Tempest // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 78

Sebastian sat at the desk in the spare room he'd slowly turned into his office. His left hand raked at his face, pen in the other hand tapping against the desk wildly. He groaned.

Why on Earth did he leave writing his speech for his sister's wedding until the night before? It wasn't like he'd been busier than he usually was. He got engaged, told everyone he possibly could, hell, he would have screamed it from the top of Hogwarts if he could, then they simply fell back into their routine. Work, eat, wild and passionate betrothed sex, sleep. He hadn't even been working on his meticulous, enormously large list of Steps.

Sebastian was naturally a good writer. He'd written Rosie over one hundred and fifty letters, for Merlin's sake. He was generally very good at getting his feelings out on paper, but not verbalising them. But paper? Paper he could do.

So why was he so bloody stuck now?

He couldn't even ask his new fiancée to help. She was gone for the night. Anne wanted all her bridesmaids to spend the night together, which meant not only was Rosie not there with him, but that she was basically uncontactable.

He was on his own.

Sebastian picked up the phone from the desk and debated ringing Rosie, begging her to come home and help, using the excuse she was sick. It wasn't entirely a lie, she had complained about an upset stomach a few days earlier, but he knew she likely wouldn't be able to come to the wedding if Anne thought she was unwell.

Sebastian sighed, setting the phone back down. He stared at the blank parchment in front of him, willing and begging the words, any words to come. He tapped the pen harder, trying to find the same emotions and feelings he had when he wrote to Rosie. But nothing came.

Just as he was about to grab the paper and tear it to shreds in a fit of anger, his phone rang.

Rosie.

Divine intervention, perhaps?

"Hey," Sebastian sighed, picking up the phone and holding it to his ear, two fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"Hey, you sound stressed?"

"Hm. So do you." Sebastian replied. Actually, she sounded tired. "Are you alright, love?"

"I'm fine," she replied, "Can't wait for bed but I don't think Anne will be winding down any time soon."

"Why's that?"

"Uhh..." Rosie stuttered, "She's had a bit to drink."

"Anne? Anne Sallow? Drunk?" Sebastian scoffed, wide eyed and leaning forward in his chair.

"Yep."

Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, never thought I'd see the day she'd be the one in trouble. Why aren't you also drunk then? You're a bit of a tippler, no?"

"I am not! But I've had a few, don't really feel like having too much though when I have to be up so early tomorrow. I'm already so tired, I feel like I'd regret it," Rosie said, "But don't worry about us, I rang to see how the speech was coming along."

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, sighing deeply. "Honestly, it's a disaster. I've got nothing. My mind's completely blank, and I've been sitting here for hours staring at blank paper."

"I told you not to leave it to the last minute..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sebastian huffed.

"I don't know, you could search up 'how to start a speech for your twin sister's wedding' or 'write me a brother-of-the-bride speech'." Rosie suggested.