Love the Sinner

Part 4: Love the Sinner

Seth woke up to warm Spring sunlight filtering through the blinds and the sound of birdsong. For a moment, he was caught in the confusion of half-sleep. He groggily looked over to the other side of the bed, seeing the feminine form sprawled there.

Nina. His brain told him.

But then reality started creeping in around the edges. Nina had never slept sprawled out in a tangle like that. Nor did she have glossy blond hair. A slow smile crept across Seth's face. No, not Nina. even better.

It had been a few short weeks since Seth and Celine began dating. As crazy and magical as it had been when Seth finally set aside his pride and took the plunge with her, real life, like usual, had been less glamorous. There were misunderstandings between them at times, and hurt feelings. Seth's trust issues and Celine's selfishness hadn't been solved by love at the drop of a hat. They were two very different people, and it was inevitable that there would be points of friction between them.

But despite the normal bumps and imperfections, Seth was excited and optimistic about the energy and feeling of their new relationship. Now that he was on the other side of it, he felt stupid for waiting so long to give in to Celine's pursuit. He had sheepishly told Celine that he must be the stupidest man on campus to refuse someone like Celine. Celine smugly agreed with his assessment before they both burst into laughter. But even though he could joke about it, Seth still felt bad. Celine had been nothing but sweet to him for months, and he had been a grumpy asshole. He was completely mystified that a beautiful, smart, charming girl like Celine had been willing to put up with his poor treatment.

So he was trying his best to make those lonely months up to her.

Seth reached over and tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind Celine's ear. As usual, she lay on her back, limbs wide in a starfish position, her mouth open and drooling. For some reason, sleep robbed his new girlfriend of all the grace and poise she had when awake. Seth thought it was adorable, but when he brought it up, the topic seemed to drive Celine crazy, and she demanded that he never mention it to her again. Which, of course, Seth found even more adorable.

Moving carefully, Seth eased out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. Celine seemed to always be slaving away in the kitchen for him. She was an excellent chef and baker, and Seth couldn't help but remember all the times that she made him lovingly prepared home-cooked meals with barely any thanks. So today, Seth was going to surprise her. It was time for operation breakfast in bed.

Seth was no chef, but he had made French Toast with his parents before, and that seemed like a plausibly fancy dish for the attempt. This early in their relationship, Celine still wasn't sleeping over every night, so he had been getting ready for this for the past few days. He had stealthily made sure that he had the ingredients, turned off Celine's alarm to make sure she wouldn't wake up before him, and got ready to make his move in the morning.

In the end, French toast turned out to be a little trickier than Seth thought it would be. He found himself red with embarrassment and coughing from the smoke as Celine exited the bedroom with a look of confusion. "What's going on, Beau?" she said, her voice alluringly raspy from sleep, her cute oversized sleep shirt hanging loosely off of one tanned, lovely shoulder. Her eyes took in the tableau of her boyfriend, the smoky kitchen, and the blackened French toast... and she was overcome with a wave of giggles.

Seth groaned, but couldn't help but smile good-naturedly at his own expense. "I was trying to make you breakfast in bed, but, well... I guess you can see how my skills in the kitchen are compared to yours."

Celine pranced up gracefully and pulled him into a warm embrace. Seth's heart raced as he felt her soft, braless tits press against him beneath her loose shirt. He remembered this feeling from when he first began dating Nina as well: the bottomless lust and fascination with his new partner's body. But with Celine, he couldn't imagine this feeling ever ending. She had the figure of a supermodel.

"It was a lovely thought, no matter how it turned out, darling," said Celine, giving him a swift kiss on the nose. Her deep blue eyes sparkled with a heady mix of affection and amusement. "But I must say, pain perdu is not a very hard recipe. If you want to impress me in the kitchen, you'll have to learn to do better."

Her face lit up with a cheerful grin. "Luckily, you're dating the best chef on campus. Maybe it's time for me to tutor you for a change, smarty-pants."

Making French toast with Celine under her direction was a lot more fun, and more successful too. Soon, under her expert instruction, they both sat at his table with servings of fluffy French Toast dripping with syrup. And Seth had even helped a little.

Halfway through a meal spiced with flirty conversation, Celine got a serious look in her eyes. "Seth," she said, leaning across the table and taking his hand in hers, "It's time. I want you to meet my friends."

It was a reasonable request, but Seth still felt a stab of panic at the suggestion. There was a reason that Celine was bringing this up so seriously. Celine had told Seth about her friends before. They were popular girls. Some of the same girls, in fact, who had helped Celine to arrange Seth's humiliation six months ago. Seth's friends, when he had them, had always been warm, dorky, and supportive. But the way Celine described her friends made them sound like a pack of ravenous sharks, always sniffing for blood in the water. Celine swore that they weren't all bad, and that deep down, beneath the drama, they cared about each other, but Seth remained unconvinced.

"I... I don't know, babe," said Seth uncomfortably. He didn't want to let Celine down by refusing, but the thought of hanging out with a group of cutthroat mean girls was panic-inducing. "I know I'm not the type of guy that they think is cool, and the last thing I would want to do is embarrass you in front of your friends."

Celine frowned.

"Seth Takano," she said in the icy, regal voice she used when she felt insulted, "Do you see me as the type of woman who would slum it with a man who is unworthy of me?"

Seth's eyes darted over his new girlfriend's displeased features, unsure of exactly how he had upset her this time. "What? No, of course not, baby," he said, confused, 'I was just saying that..."

Celine raised an eyebrow. "That's right. My judgment is impeccable, Beau. Don't ever forget it." Her face softened and she picked up a napkin, swiping a few crumbs off her man's face. "So if I chose you, it means you're a man to be proud of. You're smart, kind, and handsome, darling. I could never be ashamed to be with you. I'm tired of hiding my pride and joy behind closed doors. Let me take you out and show you off a little."

Seth shyly smiled. It was an extremely kind thing to say, but it felt hard to believe. He knew that Celine really did want him, for whatever reason, but he had seen the other men his girlfriend had slept with before. Tall, handsome, assertive, athletic. As little stock as he put in the term, "Alphas" seemed like an apt description. Seth's self-esteem had taken a major hit during his humiliating debacle, and even starting to date a fox like Celine hadn't managed to repair it.

But Celine was insistent, and Seth didn't want to let her down.

"Ok, let's do it," said Seth, trying to hide the anxiety that was building inside him.

...

Celine looked Seth up and down with discerning eyes, considering for a second, then nodded. He looked good obviously. Celine had dressed him herself, in a casual (but not too casual) hoodie and slim, dark jeans. It looked like his style, but improved and refined.

"Perfect," she said, pulling him close and planting a light kiss on his lips, "There's my handsome man, Go ahead and call the ride, darling, it's time to go."

Seth turned away, pulling up the rideshare app on his phone. He was trying his best to mask it, but Celine knew her man well enough already to tell when he was nervous. And, to some extent, he wasn't wrong to consider this a big deal. Relationships in comfort and private were very different from public relationships out in the real world.

Celine knew that introducing Seth to her group of friends would be a challenge. As fond of them as she was, they could be real bitches sometimes, and being judgemental was practically their hobby.

But in a very real way, this was an important step for their relationship. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself for a relationship under a month old, but Celine was already thinking of the future. Celine wanted to be a professional dancer, and that meant running in circles likely just as catty and mean as her current friend group. If her relationship with Seth was something long-term (and she hoped it would be), it was a dynamic he would have to learn to navigate.

But despite how seriously she took the "fun" evening, Celine wasn't as nervous as Seth. She had meant every word that she said to him the other day at breakfast. Seth was a wonderful, impressive man. Once he managed to find his confidence and regain his self-esteem, he would do wonderfully. Besides, tonight wasn't so much a test as it was a study session. Even if Seth did badly, it would just give Celine ideas on how to help him improve.

As they rode to the bar, Celine slipped her fingers through Seth's. He looked over and gave her a wobbly smile. Ok, too nervous now, it looked like. Her boyfriend needed a little pep talk. Luckily, Celine was very experienced with stroking men's egos.

"You, know," she said, unbuckling her seat belt and scooting closer, pressing her hip up against Seth's and snuggling into him, "You are the first man that I've ever introduced to my friends."

Seth gave her an incredulous snort, then a look of confusion as he realized that she was serious. "Wait... really?" he said in disbelief, "I thought that you had been with... you know, lots of guys."

Celine gave Seth a warning look. The subject of Celine's sexual past was a bit of a sore spot between them. Not because Seth was judgemental of her body count, but because he couldn't help but feel worried about how he compared. "But that's what I'm saying," said Celine lovingly, "I never wanted to date any of those guys. I wasn't even tempted a little. You're special, Beau. You're the only man good enough. So you will be the first boyfriend I have ever brought to the group."

Seth looked surprised, then thoughtful, then just a little smug. He had the right to be. Celine had been pursued by dozens of men in her life, but Seth was the only one she had ever felt this way about.

Her ego-boosting words seemed like they were enough to buoy him right up until they arrived, but in the moment of truth, when they got out of the car, Celine could see Seth's hands rubbing together nervously.

Words wouldn't be enough now. It was time to let Seth stand on his own and succeed. Celine pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss, seized one of his hands so that he couldn't rub them together in his typical nervous tic, and pulled him inside.

When they got inside, Celine could see Seth's nerves fade a little. Celine contented herself with a small, satisfied smile. She had been the one to choose the venue. Did Seth really think that she wouldn't do everything she could to support him?

The outing tonight was to 2P, a trendy arcade bar that Celine had been to once or twice. Celine wasn't an expert on games herself, but she could tell that Seth was excited by the vintage machines lining the walls. She had hoped it would make him feel a little more in his element than the typical venues her friends chose, and, based on his happy smile, it looked like she had been right.

"And here he is in the flesh," said a lazy, amused voice from behind them. They turned to see the small pack of girls who were meeting them for drinks, led by Marcia. "The boyfriend that our dear Celine has told us so much about."

Celine smiled widely, expertly keeping her true feelings about Marcia off her face. Celine meant it when she told Seth that she valued her friends despite their gossipy nature, but Marcia was the exception to that rule. She was by far the meanest and cruelest of the bunch, not to mention the fact that she had been instrumental in Seth's humiliation. To top it all off, she was currently a member of Tom's rotating "harem", so she was likely more biased against Seth than ever.

She would be the one to watch out for tonight. It was likely impossible to win her over; the real trick would be to keep her from influencing the other girls against Seth.

"Here he is!" agreed Celine brightly, "Beau, I would like you to meet my friends, "Marcia, Abbey, Hannah, Claire, and Marissa"

"Nice to meet you," said Seth with a nervous smile. He reached out to shake hands all around as the girls watched him with expressions of open curiosity. Celine hadn't explicitly told the girls about her shared history with Seth, but assumed that they knew. Some of them had been at the cabin that weekend, and Marcia would have made sure that the others were filled in with every juicy detail.

"You all know each other through dance?" asked Seth politely.

The girls looked at each other for a second, then Abbey took pity on Seth. "Yep!" she said, "We're all dance majors. We did a group performance freshman year and stuck together since then."

"That's so cool!" said Seth, maybe a touch too eagerly. He looked nervous. Calm down, darling, thought Celine to herself, reaching out to silently squeeze Seth's hand. Play it cool. "I mean, Celine makes dance look easy, but she works so hard on practicing all the time. I'm really impressed that all of you are so talented."

"Awww, that's cute!" said Hannah with a giggle. "Talking up your lady like that! Looks like he's a keeper, Cece. But we're not good enough to measure up to your girlfriend, Seth. She's the scholarship girl after all."

Celine rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to her, Seth," she said with a shake of her head. "All of these ladies are at least as good as I am, if not better." It wasn't going too badly. Seth looked nervous, but not overwhelmed, and the girls seemed at least willing to give him a chance. But it couldn't hurt to give him a helping hand.

"You know darling," said Celine with a gentle, encouraging squeeze to his hand, "You and Claire have something in common! She was just telling me the other day that she's from San Francisco, just like you!"

"Really?" said Seth, forgetting his nervousness as he was overtaken by genuine interest. "What part of San Fransico?"

Claire was usually quiet and detached, but Seth's enthusiasm was infectious, and she flashed a rare smile as she answered, "Cow Hollow."

"No way! I'm from Marina! We were practically neighbors growing up! I've got to pick your brain about what you think the best pizza place in the area is, because I got into way too many arguments about it in high school." Just as Celine planned, Seth was blossoming a little as he forgot the pressure of the situation and let his natural enthusiasm shine through.

The girls were shooting Celine covert glances with slightly raised eyebrows. A little surprised, but so far impressed. Everything was going swimmingly.

Then Marcia opened her mouth. "Yes, yes, that's fascinating. But returning to the topic of majors... what was yours, again, Seth?" she asked sweetly. "Computer Science, or Accounting, or something like that?"

Seth's brows wrinkled slightly. He could tell from Marcia's sickly sweet tone that she was playing some sort of game, but he couldn't see what it was. "Physics, actually," he said slowly.

"Ahhhh, ok, sorry," said Marcia with a smirk, "I just remembered that it was something nerdy. But speaking of training... why haven't you been hitting the gym with your new lady? I think you would look great with a little more definition."

Seth looked taken aback by the barely veiled insults. "Well, actually," he said, trying to adjust to the sudden left turn in the conversation, "I guess I haven't had the time lately to get to the gym."

Marcia gasped in mock surprise, looking around at the other ladies. "So you've just been sending Celine all alone to the gym? With all those other, sweaty muscular guys around? That's so... trusting of you!"

The other girls snorted and covered their mouths at the low-blow jab. It was a cruel, calculated reference to Seth's past trauma. Pretty disgusting, even for Marcia.

Celine watched as a flush crossed Seth's face. He looked like he was about to respond to Marcia. Bad instinct, unfortunately. Snapping back would just make him look thin-skinned and defensive.

Luckily, Seth had her in his corner.

Celine clapped her hands together briskly, catching the group's attention before Seth had a chance to speak. "What are we doing just standing around here?" she asked with a wide, plastic smile. "Let's grab a table and some drinks."

The other girls agreed raucously, although Marcia shot Celine a cool, knowing glance as the group began moving. Celine smiled right back at her.

On the way to their table, Celine took Seth by the elbow and whispered in his ear. "When Marcia speaks, you don't understand what she means, got it? Be polite, but confused."

Seth gave her a doubtful look, but she could see in his eyes that he trusted her. He gave her a firm nod.

They found a table in a corner big enough for their group and settled in. Just as Celine worried, Marcia made every attempt to insult and trip up Seth with cutting remarks, but Celine's strategy worked perfectly. With some subtle cues and encouragement from his girlfriend, Seth was doing well, submitting to the friend group's grilling of a new boyfriend with enthusiasm and charm.

"I need to use the little girl's room," said Marcia suddenly, standing from the table. She made meaningful eye contact with Celine. "Do you want to come with?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Seth gave Celine a concerned look. He had been doing great so far, but he had also been receiving a lot of help from her. This was a deliberate challenge from Marcia: a taunt. She was implying that Celine didn't dare leave Seth alone without her coaching. The other girls watched the interaction eagerly.

Celine couldn't back down. She trusted Seth, and knew that he could make a good impression even without her help. "Of, course," she said lightly, patting Seth on the shoulder nonchalantly and rising to join her "friend". "Let's go."

"I never thought I would see something like this," sighed Marcia as they moved away from the table.

Celine considered ignoring the bait, but there would be little point. Marcia planned to talk no matter how she reacted, so Celine might as well take the opportunity to get some shots in. "A good man that someone would actually want to date?" she asked sardonically.

Marcia snorted. "Celine, the queen of the clubs, settling. And worse, settling for a loser."

Celine controlled her spike of anger so that it didn't reach her face and walked a little ahead of Marcia to push the bathroom door open. "Nothing of the sort," she said flatly, fixing Marcia with a chilly glare. "In fact, just the opposite. I was settling for unsatisfactory men before, and I've finally found one who I'm happy with."

Marcia strode up to the mirror and pulled a tube of lip gloss from her purse, gazing into her reflection as she applied it. "You can call it whatever you want, dear," she said dismissively, "But everyone else is calling it a nervous breakdown. No one sees you for weeks, and you show back up with Nina's sloppy seconds on your arm? It's embarrassing, love."

Nina took the opportunity to touch up her mascara, stepping up to the sink next to her worst friend. "And your dating situation is so much better?" she asked in amusement, flashing Marcia a contemptuous smirk.