Entangled || Sebastian Sallow

20 - I'm Whipped 🌶️

3rd Person POV

– *FLASHBACK* Summer Holidays Before Sixth Year –

Sirona laid her hands flat on the bar and leant in towards Sebastian, an incredulous look on her face. "Merlin. You've been into her for almost a year now..."

"Yep," Sebastian sighed, taking a big sip of his Butterbeer.

"And you haven't made an ounce of progress?" Sirona raised an eyebrow.

Sebastian sighed, taking out a cigarette. "Nope."

"No smoking in my bar, love," Sirona shook her head.

Sebastian huffed and rolled his eyes, but put the cigarette away. Sirona continued staring at Sebastian, and rolled her hand in front of him to get him to continue talking.

"What do you want me to say? That I'm supposed to feel remorse because I act the way I do? The truth is, I don't," he shrugged.

Sirona clicked her tongue judgmentally, and picked up a glass to polish.

"Look, I'm not like all the other students at Hogwarts," Sebastian continued. "I don't care about the normal challenges at school like homework and O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. The biggest challenge I enjoy is women. I see a girl, I pursue her, I conquer, I move on. It's exciting."

"But you said it yourself, that you have a... reputation..." Sirona said in a concerned tone.

"I do."

"Don't you think it's time to change that?" Sirona put the glass down and reached over to put her hand over Sebastian's.

"Let me tell you something, Sirona. Girls love a guy with a bad rap," he punctuated his statement by raising his finger in the air. "They say they don't, but they don't mean it. They all think that they're the ones that are going to save me. And the trick is to let them think it's true..."

"I don't need lessons on how to pull women," Sirona chuckled. "I'm trying to talk to you about your feelings... about love. Because it seems to me like you've been sleeping around to try and get over her, to try and fill the void, but it doesn't work because, you know why? You're in love with her..."

"I didn't say that," Sebastian snapped.

"You don't have to, darlin'," Sirona smiled softly. "It's written all over your face."

Sebastian looked like he'd just sucked on an acid pop.

Sirona slapped her hands on the bar defiantly. "So. What are you going to do about it?"

– *BACK TO PRESENT DAY* –

Sebastian paced back and forth in his dorm, his mind consumed by thoughts of Juliet's impending date with Andrew Larson. She kept saying it wasn't a date and it was a 'friend thing', but he knew she could be oblivious when it came to guys hitting on her. He knows how the male brain works...

She'd become really defensive over breakfast that morning when Sebastian had been sulky and continued to pry. When he eventually suggested she shouldn't go, Juliet had snapped, yelling at him saying, "Don't tell me what to do! You're not even my boyfriend!!"

He started to wonder if he'd asked her to be his girlfriend... officially... perhaps she might have turned Andrew down. The reason he hadn't asked her yet was due to a fear of rejection specifically when it came to her, because she'd been so hot and cold with him. He wasn't even sure if that's actually what she wanted... for him to be her boyfriend. But he had been too chicken to ask her directly, in case it impeded on the progress he'd been making with her. Besides, he wanted to go slow and take his time and do it right.