Shadow of the Key | Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 35: Three Minutes ✧

"I want you for a lifetime, so if you're gonna think twice, baby, I don't wanna know."

- Hikaru Utada

~

WARNING: This chapter contains sexually explicit content.

Amelia's POV

Amelia expected to be woken up by strangulation after she and Sebastian fought.

What she didn't expect was to be woken up in the middle of the night by a warm, trembling hand squeezing hers, while a mess of brown curls rested on the edge of her bed, accompanied by the sound of quiet sobbing.

Wait, sobbing?

"Sebastian...?" She whispered in concern.

When Sebastian slowly rose his head to face her, the sudden, sharp pain in her chest struck her like a blade when her eyes met his red, puffy ones.

The tears that welled created a sparkle in his irises that emphasized the pain flickering through them. They trickled down his reddened cheeks and nose that landed on her plush blanket. Even the crew neck of his white t-shirt had some tear stains on it.

"I..." He sniffled. "I'm sorry..."

"What? No, no. Don't be," she reassured. She rolled on her side to face him as he remained kneeling next to her bedside. "What's wrong? What happened?"

He shook his head as more tears cascaded down his freckles. Another blade to the chest.

"It's alright, Seb. You don't have to talk about it," she comforted, giving his hand a light squeeze.

The sigh that left his lungs came out with a shudder, his breaking voice called to her after, "You died... in my dream and... and I couldn't save you that time. Amie, I c-can't lose you. I can't live a life without you in it. Without you, I- I-"

She rested her hand on his cheek and tenderly wiped a few tears away with her thumb. "You won't. I'm here."

Though, she herself was beginning to doubt this, but she didn't want to relay that to him. She didn't need to contribute to his rising fear of potentially losing her.

He pinched his eyelids shut as more tears escaped him, leaning into her palm and softly nodding before whispering, "You always are."

Wanting to relight the flame in his extinguished soul, she pulled back the blanket and beckoned for him to join her. "Come here."

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before hesitantly asking, "A- Are you sure?"

She smiled and nodded. "Let's go back to sleep."

As he crawled in the bed beside her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close until his head was coming to rest on her chest, with an ear to her steady heartbeat. He tugged the plush blanket over them and draped his arm over her waist underneath, the fabric of his grey sweatpants brushing against her bare legs as they entangled together.

"Amie?" He whispered.

"Yes?"

"I hope you're not still upset with me." He said worriedly.