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“About your dad.”
“Demetrius isn’t my dad.”
Sam frowned, fingers on the electric cords of his guitar. One of the things he quickly learned when he first met Sebastian was how his friend didn ’t like when people called Demetrius his father, particularly since they looked so different from each other and were obviously not related, so the person saying Demetrius was his dad obviously knew yet insisted anyways.
“No. I mean your dad.”
—silence—
“I was wondering…”
“That’s off limits.”
“Then should my dad by off limits? I talk about him all the time?”
“I don’t see the comparison.”
“Because I don’t know how you do it.”
—silence—
“Look, if you don’t…”
“Does this have to do with not seeing your dad?”
That was in a way a lie, yet a truth. In truth, Sam was curious about his friend, wanting to know more about him, about that missing father, but then—
“He’s not dead, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Sam ’s eyes blinked. “I thought he was.”
“I’d like to say my parents are divorced, but in reality the marriage got annulled before I was even born,” Sebastian said. “So it is of no consequence.”
“Something where a child is born of it is not something of no consequence, Seb,” Sam said. “And you aren’t of no consequence either.” He looked up from his guitar, watching Sebastian at the keyboard as the sound of Sebastian fiddling with the musical device stopped. Sebastian looked up, eyes wide, hands hovering as if Sam caught him off guard.
“No?”
“You’re my best friend, no?”
“I’m of no consequence to my father’s family,” Sebastian replied. “Although a legal thorn in their side when it comes to inheritance as I was, even with the marriage annulled, conceived prior to that annulment.”
Sam watched Sebastian ’s nostrils flare, the corner of his mouth twist slightly. “That isn’t okay, okay?”
“It’s okay, because in the same way they prefer I don’t exist, I’ve the preference they don’t exist,” Sebastian said.
“You can’t mean that. He is your dad.”
“He…” Again, Sam caught Sebastian off guard, this time resulting in Sebastian tugging at his collar nervously. “It’s just easier for everyone if I stay away. My step-mother certainly doesn’t like me being around, and hates the fact I’m the first born son, rather than hers. And the one everyone wants to be the first born doesn’t like me either.” Sebastian ran a hand through his hair. “Can we not?”
“But what about your dad? How does he feel?”
Sebastian turned his head, looking at Sam. “My dad?”
“A parent not caring about their kid, Seb.” Sam leaned back on his bed, guitar propped in his lap. “I can’t believe it.”
Suddenly, Sebastian ’s mouth twisted up. “Can you believe he’s still in love with my mom.”
Sam stared. “What—then why the annulment?”
“Because it’s that kind of family.”
“And your mom?”
“I don’t know. She’s got Demetrius.”
“Is this why you and Demetrius don’t get along?” Sam asked. He watched Sebastian startle, then held up his hands. “Sorry! Sorry! I shouldn’t have brought it up!”
Sebastian frowned. “No. Demetrius and I—to be honest, there was a time when it was nice having two dads.”
“Then this insistence that Demetrius isn’t your dad—that comes from where?”
“Maru?”
Sam froze, remembering Sebastian one time calling him out for how he treated his younger sibling Vincent despite Sam knowing full well Maru and Sebastian didn ’t get along.
“At some point it was made clear I don’t belong here either,” Sebastian said. “Although Demetrius is a lot better than my step-mother. She’s a right old hag, to be honest.”
“A right old hag?”
Sebastian ’s mouth twitched. “I can’t believe I’m talking about this, but yeah. She made my life absolutely miserable, and it has shaped my relationship with Demetrius. And doesn’t help that Maru is just as much of a brat as my other half-siblings, but at least with them I’m not having to compete. In some ways that’s better.”
“What do you mean?”
“Or maybe not,” Sebastian said, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s rather complicated, to be honest. Because technically, I was competing with them, just over different things. But there I stood out like a sore thumb, while here I’m invisible.”
“Sorry,” Sam sighed. “Sorry I brought this up.”
“Yeah, well—better to share this with you, than someone else,” Sebastian said. “Demetrius and my relationship is also complicated, but I will admit—he and I are family. And I know he doesn’t hate me like my step-mother does.” His eyes narrowed. “So that’s something.”
“It is, I guess,” Sam said, letting the conversation close out as Sebastian fell silent, yet what Sebastian revealed certainly was food for thought.