Sebastian

The room was covered in sunlight when I woke up. I reached my hand across the mattress, expecting to find Rose laying beside me but the bed was empty.

"Morning." I sat upright at her voice. Rose was leaning against her dresser, watching me with a grin on her face. I began to smile before I spotted the suitcase on the ground, filled with her clothes.

"What's going on?" I gestured to the suitcase with one hand and rubbed my eyes with the other to make sure I was seeing straight.

She sat on the bed slowly and sighed, tucking her legs beneath her. "Sebastian..."

"Today's your last day here."

Her eyebrows pulled together. "You know?"

I shifted across the bed, closer to her, and grabbed her hand in mine. "I do own this inn." Her mouth quirked up into a small smile. "I saw it a few days ago in the guest book," I said, scratching my head. "I must have forgot."

"I'm sorry." Rose stared at our intertwined hands, rubbing her thumb across mine. "I should have told you before last night." Her eyes flicked up to mine, cheeks a soft red.

I raised her fingers to my face and kissed them. "It wouldn't have changed anything," I said.

"Really?"

I nodded. "Last night meant a lot to me, Rose." My voice was barely a whisper as she leaned in slowly, face hovering in front of mine.

"I wish I could stay longer." Her lips brushed against mine lightly.

"So stay longer," I mumbled against her lips.

She shrieked as I pushed her back onto the bed, holding her down with my body. I slowly unbuttoned her shirt, kissing her bare skin.

Her chest was rising and falling quickly. "Are you busy today?" she breathed. I glanced up from her stomach to find her eyes on me, blazing with that same fire from last night.

"No," I said with a slow grin. "Did you have something in mind?"

"It's my last day here. I want to spend it with you."

I couldn't help but chuckle that she thought she even needed to ask that; as if there were anywhere else I'd rather be than with her.

I kissed her stomach softly and she sighed, eyes fluttering close. "Okay," was all I said before I undid the last button on her shirt, pushed it aside and moved my head below her waist, her back arching as she moaned my name.

Later I would tell her everything that I'd been dying to say. But now, we had a day to make the most of.

____

"Do you believe in fate?"

Rose's question caught me off guard as we sat in the forest's clearing. She was laying on the damp grass, head propped gently in my lap as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"We both lost someone we loved, Sebastian," she said. "We both came to these woods looking for closure and found each other. I'm not saying I believe in it but, if I did, I think this is it."

I ran my thumb along her lips. "I love you, Rose," I said. I felt my body tense, and hers, as the words tumbled out.

Her mouth fell open and she sat up quickly. "What?" she whispered.

"I'm in love with you," I breathed, holding her face in my hands. "And if there was any chance I thought you'd stay here with me, I would have asked you. But I know you want to go home, Rose."

"Sebastian—"

"It's okay," I said honestly, smiling. "I can see it in your eyes, you know. You're not ready to dive into this relationships right now. You're not ready to fall in love again." I brushed a loose strand of hair off her face. "But when you are, I'm going to be right here, waiting for you."

"I wish I was ready," she whispered.

"I don't want you to rush," I said. "I just want you to be happy. And I can see you still have healing to do before you can allow yourself to be happy with me."

Her arms hooked around my neck and she pulled me to her, holding tight. "I found a home here— with you," she said, lips brushing against my neck.

"You'll always have a home here in the wild." I grabbed her face and kissed her softly under the sunlight, in this clearing that had become our clearing.

And there was nothing I wanted more than for her to stay with me. To wake up every morning to her face and line the walls of my cabin with her paintings. My heart was sinking in my chest as it struggled to accept that she was leaving soon, but it also beat quickly at the feel of her body against mine.

"I love you," I told her again as we lay on the grass, her body on mine, the clearing filled with the sound of birds and our light breathing.

I could feel her heart beat and I knew she could love me, too. But not now. Not like this. This feeling I had been waiting two years for. With Rose, it was still all to soon.

As she unbuttoned my shirt and lifted hers above her head, I watched as the sun danced across her skin and smiled. She pressed her mouth to mine before she grinned, too. "What?" she whispered against my lips.

I shook my head and held her face closer, her eyes wide, and wished I could hold her here forever. "Nothing," I said before kissing her again.

We stayed on the grass until the sun disappeared and the moon lit the clearing with a hazy glow. I didn't know what time it was, didn't care, but ours was running out and all I wanted was to grab ahold of it and slow everything down.

"I need to pack," Rose eventually whispered. Her words seemed to float away into the night.

She sat up slowly and gathered her clothing, putting them on one by one as I watched her in awe. It was all I could do. When she was dressed, she turned to me, face soft, hair falling over her shoulders and eyes glistening in the moonlight.

"Sebastian?" Her voice was gentle. I nodded and sat up, dressing myself as she stared at the moon. "Thank you for showing me this spot," she said.

I grabbed her hand in mine and held on tight. "You're the only person I ever shared it with," I said. She turned to me, eyes wide. "I knew there was something special about you from that first day, Rose." She squeezed my hand in hers and smiled. "I was right."

"I don't want to leave, Sebastian," she said, turning back to the moon. Her voice sounded far away.

"But you have to."

Rose sighed, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "I don't know what waits for me back at home." She paused. "The only person I left behind was my mom and even she didn't really want me there."

I shifted across the grass, closer to her, until her head dropped onto my shoulder and I wrapped my arm around her waist.

"The only person I had was Caleb," she continued. "And when he died, it was like I didn't belong there anymore." She turned to me, eyes heavy with sadness. "But I feel like I belong here. And it's scary to leave all this for a life back home that doesn't even feel like it's mine anymore."

"I know all too well what that feels like," I told her.

She titled her him upwards to stare at me. "What about you? Are you going to stay here forever? Running this inn and caring for everyone but yourself?"

I shook my head and sighed, not knowing the answer to her question. "I'll go home soon," I said.

Her mouth quirked up into a smile. "I bet you've been saying that for years."

I laughed and kissed her, unable to help myself. "I have," I admitted. "But I mean it now. I feel" — I searched for the right word — "ready," I concluded. Ready because of you is what I meant.

Rose's head returned to my shoulder and the silence stretched on. I focused on the sound of her breathing, the reminder of her heart beating, and the feel of her in my arms.

"Will you visit me?" she asked after a moment.

I chuckled, holding her closer at the uncertainty in her voice. "Yes," I said without hesitation.

She smiled and my world shook for a moment as she leaned up and pressed her lips to my jaw, her finger resting lightly on my cheek.

"It would be so easy to love you," she whispered, lips brushing across mine.

I sat there, dazed, as Rose stood up and stretched out her hand, tugging me beside her. She didn't say another word, just looped her fingers through mine and began walking through the trees, back to the cabins. I smiled when I realized that she knew the path by heart and I no longer had to lead the way.

Her fingers held mine tightly as we walked, never wavering.

I wasn't sure who was holding onto who. I was only sure I wished we never had to let go.

___

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hope you enjoyed this chapter! what do you think about sebastian being in love with rose? and her not saying it back? updates await — happy monday! <3

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