Chester Sawyer bought two Chinese pork sandwiches, then dragged Sydney Sawyer to a spot near the university to buy some cold skin noodles and fried skewers—all the best local delicacies.
He had just been discharged from the hospital and still needed to be careful with his diet, so all this food was for Sydney Sawyer.
"You bought so much. There's no way I can finish it all."
"I just want to give you the best of everything."
'You just don't understand the heart of a die-hard fan!'
It was a heartfelt gesture from her little brother, so Sydney Sawyer didn't have the heart to say anything more. Her phone vibrated—it was a call from Sebastian Lockwood. "Hello?"
"I was just in surgery."
"All done?"
Sebastian Lockwood hummed in agreement. "I'm packing up to head home. And I'll buy a new pair of glasses myself."
Sydney felt guilty for breaking his glasses. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't you come over to our place? Chester bought way too much food, and we can't possibly finish it all. It's just street food, though, so I'm not sure if it's to your taste."
"See you in a bit, then."
Sebastian Lockwood hung up. Donovan Sheridan grinned at him. "What's this? Not joining me in the cafeteria anymore?"
"Mm, Syd invited me to dinner."
"..."
Sebastian Lockwood added, "At her place."
A critical hit of ten thousand points.
'Did he have to emphasize "at her place"?'
'Look at you, so smug. If you're so amazing, why don't you try luring her back to *your* place!'
——
Meanwhile, after Sydney Sawyer hung up, Chester Sawyer looked at her curiously. "You invited Uncle over?"
"Mhm."
"To our place? Sis, you've got some moves."
"He lives right next door. It's convenient."
"No wonder Dad said you insisted on moving out. So it was all for this."
"..."
Chester Sawyer's laugh was smug and triumphant. Sydney Sawyer felt like she'd been framed; there was no way she could explain herself out of this one.
**
The two had just entered their apartment building when they saw Sebastian Lockwood waiting for the elevator. Being his straightforward self, Chester Sawyer greeted him with a cheerful grin.
"Need a hand?" Sebastian Lockwood asked, seeing the stack of books he was holding.
"I'm good, but you should help my sister. Her hand is injured, and she's still carrying a bunch of stuff."
"Injured?"
Sebastian Lockwood's gaze fixed on Sydney Sawyer's arm. The scrape wasn't large, but it was glaringly obvious.
He walked over, intending to take the bags from her.
"It's just a little scrape, nothing serious."
"Let me."
His tone was gentle, but his demeanor was firm and impossible to refuse. Sydney Sawyer had no choice but to hand the bags over.
When they reached the tenth floor, Sebastian Lockwood went to his apartment to get a first-aid kit to treat the scrape on Sydney Sawyer's arm, while Chester Sawyer cheerfully started arranging the food they'd bought on the table.
Drawn by the aroma, Timmy Lockwood crouched under the table.
Sebastian Lockwood held her wrist, examining it closely. "How did this happen?"
"I just scraped it by accident."
'She couldn't very well say that she and Chester had gotten into a fight right after he was discharged, could she?'
Sebastian Lockwood didn't press the issue. He simply took a cotton swab, dipped it in antiseptic, and gently wiped at the broken skin. The sudden cold made her instinctively flinch.
"Does it hurt?" Normally, povidone-iodine doesn't sting.
"It's just a little cold."
"You hurt yourself building the cat house last time, and now this..." Sebastian Lockwood looked at her. "Why are you always so careless?"
His voice was gentle. There was a hint of chiding in it, but it was mostly full of affection.
Sydney Sawyer felt a bit embarrassed. "Thank you, Uncle. I'll be more careful from now on."
"By the way, Sis, why do you call him Uncle?"
This was something Chester Sawyer had been curious about for a while.
Sydney Sawyer briefly explained the situation.
"But you have nothing to do with Andrea Wyatt. That was just a special circumstance. You can't keep calling him that forever, can you? He's only a few years older than us. Why are you calling him Uncle? Call him 'Brother'!"
Sydney Sawyer glared at Chester Sawyer, wishing she could stuff a sock in his mouth.
"What's your birth order?" Chester Sawyer asked Sebastian Lockwood.
"I'm the second. I have an older sister."
Sydney Sawyer was surprised. 'He has a sister?'
"Sis, if you're too embarrassed to call him Brother, you can call him Lockwood. What do you think?" Chester Sawyer asked, seeking Sebastian Lockwood's opinion.
"I don't mind."
"Then it's settled."
Sydney Sawyer: "..."
'Did you even bother to ask the person involved for her opinion?'
**
Staring at a table laden with delicious food, Chester Sawyer could only eat millet congee with pickled vegetables. He was absolutely fuming.
He sulked through the meal like a spurned wife.
"Your stomach needs a few more days to heal. Once you're better, I'll take you out for some great food," Sebastian Lockwood said.
"Thanks, Lockwood."
Chester Sawyer was so happy he could have sworn his bland congee smelled like steak.
Chester Sawyer had just finished eating when he got a call from Edwin Sawyer. He immediately ran to his room to take it.
"Are you finished?" Sydney Sawyer asked Sebastian Lockwood. "I'll clear the table, then."
Sydney Sawyer looked down, clearing the table. The street food had come in plastic containers, and she didn't notice one of them was leaking. A bit of broth spilled onto the table and trickled toward her, about to drip onto her lap.
Sebastian Lockwood, who was sitting across from her, shot to his feet, grabbed a few napkins, and dammed the flow of broth just in time.
"Thanks, Uncle—" Sydney Sawyer said, her head still down as she gathered the containers.
"Syd."
"Hm?"
"Even Chester isn't calling me Uncle anymore."
It was a force of habit for Sydney Sawyer; the name had just slipped out. His reminder made her pause, and she looked up at him.
Sebastian Lockwood had one hand braced on the table while the other wiped up the broth. He was leaning halfway across, and though the table was between him and Sydney Sawyer, the distance between them felt very small.
Their eyes met. A smile played in his, intimate and captivating.
"What's the matter? Is it so hard for you to call me 'Brother'?"
His voice was a deep, rich baritone, incredibly bewitching.
A lamp hung over the table, but as he leaned in, he seemed to block some of its light. To Sydney Sawyer, the atmosphere instantly felt dimmer, more intimate.
"Hm? Syd..."
'He was waiting for her.'
His voice sounded even softer than usual. He just watched her, his tone a velvet caress against her heart.
Sydney Sawyer had wanted to change how she addressed him anyway; she just hadn't known what to use. Taking a shallow breath, she called out in a low voice:
"Lockwood—"
Her voice was soft and gentle.
The shift to such a familiar form of address was a big step. Sebastian Lockwood was instantly satisfied and beamed at her.
His smile was utterly captivating.
Sydney Sawyer hadn't felt particularly shy at first, but his smile left her completely dazed. Her heart began to pound as a wave of heat surged from her chest, instantly spreading to her neck and cheeks...
It brought a vibrant flush to her entire face.
After dinner, Sebastian Lockwood didn't leave, instead making himself comfortable in the living room, petting the cat.
A moment later, Sydney Sawyer saw he'd posted on his social media feed. It read:
My cat is so cute.
She was the first to 'like' it and left a comment:
So cute indeed.
When Sebastian Lockwood saw her reply, he let out a low chuckle. Because his cat... really was adorable!