Life Goes On

Chapter 2: In the Wake of Pain

Note from writer: This will be an 18+ story, there will be mature content, including death and sexual encounters. Please read at your discretion.

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Sebastian had finally fallen asleep. Ominis and I had been trying to comfort him all afternoon as he sobbed and called out for Anne.

St. Mungos had sent him a letter informing him of Anne's passing. Since she'd been cursed, Anne had live in terrible pain, small relief coming with the treatments and spells the healers and mediwizards could provide for her at the hospital. She had been more peaceful recently, as her and Sebastian started to mend their relationship after Solomon's unfortunate passing.

Anne had passed in her sleep, her body exhausted after fighting that curse for so long, had finally succumbed to the pain and gave way for rest to finally enter. 

Her doctor had arranged a small funeral for her. She had sent all the details in the letter, they had arranged for a place where Sebastian could stay for the weekend to attend the service. Ominis and I promised Sebastian we'd come with him and not leave his side. We would pack and depart the next day.

That night though, I woke up to a soft creak on the floorboards. I quickly grabbed my wand and pointed it at the shadow standing above me, before realizing it was Sebastian. I could see tears pouring down his puffy tired eyes in the moonlight.

"Oh Seb," the wind left my chest as I leaped out of bed and wrapped my arms around his neck, the pain of Anne's loss had taken everything out of him. His body fell into my arms, and I fell back onto my bed under his weight.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around my waist and cried onto my lap. I curled my body over him and combed through his hair trying to comfort him, knowing that nothing I did would help. He and Ominis had spent time comforting me in a similar way in the last two years, specially after I'd had a bad nightmare. The least I could do was return the favor.

Sebastian finally started to quiet down after some time of laying like this. I had been listening to him gently crying for a while and I attempted to get up to let him rest. Just as I tried to move him off my lap though, Sebastian grabbed me tightly His fingers dug  into the flesh of my hips desperately.

"Please... Please don't leave me Ophelia." He pleaded, I could see his tears glittering in the moonlight. 

"Never," I exclaimed readjusting myself so that we could lay down together in my bed. 

He clung to me tightly again, his face pressed against my chest as he continued to cry silently. I wrapped my arms around his neck and continued to comb through his hair with my fingers. I began humming one of my favorite songs to him, in a vain attempt to comfort him.

"I love you," he said, his voice broken and barely audible. 

"I love you too Seb," I said as I kissed the top of his head and held him tightly.

Sebastian suddenly pulled away from me and propped himself on his elbow looking straight into my eyes, it startled me a little, how intensely he looked at me.

"No... I love you Ophelia, not just as a friend. I love you, I always have." His eyes teary, pleading, looked right into my soul.

I was dumbfounded. I had been in love with Sebastian for a long time, we had been through so much together, felt a lifetime of pain together. Being apart from each other was agonizing. I didn't dare picture a future without him, but... I also felt this way about Ominis. It was in a slightly different way, but just as strongly. 

While my heart beat and leapt out of my chest my stomach sunk. I couldn't do this. If I let myself fall in love, deeper in love, with either of them, what would happen to our friendship? Starting a relationship with either of them could change our dynamic. What if I needed them both just as much? I couldn't live without either of them, not anymore. which is why I had chosen never to reveal. The romantic feelings I had towards them.