23
My shoulder ached uncomfortably as I sat on the couch, watching the rest of The Brothers Grimm- Sebastian’s choice. After growing bored of playing videogames, he’d popped in the movie, claiming it was his favorite. Now he was currently dead asleep, his head against my shoulder, his angular jaw pressing right into the hollow spot on my neck.
Heaviness weighed upon my eyes as I fought to keep myself awake. The day was almost over- that meant Vincent, Fiona, and Joel would be back with the King and Queen to let me know how the trial went. Anxiety washed over me at the thought. What was the verdict? Was it good… or bad? I shook my head vehemently, not allowing myself to think negatively. Positive thoughts led to positive outcomes.
I winced as Sebastian jerked in his sleep, digging further into my skin. As much as I wanted to shove him off me, the more rational side of me figured he needed sleep, so I left him alone. Shifting slowly, I tried to move his jaw from my shoulder to my arm. To my annoyance, my movement only caused him to lean even more on me.
“Dang,” I muttered, making a face in discomfort.
Sebastian’s head suddenly snapped up, a wild expression adorning his face. He blinked a few times, looking confused. A sigh of relief left my lips as feeling began to return to the numb spot where his jaw had been.
“Did I fall asleep?”
“Yep.”
He frowned. “Sorry about that.”RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only
“Don’t apologize,” I responded with a shrug. “Next time just choose a better movie,” I added jokingly.
Rolling his eyes, he turned back to the television, just as the credits started rolling. “Figures. Are you hungry?”
“Uh,” I hesitated. The last thing I wanted was a repeat of this morning.
He seemed to sense my unease and a wry smile spread across his face. “Right. Why don’t we just let Vincent cook for you when he gets back?”
A sheepish smile crossed my face. “Sorry, Seb.” When I realized I’d called him by his old pet name, my face flushed. “Wait! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s fine,” he responded with a deep chuckle. “I don’t mind if you call me Seb. It’s only Fiona.”
A frown quickly replaced my sheepish look. “Sebastian…”
“Yes?”
“Um, I don’t know if I should say this or not, but… Maybe… Do you think Fiona still calls you by your pet name because she might still have feelings for you?”
His face went blank at my words. For a moment we sat in an awkward silence. My heart pace began to quicken as I realized maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
“I’m sorry, I-”
“You think so?”
I blinked. “What?”
Sebastian gave me a serious look. “Do you think Fiona might have feelings for me?”
“I-I can’t say for sure,” I replied, my eyes widening. “It’s just a thought- don’t base any reasoning off of it. It’s just… Well if she didn’t, wouldn’t she revert to calling you Sebastian?”
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Perhaps…”
“You know, I could try to find out for you…”
“Find out what?”
“If she likes you,” I explained, dropping my gaze. “I might not be here for much longer, but…”
A wary expression passed over his face. “I’m not sure.”
.
.
I cocked my head. “Why?”
“What if the answer is no?”
A moment of silence passed between us.
“I highly doubt it will be a no,” I told him quietly. “You two were in love and then forced apart. If you never fell out of love, then Fiona probably didn’t either. It also explains the awkward interactions between you two. Maybe she doesn’t want anyone to think she still loves you in case they try to force you two apart even more. It could also be that she feels as though it isn’t right to still love you, even though it causes you problems…” I trailed off, realizing Sebastian was looking at me blankly. Warmth spread across my face. “Sorry, I’m babbling…”
He shook his head. “No, no. You have some interesting points.” The corners of his lips twitched up. “It’s a nice thought- thinking Fiona might still have feelings for me.”
“But?”
His smile grew. “How did you know there was a but?”
“I could hear it in your voice.”
“I will still be King,” he started, his face sagging. “There’s no way around it. It’s not that I don’t want to be King-I’m proud to have gained the title-, but because of it, there’s no way to be with Fiona. If it was up to me I’d drop the crown in a minute, however, I can’t let Ashton have it.”
My stomach twisted uncomfortably. That wasn’t very fair. He had to choose between the kingdom and Fiona? “Why can’t Ashton have it?”
“He’s not fit to be a ruler.”
The sudden edge to Sebastian’s voice threw me off guard. I stared at him for a moment, trying to form a coherent thought. “I heard he wasn’t… exactly good,” I finally mumbled
“He’s not,” Sebastian agreed. “It’d be a bad idea to let him become King.”
“So there’s no way for you and Fiona to be together again?”
He smiled sadly. “I’m afraid not.”
“What if you were a surreptitious couple?” I inquired, my eyes widening. “You wouldn’t have to let anyone know! That way you guys could be together without a problem!”
The smile on his face faltered. “I’m not sure how that would work…”
“Couldn’t it though? You two would just have to be careful!”
“What if someone found out?”
“What if?” I repeated.
He nodded. “There’s the chance. If we were to get together, we could be found out. There’s no guarantee it will work out in our favor, Em. Besides, obviously fate isn’t in my favor.”
“There is no way of guaranteeing anything! The mystery of fate is solved the moment it becomes now, and never before then!” I protested, clenching my fists.
For a moment Sebastian stayed quiet, eyeing me. “That’s quite a thing to say, Em.”
I blushed in embarrassment. “It’s true though…”
“Maybe,” he concurred, nodding his head. “As appealing as that sounds, I don’t know if I could take the chance. It’d be putting everything on the plank.”
I frowned. “I think it could work out.”
“Are you a hopeless romantic?”
“No!”
“I think you are.”
“I’m not!”
“So what you’re saying is that Fiona and I should have a… proscriptive relationship?”
.
.