyway, Miss Watson, Mr.Stan is here.” Rosa finally said when Aurora didn't respond.

“Oh yes. Thank you Rosa. Well, I better go. Rosa, could you help tell Y/n what she should do around the house?” She asked.

“Of course Miss Watson. Come along Y/n, let's start by cleaning upstairs.” Rosa said, beckoning her head towards the outside of the kitchen.

Rosa turned around and thankfully, miraculously, Aurora started to walk and follow her. But she paused as she passed her and whispered.

“You are not getting away with this. And don't you dare ruin the table read.”

“I got you the role, remember? And I look forward to what you have in store for me.” She whispered back and Aurora looked back at her in surprise. She was surprised herself at how daring she was towards Aurora.

Aurora gave her a last condescending look then flipped her hair and immediately went out the door.

She released the breath she didn't realize she was holding then breathed a sigh of relief.

“Alright, table read, here I come.” She said, feeling excited yet nervous about her first ever table read for a movie. She looked forward to meeting the whole cast and hoping she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

—

Universal Studio Lot, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California - 9.30 am

—

Her eyes widened and her heart rate quickly increased as she stepped inside a big meeting room at Universal Studio where the table read was being held.

A huge circular table was in the middle of the room with chairs positioned all around it. She looked around and felt her hand sweat as she studied everyone sitting on the chairs.

She couldn't believe the number of famous Hollywood stars involved in the movie. She should have known, should have done some research before coming that day but she didn't have the time. She kicked herself mentally as she realized she should've at least asked Sebastian about it because she felt she wasn't ready to face these giant Hollywood stars.

She looked to the right of the room and felt like her heart stopped as she glimpsed a familiar face. Jude Law?! Jude Law was in the movie?! Then she scanned the rest of the table and her heart started to do somersaults.

Next to Jude was Rooney Mara. Next to Rooney was Jennifer Aniston and next to her was Joey King and Toby Jones. She tried hard not to gasp as she saw more celebrities sitting next to Toby Jones. Chace Crawford, one of Sebastian's best friends, was there. He sat next to three celebrities she never thought she would ever see to be in the same movie as Sebastian again. Anthony Mackie, Chris Evans and Tom Holland!

“Wow, this feels like a Marvel reunion a little.” She couldn't help but comment and Sebastian chuckled.

“It does, doesn't it? I swear I didn't vouch for them and I didn't plan this. It was all Maya's doing.” He said as they made their way together towards some empty seats next to Chris Evans.

“Chris!” Sebastian greeted Chris. Chris looked up and flashed them a bright smile.

“Seb, my man! It's so nice to see you again, man!” Chris responded and they hugged each other tight.

She wished she could whip out her cellphone and document their reunion. She knew the stucky fans would go crazy over this.

“Come here you Vanilla Ice, don't ignore me.” Anthony remarked, making them laugh.

“Chocolaccino, how could I ignore you? I could never even if I wanted to.” Sebastian commented as he released Chris and gave Anthony a brief hug, making them laugh again.

“Hello Sebastian, Aurora.” Tom Holland greeted them and she smiled.

Tom really seemed like a nice guy. She couldn't understand why Sebastian and Anthony loved to roast him.

“Hey there Spiderboy.” Sebastian greeted him and clapped Tom's back.

“It's Spiderman.” Tom protested, pouting, making everyone laugh.

She and Sebastian took the time to go through each seat and shook everyone's hands. She couldn't help but feel starstruck at each and every one of them. She also felt relief that Aurora didn't seem to have worked with any of them. Otherwise, they could probably notice if she was different from the real Aurora.

Moments later all the cast, screenwriter, producers and Maya the director had come. Maya smiled at all of them and cleared her throat.

“Thank you everyone for coming here today for the table read of the feature film, Pumping Black. I'm Maya Carver the director and before we start, I think we should introduce each other and our designated roles in this movie, just to make things clear. Let's start from my right. Hannah, please introduce yourself.” Maya turned to her right and nodded at a blonde lady next to her.

“Uh.. hi everyone. I'm Hannah Barton, the screenwriter for this movie. I just want to say, thank you to everyone for being involved in this movie. This is the first ever script of mine that got to be produced. So I'm really excited! And I'm open to any ideas you probably have about your characters and how a scene should play out. So, if you have any suggestions that can make the script thus the movie even better, please don't hesitate to let me know.” Hannah smiled at all of them and she nodded.

Well, she was glad she wasn't the only novice in a big Hollywood production. The screenwriter was a newbie as well!

Next to Hannah was the producer and casting director Donna and Harold she had met several times before. Next to them were the cast including herself.

“Hello, I'm Jude Law, just call me Jude.” Jude flashed them all a bright smile and she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat. He may be in his fifties but he still looked amazing!

“I play Alex, the coach.” Jude continued and nodded.

“Hello everyone, I'm Rooney Mara and I play Ava Lawrence, the doctor.” Rooney introduced herself.

“Hey everyone, I'm Jennifer Aniston and I play Mary Nichols, Celeste Nichols' mother.” Jennifer Aniston made a point to look across at her and smiled at her. She smiled back as she realized Jennifer Aniston was playing as her mom. She couldn't believe her luck!

“Hi everyone, I'm Joey King and I play Sarah Taylor, Mike Taylor's sister.” Joey greeted them all and looked to her right where Toby Jones was sitting.

“Hello, I'm Toby Jones, I play George Baker, the staff from UCI.” Toby smiled.

“Hey guys, I mean, everyone.” Tom said, his face reddened as everyone laughed.

“I'm..” Tom continued.

“Peter Parker!” Anthony interjected and immediately the whole room broke into laughter again.

“No, as much as I want it to, I'm not Peter Parker. I'm Tom Holland and I play Billy, Mike's teammate.” Tom said as he glanced at Anthony with a pointed look.

“Well that's a shame because I'm Anthony Mackie and I play Landon, Mike's real teammate and best friend.” Anthony remarked and Tom just shook his head.

“Hey everyone, I'm Chace Crawford and I play Daniel, the actual teammate and best friend of Mike's.” Chace said, making everyone laugh again.

“And I'm Chris Evans, I play Mike's teammate and rival.” Chris said, flashing everyone with his perfect white teeth.

“Hello. I'm Sebastian and I play Mike Taylor, the man all these guys are fighting to become his best teammate slash best friend. Newsflash, none of you are. But she is. Celeste is Mike's best friend.” Sebastian said, turning to her and smiling warmly at her. She couldn't help but feel warmth crawling from her neck up to her cheeks.

“Uh.. hi everyone. I'm.. Aurora Watson and I play Celeste Nichols, Mike Taylor's girlfriend and best friend, as Sebastian has said.” She smiled back at Sebastian and his face brightened.

“Alright, thank you everyone for the entertaining introduction. Now let's start the table read. I will narrate the script. So let's start.” Maya said.

She looked to the table in front of her and took the script with Aurora's name printed on it then opened the first page. She had the script already with her, but it was the one she obtained from before her real self auditioned. She wondered if there were any changes in the one in front of her.

“Exterior, Sunshine Canyon, Boulder, Colorado. Afternoon, super wide on an Alpine Lake, flanked by snowcapped mountains. A harsh blue sky punctured by a sharp sun. A thin ribbon of road before the lake. Breathless, stillness. Then.. The silence shatters as a team of pro cyclists rips across the frame.” Maya started to read the opening scene.

She listened as Maya continued to read the script and finally Sebastian, Jude, and the other actors playing as his teammates started to play out scene after scene and read their lines.

It was amazing to see all these professionals work. She took many mental notes as she studied their line deliveries and performance choices. Before long it was time for her very first scene with Sebastian.

“Mike! Are you okay?!” She shouted as Celeste Nichols. Her panicked voice traveled across the big room.

“I'm fine, Celeste. It's no big deal.” Sebastian as Mike Taylor, shrugged.

“Mike winces. A big open wound is seen on his right leg. He walks hobbling towards a chair and sits on it, prompting Celeste to come and attend to him.” Maya continued to narrate.

“That looks bad, Mike. What happened?” She asked.

“Just a little accident during practice. Nothing to worry about, sweetheart.” Sebastian responded, then he glanced at her and smiled at her warmly.

She couldn't prevent it when he did it, the butterflies started to fly around in her stomach as soon as she saw his warm smile. But she realized she was in a table read and she couldn't let herself get carried away.

“Nothing to worry about? You need stitches, Mike! I'm taking you to the hospital after I clean it up.” She huffed.

“Celeste immediately goes to fetch the first aid kit and starts to clean Mike's wound. Despite all the prodding on his leg, Mike's face stays impassive, as if he doesn't feel anything.” Maya continued to narrate.

“I'm so lucky. I don't deserve you. You deserve the world and you decided to stay with me? Why?” Sebastian asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh Mike, stop teasing me.” She replied, chuckling a little.

“I'm not teasing you, honey. I.. I really want to give you the world. And this year I will. I promise you that.” Sebastian continued with conviction in his voice.

“Celeste sighs, finishes cleaning Mike's wound then puts away the first aid kit. She looks up and stares at Mike softly.” Maya continued.

“I don't need the world, Mike. I don't need you to win the Tour de France or any other race. I just need.. you.. and I need you to stay in one piece until the end of this year's Tour de France, that's all I ask.” She said then she glanced at Sebastian, waiting for his response, bracing herself for what she knew would come next.

“You doubt me?! You think I won't survive this race?!” Sebastian yelled.

Even though she knew what he would do, she was still startled at his yelling. She could feel the vibe in the room changed as they witnessed Sebastian's anger being unleashed.

“Mike stands up and starts to pace the room.” Maya said.

“Why is everyone doubting me? Even you! You're supposed to have my back, Celeste. You're supposed to support and cheer me on but you.. you turned out to be just like all of them!” Sebastian shouted.

Her heart beat so fast in her chest as she heard Sebastian's words. Somehow she could feel herself being Celeste and the sadness and anguish she felt after witnessing his reaction prompted her to start crying.

“I'm..I'm sorry..” She said, wiping the tears from her eyes as she broke out of character.

“Wait, Aurora, don't be sorry. If this is your interpretation of this scene, I want to see it more.” Maya interjected.

“Oh.. okay.” She said, sniffling, not expecting Maya to ask her to continue to do some improv. She wasn't planning on doing it. She was just reacting to Sebastian's performance.

“Mike.. please don't say that!” She continued, tears streaming down her face.

“You know how much I love you. I.. I just want what's best for you..” She trembled, her bottom lip quivered and she let the tears continue to flow down from her eyes.

Sebastian didn't respond immediately. She stared at him as his face slowly turned from anger to regret then he sighed deeply.

“I'm sorry, sweetheart.. I.. I didn't mean to yell.” Sebastian said, his head hung.

She took a deep breath then wiped the tears falling on her cheeks.

“It's okay, Mike. I know how much racing means to you. I just.. Mike.. it's been 15 years. I just think maybe, it's time for you to.. to.. take another adventure, you know. See what life has in store for you outside of racing. With me, preferably.” She smiled and winked, making Sebastian smile too.

“Oh Celeste, I'm sorry. You really are too nice for me. I don't deserve you.” Sebastian said softly, once again making butterflies fly in her stomach.

“Mike goes back to sit on the chair and takes Celeste's hand in his.” Maya narrated.

“Celeste, I'm sorry for being such a dick. But I promise, this will be the last race, after that I'll stop.. I.. I'll retire.” Sebastian said slowly.

“Okay.. then we can travel the world like we used to want to do.” She chuckled.

“Even better, honey. We'll get married in Paris like you've always wanted.” Sebastian turned to her and smiled brightly, making her heart skip a beat.

“Oh Mike! I would love that! Is this.. is this a formal proposal?” She teased.

“Oh no.. no.. no.. you deserve something better. Consider this.. a pre-proposal.” Sebastian winked at her and she laughed.

“Mike stands up and takes Celeste's hands then guides her to stand up. Then he stares at her.” Maya continued to narrate.

“I love you.. Celeste Nichols.” Sebastian said softly as he gazed at her with love in his eyes, making her heart go wild in her chest.

“I love you too.. Mike Taylor.” She said slowly then smiled at him as she felt the blush rising in her cheeks.

“Alright! A little pause here.” Maya said, startling her. Her hand started to sweat as she waited to hear what Maya had to say about her little improv.

“Aurora, I must say that was impressive how you interpreted the scene. Make sure to repeat that during the shoot. And, you know, I had some doubts about the chemistry between you. Because, I know you're a couple in real life but I just never felt that vibe from you guys, if you know what I mean. But today, wow! The chemistry was through the roof! I'm so glad we cast you, Aurora.” Maya smiled at her and she couldn't help but smiled widely back.

“Oh my God. Thank you so much, Maya. That means a lot. It's all because of Sebastian, really. I mean.. your acting was so good I couldn't help but just react to it.” She turned and smiled at Sebastian.

“Oh Aurora, please, it was nothing. I mean, you were great! We sort of feed off each other, right?” Sebastian smiled and she could see him blushing too.

“Ahem.. now that we have witnessed these two love birds go at it and flirt with each other, maybe we can continue.” A male voice interjected, making everyone laugh.

She blushed as she looked to the left towards the owner of the voice, who was Anthony Mackie.

“Oh look who's jealous.” Sebastian snickered, making everyone laugh again.

“I'm not jealous, Seabass. I just think there's a time and place to flirt with each other and that time is not now. We ain't got all day.” Anthony said. Despite his stern message he still smiled at Sebastian and Sebastian just shook his head.

“Alright, okay, thank you Mackie for the reminder. Let's continue with the next scene.” Maya said as she flipped the script in her hand to the next page.

It took them the whole day to finish the table read. They took an hour break during lunch and finished just before dinner time.

Her heart felt light and a smile was plastered on her face as they one by one walked out of the meeting room. The table read was long but she was quite satisfied with how she did it. Moreover, everyone was very nice, it was clear the whole cast could work together very well. She couldn't wait for her first shooting to start which was scheduled for the beginning of next week.

It was a rare occurrence for Sebastian and his Marvel co-stars to meet up with each other given how busy they were, so that night they decided to go out and have dinner together. In the end, almost everyone went out to dinner together and it ended up being an informal start of production dinner event, which she couldn't believe she could be a part of.

Being the shy girl that she was, she stayed quiet most of the time but ended up getting close to the women, especially Rooney Mara. Rooney Mara seemed to be a quiet person too so it was natural that she found it easier to connect with her. Joey King was a delight and Jennifer Aniston was so nice. She kept telling Jennifer how happy she was to meet her because she was a big fan and Jennifer kept trying to brush it off.

“Oh please, Aurora, you're as big of a star as I am. Don't be so humble.” Jennifer commented.

“No, I’m definitely not. You're so out of my class, Jennifer, there's just no comparison.” She commented, making Jennifer smile at her.

It was 10 at night when the impromptu dinner event ended. Sebastian took her home and they spent the journey back to Aurora's castle chatting about the table read.

“You know, I really don't know what you did but your acting and line deliveries were like one hundred and eighty degrees different from the last time I saw you act and from some movies I've seen you in. It's like.. it's like you took a magic potion or something and you suddenly woke up one day and became a talented actress.” Sebastian commented and her heart seemed to stop.

“Really?” She asked slowly. Aurora was right, Sebastian was really perceptive, she couldn't believe it.

“Yeah. I mean.. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that you were a bad actress but just.. different.” He quickly corrected himself.

“Yeah, I understand what you mean.” She replied, laughing internally and happy that she and Sebastian shared the same opinion that Aurora was a bad actress.

“Did you take a magic potion or something?” He asked, glancing at her.

She froze as she heard his question, not sure how to answer. But then his face broke into a smile and he laughed.

“I was just kidding, Aurora. Sorry. There's no such thing, huh?” He continued.

“Yeah, of course, no such thing as magic and potions. They're all just a figment of our imagination.” She chuckled awkwardly, relieved that she ended up not having to answer him directly.

“So, are you gonna tell me your secret?” He asked, a glint in his eyes.

“No chance, Sebastian. It's my secret method. You're already an amazing actor! You don't need my method.” She replied.

He laughed, then his face reddened a little and he smiled warmly at her. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” She smiled back, feeling the butterflies in her stomach again.

“Okay, here we are.” Sebastian said as he pulled up right in front of the gate of Aurora's castle.

He rolled the window of his car down but before he could say anything to the intercom, the gate opened slowly.

“Thanks Y/n!” He shouted to the intercom and he drove the car into the castle's grounds.

“Okay, so. I guess I'll see you next week?” She asked once he had stopped his car in front of the castle.

“Well.. I.. uh.. I have the weekend off. Maybe we could.. you know.. practice our scenes together if you want this weekend?” Sebastian suggested, biting his bottom lip nervously.

“Oh! Right! Yes! Of course. I'd love to practice with you.” She smiled and he smiled back.

“Okay, good.” He nodded. “I'll come over on Saturday morning.”

“Yeah, great.” She smiled.

For a moment they just gazed at each other. Her heart beat faster in her chest as she looked into his eyes. Even in the darkness they looked so gorgeous. She couldn't help but drown in them.

He gazed at her with something like love in his eyes and slowly but surely Sebastian leaned closer to her. He placed his hand gently on the side of her face, making her breath hitch.

Was he really going to kiss her this time?! She wondered as his face slowly inched closer to her and she could hear her own quickly beating heart beating in her ears.

But then she saw a shadow moving behind him and she jumped in surprise. Aurora was standing next to the car, right by Sebastian's window. She could see her face looming in the darkness, looking at her with wild angry eyes, like a demon, she couldn't help but make the comparison.

“What's wrong?” Sebastian dropped his hand from her face, startled at her sudden move.

“I better go. Y/n is right outside the car.” She said as she beckoned her head towards Aurora, who was still giving her a scary look.

Sebastian turned around and Aurora's face quickly changed into a smile. She waved a little at them.

“Oh hey Y/n.” Sebastian said, waving back awkwardly.

“So, I'll see you this Saturday then.” She said as she started to get out of the car.

“Yeah. Take care Aurora.” He smiled although she could see a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

She was disappointed too. She was really looking forward to him kissing her and Aurora kept ruining it for her.

“Thanks Sebastian. You take care too.” She smiled back and he nodded.

And with her last smile she finally got out of his car and stood in front of the castle, waving at him as he drove out of the castle.

“I told you there will be hell to pay if you touch him.” Aurora hissed as soon as Sebastian's car was out of sight.

“Aurora, I didn't touch him. He touched me! Besides, he's not your actual boyfriend, why do you care so much? And wouldn't it be good for you if he actually cares for you?” She asked as they turned around and walked up the steps together towards the front entrance of the castle.

“Well I care because he's supposed to be my boyfriend and not yours!” Aurora yelled.

“Well it didn't seem like you wanted to be his girlfriend much longer with what you told him before, about you wanting another gig and eyeing Harry Styles.” She commented as she pushed open the front door and got inside.

“D****t! He told you that?!” Aurora cursed and stood in front of her, blocking her way towards the stairs, her eyebrows raised.

“Yes! He did. So don't pretend like you care about him because you don't!” She spat.

Aurora didn't respond back and stared at her, the veins on her temple bulging and her jaw ticked.

She sighed as she realized she was going to be in so much trouble over that comment.

“Once we switch back.. and it will happen soon because I hired a private investigator earlier today. Once we switch back, you.. are.. so.. fired! And I will not pay you a dime. Got that?! So you can just enjoy the last seconds of your life being me because soon it will all be taken away from you and you will go back to being your pathetic self in your pathetic life with no one that cares for you!” Aurora yelled and she turned around and stormed up towards the second floor.

She heard a door slammed shut and winced. She sighed then trudged towards her own room at the back of the kitchen. There was no way she would sleep in the same room as Aurora that night.

She tossed and turned on the small bed, not being able to sleep. She was having so much fun being Aurora and she didn't want them to switch back so soon! She was finally a hired actress working in a big Hollywood production. She had.. well.. a potential romance with the Sebastian Stan! She had a body and face like a Barbie. She had a huge house and unlimited funds to buy and do whatever she wanted. All of that compared to her old life? Well, she would love to just throw away her old life into the dustbin and forget her old life and self ever existed.

Finally she decided to do something she knew she should've done much more often. Maybe it was the missing piece she needed to fix her life. She decided to pray to God that night that somehow she and Aurora wouldn't get to switch back so soon. She prayed to God so He would give her more time being in Aurora's body and enjoy having all the blessings God had given Aurora. She knew God must have a lot of love and blessing to give to all of His creations. She just wanted some more time to be at the receiving end of it.

So she prayed that night like she never had before, allowing herself to be both grateful for the opportunity God has given her by allowing her to switch places with Aurora and also certain that what she wanted was already in her hands because she knew nothing was impossible for God to do.

She felt somewhat more at peace after praying but it took a while for her to go to sleep. Deep down she dreaded sleeping because she might just wake up as herself again. But she was exhausted and the day had been very long so she finally fell asleep with the image of Sebastian's face gazing at her with love in his eyes, his hand touching the side of her face gently and his lips finally touching hers.

—

13320 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California - Wednesday, July 12th 2023 - 6.00 am

---

She opened her eyes and found herself staring at the ceiling. The air felt stuffy and she breathed a sigh of relief as she realized where she was. She was still in her jail cell like room at the back of the kitchen. Her eyes could see clearly so she must still be in Aurora's body.

She sat up and grabbed some of her hair and saw that they were blonde. Then she stood up and took a look in the mirror at her small dresser and found Aurora's face staring back at her.

“Thank you, God.” She smiled then she went out of the bedroom to take a shower.

After she was done she quickly went upstairs to Aurora's room to change into Aurora's outfit. She didn't want Rosa to be suspicious if she was seen wearing her own clothes, even though she missed wearing some of her own clothes.

The door to Aurora's room was still closed so she knocked gently.

“Aurora, I just want to get some clothes.” She said.

Some moments passed by and she could hear the sound of footsteps behind the door then the door opened slowly, revealing Aurora who looked like she didn't sleep all night.

“Get in.” Aurora hissed and she scrunched up her nose as she smelled the telltale sign of alcohol from her mouth.

“Are you drunk?” She asked as she got into the room and watched as Aurora staggered back towards the bed.

“What if I am?” She huffed as she laid back down on the bed then closed her eyes.

“You need to stop running to alcohol, Aurora.” She sighed.

“It's not going to help you.” She continued as she went to the closet and started to pick up some clothes.

“Yeah.. yeah..” Aurora mumbled.

“Is there a specific clothes you want me to wear today?” She asked.

“No, I don't care. Wear whatever you want.” Aurora replied.

Against her own wishes she felt kind of sorry for Aurora. It must be hard for Aurora to experience being her.

“Are you okay?” She asked after she picked up a blue long summer dress she knew Aurora would like for her to wear.

“Obviously not.” Aurora replied.

“Well.. now you know how hard it is being me.” She commented.

“It's not that you idiot!” Aurora yelled and she sighed, bracing for another of Aurora's rages.

“I'm sorry.” She mumbled.

“He never looked at me the way he looked at you.” Aurora started to say and she felt like her heart stopped.

“What? What do you mean?” She asked.

“He never.. he never initiated a kiss. It was always me that started. And.. and I know sometimes he looked at me like he was interested in me but then he always looked away as if he's disappointed in himself. But ever since we switched, I saw a difference. Somehow he.. he allows himself to like me.. no.. you..” Aurora said as tears started to fall from her eyes.

She froze as she heard what Aurora just said. Was she hearing things?

“Oh God. What am I doing? I'm telling you all the juicy details.” Aurora sighed.

“I think you need some rest Aurora. I'm just going to leave you now so you can sleep. Okay? I'll come up with something to tell Rosa.” She said as she took the dress and walked towards the bathroom.

“You think I'm pathetic don't you?” Aurora said as she walked past the bed.

“Aurora.” She stopped and turned to face her. “I just think that you need to get some rest and don't say anything you will regret later on.”

“Good point. By the way, it's Wednesday, the day I'm supposed to spend with my mom. But she just texted me saying she's not in LA. She's in Shanghai with that bitch cousin of mine. I can't believe she still follows her around like a puppy.” She grumbled.

“Oh. I'm.. I'm sorry to hear that, Aurora. Well, hopefully by the time she gets back we already switch back into our own bodies, huh?” She said. Despite her own feelings of not wanting to switch back so soon, she couldn't help but say it to make Aurora feel better.

“Yeah, I hope so.” Aurora replied.

“Oh, speaking of appointments, today you need to attend the trial for breaking and entering the other night, remember?” She said.

“No, I don't. I already asked my lawyers to represent me.. well.. you.. today.” Aurora responded.

“Oh, okay. That's good. So, what are your schedule for today?” She asked.

“Nothing. But there's another photoshoot tomorrow for Givenchy and on Friday I need to do a video shoot with Paris for a dog food commercial.” She replied.

“Oh, right. Nothing for the weekend, right?” She asked as she remembered Sebastian asking her to practice their scenes together that weekend.

“Nothing so far.” Aurora replied.

“Okay, good.” She was going to tell her about Sebastian asking her to practice together that weekend but decided against it after knowing how Aurora felt about him.

“Okay, well I better change and go outside so you can sleep.” She said.

“Okay.” Aurora responded then she closed her eyes.

After Aurora unexpectedly blurted out about Sebastian and her earlier she couldn't help but feel happy about it. That meant Sebastian liked her! Well, she was in a different body but it seemed he liked her personality too and she felt like she was in cloud nine about that. She wondered if he would still like her if she was still in her own body but she realized probably not. The fact that he had never tried to get closer to her when she was still in her own body proved that.

Even though the last thought made her somehow sad, she was still happy she knew of that fact and decided to enjoy it while it lasted. She didn't know how much longer she would be in Aurora's body and she intended to enjoy the time that she still had.

It was three in the afternoon when she received the answer to her prayers last night. She and Aurora were doing some exercises by the swimming pool. Aurora had complained that she started to see fat around her belly and insisted for her to eat less and do some exercises.

She was huffing and sweating as they were just finished doing some HIIT exercises. She sat down on the ground and gulped a bottle of water while Aurora rested on a chair nearby and drank some green smoothies when the door from the kitchen was opened and Rosa came running towards them with panic on her face.

“Miss Watson! Y/n! There are some police at the door and your lawyers Miss Watson. They.. they want to talk to you and..” Rosa said but she was cut off.

“Y/F/N Y/L/N! You are under arrest for breaking and entering!” A policeman came through the kitchen door and announced, startling both of them.

“What?!” She and Aurora both stood up, her heart beating so fast in her chest.

Another policeman came out from the kitchen door followed by two men in black suits she assumed were Aurora's lawyers.

“What's going on? What happened at the trial?!” Aurora shouted as they walked closer to them.

“Miss Watson, Miss Y/L/N, we're really sorry but this is the best we could do.” One of the lawyers said as soon as they arrived in front of them.

“What?!” Aurora yelled.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“We tried our best today at the trial but the judge was a fairly new appointed judge and he.. he decided to sentence your assistant to one month in jail.” One of the lawyers said.

“What?!” She and Aurora shouted at the same time.

When she prayed to God that she wanted to stay longer in Aurora's body, this was not exactly what she had in mind.

Chapter 14 >

Taglist

@dhoruwolfie

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sebstanaddict · 2 months

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Sebastian is the sweetest and most humble person. He sent this to the director of A Different Man, Aaron Schimberg ❤️❤️❤️

#sebastian stan #sebastianstan #a different man #berlinale #berlinale 2024

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sebstanaddict · 2 months

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Sebastian with fellow Berlinale award winner Tammy Tai at the after party ❤️❤️❤️

#sebastian stan #sebastianstan #berlinale #berlinale 2024

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sebstanaddict · 2 months

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Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

The night of celebrating reader being cast in Sebastian's movie turned into an unexpected date night with Sebastian, and reader couldn't be happier. But Sebastian's girlfriend ruined it for her for a very unexpected reason.

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 12/20 (Might add more)

Chapter List >

Warning : slight cursing

Word count : 5.2k words

This story is inspired loosely by Sebastian's love life so it will have characters from his real life but I will not name their real names. I will only use Sebastian's real name in the story.

---

Chapter 12 - Unexpected

Felix Trattoria Restaurant, Venice Beach, LA - Monday, July 10th 2023 - 6.30 pm

—

Y/n opened the door of Sebastian's car in front of Felix Trattoria restaurant, a high end Italian restaurant Aurora insisted for them to visit that night. Her heart jumped a little as a valet boy extended his hand to her. She picked the valet boy's hand and stepped out of the car.

“Thank you.” She smiled and released his hand. She looked up to see the valet boy's cheeks reddened as she looked at him.

“Y.. you're welcome Miss Watson.” The valet boy stuttered.

Suddenly she felt her arm being pulled to a different direction, forcing her to step away from the car.

“I told you. Stop thanking people.” Aurora hissed as she dragged her towards the entrance of the restaurant, her other hand held a handbag with a barking Paris inside.

She sighed. “I forgot, sorry.”

She looked straight ahead and saw Sebastian standing in front of two waitresses, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth turned into a frown.

“You sure you can't sneak us in? There's only three of us.. and.. well.. a dog.” Sebastian glanced at them as they stopped next to him.

“I'm sorry, sir. But you need to have a reservation. And we're really sorry but pets aren't allowed in the restaurant.” One of the waitresses responded.

“Don't you see who they are?! I mean.. he's the Sebastian Stan and she's the Aurora Watson!” Aurora protested.

The waitresses glanced at each other.

“You know how many followers they have on Instagram? They can help promote your restaurant!” Aurora continued.

“Y/n.. that's okay. No need to inform them of that. They have rules and we should honor them. Let's just find somewhere else to eat.” Sebastian said and he started to turn around.

“Wait! Let me just go in and ask our manager.” One of the waitresses shouted.

“Okay, great!” Sebastian turned back around and smiled wide, making both waitresses' cheeks reddened. Then one of the waitresses left them.

“You know, you really don't need to say that Y/n.” Sebastian said, looking at Aurora with a slight dislike on his face.

“I don't like using my fame.” He shrugged.

“Well, I'm sorry, I thought it would help.” Aurora responded.

“Yeah, I just don't want to be known as one of those celebrities who uses their fame for mundane things like this.” He shrugged.

“Well, what is the point of being famous then?” Aurora asked, her eyebrows raised.

“I think for Sebastian it was never about fame. Right? Sebastian? I mean.. Seb.” Y/n commented.

Sebastian turned to look at her and gazed at her for a moment. Once again she felt like he was seeing straight into her soul, making her heart skip a beat. Then he smiled at her warmly, making butterflies fly around in her stomach.

“I never thought you would get that, Aurora. But, yeah, it was never about fame for me. I just love acting for the sake of it. But being famous does have its perks.” He winked at her and she felt warmth crawling from her neck up to her cheeks.

As if on cue, the waitress who left them returned with a smile on her face.

“Excuse me sir, ma'am. I've asked our manager and he allowed you to go in but on one condition.” The waitress said.

“Okay. What's the condition?” Sebastian asked.

“We're sorry but our restaurant has a strict no pets policy, so I'm afraid we can't let your dog in.” The waitress replied.

“What?! That's unacceptable!” Aurora yelled, making all of them look at her in surprise.

“Y/n.. come with me.” She dragged Aurora by the arm to the side, away from the others, making Sebastian and the others raise their eyebrows at them.

“What?!” Aurora hissed as she forcefully released her arm from her hand.

“You need to stop behaving like yourself.” She scolded her.

“But I.. “

“You're embarrassing yourself.” She scolded her again.

“But it's unfair! Why won't they allow Paris in? Don't they understand who I am?” She insisted.

She sighed as an idea suddenly popped into her mind. “Fame won't always get you everything, Aurora. Now maybe, it's better that you go to Silver Lake with Nelson and find that Gypsy woman while I stay here with Sebastian.” She said.

“Oh, I know what this is about. You want to be left alone with Seb, right? Right? So you can have him all to yourself!” Aurora hissed.

She sighed. “No, it's not that. It's just that I think we need to try harder to be the other person. I mean.. I would never yell like you did. And like you said, you wouldn't thank people too much. So yeah, we both have things we need to work on if we don't want people to be suspicious of us. And besides, I thought you wanted to find that Gypsy woman so we can switch back. It's almost 7, stores in Silver Lake are closing soon. I just think it's better that we split up. You can find that Gypsy woman while I stay with Seb to celebrate you being cast in his movie! Isn't that what you wanted?” She asked.

“Yeah, it is.. but..”

“Let's not make him even more suspicious and just listen to me. This is for your own good. I mean, who knows, if you can find that woman tonight, we might just switch bodies while I'm still here at the restaurant. Then everything will go back to the way it was.” She persuaded her.

For a moment Aurora didn't say anything. Her eyebrows furrowed while looking at her but then it slowly straightened.

“Okay, fine. I'll go. But don't you dare do anything with Seb! He is still my boyfriend. Not yours.” Aurora threatened.

“Yes, of course. I'm not gonna do anything. I swear. We're just gonna talk.” She said even though deep down she wasn't sure if she could reject him should he suddenly want to kiss her or something.

“Listen.. if you dare touch him, there will be hell to pay. Got that?” Aurora said, looking at her with a threatening look.

“Yeah, got it.” She nodded.

She turned around quickly and walked back towards the restaurant entrance before Aurora could change her mind and tried hard not to roll her eyes.

“Everything okay?” Sebastian asked as soon as she arrived in front of him.

“Yeah. I just asked Y/n to go back home with Paris. Nelson is going to come and pick them up.” She replied.

“Oh okay. You know we could just go to another restaurant.” He suggested.

“Umm.. it's okay. We already asked these nice waitresses here so the manager could let us in. I think it would be rude to reject their offer. And frankly, I think Y/n was being a little too rude.” She shrugged.

“Yeah. You're right. She was kind of rude. It's funny. I didn't think she would get too attached to Paris after only a week.” He chuckled.

“Ahaha.. yeah. Well, Paris is adorable.” She said.

“Yeah. She could be.. sometimes.” He said with an amused smile on his face.

“Anyway, shall we?” She asked, beckoning her head towards the restaurant.

“Yeah. Come on.” He nodded and they finally walked into the restaurant together.

It wasn't until the waitresses pulled out their chairs by their table, which was set up near a window that she realized she was on a date! With Sebastian Stan! Well, not an official date with her real self. But still, her heart fluttered at the thought.

“So.. congratulations again on being cast as Celeste.” Sebastian smiled as soon as they were settled. She couldn't help but feel butterflies again in her stomach.

“Oh, thank you so much, Sebastian. I'm really grateful and thankful to you for giving me this opportunity.” She smiled back and he continued to smile warmly at her.

“You're welcome. You know, it's been a while since you called me Sebastian.” He chuckled.

“Oh! Right.. yeah..” Her heart jumped at that and she kicked herself internally for forgetting about that fact.

“It's okay. You can call me anything you want.” He winked and she felt it again, the butterflies flew even wilder in her stomach.

“Hmm.. but which do you prefer?” She asked when the butterflies finally slowed down.

“Well. I usually reserve Seb for people close to me. Sebastian is for the general public. I mean.. you know that, right?” He asked.

“Yeah, of course.” She nodded, feeling kind of stupid for asking him that.

“But.. seeing how we're not actually that close. I kind of prefer being called Sebastian.” He explained and she raised her eyebrows.

“Oh.. okay.” She said, wondering if the rumors of them being in a PR relationship really were true.

“Yeah…I'm sorry. I hope I didn't offend you with that. I mean.. I don't remember ever telling you that beforehand. You immediately called me Seb like.. the second time we met.”

“Oh.. yeah.. I'm sorry about that.”

“No need to say sorry. I’m just glad we finally got this out in the open.” He smiled.

“Oh, yeah, of course.” She nodded.

“Anyway, how do you feel about the fact that because of the casting, our contract is prolonged.” He said and she raised her eyebrows again.

“Our contract?” She asked slowly.

“Yeah, you know. Our “relationship” contract.” He said as he made a quoting gesture with his fingers.

Her jaw dropped at that but she immediately recovered and nodded.

“Oh, right, yeah. Yeah…I'm…umm.. happy.. of course about the contract being prolonged. I mean. Who wouldn't? You're a handsome, successful A list Hollywood actor. A nice man too. Not a snobby actor who sees everyone else as beneath them. So yeah, you're the perfect PR boyfriend.” She rambled and his eyebrows raised.

“Are you sure about that? I thought you thought I was too plain and boring and that you preferred someone more outgoing. I remember you told me you were eyeing Harry Styles for your next gig.” He stated.

She couldn't believe all the things he was telling her! All the rumors she heard that Aurora was a professional girlfriend for hire were true!

“Oh! Yeah.. I might have said something like that in the past. But maybe I was drunk or something. I mean.. pfft.. you and Harry Styles? I'd choose you in a heartbeat.” She said and slowly a smile spread on his lips.

“That's nice to hear.”

“Yeah, I mean.. come on.. there's just no comparison.” She said as she gestured her hand around his face and his cheeks reddened at that.

“Thanks Aurora. I.. uh.. appreciate it.”

“You're welcome, Sebastian.” She smiled and he smiled back.

For a moment they just stared at each other. His gorgeous ocean blue eyes gazed at her warmly and she couldn't help but be drowned in them. She noticed his hand slowly moved on the table towards hers, but just when he was about to touch her hand, a waiter came and put a plate of prawns in front of them, the first menu from a total of four menus they had ordered.

He immediately leaned back and dropped his hands to his lap. She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at that. But her disappointment was soon gone as they started to eat. The food was absolutely delicious.

“Mmm…this is like.. the best prawns I have ever tasted.” She said as she finished eating the last prawn and licked her fingers clean.

“Yeah, it's the best isn't it? You know, it's so refreshing to see you eat without talking about the calories. I mean, I think this is the most I've seen you eat since I've known you.” He chuckled.

“Umm.. yeah. Life is short. Why waste so much good food? We should enjoy them and be grateful for what God has given us.” She said and he laughed.

“I thought you said you were an atheist.”

Her heart seemed to stop at that. She sighed and hoped she wasn't ruining things too much for Aurora that night.

“Yeah.. well. I've had a change of heart.” She finally replied, not knowing what else to say.

“Okay, good for you, Aurora. I'm happy to see a lot of positive change in you. It seems Y/n has a positive influence on you.”

“Oh! Yeah.. yeah. She absolutely does!” She smiled.

“Good. I'm glad. She's a really nice girl and smart and diligent too. I'm really glad you finally appreciate her and treat her better.” He smiled.

Her heart soared as she listened to his compliments.

“That's very nice of you to say that, Sebastian.” She gushed and he looked at her with a slightly confused look on his face.

“I mean, nice of you to say that about her. And yeah, I agree. She's a really good and nice assistant. Maybe I should give her a raise.” She continued, laughing internally.

“You really should. If you want to keep her as your assistant you need to raise her salary because after Pumping Black is done I'm thinking of hiring her as my PA for my next project.” He said and her jaw dropped.

“Well.. in that case, you can have her.” She said, hoping that by the time the shooting for Pumping Black was done she and Aurora would switch back again.

“Oh, okay. Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yeah, absolutely. But maybe we should wait after Pumping Black is over before telling her. I mean, I might change my mind by then. We'll see.” She quickly said as she realized if they hadn't switched bodies again by that time, it would be better that she stayed as Aurora's PA.

“Okay. Anyway, do you want to get some dessert?” He asked.

“Oh of course!” She said enthusiastically.

“Are you sure about that? Don't you want to count the calories first of what you've eaten so far?” He teased.

“Oh! Yeah, you're right. But I think just a small piece of tiramisu wouldn't add much calories.. right?” She asked, making him laugh.

“You know, I think it has more calories than everything you've eaten so far combined.” He laughed again.

“Oh.. okay.” Her face fell. She usually was a sucker for dessert and she had been really curious about the dessert in the restaurant. So far every dish had been amazing and she felt it would be such a missed opportunity to not order dessert.

“Aurora, just order it. We can share. I need to watch my calorie intake myself but I'm really curious about their tiramisu. So, we can just share.” He winked and her face brightened immediately.

“Okay!” She replied cheerfully, making him smile.

“Alright, I think that was the best tiramisu.. no…wait.. the best dessert I have ever had in my entire life!” She exclaimed after they finished sharing a piece of tiramisu.

“Definitely! We should get another piece.” He suggested, making her laugh.

And so they ordered two more pieces of tiramisu so they could each have a piece for themselves. By the time they finished the tiramisu she felt so full and sleepy that she yawned.

“Hmm.. you're tired aren't you? We should head back.” He said as he put his spoon down.

“I'm sorry. I just feel so full. I don't think I've ever eaten that much in my life.” She replied, making him laugh.

“I believe you. Anyway, I was thinking of taking a walk at the beach. But if you don't want to, then it's okay.” He said.

Her heart skipped a beat as she listened to him. A romantic walk at the beach?! With Sebastian Stan? How could she say no?!

“Oh, sure! I'd love to take a walk with you! It would help in digesting everything. Much better than going straight to bed.” She smiled and he smiled back.

“Okay. Let me take care of the bills and we can go.” He said.

“Wait! I should pay. I mean, it's the least I can do to repay you for giving me the opportunity to be cast in Pumping Black.” She quickly said.

“Oh, right. Okay. Thanks Aurora.” He smiled.

When the bills came her eyes widened. She was glad she was being Aurora. Otherwise she couldn't have paid for the bills. This restaurant truly was the most expensive restaurant she ever had the chance to dine in. But of course it was all worth it in the end.

She was kind of nervous and hoping she had picked the right credit card to use. They had switched wallets and handbags back in Aurora's castle but Aurora never told her which ones she could use. Thankfully the restaurant accepted Aurora's card without a fuss and so they were soon out of the restaurant and strolled along the street towards Venice beach's famous boardwalk.

It was 9 pm so the beach was dark when they got there. But far in the distance she could see the bright lights coming from Santa Monica Pier with the large circular Ferris Wheel twinkling brightly against the dark sky.

“Have you ever gone there?” She asked, her eyes still looking towards the inviting lights of Santa Monica Pier.

“Oh yeah. A while ago. Have you?” He asked as they stopped at the edge of the beach, just before the waves could reach their feet.

“No.” She shook her head.

“All this time you've lived in LA and you've never gone there?” He asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Umm.. yeah.. I just, never found anyone I want to go there with.” She replied, hoping Aurora really had never gone there before.

“Well, maybe we can go there together.. one day..” He slowly replied as he glanced at her. He seemed to be blushing a little and it made her heart soar in her chest.

“I would love that.” She smiled, feeling her cheeks reddened too.

She felt the breeze of the wind coming from the sea and shivered.

“Are you cold?” He asked.

“No, I'm fine.” She replied but couldn't stop herself from rubbing her own arms. The fabric of her dress was rather thin and on top of that she wasn't wearing a bra.

“I wish I had a jacket with me. But maybe you can just wear this.” He said as he started to unbutton his shirt.

“Wait, Sebastian you really don't need to do that.” She quickly interjected but he already finished unbuttoning his shirt and started to take it off.

“Don't worry, I wear a t-shirt under this.” He smiled as he finally took off his shirt and put it around her shoulder, leaving him only wearing a tight white t-shirt.

“T.. thanks, Sebastian.” She stuttered. Her heart beat so fast in her chest as Sebastian continued to drape his shirt around her.

“There, I hope this can fend off the wind a little bit.” He looked down and smiled, making her heart gallop even faster in her chest.

She looked up and felt like time stood still. He looked down at her with hooded eyes, making her heart beat faster. He moved slowly closer to her and her heart beat even faster, his eyes flicked downwards at her lips and he licked his lips.

Is this it? Is he going to kiss her?

She could feel his hand on her waist, gently pulling her closer to him, making her certain that he really was going to kiss her!

Suddenly her cellphone rang and he dropped his hand from her waist.

“Sorry.. “ She said as she took a step back from him and opened her handbag, cursing internally at whoever ruined the moment.

“It's okay. Just pick it up. It might be important.” He smiled although she could see a slight disappointment in his eyes. He put his hands in the pocket of his pants as he continued to stare at her.

She rummaged through her handbag and finally found her cellphone still ringing with a shrill sound. She looked at the screen and saw Aurora's name on it. She sighed and immediately picked it up.

“Hello.”

“Oh, there you are. What took you so long?!” Aurora's voice traveled through the speaker.

“I was kind of busy. What do you want? Something wrong with Paris?” She asked, pretending to care about the dog.

“No, it's worse than that.”

“What?"

“I'm.. “ Aurora sighed and took a deep breath. “I'm in jail, I need you to bail me out.”

“What?!” She exclaimed out loud. “What happened?”

“Just come down here but don't let Seb know. I don't have much time. They won't let me make a call too long. They're going to take my cellphone after I finish calling you. I'll send you the directions to the police station.” Aurora explained.

“Fine. Are you with Nelson?” She asked.

“No. I decided to go to Silver Lake alone. I don't want him to know what I was up to. I don't want him to be suspicious.” Aurora replied.

“Right, okay. I'll be there as soon as I can.” She replied.

“Okay. Make It fast!” Aurora commanded then she hung up without saying anything else.

She shook her head as she put her cellphone back in her handbag, wondering what on earth Aurora did that could get her arrested.

“Is something wrong?” Sebastian asked, his eyebrows knitted together as he looked at her.

“It's ..mm.. Paris seems to have diarrhea again.” She responded. “I have to go now.”

“Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll drive you home.”

“No! I mean.. it's okay, I can go home by myself. You need to go back home and rest. Don't you have an early rehearsal tomorrow?” She asked, referring to a rehearsal for Pumping Black that was scheduled for the next morning.

“Well.. yeah, you too. You're in the movie too, remember?” He said.

“Right, that's right.” She nodded. “That's why we should split up so we can each get home faster and thus go to sleep faster.”

“But I can drive you, Aurora, it's no big deal. I can't let you go home by yourself at this hour. Come on.” He said then he picked her hand gently, making her heart skip a beat. Then he pulled her back towards the direction of the Felix Trattoria restaurant.

Her heart continued to beat fast in her chest as they walked hand in hand towards the restaurant. She couldn't believe it! She was holding hands with Sebastian! His hand felt warm and firm in hers, making her feel safe and protected.

So, this was how it felt to have a boyfriend. She thought as they drove back towards Aurora's castle. It felt good to have someone that can help and look after you. She had always been alone for most of her adult life and was used to being independent. Having someone like Sebastian felt really nice. Deep down she hoped they would never find that Gypsy woman and ended up being stuck in each other's body forever. She definitely wouldn't miss her old life. Especially not if she had Sebastian by her side.

—

Los Angeles Police Department, Northeast Police Station - Monday, July 10th 2023, 10.30 pm

It took her one and a half hours to get to the police station after she and Sebastian left Venice Beach. Sebastian dropped her off at Aurora's castle then she immediately took another one of Aurora's cars and went to the police station.

When she entered the station, all of the policemen gawked at her. She remembered then that she was Aurora and not herself.

She smiled and could see how almost all of the policemen seemed to blush as they looked at her, and she couldn't help but feel flattered a little. The way they reacted around her was definitely different compared to when she was still in her own body. She must admit that she felt both happy yet uncomfortable about it.

“Good evening, sir.” She greeted one of the policemen who was sitting behind a desk.

“G.. good evening, ma'am. How can I help you?” The policeman asked, his eyes widened.

“I'm here to bail out my assistant.” She replied.

“Your assistant?”

“Yes, her name is Y/F/N Y/L/N. She called me a couple of hours ago asking me to bail her out.” She explained.

“Oh, yes, of course. Yes, she is here. If you want to bail her out, the amount is ten thousand dollars.” The policeman said and her jaw dropped.

“What?!”

“Yes, ma'am. She broke into a commercial building in Silver Lake.”

“What? She did what?” She exclaimed out loud.

“She broke into a building, The Spellbound Herb store, ma'am.” the policeman clarified.

She sighed. “Did she take anything?”

“No, nothing ma'am. She said she was looking for the owner of the store and didn't mean to take anything.” The policeman replied.

“Okay. Well, do you accept credit card?” She asked.

“Fortunately, we do. But, seeing she's your assistant, you can opt to just give a signature bond. I mean, we know who you are and we're sure you can guarantee that your assistant will come for her trial at court.”

“Oh, okay. That's good. When is her trial?” She asked.

“It's been scheduled for the day after tomorrow at noon.” The policeman answered.

“Alright. What kind of sentence will she get?”

“Well, that depends. The sentence for breaking and entering is usually a maximum of six months in jail and a fine of up to $1000.”

“What? Six months in jail?!” Her jaw dropped.

“Yes, but considering your assistant didn't have a previous criminal record and that she didn't seem to steal anything, I'm certain she won't be in jail that long. Maybe for 1-3 months.” The policeman assured her.

“Oh.. still.. three months in jail..” she trailed, her mind trying to grapple with the situation.

“Yes, you might want to hire another assistant in the time being.” The policeman commented, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah.. maybe.” She responded slowly, her mind still trying to deal with the situation.

“Anyway, let me prepare the paperworks for your signature bond. Please have a seat, ma'am.” the policeman said, gesturing his hand towards several chairs behind her.

“Thank you, officer.” She nodded then smiled making the policeman blush.

She turned around and sat on one of the chairs. She couldn't believe Aurora would get herself arrested like this. Her clean criminal record was now tarnished. And not to mention the fact that she might be sentenced to jail for six months! Now she really hoped they would never switch back into their own bodies.

About half an hour later, the process was finally done. Aurora was immediately brought out from temporary detention. She thought Aurora would look awful, stressed and scared. But instead when she got out she held her head high and didn't seem to lose her confidence one bit.

For the first time ever she felt like she kind of admired Aurora. She was sure she would look scared and stressed if she ever got arrested, but then she quickly brushed it off.

After Aurora got all her personal belongings back, they walked out of the police station and quickly got into the car.

“Alright, what the h**l happened?” She turned towards Aurora and stared at her, her eyebrows knitted together.

Aurora sighed and took a deep breath.

“I talked to the staff at the boutiques next to Spellbound Herb but they didn't have any information on the Gypsy woman. I couldn't leave without getting any kind of clue. I really need for us to switch back before the shoot for Pumping Black. So I decided to break into the store and try to find some kind of clue.”

“Oh my God, Aurora. What were you thinking?! And now you.. no.. me.. I'm facing the possibility of being sentenced to jail for up to six months!” She exclaimed out loud.

“Yeah, don't worry about it. I have the best lawyers. They can help get us out of this.” Aurora shrugged.

“What if they can't? What then?” She asked, exasperated.

“Well we better find that Gypsy woman fast so we can switch before the trial. I am not spending six months in jail!” Aurora protested.

“Well you should've thought of that before you broke into the store!” She yelled.

“Oh now you're turning into me with all the yelling.” Aurora commented.

“Aurora..” She sighed.

“Don't worry. My lawyers can handle this. Now let's go back to Silver Lake and get my other car and go back home. I'm exhausted.” Aurora yawned.

“Fine.” She sighed. “By the way, did you manage to get any clue from the store?” She asked.

“I only got some business cards but the number is the same as the one we already have.”

“So you're telling me we're facing the possibility of imprisonment for nothing?!” She yelled again.

“Yeah, something like that. Could you stop with the yelling? It's annoying.” Aurora protested.

“Unbelievable.” She threw her hands up in the air in frustration. “By the way, now you know what it feels like to be yelled at. It's annoying!”

“Yeah yeah, I get it now. Just stop yelling! I'm tired.” Aurora protested.

She didn't respond and turned the car engine on. Her heart still felt heavy with anger at how stupid Aurora could be.

“How did you even manage to break into the store?” She asked after a while.

“I picked the lock of the door with some hairpins.” Aurora replied.

She turned to look at Aurora and raised her eyebrows. “Where did you learn how to do that? Most importantly, why did you learn how to do that?”

“My ex taught me how. As to the why, it was just for fun.” Aurora shrugged.

“Did you date a burglar or something?” She asked, dumbfounded as she turned to look back on the road.

“Of course not, idiot. My ex was an actor too and he had a role as a burglar and learned how to pick a lock as part of his training.” Aurora explained.

“Oh, okay.” She nodded. “No need to call me an idiot by the way.” She protested.

“Yeah.. yeah.. By the way, I'm thinking of hiring a private detective to track the Gypsy woman down. We can't possibly stay like this for months!” Aurora said.

“Oh okay. Good idea.” She replied even though deep down she didn't think it was.

She made a silent prayer in her heart that they would somehow never find that Gypsy woman. She was just getting close to Sebastian and he seemed to like her! She didn't want to go back into her own body just yet. Especially now that they were facing a threat of imprisonment.

“So, what did you and Sebastian talk about?” Aurora asked, making her heart jump.

“Oh.. the fact that you're not a real couple.” She snickered.

“What did you say?!” Aurora turned to her, her eyes widened.

“I swear I didn't ask. He just mentioned your relationship contract.” She explained.

“Oh that stupid son of a b***h.” Aurora cursed, putting her fingers on the bridge of her nose and squeezed it.

“Don't call him that.” She scolded her, glancing at Aurora in dislike.

“Well he really can be stupid.” Aurora protested.

“Well not more stupid than you who got yourself arrested tonight.” She grumbled.

Aurora huffed and pouted then turned her face towards the window. She sighed deeply then turned her attention back on the road.

She couldn't believe what a crazy day it had been. What she didn't realize was that it was just the start of more crazy days ahead of them.

Chapter 13 >

Taglist

@dhoruwolfie

#sebastian stan #sebastianstan #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x female reader #sebastian stan fluff

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sebstanaddict · 3 months

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New pic of Sebastian at the G'Day USA Gala with Craig Gillespie! ❤️❤️❤️

Credit : Getty Images

#sebastian stan #sebastianstan #gdayusa2024 #craig gillespie

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sebstanaddict · 3 months

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Sebastian at Sundance in Variety's portrait studio!

Credit : Variety

#sebastian stan #sebastianstan

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sebstanaddict · 3 months

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Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

Against all odds, reader and Sebastian's girlfriend survived the first day of switching bodies. They finally found the reason of their switch and hoped to switch back soon. But something unexpected happened, forcing them to stay switched for longer than they like.

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 11/20 (Might add more)

Chapter List >

Warning : slight cursing

Word count : 6.2k words

This story is inspired loosely by Sebastian's love life so it will have characters from his real life but I will not name their real names. I will only use Sebastian's real name in the story.

---

Chapter 11 - Spellbound

13320 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California - Monday, July 10th 2023 - 6.00 am

—--

Sunlight streamed through the curtains in the master bedroom of a castle-like house at Mulholland Drive. The light fell on a sleeping form of a girl on a sofa. The girl slept on her stomach, her cheeks planted on the sofa. She stirred as the sunlight hit her eyes and turned her body around only to find herself falling over the sofa and down onto the floor.

“Ouch!” She exclaimed out loud as her bottom hit the floor.

She immediately sat up and cursed under her breath.

“You're so pathetic.” The voice of another girl drawled from behind the sofa.

Y/n looked up and felt her heart jump as she saw her body sitting on the bed. She thought that maybe she and Aurora would somehow switch bodies again overnight, but apparently that didn't happen. Looking at her own face staring at her like she was dirt in her shoes felt eerie and weird. She sighed and decided to ignore Aurora's comment then slowly stood up.

Aurora had refused to sleep in Y/n's room in the back of the kitchen. Seeing how there were only the two of them in the house every night, they, well more like Aurora, decided that she should still sleep in her own room. But she allowed Y/n to sleep in the same room in case they overslept and Rosa and Gabriella came before Aurora had the chance to sneak into Y/n's room. So there she was that night, sleeping on Aurora's couch. There was no way they were going to sleep in the same bed. Both had agreed on it. So, being the nice girl that she was, Y/n took the couch.

“I'm going to take a shower now. Then you should too. We're leaving at 8.” Aurora commanded as she stood up.

“Yes Miss Watson.” She nodded and sighed.

Aurora went to the adjacent bathroom in the room. She also had refused to use the small bathroom next to Y/n's room and decided to use the bathroom in her own room instead. So they had to take turns to take a shower.

Y/n decided to make up Aurora's bed as she waited. Her hand fluffed up the pillows and tidied up the sheets while her mind went to yesterday.

Amore's marketing manager had shared the list of vendors they used during the gala. They managed to find out that the vendor that provided the herbal potions was called Spellbound Herb. The contact person was a woman named Isadora Vespera, who, Y/n suspected, was the gypsy woman she met. The list included a contact number and address. They had tried contacting the woman through the contact number but the number was out of reach. So they decided to visit the address provided on the list that morning.

Then her mind went to dinner last night with Sebastian and Aurora. It was awkward because both she and Aurora tried not to talk too much for fear that Sebastian would grow more suspicious of them. Seeing how they both stayed quiet most of the time, Sebastian ended up not talking much either and once they all finished their food they immediately went back home. She was rather disappointed at how it turned out but she knew with Aurora around there was no way she could actually talk much with Sebastian.

She finished making up the bed and decided to choose the clothes for her to wear. She hoped she could choose something less tight and revealing like the dress she wore to the audition yesterday. Despite having Aurora's perfect body, she still wasn't comfortable enough to show off her body. She was used to wear clothes that were more modest.

She flipped through dresses, blouses and skirts in the closet, hoping to find jeans or any kind of pants to wear, but Aurora had mostly feminine style clothing. She finally found a pair of jeans at the very back of the closet and a light blue short sleeved cotton shirt. Satisfied with what she found, she brought them both out of the closet.

“Y/n! What are you doing?!” Aurora yelled and she jumped in surprise.

Aurora had just come out of the bathroom. A towel around her body and another around her head in a turban.

“I'm sorry Miss Watson, I was just picking some clothes to wear today.” She said as she showed the jeans and shirt in her hands.

Aurora walked closer to her and as soon as she saw the clothes in her hands she shook her head.

“You are not wearing those! I have a ton of other more stylish clothes to wear and you chose these? I knew you don't have a good sense of style at all.” Aurora mocked her and her heart stung as she heard it.

“I just don't want to wear anything too revealing.” She protested.

“You have my perfect body now. There's no use covering them up! You need to dress like me!” Aurora protested as she snatched the jeans and shirt from her hands and brought them back into the closet.

Aurora rummaged through the closet and finally produced a mini yellow floral dress with spaghetti straps.

“Here, wear this!” Aurora brandished the dress into her hands and she didn't have a choice but to accept. Aurora then went back into the closet and started rummaging in it again.

“What are you doing?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Looking for something for me.. well.. for you.. to wear. You know I inspected your clothes yesterday when you were knocked out. I found nothing that looks good except the blouse I wore yesterday.” Aurora replied and her heart stung again.

“Just don't make me wear anything too revealing.” She pleaded.

“I won't. With a body like yours I would want to cover it up too.” Aurora commented. She wasn't sure whether to be glad or offended with Aurora's remarks. She shook her head and decided to just ignore it and take a shower.

Despite wanting to take a shower quickly she couldn't help but study her face and body again, feeling both, in awe and jealous at the same time. Realizing that this might be the last time she would be in Aurora's perfect body, she took the time washing her face and body, enjoying having slim thighs and being able to see her waist.

When she finally got out of the bathroom Aurora was nowhere in sight. It was already half past seven. She assumed Aurora must have gone downstairs and went to her room or the kitchen so Rosa and Gabriella wouldn't be suspicious.

Aurora left a pair of sandals for her to wear and left some instructions on the dresser on how she should style her hair and put on her makeup. She sighed as she read it. Yup, Aurora really was a perfectionist.

She brushed her hair and styled her hair as close to Aurora's instructions as she could. Then she put the makeup on, following Aurora's instructions. She looked at herself in the mirror once she was finished, not feeling entirely happy with what she saw. Aurora had instructed her to wear thick makeup and dark red lipstick. She preferred to use light makeup and light pink or coral lipstick, definitely not dark red lipstick. She sighed as she stood up from the stool in front of the dresser and went downstairs.

When she arrived downstairs Aurora was in the main kitchen. She sat at a circular table by the window, drinking what seemed to be a glass of green smoothie. She wore a short sleeved dark blue dress, something that was definitely not hers. Rosa was in there as well in front of the sink, washing a blender. Neither saw her when she came in.

“Good morning, Rosa.” She greeted and walked towards Rosa. Rosa visibly jumped and turned to look at her in confusion.

“Oh, good morning Miss Watson. I.. I didn't notice you coming in.” Rosa stammered.

“Yeah, it's okay. What did you just make?” She asked, glancing at the blender in Rosa's hand.

“Oh! I was just making your usual green smoothie Miss Watson. I made extra and gave them to Y/n. I hope you don't mind.” Rosa replied, looking at her with a slight fear in her eyes.

“Oh yeah. I don't mind. Thank you Rosa.” She smiled and Rosa slowly smiled back with a slight confusion on her face.

“What do you think of it, Y/n? Is it good?” Y/n asked, turning to Aurora.

“Yes, Aurora.. I mean.. Miss Watson. It's good. Here, this is yours.” Aurora said, gesturing towards another glass full of the green smoothie in front of her.

She took a seat in front of Aurora and took a sip. It wasn't exactly her taste. She would rather have a glass of iced matcha latte. They were both green but tasted so different.

“It's good isn't it?” Aurora asked, giving her a haughty look.

“Umm.. yeah.” She swallowed hard.

“Anyway, I think we should immediately go once we finish the smoothie. I have a photoshoot for AquaChic this afternoon. We don't have much time to find that gypsy woman.” Aurora said in a low voice only Y/n could hear.

“Oh, right. Photoshoot huh?” She said, feeling dread in her stomach.

“Yeah, they have a new line of bikinis and swimsuits I have to model.” Aurora explained.

Her eyes widened at that. She was sure she couldn't model regular clothes let alone bikinis and swimsuits! She would just freeze on the spot.

“Don't worry. I'm not gonna let you do the shoot. I don't want you to embarrass me. I'm sure once we meet that gypsy woman we can switch back and you won't have to do the photoshoot.” Aurora said and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Alright, are you done?” Aurora asked as she finished her smoothie.

“Yeah, I'm done.” She replied. She only managed to finish half a glass. She felt like she was going to throw up if she was forced to finish the rest.

“Finish it or you won't have enough energy until lunch.” Aurora reprimanded her.

“I can't. Could we just drop by somewhere and get a donut or something?” She pleaded, scrunching her nose in dislike as she glanced at the glass of smoothie in front of her.

“Are you crazy? A donut would ruin all the diet and hard work I have put in my body!” Aurora yelled.

“Y/n? Miss Watson? Is everything okay?” Rosa asked, glancing at them with her eyebrows furrowed from the main kitchen island where she was busy preparing for lunch.

“Oh yes, Rosa. Everything is fine. Don't worry. Y/n just got a little anxious over something I asked her to do.” Y/n quickly explained, giving Rosa a smile.

“Yeah, everything is fine, Rosa.” Aurora added.

“Okay.” Rosa nodded, raising her eyebrows a little and she turned her attention back on the vegetables she was cutting.

“Now finish this and let's go. No more excuses.” Aurora hissed and she sighed in defeat.

—

Spellbound Herb, Micheltorena St, Silver Lake, LA, California - Monday, July 10th 2023 - 8.30 am

—

The Spellbound Herb store was located in the Silver Lake area in East LA. It was about 15 miles away from Aurora's house. The area was a hip and trendy neighborhood, home to a diverse and eclectic community. It was no surprise that a business like Spellbound Herb would find its home there.

They passed the 101 highway and took a left turn on Silver Lake Blvd. Then Nelson took a sharp left turn, taking them to Sunset Blvd, the street where one could find trendy cafes and unique boutiques. They headed towards the northwest of it where it met Santa Monica Blvd. But that day they didn't get that far. Spellbound Herb was located at the corner of Micheltorena St, about midway from where Nelson took the sharp left turn and Santa Monica Blvd.

Nelson stopped the car at the corner of Micheltorena St and turned around to face them.

“Here we are Miss Watson, Micheltorena St.” Nelson said, gesturing his hand towards the outside.

“Thanks Nelson.” She smiled and Nelson raised his eyebrows.

“Uh.. you're welcome, Miss Watson.” He smiled back awkwardly.

“Come on.” Aurora opened the door and she nodded. They quickly got out of the car before Nelson could say anything else.

“You need to stop thanking people. It's annoying. And it's not what I usually do. You're making people confused.” Aurora protested as soon as they walked away from the car.

“It's called manners, Aurora. There's no harm in showing gratitude to other people. In fact, it can make your life easier.” She defended herself.

“No, having money can make life easier.” Aurora huffed.

“Well.. you got that right.” She sighed as she was suddenly reminded that she was officially poor.

“Hmm.. Spellbound Herb.” Aurora muttered as they continued to walk, passing two interesting boutiques.

“Aha! Here it is!” Aurora said excitedly.

They stopped in front of a purple two story building with golden awning, a gilded glass door and a large gilded window. Her eyes scanned the store. Spellbound Herb was written on the awning, the large window, the door and right above the awning in a stylish and magical cursive writing. Behind the glass window she could see a display showing the many different herbal potions bottled up in small colorful glass vials. Then her eyes stopped on a paper taped on the glass door. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she read the announcement taped on the front door.

“Temporarily Closed for 3 months until October 2023”

“What the f**k!” Aurora cursed. Her hand hit the front door in frustration.

“Now what?!” Aurora turned around and slumped on the steps in front of the store. Her hands held the sides of her head as she looked down, a frown on her face.

They finally found the reason why the gypsy woman's number couldn’t be reached and now they were stuck in each other’s body.. for three months..

The realization dawned on her and she couldn’t help but smiled a little. She was excited that she could at least experience having everything in the world for three months and not being stuck as her ugly unlucky self for a while.

“Why are you smiling?” Aurora looked up at her, her lips curled.

“I wasn’t!” She immediately removed the smile on her face and sat next to Aurora.

“I saw it. I’m sure you’re thrilled that you get to be me for the next three months while I’m stuck being you.” Aurora sneered.

“Umm.. “ She trailed, not sure how to respond.

“Anyone would be thrilled to be me. I won’t blame you for that. I mean.. I have everything a girl could ever want.” Aurora stated.

Except a good heart. She thought internally and rolled her eyes.

“Which is why I can’t let this happen much longer! We are going to find this woman now! I’m not waiting for her to come back in three months!” Aurora announced and stood up abruptly, startling her.

“How do you think we’re going to find her?” She asked as she stood up, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Let’s ask around. Maybe other store owners around here have her personal number.” Aurora suggested and she started to walk to a boutique next to it. She didn’t have a choice but to follow her.

Unfortunately the boutique next to it was still closed and the one next to it was too. They had come too early. Both boutiques weren't going to open until 12 pm.

“Now what?” She asked as they stopped in front of one of the closed boutiques.

“Well, the photoshoot for AquaChic is scheduled at 2 this afternoon at my house. I need to be there before that for preparation. My team and AquaChic people are coming at 12.” Aurora explained.

“Well, you have to cancel it then. There's no way we can switch back before that with the gypsy woman gone.” She stated.

“Yeah, I know. Let me just contact my agent and ask her to cancel.” Aurora said as she pulled out her cellphone from her purse.

She nodded, then went away from Aurora and back to the front of Spellbound Herb, hoping to find out some kind of clue on how to find the woman.

She stood in front of the door and looked inside. The inside of the store was dark but she could make out some racks inside with rows and rows of herbal potions as well as two tables with chairs surrounding them. She looked at the door again and realized underneath the store name was written in small letters an Instagram account name.

A light bulb seemed to light up in her head and she immediately pulled out her cellphone and opened Instagram and searched for the store's name. When the store's name popped up she immediately tapped on it and the store's profile came up. She immediately tapped the message button and sent a short message to the store telling them she needed urgent help. Just when she was finished sending the message Aurora walked towards her with a frown on her face.

“My agent won't let me cancel.” Aurora complained.

“What!? Why?” She asked, her heart plummeted.

“It’s too late for a cancellation, they are already preparing for the shoot. My agent said they could charge us instead if I don't show up. The only way I could cancel is if I got hospitalized or something.” Aurora shrugged.

“But.. You can't let me do the photoshoot, Miss Watson! I know nothing about modeling! I.. I can't! I would just freeze on the spot!” She pleaded.

“Why are you so pathetic? Modeling is easy! You just have to show off your beauty and your body. It's not rocket science.”

“Well.. I.. “ She stammered, her mind already imagining the shame and embarrassment she would feel wearing only a bikini in front of strangers.

“I'll teach you. Come on, let's go back home and I'll give you a crash course in modeling. I'm not letting you do the photoshoot without preparation and embarrass me.” Aurora said and she flipped her hair and turned around back towards the car.

She sighed as she reluctantly followed Aurora back to the car, dread in the pit of her stomach.

—

13320 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California - Monday, July 10th 2023 - 1.30 pm

—

“Aurora, dear, what is it with you today? You look so tense. Relax!” Jenny, her hairstylist commented as she styled her hair for the photoshoot.

Once she and Aurora got back to Aurora's castle she was immediately given a crash course in modeling. She tried to absorb everything Aurora told her but when it came time to practice them, she found she wasn't really good at it.

“You're too tense. Relax your jaw, relax your face. Don't furrow your eyebrows like that.” Aurora had commanded earlier.

“But don't give that look either! You look like you're stoned.” Aurora had protested earlier.

By the time Aurora's stylist, hair stylist and AquaChic's crew came, she was still not performing as well as Aurora wanted but they had no time to continue the practice.

“I'm sorry, I'm just nervous.” She said to Jenny as she took a deep breath and tried hard to relax.

“Nervous? That's new. You know you have nothing to worry about, Aurora. Just do what you usually do.” Jenny said as she combed her long blonde hair.

“Yeah. I'll try.” She said, grimacing.

Half an hour later she stood by the pool in the backyard, wearing a golden one piece swimsuit with a matching abstract patterned sarong around her waist. She looked around and started to panic as she saw everyone staring at her while she just stood there motionless.

“Aurora, move! Do something!” Lance, AquaChic's creative director shouted from where he was standing next to the photographer.

“Okay!” She shouted back, her voice shook a little as she started to make some poses.

“You're too tense! Relax!” Lance shouted again at her as she tried to awkwardly make some poses.

Several moments later Lance stopped the shoot and walked over to her.

“Aurora, is there something wrong?” Lance asked, staring at her with his eyebrows furrowed.

“Umm.. no.. not at all. Everything is fine.” She chuckled nervously.

“Then why do you act like you're a deer that has just been hit by a car's headlight?”

“I.. umm.. “ She trailed.

“Excuse me, Lance. I'm sorry. She just had a rough morning.” Aurora suddenly stood next to them.

“Family problem, you know.” Aurora continued, making Lance raise his eyebrows.

“Well, you better get yourself together, Aurora. We have no time to waste. We're on a tight schedule.” Lance turned to her and scolded her.

“Yes, of course. I'm really sorry.” She nodded.

Lance sighed then turned around, leaving her alone with Aurora.

“Y/n. Don't ruin this for me! Try harder!” Aurora hissed.

“Okay.. okay.” She replied and took a deep breath.

It took her a while but she finally figured out how to make better poses. She decided to treat the photoshoot as if she was an actress that had a role as a model. She detached herself from the fact she was now Aurora and was a model and decided to take on a different persona. Once she was able to think of it as an acting job, she found it much easier to do the photoshoot.

“Okay, good. That's it. Put your chin up a little more Aurora. Yes. But relax those lips and don't pout.” Lance shouted at her.

There were a total of three one piece swimsuits and three bikinis she had to model. The first time she slipped on one of the bikinis she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. It was even more uncomfortable when a person from AquaChic started slathering her body with some kind of lotion and started covering the stretch marks on her thighs with some kind of concealer.

“Is this really necessary?” She asked, her eyes widened as she looked at the person who was applying the concealer on her thighs.

“Well.. d'uh! The camera can capture a single spot on your skin Aurora. This is absolutely necessary.” The person replied.

She couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. Here she was, having what she thought was the closest body anyone could ever have to a Barbie doll and yet people are still fussing over the stretchmarks on her thighs. It was unbelievable.

The afternoon felt so long to her but she was finally doing the shoot for the last bikini several hours later. For the last one she was instructed to lie on top of a floating bed in the pool. She was quite nervous as she slowly climbed onto the floating bed.

“Don't make sudden moves, Aurora. Just relax and lie down and you won't fall.” Lance told her and she nodded.

Once she was fully lying down on the bed, people from AquaChic slowly pushed her towards the middle of the pool and finally stopped, leaving her alone in the middle of the pool.

“Okay, Aurora! Raise your left hand up and put it gently on the bed. Put your right hand over your stomach and act like you're seeing your boyfriend and you're trying to tease him into joining you in the pool!” Lance shouted and for a second she froze as she tried to process what Lance was asking her to do.

“Okay, that's great!” Lance shouted when she finally made the look he was asking her to give and she smiled.

Just then in the corner of her eyes she saw a familiar figure. It was Sebastian!

Sebastian stood next to Y/n in the distance and looked at her. He smiled at her and waved his hand. She smiled back and waved her hand and shifted her body a little. The act ruined her balance on the floating bed and she ended up falling into the pool!

“Aurora!” Lance shouted and she immediately swam up to the surface and towards the edge of the pool. She felt her cheeks warm as she looked up and saw everyone staring at her.

Aurora was looking at her with a death stare while Sebastian tried to hide a smile as she glanced at him.

“Are you okay?” A person from AquaChic came towards her and extended his hand.

“I.. I'm fine. I'm sorry.” She stammered as she took the person's hand and slowly got out of the pool.

“I'm sorry I ruined everything.” She said, her voice shook as Lance stood in front of her.

“It's okay. I think it's probably time to shoot you in a wet condition.” Lance stated and she raised her eyebrows.

For the next hour she did something she never thought she was capable of doing. Lance asked her to pose in the pool with only half of her body showing above the pool. Her hair was left wet and her make up was touched up with waterproof make up.

“Okay, open your mouth a little. Give me a sultry look!” Lance shouted.

She tried to do just that and glanced at Sebastian who was still watching her from a distance. Her heart skipped a beat as they made eye contact and she could see him looking at her with a slight desire in his face. Then the next moment he blinked and shook his head then turned his attention to the real Aurora next to him.

She couldn't help but feel her heart dropped to her stomach as she noticed his behavior. She wondered why he kept doing that. As if he didn't want to feel like he was mesmerized by Aurora. And it wasn't the first time she caught him doing that. She wondered what was actually going on between him and Aurora and contemplated on asking Aurora about it.

Throughout the shoot she couldn't focus much as she kept glancing at Sebastian who was chatting with Aurora. Sebastian told Aurora something and Aurora smiled wide then suddenly jumped and hugged him, startling both of them. Aurora then started to jump up and down in delight making Sebastian laugh and it made her even more curious.

“Aurora! Where are you?! You're losing your focus! Look at the camera!” Lance scolded her and she blinked.

“I'm sorry.” She said and Lance just shook his head then turned his attention to the monitor in front of him.

She felt the shoot was never ending as Lance continued to shout instructions at her. Just as she felt like she was going to collapse, Lance shouted “Okay, I think we have enough. It's a wrap!”

She breathed a sigh of relief and slowly got out of the pool.

“Thank you Lance.” She said as she stopped in front of him and smiled.

Lance raised his eyebrows and just nodded, making her realize that thanking people really didn't seem to be something Aurora did often.

Just then Aurora came towards her with a towel in her hand and a huge smile on her face. Sebastian trailed along behind her.

“Here's your towel, Aurora.” Aurora said, giving the towel to her.

“Th...” She stopped as she remembered Aurora scolding her for thanking people too much.

She decided to just nod and started to dry her body and finally put the towel around her. She looked up just as she saw Sebastian staring at her body but then he blinked and quickly shook his head.

“Aurora, Sebastian has something he needs to tell you.” Aurora said as soon as she was done, smiling wide at her.

“Oh, okay. What is it, Seb?” She asked, feeling glad that she remembered to call him by his nickname.

“You got the part.” Sebastian smiled at her.

“What?!” Her eyes widened and she felt her heart soared in her chest.

“You got the part of Celeste, like I knew you would.” Sebastian continued and smiled again at her, making butterflies fly around in her stomach.

“Really?!” She exclaimed out loud.

“Yup.” He nodded.

“Oh my God! I got the part?! Thank you so much, Sebastian! I mean.. Seb!” She said quickly as she extended her hand to his and shook it, making Sebastian's eyebrows raised.

“No need to thank me. You did great. If it weren't for your great acting you wouldn't have passed it even if you're.. umm.. connected to me. Maya is very protective of this project and wants the best people in it.” Sebastian explained and released his hand from her.

She felt her heart soar even more as she digested the news.

She was finally cast in something! She was officially an actress!

“Let's go celebrate!” Aurora shouted, making them laugh.

“Yeah, we should celebrate. You guys want to go somewhere to celebrate?” Sebastian asked.

“Let's go to Venice beach!” Aurora exclaimed out loud.

“Uh.. sure. What do you think, Aurora?” Sebastian turned to her.

“Venice beach? Sure.” She nodded.

“Good.” Sebastian smiled at her again and she couldn't help but feel the butterflies flying around in her stomach again.

She continued to walk towards Aurora's room to change out of the bikini, feeling like she was in cloud nine, but suddenly the realization dawned in her that yes, she finally got cast in something but not in her own body. Even though Sebastian told her she got the part because of her great acting, she couldn't help but think that her acting alone wasn't enough. The fact she didn't pass the audition when she was in her own body proved that. No matter what people say, physical appearance mattered and that thought made her sad.

The smile on her face was immediately gone when she realized it, replaced by a frown.

“Are you okay?” Sebastian's voice traveled to her ears.

She jumped a little then looked to the side and looked up to see Sebastian staring at her with his eyebrows knitted together. She didn't realize that he was walking next to her.

“Oh! Yeah! I'm fine.” She smiled.

“Good. I would have thought you would jump up and down like Y/n did.” He chuckled. “She seemed much more enthusiastic about this than you are.”

“Oh, yeah. She could be like a child that way. You know. I mean.. not that I'm not excited and happy about it. I am. It’s just.. it hasn't sunk in yet, probably.. I mean.. it's been a long day.” She trailed, hoping what she said made sense.

“I see.” Sebastian nodded. “You did great, by the way. At the shoot. I.. umm.. you looked good.” He said, his cheeks reddened a little.

“Oh, yeah. Thank you.” She smiled, feeling her cheeks burn.

“Anyway, I better change so we can go.” She said as they finally arrived at the stairs.

“Yeah, I'll wait down here.” Sebastian nodded.

“Okay.” She smiled and he smiled back, making butterflies fly around in her stomach again.

She finally turned around and went upstairs while he turned towards the living room.

“Y/n..” Aurora suddenly appeared next to her and whispered.

“What?” She asked as she continued to climb up the stairs.

“We need to get back to Silver Lake and find that gypsy woman. If we don't switch back soon, we would still be stuck in each other's body throughout the whole filming of Pumping Black. I can't have that!” Aurora hissed as they finally arrived in her room.

“Yeah, but you suggested for us to celebrate!” She protested as she opened the door into Aurora's room.

“Yeah, I know. But we can still go back to Silver Lake after we go to Venice beach.” Aurora continued.

“Fine.” She sighed.

“One more thing. We need to agree on some of the things we say and do around other people so they won't be suspicious of us. And we also need to figure out the whole cellphone thing. My agent noticed I sounded different. We can't still keep our own cellphones and talk to people as each other.” Aurora explained as she sat on the bed.

“Yeah. Can I change first then we talk about it? I'm dripping wet!” She protested.

“Okay. Sure. By the way, you sound more like me by the minute. That's good.” Aurora nodded and she rolled her eyes then turned around to go to the bathroom.

“Wait!” Aurora jumped off the bed and quickly went to the closet and started picking out clothes. Moments later she gave her a floral light pink short sleeved summer dress with a plunging v neck line along with a clean underpants.

“Wear this without a bra.” Aurora commanded.

“What?! No way.” She shook her head.

“A bra would ruin the look. Just do it!” Aurora insisted and she took a deep breath.

“Fine.” She grabbed the dress then walked towards the bathroom.

What a wild day indeed. She thought as she stripped off the bikini in the bathroom and dried her body with the towel.

Never in a million years did she think she would ever model bikinis and swimsuits and then get cast as Sebastian Stan's girlfriend in a movie! All in one day!

Granted, she got them all because she was in Aurora's body, which was something that still made her somewhat sad. But she finally decided that she should enjoy it while it lasted. And she should enjoy it even more with the gypsy woman gone. She was sure it would take a while for them to finally find the woman. So she should be happy being in Aurora's body for the time being.

When she got out of the bathroom Aurora was sitting on the bed, her cellphone in hand.

“So, I think I've figured it out.” Aurora said, looking up at her.

“Figured out what?” She asked as she walked towards the dresser.

She looked at herself in the mirror and felt weird not wearing a bra, but Aurora was right, it did look good. She reached out to grab some cotton balls and makeup cleaner on the dresser and started to clean her face.

“About our cellphones.” Aurora said.

“Okay. What about them?” She asked.

“We should still keep our own cellphones with us, no need to switch them. But we should agree never to make or accept any voice or video calls. If anyone contacts us, we just reply with a text. If the person insists on talking with us, then we ask the other to accept the call. Got it?” Aurora explained.

“Okay.” She nodded. “Speaking of cellphones. I found Spellbound Herb’s Instagram account and sent a message to them earlier.”

“What?! Why didn't you tell me before?” Aurora protested, her eyes widened.

“Well, I was distracted with you giving me a crash course in modeling and then the photoshoot happened. It flew out of my mind.” She shrugged.

“Did they reply back?” Aurora asked eagerly.

“I haven't checked yet. Hold on.” She said as she stood up and went to pick up her cellphone from her purse.

“No, they haven't even read it yet.” She said after she opened her Instagram and Aurora's face fell.

“Oh, well, just keep checking back. They might respond soon. But we still need to go back to Silver Lake and ask around.” Aurora said.

“Yeah, okay.” She nodded as she returned her cellphone back to her purse and went back to cleaning her face.

“By the way, I think we can talk about other details later. Seb is waiting.” Aurora stood up.

“Right. Okay.” She said as she swept the last of the eyeliner from her eyes.

“There.” She said, smiling as she put down a cotton ball she used to clean her face onto the dresser. She felt much better wearing no makeup.

“You're not going out without makeup on.” Aurora protested as she stood up and started putting on makeup on her face.

She sighed and stayed quiet as she let Aurora do what she wanted to her face.

“There. You're all set.” Aurora smiled several minutes later and put away the blush she just applied on her cheekbones.

“Okay. Thanks.” She said as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Once again she wasn't entirely satisfied with how she looked. Just like before, Aurora chose to put thick makeup on her face and dark red lipstick on her lips, but of course she was powerless to change that.

“You need to stop..” Aurora started to say.

“Thanking people?” She finished.

“Yes! For starters, don't do that.” Aurora reminded her.

“Alright, alright.” She shrugged. "And you need to be less bossy. I mean, I'm the one who should boss you around.” She continued with a glint in her eyes.

Aurora took a deep breath. “Fine. But just don't overdo it!”

“Yeah, of course. I just don't want people to become too suspicious of us.” She said even though deep down she contemplated on overdoing it a little just to see how Aurora would cope.

“Okay. If you overdo it, there will be hell to pay. Got that?!” Aurora warned her and she just nodded.

They finally left Aurora's room that afternoon with different hopes in their minds. She hoped they wouldn't find that gypsy woman too soon. She was starting to have fun being in Aurora's body, but of course Aurora wanted the opposite.

This time it seemed the universe finally took her side and gave her what she wanted, for once in her life.

Taglist @dhoruwolfie

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