Aftermath ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter forty-five

Black No. 1 by Type O Negative

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Amelia's Perceptive

The words in the book were all too blurry to read with tears in my eyes. Each word that was too difficult to read on the page just frustrated me more. 

I'd known that Anne didn't like me, but I hadn't expected such a harsh welcome. If only I could just find the information I needed faster, then I'd be able to cure her. But the tears kept pooling and blocking the way. 

Once I had gotten back to the Gaunt's house I had been haunted by the silence. Normally it would have been a relief, but instead, it fuels every poor thought running through my head. 

It had been about an hour of staring mindlessly at the book when there was a knock on the door. I'd expected Sebastian to come back but was surprised to find curly red hair and soft brown eyes on the other side.

"Oh hello, Amelia," Garreth greeted as the door cracked between us, "Is Sebastian here?"

"Not at the moment," I told him, "He should be back any moment though, please come in!"

I'm not sure why I'd invited him in rather than just point him toward the other house down the road. As soon as the words left my mouth I wondered why I offered. But as Garreth walked inside and smiled kindly at me, it felt suddenly good to have someone happy around. Someone who didn't carry such a heavy burden on their shoulders. 

"Any idea when he'll be back?" He asked.

"He's only down the road, I think he should be back soon," I offered hoping it was the truth, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Coffee, if you have any."

Garreth surprisingly trailed behind me as I made my way toward the kitchen. I hadn't explored the house much myself as I set up a pot for coffee. Garreth's eyes seemed uncomfortable as he explored the space, taking a seat at the kitchen table as the coffee finished. 

Ever since Sebastian mentioned his habit tracking of noticing how people prefer their drinks, I'd be attempting to take note of it myself. Garreth only poured a splash of milk into the mug. 

I wasn't sure what the purpose of taking note of others' habits meant yet but I watched all the same hoping it would tell me someone about them. 

"How's Poppy?" I asked in an attempt to break the silence.

"Oh, well, we broke up," Garreth said with a coy smile, "She's great. But we just couldn't see eye to eye anymore."

"Oh, that's too bad," I said.

Garreth chose not to respond and instead took a nervous sip of coffee. 

There wasn't much that either of us had to talk about with one another as the silence grew uncomfortable. I wished I could go back to the time before our date when we had just been friends and always had something to talk about. Garreth always had such a way of finding ways to make you laugh or get you excited to talk about something you'd love. 

Maybe if our date ended differently things would have felt more natural. Even months later I still thought of how he had carried me on his back every time I found the Leo constellation in the sky. 

But now we just looked at each other awkwardly in the kitchen. His brown eyes seemed to dart on and off me as he couldn't decide if he was allowed to look at me.