She simply told Winona that whenever she needed someone to talk to, she was always there.
On her day off over the weekend, Riley and Winona spent the entire day keeping Madeline company at the nursing home. They didn't leave until after dinner. Afterward, Winona dragged Riley to the night market to grab some street food.
Watching the prestigious princess of the Spencer family devour spicy street food skewers with immense relish, Riley couldn't help but find it unbelievable. But seeing her so down-to-earth made Riley feel even closer to her, erasing any sense of distance between them.
“You just had dinner. Don't eat too much, or you'll get a stomachache.”
“I intentionally barely ate at dinner just so I'd have an empty stomach for this.”
Riley: “...”
Winona grabbed a skewer and held it out to Riley. “Try a piece, it's really amazing.”
Riley smiled and rubbed her stomach. “I'm stuffed. You go ahead and enjoy it yourself.”
“Alright.” Winona kept eating and talking. “I think Aunt Madeline is doing a lot better than before. Mrs. Gable said you visit her all the time. Are you putting this much effort into Aunt Madeline because of Sebastian?”
Riley nodded. “Yes.”
Sebastian had done so much for her. Right now, taking care of Madeline was the only thing she could do to slightly repay him, so of course, she was going to give it her all.
Winona hadn't expected Riley to actually admit it. The shock made her drop the skewer she was holding, her eyes going wide as saucers. “Did Sebastian confess to you?”
Confess?
Did the things Sebastian said to her back in Riverport count as a confession?
He didn't even say 'I like you,' so it probably didn't count.
“No.”
Winona's bright, wide eyes filled with excitement, not shock, but absolute certainty.
This meant Riley already knew about Sebastian's feelings for her. Otherwise, her normal reaction to the question would have been sheer shock and disbelief.
“You know Sebastian likes you, don't you?”
It finally dawned on Riley that Winona's two questions were a bit strange. “You know he...” Riley couldn't bring herself to say 'likes me' because Sebastian had never actually said those words to her.
Winona knew exactly what Riley was trying to ask and nodded frantically. “Yeah, I know he likes you.”
“How do you know?”
“He admitted it himself.”
Riley's heart violently skipped a beat, and she stopped dead in her tracks. “He admitted it himself?”
“Yeah. Remember that time you asked me to go to his house? The time you snatched his phone and pinned him to the couch?”


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