StarNovelSebastian never explained that people had mistaken them for a couple and were intentionally keeping their distance.
After a brief pause, he simply said, "They went ahead to get something to eat." Citrine wasn't one to dwell on things. Hearing his answer, she let it go.
"Do you want to go diving this afternoon?" she asked, unusually taking the initiative.
Sebastian was caught off guard by her invitation, pleasantly surprised.
He answered without hesitation, "Sure." After lunch, they dropped by a shop to pick up two sets of diving gear, then hopped onto a boat and headed out to sea.
Suddenly, something occurred to Citrine. She glanced back at Sebastian. "By the way, I forgot to ask-have you been diving before?" Sebastian had, but only once, a long tago.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNot wanting to dampen Citrine's enthusiasm, he smiled and said, "Yeah, I've dived before." Relieved, Citrine asked, "How about the deep water? Is that okay with you?" Sebastian nodded.
As they neared the deep-water area, Citrine caught sight of another boat in the distance-and instantly recognized two faces she would have preferred not to see.
"Just my luck," she muttered under her breath.
Sebastian, right beside her, heard her comment. He followed her gaze, a faint smirk playing at his lips. "Yeah, just our luck." Meanwhile, on the other boat, Hastings and Quentin had noticed them too.
Hastings couldn't hide his delight at spotting Citrine.
Quentin let out a short, derisive laugh. "Said she wasn't coming, and look at that -showed up anyway. Women always say one thing and do another." His words were sarcastic, but a small, knowing smile crept onto his face.
Their smugness lasted all of three seconds-until they noticed the man standing next to Citrine.
"That vicious woman brought Sebastian-the bastard-along with her," Quentin snapped, practically throwing his binoculars onto the deck in frustration.
The light in Hastings's eyes faded as well. He pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
Back on Citrine's boat, they'd reached the deep-water zone and anchored.
Citrine and Sebastian suited up, checking their equipment one last time. When they were ready, Citrine flashed Sebastian an OK sign with her hand, her camera already in place.
With a splash, they dove into the water together.
It had been an entire lifetsince Citrine last went diving. Excitement bubbled up inside her. As she sank beneath the surface, all her worries melted away, replaced by a sense of total freedom.
Sebastian followed close behind, never letting her out of his sight.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmOn the other boat, Hastings and Quentin watched with darkening expressions.
Hastings, in particular, looked downright grim. The sight of Citrine diving with another man hit him harder than he cared to admit.
He grabbed his own gear and started suiting up.
Quentin noticed and called out, "What are you doing?" "Going diving," Hastings replied, not missing a beat as he buckled his straps.
Quentin almost laughed in disbelief. "If you really want to dive, fine. But let's be honest-you're just upset about Citrine. You're not in the right headspace for this. You could get yourself killed down there. "I'll be fine," Hastings said, his tone resolute.
Seeing the determination in his friend's eyes, Quentin grew serious too. "Hastings, you're not straight. Diving when you're emotional is dangerous. If something goes wrong underwater, that's it. Don't risk your life over this."
"Save your breath. I've made up my mind," Hastings replied already done with his the content is on mind." novelenglish.net! gear.
Without another word, he jumped straight into the water. The content is of novelenglish.net!
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
