Aftermath ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter forty-seven

Snow (Hey Oh) by Red Hot Chili Peppers

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Ominis' Perceptive

"What are you two anyways?" Sebastian asked after dinner, "Like, are you guys... together?"

"No." "Yes."

"Well, your sister keeps refusing to admit it," I confessed.

"We can discuss our relationship when I'm not literally dying..." Anne sighed.

It was a sore topic between the two of us. I suspected that pretending that we weren't together had made Anne feel better about the situation, in her own twisted way. It was just a label at the end of the day and didn't actually change our feelings for one another. She could refuse me another hundred times more and I'd still ask her again each day.

"Is it normal for Amelia not to come to dinner? This is the second day in a row?" Anne asked. 

"She's been known to lose track of time buried in all those books, all day. I'm sure she didn't mean to forget." Sebastian clarified, "I'll go bring her a plate."

"Actually, you stay here. I'll go check in with her." I offered standing from the table.

It only took a moment to wrap up a plate to bring over. I still had my own guilt lingering over my head from the past few days and everything that had happened. 

It had already been a week and I hadn't found the courage to talk to her yet. There had been a particularly large cloud over my head from putting Amelia blindly in the middle of everything without a warning.

The house was silent when I entered besides the light rain tapping against the windows of the rooms. Ophelia greeted me with quiet headbutts around my legs before her paws bounced down the hallway. 

The sound of a quill scattering madly against the paper was the only confirmation that Amelia was alive in the back room.

"Amelia?" I said softly knocking on the cracked door.

"Oh shit," She cursed, "I forgot dinner again, didn't I?"

"It's okay. I brought you a plate." I informed her. 

As soon as I took a seat nearby, Ophelia leaped into my lap as if she didn't see me every day. Even if the cat technically belonged to Sebastian, it felt like she had belonged to all of us. Always curiously watching us from somewhere and always ready to comfort someone. There was something about petting the cat that made it easy to forget about everything else going on.

"Ophelia loves you more than anyone else," Amelia said warmly after watching the cat for a moment. 

My heart was beginning to pound wondering where I should begin. There was a lot to say and the courage to find the words was draining. 

"Hey Amelia, I'm really sorry about everything." I started.

"Sorry about what?" She asked dryly. 

"A lot," I began, "Firstly, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you or Sebastian about Anne sooner. I apologized to him about it and I know that it was hard on him. I can't even begin to imagine what you were going through alone all those weeks. I'm truly sorry that I kept Anne from both of you."

I hadn't expected silence. 

But the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock. The rain against the window seemed louder than normal attempting to fill the space. Ophelia left my side but her quiet pur still lingered in the room.