Sebastian

"Hold still," Rose said through gritted teeth. One of her hands was planted on my shoulder, holding me in place, the other running through my hair.

"I don't want to do this," I whined.

"Too bad." I heard the snip of the scissor and looked down to see a chunk of my hair fall to the floor, landing on the wooden porch steps.

"Not too short," I said, staring ahead of me at the tree line as Rose gave me a hair cut, promising that this wasn't her first time doing so, which I was finding harder to believe as she fumbled around my head.

"Shut up." Another piece of my hair fell to the ground. "You could barely see, Sebastian. When was the last time you even cut your hair? Before you moved here?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line, not wanting to admit that she was right. The last time I cut my hair was when Violet was going through chemo. She was losing her hair, and her confidence along with it, so I had shaved my head too, to show her that she wasn't alone.

It almost felt like a betrayal to let Rose cut my hair, but Violet was gone, I reminded myself, and it was time I learned to move forward without her.

"You know," Rose began, "maybe I should start a hair studio out of my cabin, huh? Give out hair cuts to —" Her words abruptly stopped as she shrieked.

"What?" I asked, reaching up and patting my hands around my head. "Fuck, Rose. What did you do? Am I bald?" I turned around to face her. Her eyes were locked far away, skin paled and mouth slightly open, at whatever she was staring at. I followed her gaze and saw Merelda walking out of her cabin and heading towards us, luggage in tow.

Right, I thought, remembering that today her stay in the Purple Woods Inn was ending. No one would miss her, that's for sure.

"She's leaving?" Rose asked, gaping at the sight. I turned away from Merelda and watched Rose, her long hair falling down to her waist, wide green eyes that saw everything. I couldn't seem to stop thinking about our kiss in the clearing three days ago and how badly I wanted to kiss her again. "Sebastian?"

My gaze left her mouth and reached her eyes, which were watching me amusingly. I slowly nodded, remembering what we were talking about. "Yeah," I said. "Shes leaving. After today, you'll never have to see her again." At that, Rose smiled.

"I don't understand how she seems to know everything. About you, me... and even Violet," she whispered her name, like saying it would cause me to dive off the deep end. "Definitely not going to miss her."

I chuckled as I turned around and Rose's hand ran through my hair again, more black chunks falling to the ground as she snipped. "She knew about Violet," I said quietly. "That she was dead and I could see her. Somehow she could see her, too." The thought made me shiver.

"Maybe she's psychic?" Rose added.

"Or maybe she's just crazy," I mumbled. Like me, was what I didn't say.

"Whatever she is, she's leaving so it doesn't matter anymore. Now sit still if you want this to look good," Rose said.

"I thought you said I always look good?"

She scoffed. "I said you're rocking the whole sexy-lumberjack vibe. But, now with the hair cut, I'm not sure you've got that going for you anymore."

"Sexy inn owner?" I countered.

Rose laughed and I was overwhelmed with a familiar warmth that spread through me. "There's nothing sexy about owning an inn, Sebastian," she said as another piece of my hair fell to the ground.

Our laughter faded as Merelda walked in front of us and paused, her eyes instantly locking on mine. I heard Rose suck in a sharp breath behind me, her hands griping my shoulders. I couldn't decide if she was afraid, or trying to protect me, as Merelda walked towards us, her luggage scraping the ground behind her. When she was standing before us, she smiled.

"You seem happy," she said, her eyes never leaving mine. Rose's hands tightened on my shoulders.

"I am," I said. "You're leaving?"

She nodded. "There is nothing left for me here." Her voice sounded far away as she spoke, her eyes lingering elsewhere, on something I couldn't see. Or someone. The thought made my skin prickle.

"Well," I cleared my throat. "Hope you enjoyed your stay." Don't come back, I wanted to add. Merelda nodded, her eyes latching back onto mine for a brief second before moving upwards, to Rose. A second later, she shook her head and walked away, long hair blowing behind her.

As she left, the haunting scrap of her luggage filled the air. But there was something else, too. I watched her face and saw her mouth moving slightly. The wind was blowing too loudly for me to make out what she was saying but, as I read her lips, my eyes widened. "Right flower," she was murmuring over and over as she walked away, never looking back.

"Creepy," Rose said, shuddering behind me. I nodded, watching Merelda as she walked down the path, eventually fading from sight. She was gone. I breathed out a shaky breath.

"Almost done?" I asked Rose, a futile effort to derail my mind.

"Almost," she said, stretching out the word as another piece of my hair fell to the ground. "There!" she yelled happily. "All done." I turned around to face her, she was smiling proudly, looking happier than I had ever seen. Carefree, almost.

"Come with me today," I blurted out. Her face scrunched up in confusion as she gently placed the scissors on the porch.

"Into town to run errands?" I nodded. Tomorrow was Tuesday, the day I went into town to pick up supplies for the inn, and whatever the guests needed. It felt like a lifetime ago that I was rummaging through shoe racks to find a pair of boots for Rose when she first moved here. "You always go alone," she said.

I shrugged. "I'd rather go with you." Rose's lips stretched into a wide smile. My heart began to race.

"Okay," she said happily, dusting the strands of loose hair off her shorts. "You'll need someone to fight off of all the thirsty women anyways. With your new hair cut," she added, winking at me. I chuckled, not telling her that there was only one woman I had eyes for. "When do we leave?"

"Right now?"

___

Rose sat beside me in my car, her feet dangling out the open window, wind whipping her hair behind her head, as she reached towards the radio, blasting the volume higher and higher.

"I love this song!" she yelled above the music, humming along to the lyrics as her head swayed side to side. I knew I should have been looking at the road, but my eyes kept shifting back to Rose. I couldn't seem to look away from her. She was mesmerizing, beautiful, full of all of this life that seemed to radiate off of her like it never had before.

The open windows let in wind and warm sunlight and I reached over and placed my hand on her bare knee as she belted out the lyrics perfectly. Her head turned to mine at the contact and she smiled, placing her hand over mine and playing idly with my fingers. It was as if this trip away from the Inn had shifted something in her, broken free a new side of her that I had never seen before. The broken girl that had stood before me was long gone, replaced by this beautiful, strong, woman.

This must have been what was Rose was like, I thought, before the secrets began to guard her eyes and lock up her heart. Now she was wild and breathtaking, and it was only then that I felt the familiar feeling of falling in my chest, Merelda's words floating back into my head. The right flower, she had said.

I glanced at Rose and breathed out, smiling widely, at last feeling whole again.

We had spend what felt like hours walking through aisles as Rose stared longingly at the shelves, eyes wider than ever. "I feel like I'm just now entering back into the world again," she had said, laughing when I asked why she was so amazed at the cereal aisle. "I've been held up in that cottage for too long."

I tried to buy her everything her eyes landed upon, but she would smile shyly, remove it from the cart and place it back on the shelf. When we reached the arts and crafts aisle, her entire face lit up. This time, she didn't protest when I placed dozens of paints and canvases into the cart.

"Thank you," she had whispered, wrapping her arm around my waist as we walked. I looked down at her, her eyes closed, head tucked into my chest, and smiled at the normalcy of this, not wanting this day to end.

When we had reached the check out, she removed her arm from my waist and I instantly reached out, grabbing her hand in mine without thinking. Our eyes locked and she blushed, brushing a strand of hair gently behind her ear. She didn't let go of my hand for the rest of the night, not while we loaded the bags into the car or drove through the silent streets.

It was only when we returned home to the eerie silence of the Inn that Rose's hand left mine as she unlocked the door to her cabin and held it open for me. I placed the bags onto the floor and stepped back outside into the moonlight, grabbing her waist and pulling her beside me.

"Today was fun," I said, smiling down at her.

"Today felt normal," she added, placing her hands gently on my chest. "I kind of forget what that felt like, you know? To do something as mundane as grocery shopping."

The dull glow from the porch light illuminated the sides of her face. Her eyes never left mine as she smiled in that secret way of hers. I placed my hand on her cheek gently, needing to feel her before me, remind myself that she was very much real. Very much alive. Rose closed her eyes for a moment at the contact. When they opened, her green eyes had darkened as she blinked up at me.

"I think I'm falling in love with you," I blurted out. My heart hammered. Her eyes widened. I waited for her to run, to utter that this was too soon, but I never expected her to smile. To stand on her tip toes and gently press her mouth to mine, her hands knotting into my hair as I pulled her closer.

Her mouth was warm and slow, gently moving against mine. I placed my hands on her face and held her to me, afraid that she would leave as soon as our mouths parted. I had to remind myself to breathe as I lost myself in the permanence of her.

"Sebastian," she whispered, before our mouths crushed into each others again. I shifted backwards until her back hit the wooden wall and I was pressed up against her. Her hands knotted into my hair as her lips parted. I felt my head swim as my hands moved under her shirt, the warmth from her skin lighting me on fire. When Rose moaned, I pressed myself closer against her, needing her in that moment. Wanting her.

My hand reached out for the door knob, wanting to push it open and bring her inside to a bed when her hand covered mine and she pulled back, smiling up at me. "Sebastian," she said again, breathless this time, and rested her forehead against mine.

"I want you," I murmured, kissing her again. Her hands slid up my chest until they found my face and pushed back slightly, her thumb resting on my trembling lips. I struggled to breathe against what I felt for her in that moment.

"I know," she said, her eyes burning. "But not yet."

I groaned. "Then when, Rose?" She chuckled as I dipped my head down and began kissing her neck.

"Sebastian," she emphasized, wiggling away from my mouth. She rested her palms on my chest and I tried to remember how to breathe as I held her waist. "I can't think when you do that," she admitted.

"Then don't think," I urged. "Just feel." She smiled shyly and shook her head.

"There's still so much more I need to tell you before we go there," she said.

"So tell me," I said a little too eagerly, still feeling the heat from our kiss. Her mouth opened as she laughed, shaking her head at me.

"I will," she said, "but not like this." Rose stepped away from me until she was leaning against the wooden railing, facing the dark forest before her. I watched her for a minute before wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her against me.

"Okay," I said, kissing the top of her head. "We can take this as slow as you want to." She spun around in my arms and wrapped her arms around my waist. "There's no rush, Rose."

She leaned up and kissed my jaw. "What are you doing tomorrow night?" she asked shyly.

"Spending it with you?"

Her face broke into a grin. "Come over," she said. "I'll make us dinner and we can... talk." She bit her lip to keep herself from smiling. We both knew talking didn't really mean talking.

"Are you asking me on a date?" I teased, running my hands through her long hair. She nodded once, staring up at me with those wide eyes. "I'll be there," I said, leaning down to kiss her nose.

I kissed her once more in the darkness before we said goodbye. I could feel her watching me as I walked next door to my cabin and opened the door. When I turned around she was sitting on her porch, knees pulled up to her chest, smiling at me.

"Tomorrow," I mouthed, waving at her before I shut the door.

___

Please tap the star and vote! :)

okay i really love these two so much right now. let me know your thoughts on this chapter! first date awaits ... ou la la la. what will happen?