WIP: INEVITABILITY

Riley separates herself from her friends in an attempt to protect them. She patiently waits for Sebastian to find her in a motel in order to face the inevitable.

“Tag, you’re it.”
    My breath caught and I spun around. I shouldn’t have been surprised; I knew who it was, and I knew he was coming. The only thing I hadn’t anticipated was that he’d find me as quickly as he did.
    Sebastian was leaning against the doorframe. When we made eye contact, he offered a demure, almost contemptible smile. “That didn’t take you very long,” I commented, an edge in my voice.
    He took a few steps forward into the room and quietly shut the door behind him. He pushed in the lock. When it clicked, my heart fell. I knew that he was going to take his time, but I wasn’t sure why. Then again, Sebastian had always been one for theatrics.
    “You don’t look as frightened to see me as I had thought,” he said, turning his attention away.
    “This was inevitable,” I retorted. I eyed him cautiously as he made his way to the night stand. His attention fell onto the phone. He picked it up, studying the frayed chord curiously.
    “Temptation,” I said placidly when he looked at me, hoping that the one word would hold explanation enough. “How long do you plan on gloating? If you’re going to kill me or kidnap me or whatever it is that you’re going to do, please spare the small talk and childish mockery.”
    He set the phone back down on the cradle. “Who said I’m gloating?” he questioned. The tone of his response wasn’t condescending, like I had imagined it to be. Instead, his voice came out terse, like he was deep in thought but still completely aware of his surroundings.
    If he was taunting me, he would have been more upfront about it. The way he was acting now, quiet and contemplative, was a part of his personality that I wasn’t used to yet. He was busying himself with irrelevant things, like fixing the bed sheets, or toying the zipper of my jacket that laid on the bed.
    I was becoming frustrated. There was nothing more terrifying, or annoying, than the wait. “Do it already!” I snapped.
    Sebastian sighed. His eyes slid sideways, catching mine at an awkward angle. Even from a distance, I could see that they were slowly beginning to glow. “Do you think I want to do this?”
    When most people describe someone as having “a voice like velvet” they infer that their voice is sultry, alluring. Right now, hearing Sebastian speak, I realized that there was an alternate meaning to the phrase: smooth when touched, but rubbed the wrong way, and it becomes rough. Sebastian’s words were all harsh, but still managed to hold a softness.