Sebastian walked the dress to the laundry room with his brows pinched together. What was wrong with her? He found himself wondering. She seemed so calm about getting undressed in front of a complete stranger. Did she not understand boundaries?
He closed and started the washer, the low droning sound roared to life. He shut the door behind him and went into the kitchen for a drink. It had been a long day, and Sebastian desperately needed something to take off the edge.
He poured himself a glass of ice and bourbon and stared out the back windows. The tall, dark silhouettes of trees towered in the distance, lining the peripheral of the backyard. The sun was long gone. Now, all that was left was a deep navy sky with a handful of stars scattered about, twinkling in the distance. He watched the tops of the tall lush trees lean in the night wind.
It was calm nights like these that really drew him in. Soon he could see the enchantment of the woods. And the thought of living anywhere else was unthought off. That was one of the main reasons he and Sadie fought. She missed the city life and desperately wanted to go back, and he loved the peaceful nature.
He put his drink down and pulled out a worn pack of Camels.
In the steam-filled restroom, as lukewarm water cascaded onto her, she closed her eyes in pleasure and rolled her head under the water. Oh, how much she wished she were bathing instead. She absolutely loved baths. They were just more relaxing and more delightful to her. She could sit in them for hours, letting the sudsy water run over her unmarked skin. When she opened her eyes and gazed down at the matt beneath her feet, she saw crimson water swirl down into the drain.
She snapped her eyes shut and gripped the silver pendant around her neck with her small hand, and forced herself to think of him—of her sweet summer. She forced herself to think of his green eyes and soft brown hair. Desperately trying not to focus of the distant sounds of crackling fire and gunshots that roared in her ears, or the dried blood that ran out of her long hair with the warm water and disappeared into the drain.
She grabbed the soap and lathered her skin. Cleaning off every grass stain and dirt smudge on her smooth skin to distract herself from the memories.
When she was finished, she turned off the water and yanked the curtains back. Reaching over and grabbing a fluffy red towel from the rack, she dried herself off and wrapped it around her chest. When she stepped out and grabbed the shirt from the counter, the first thing she did, out of old habit, was bring the fabric to her nose and take a deep inhale. She could smell a girls scent. She imagined the girl that owed this wore it on her “lazy at home but still somehow cute” days. The kind of girls that never seem to take a break.
Slowly, her eyes peeled open, and she stared at the foggy window. The humid ear air rugged her like a warm blanket. She pressed her small hand against the wet glass and swiped. Her morphed reflection stared back.
Sebastian was on the couch with his second drink nearly finished. On the coffee table sat the almost full bottle of bourbon. He watched the fire crack in the stone fireplace. He threw back the last of his drink and checked the time on his watch—it had been nearly an hour and a half.
He decided to go check up on her and went to the bathroom. The door was left cracked open, and when he turned the light on, he found the humid room empty. Where had she gone? His gaze flicked to the last door at the end of the hall. It too was left slightly open. Warily, he opened the door and found her, changed and curled on the bed, sound asleep. Her dark, wet hair fanned out on the pillowcase around her; her small frame laid over the comforters in a ball.
Sebastian blinked. He stood there uncertain for a moment. Did he let her sleep or did he wake her? He didn’t know who this girl was and she him, how could she so peaceful fall asleep in the house of a stranger? For all she knew, he could be a psycho, praying on children like her. Didn’t her parents teach her any better?
She looked so peaceful and relaxed, the thought of waking her felt criminal. Plus, it was pretty late; and Lord only knew how long she had been wandering in the woods—alone.
Visibly taken aback, Sebastian slowly closed the door. When the sliver of light vanished, and she was left in darkness, she peeked through her lashes and stared at the door. Silence consumed the room. Slowly, her lips curled, and she nuzzled her face deeper into the pillow.
Sebastian plopped on the couch with a heavy sigh. He refilled his drink and brought the glass to his lips. The fire crackled and danced. He tried to force his mind from thinking of Sadie. He missed her so terribly. But he knew thinking of her, of her face and her lips, it’d just drive him crazy not to see her.
He leaned forward, his elbows rested on his knees, and held the glass to his forehead, rolling it back and forth. He just wanted to hear her voice. To know she still cared enough to try.
He downed a great deal of his drink before sitting back and resting his head on the leather of the couch. He stared at the throwing shadows on the ceiling. The distant sounds of the night sang outside the thin windows.Â
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