Invisible String - A Sebastian Sallow Story

Chapter XIII

a locket and a promise...

A soft snore against the nape of her neck slowly lulled her from sleep. As she eased into consciousness, the weight against her waist from the freckled arm resting there, and his gentle breathing helped a smile stretch upon her lips. It felt heavenly to be held in such a way, by someone she loved so dearly.

Even in the man's unaware state, his body seemed to recognize her presence, as her slight movements made him nuzzle in closer to her side while his quiet snores continued. The slight chill of the room made her sink further into his warmth. Sebastian truly was a furnace.

Ever so carefully she turned from her side onto her back without waking him, before turning to her other side so she could face him as he slept. The sight alone made her heart flutter.

An important thing to know about the young man, was that Sebastian almost always bore strong indications of his emotions upon his handsome face: frustration, elation, confusion, sadness, and the most common: mischief. They were always there, in the crease of his brows, crinkles around his eyes, dimples in his cheeks, depths of his chocolate orbs and in the smirk upon his full lips. However as he slept, she recognized a rare moment where she got to see him completely at peace.

The slight flaring of his nostrils as he inhaled gently with its slight rumble, before air softly came out of his parted lips. She had always loved his slightly broad button nose, and how it always seemed to scrunch right across the bridge as he laughed. His long, dark eyelashes that laid upon his freckled cheeks slightly danced as his eyes ever so carefully moved under his closed eyelids.

As he had slept his hair had become a birds nest, strands of varying lengths sticking up in almost every direction. The same forelock that she always loved to move off his face, falling into its natural resting place. His curtains of fringe falling more around his hairline instead of the way he'd been pushing it over his ears since he'd gotten it cut short. She noted the way his sideburns were already starting to curl into his face again, as well as the hair near his nape, despite having them cut short not long ago. She almost laughed, stifling it to a small puff of air, thinking about how difficult it must have been for him to maintain his hair given how fast it appeared to grow, especially with its thickness and unruly nature.

She hadn't even realized she had been brushing her fingers through his hair until his eyes snapped open, meeting hers. The look in his chocolate orbs looked startled at first, resulting from the still new feeling of waking up next to someone. When his mind recognized the playful expression she wore, his lips stretched into a toothy grin as he nuzzled into her hand that was buried in his bed head. His eyes closed again, as the final signs of alarm faded, and he fell into a content sigh as he awoke next to the girl of his dreams, who was admiring him no less.

"What's so funny" he asked, voice slightly horse from sleep as her fingers continued to dance along his scalp.

"Oh its nothing really, just an observation" she said watching as his left eye opened just to judge her expression before he stretched his body within the confines of the thick wool blanket. Once he finished waking his sleeping limbs, he rolled over, propping himself up to lean over her.

"What observation?" he asked, mischief finally working its way back to his face after sleep. Sebastian loved the way her cheeks broke out in a light blush at his questioning.

She sighed as she continued running her hands through his hair, trying to tame it, to seemingly no avail. "Your hair is an absolute mess Seb... how have you possibly maintained it for so long? How does it not annoy you?" She playful retorted while she carefully untangled a small knot along the back of his crown without pulling too hard on the strands.