Lately, Sebastian had developed a habit of visiting a particular café near the university. Every afternoon, without fail, he would sit at the same spot, sipping an Americano.
It wasn’t that the coffee was the best in town, nor was it the trendiest place. The real reason he kept coming back was her.
A girl with deep blue eyes and a captivating gaze worked behind the counter, preparing coffee. She had piqued his interest. Until now, he had only seen her eyes, the rest of her face hidden behind a mask while she worked. But one evening, as he left the café, he ran into her—and this time, nothing was covering her face.
She was beautiful.
From that night on, Sebastian hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. That was why he kept coming back every afternoon, ordering the same coffee, and staying until late at night.
And he wasn’t as subtle as he thought.
The girl had noticed him too. Every evening, while he was focused on his university work, she would steal glances at him. One day, she decided to make the first move.
On his coffee cup, written in marker, was a simple note:
"I’m Amanda."
Sebastian’s body tensed the moment he read it. He had dealt with women before, but this was the first time one had made the first move.
That night, he made up his mind—if Amanda had introduced herself, then the least he could do was talk to her.
Before, Lucius had never been shy, but love had never been a priority. His life had always revolved around fulfilling the expectations of Frank Levett, his grandfather, and Leonardo Palmer. What little time he had left had never been spent thinking about romance.
Amanda’s shift usually ended at 9:30 PM. The university dorms had strict entry hours, so she always left on time.
As she walked out of the café, she rummaged through her bag, not expecting what came next.
"Jesus! You scared me!" Amanda gasped, jumping back.
"Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you… I just… well…" Sebastian struggled to find the right words.
"Relax! Just don’t sneak up on me like that again—I almost sprayed you with pepper spray!" she said, frowning.
"Your name is Amanda?"
"That’s right! Amanda Hayward. And you’re Sebastian Sinclair—you recently switched to law school, didn’t you?" she asked casually.
"How do you know that?" Sebastian asked, surprised.
"Well… because I’m in the same program. I saw you when you first started attending classes. And then, of course, I’ve seen you here every day, working on your assignments," she said with a grin.
"You probably never noticed me because I always sit in the back—makes it easier for me to slip out for work."
"I see… Small world," Sebastian mused. "Hey, uh… can I walk you home?" he asked, a bit nervous.
"So I’m not the only one with father issues…"
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, you’ve only mentioned two people, and neither with much enthusiasm…" Amanda observed, unknowingly hitting the mark.
"My sister’s husband is a judge in Valentia. He’s one of the best lawyers and ministers in the country."
"And he’s the reason you’re studying law?"
"Well… he’s done more for justice than anyone. No one saw it coming—how things would turn out for him. I know he made a deal with my mother, and because of that, I decided to study law."
"Really? I think you’re studying law because you admire him."
Sebastian and Amanda kept talking late into the night. But when Amanda finally reached her dorm, she realized something horrible—she had missed curfew.
Her heart sank as she tried the door, only to find it locked.
"Oh no…" she muttered, panic setting in.
She had completely forgotten that the dorms had a very strict entry policy. Most of her friends and roommates were inside, meaning she had nowhere to go for the night.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)
Just finish the book. Gr8 story so no need to go round in circles...