Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Nineteen: The Invitation

"Merlin, Abbi, what are you- Are you okay?"

I was smiling from ear to ear, sure I looked completely mad.

"She wrote back," I breathed out, taking in his expression with each second that passed. The first thing that flicked across his face was confusion, his thick brows furrowing together, before they shot into the hair hanging over his forehead as understanding set in. His eyes moved from my face, down to the hand pinned to his chest. His eyes widened at the letter I clutched, and he released me so he could take the letter.

I shoved it into his hand, stepping back and just let him take in her writing.

"She- she actually wrote back," he breathed. His voice was small, a small amount of hope I hadn't heard in so long filling his usually angry tone. He looked from the letter to me and back again, lips forming the words of her letter as he spoke them to himself.

Over and over.

Eyes lighting up. Smile pulling his lips.

I drunk in the sight.

The next thing I knew, Sebastian had wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight to his body as he lifted me and spun me around. "Oh, Abbi, thank you! This is incredible!"

He was laughing, the beautiful sound filling my ears as we spun around and I laughed too. This was a Sebastian I had only seen brief glimpses of back in fifth year, and it made my heart flutter excessively as I hugged him back, breathing him in.

He lowered me to the ground, but didn't let go of me.

Instead we stood there for a moment, locked in a tight embrace. My arms around his neck, his arms around my waist, his muscles flexing, squeezing me into him while he rested his forehead on mine. I looked into his eyes, my breathing slowing as his smile faded slightly.

I gulped at the proximity of him. His scent surrounded me, cinnamon and mint, the always there comfort of it filling me, but even stronger was the familiar scent of leather and parchment, stronger due to the books around us.

It was heavenly.

He was heavenly.

His face was soft, eyes roaming what they could of my face as he still hadn't moved his forehead from mine.

His breath fanned over my face and I closed my eyes, savoring this moment of simplicity. They were far too rare for us for my liking. He moved away from me but didn't release me.

"Thank you."

"I didn't do anything, really," I whisper, searching him. He was still beaming at me.

"So when do you want to go?

"Name a time and day, Sebastian. I go when you want to."

He smiled, bringing his hand up to touch my hair, pushing a strand back. I let out a soft sigh when his fingers brushed my cheek, and shivered slightly. He leaned in again and I froze, afraid that any sudden movement from me would scare him away from me. His lips brushed my ear as he whispered into it, "Tomorrow morning. Meet me in the common room at sunrise."

I felt his lips ghost over my cheek where his fingers had been moments before, and I longed for them to move down. He pulled away from me, his face calm and collected. He bent to pick up the books from the floor around us and winked as he walked away, back up the stairs to our friends.

~

I was in the common room much earlier than I needed to be. Having left a note for Imelda that I was going out to the hamlets today, I pulled on a favorite traveling outfit of mine.