DELGADO || Sebastian Sallow (Hogwarts Legacy)

Part 67 - Pools and stolen glances

ꕀꕥ〡~𐀔~〡ꕥꕀ

❝ You're lucky your brother's around,❞

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I woke to sunlight cutting through the curtains like golden ribbon, draping itself over the sheets and warming my bare legs. The bed was too quiet, the weight beside me absent.

He was gone.

Only the faint imprint in the pillow beside mine and the subtle heat lingering on the mattress told me he'd been there.

Then I heard it, splashes. Laughter.

I drifted in soft and easy through the open balcony doors. I slipped out of bed, pushed the curtain aside, and squinted into the morning sun.

There they were.

Sebastian and Lorenzo, half-submerged in the glittering water, tossing a football back and forth like they hadn't a care in the world. Lorenzo shouted something in Spanish that made Sebastian double over in the pool, laughing so hard he practically sank under.

They looked... happy.

Like brothers. Like trouble.

And my heart did something strange. Not jealous. Not quite. But something wistful. Like I'd stumbled across a private moment I hadn't been invited to, and yet somehow... belonged to.

I went downstairs, picked at some breakfast. Pretended the ghost of Sebastian's voice from the other night wasn't still echoing in my head: "I just needed a taste."

God. His lap. That smirk. The kiss that never should have happened and absolutely shouldn't have felt that good. The kiss on the beach... the kiss back at the farmhouse...

It clung to me like the Spanish heat.

By the time I returned to my room, the air was thick and heavy. I opened my wardrobe, stared blankly at the mess of fabric inside, and thought, Screw it.

I pulled out the white swimsuit.

The one I avoided because it hugged everything. Said too much. Demanded attention.

But today? I wanted to be looked at.

I slipped it on, smoothed it down, and studied my reflection. The woman looking back wasn't unsure or flustered.

She was ready.

When I stepped out into the sun, barefoot and bright, I didn't hesitate. The warmth kissed my skin like an invitation.

Down by the pool, Lorenzo and Sebastian were still at it, wrestling over the football like boys. Their laughter filled the air. Light. Unburdened.

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~Sebastian's POV~

I dunked Lorenzo under the water again, laughing as he came up sputtering curses in Spanish.

"¡Eres un cabrón! (You're such an asshole!)"
"Y tú lo amas, (And you love it.)" i shot back, grin smug.

We laughed harder, and for a while, it felt like the world was simple.

Then something shifted, I felt it before i saw it.

Lorenzo's eyes flicked past me, widening slightly. turning to follow his gaze.. there she was.

White swimsuit. Sunlight catching the curve of her shoulder, her hair falling down her back in messy waves, her expression unreadable.

And she was walking toward us like sin in bare feet.