Rose

When I heard Sebastian's car driving up the gravel, I ran to the kitchen window and peered outside. He was reaching into the trunk and taking out white bags. I watched as he carried a few at a time to every cabin and deposited them on the porch.

Finally, when he walked up the path of my cabin, his hands full, I ran to the front door and flung it open.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, grabbing the bags from his hands as he laughed. I hunched over at their weight and quickly brought them inside, setting them on the kitchen table before I turned back to Sebastian.

He was smiling at me. His beanie today was a dark, navy blue. "Someone's excited."

I felt heat creep its way up my neck and onto my cheeks. By the way Sebastian's grin grew, he noticed it, too. "I haven't painted in a long time," I admitted after a moment.

When Caleb died, my desire to paint died with him. But being here... something clicked in me — something that made me want to begin to paint again. I had decided that was a good thing. That it meant I was slowly healing, slowing regaining bits and pieces of my old self like a puzzle I was in the process of solving.

"What are you going to paint?" Sebastian asked. I turned to peek into the bags to evaluate what he bought me. Blank canvases, brushes, and dozens of paint cans the colours of the rainbow stared back at me.

My fingers itched to reach out and touch them.

I grinned widely. "Everything," I breathed. "The sunset. The sunrise. The way the sun shines through the trees. The way the flowers break through the soil. I want to paint everything."

Sebastian's dark eyes studied my face so intently I looked away after a moment. My feet were tapping impatiently against the carpeted floors. I wanted to be outside painting. Now.

"Don't move," he said firmly as he turned away and jogged out the door.

My face scrunched up in confusion. "What!" I called after him.

He stopped midway down the porch steps. "There's something I want to show you, Rose. Wait here for me. Don't leave," he stressed once more, smiling.

I giggled — actually giggled — as I watched him run back into his cabin.

* * *

Ten minutes later I was trudging through the trees beside Sebastian — who was carrying my paint supplies in a backpack — wearing my new boots that looked suspiciously like his.

Definitely on purpose, I thought to myself as I chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Sebastian asked from beside me.

"Our boots match." He peered down at our feet before he chuckled, too. "Anyways, where are we heading? It feels like we've been walking in circles."

We had been walking for nearly half an hour now and, despite the new footware, my feet were sore and my thick hair clung to the back of my neck with sweat. Even Sebastian had taken off his beanie and tied his long hair back — that's how hot it was.

"We're almost there," he said cryptically.

"And where is there?"

Sebastian cocked his head to face me and smirked. "You're very stubborn."

"No," I argued. "I simply don't enjoy walking through the woods with strange men."

Sebastian's laughter filled the silence around us and I couldn't help but join in. "Strange? That's what you think of me? Your neighbour?"

"I've only known you for three days," I pointed out.

"I've only known you for three days and I don't think you're strange at all." I turned towards him and smiled at the compliment. "We're almost there." He said, clearing his throat.

My onslaught of excitement caught me so off guard that I lost my footing and tripped. Sebastian's hands shot out quickly and caught me, holding my waist on either side and keeping me upright.

I let out a strangled breath. My voice was breathless when I spoke. "Thanks."

Sebastian's cheeks were red as he pulled his hands away quickly and ran them over his head. "Be careful, Rose." He warned, his eyes darting through the trees around us.

"I lost my footing," I mumbled as I fell into step beside him.

We were silent for the rest of the journey to God knows where. A few minutes later, Sebastian's footsteps haltered and he turned to me, smiling proudly. "We're here," he declared.

"Uhm." I looked around us, confused. "You better not have made me hike through the forest for an hour to show me the same tree I could have seen from my damn window, Sebastian."

I glared at him and he rolled his eyes. "Come," was all he said as he pushed aside two low-hanging branches and stepped through. I followed suit and felt like I had walked into another world.

We were standing in a large clearing that the sun shone directly into, making the grass turn golden like stars plucked from the sky. I could hear birds chirping and insects buzzing as my eyes searched frantically to take in every detail. But by far the most breathtaking part was the river that cut through the clearing. The water shined like crystals, so clear I could see down to the very bottom of it.

I ripped my eyes away from the water and shrieked when I spotted Sebastian in the process of taking his clothing off.

"What are you doing?" I yelled, turning away quickly.

"Going swimming." I could hear the laughter in his voice. "I'm not naked, Rose. Turn around."

I slowly turned towards him and opened my eyes. His back was to me as he walked towards the river, wearing only his boxers. I watched the way the lean muscles in his back moved as he stepped into the water. When he resurfaced, he was grinning at me widely, his hair slicked back and falling over his shoulders.

"Come in," he coaxed, brushing the wet strands of hair off his face.

"What is this place?" I breathed, taking a step closer to the water's edge.

Sebastian shrugged as he flicked a droplet of water at me. "I discovered it when I first moved here." He smiled shyly. "You're the first person I've ever shared it with."

"Why?"

"Because I knew you would appreciate it as much as I do." And, he was right. This clearing was so beautiful it felt as if I had fallen asleep and woken up in some far away land.

"Are you going to swim?" Sebastian asked after I hadn't responded.

I shook my head and grinned. "I'm going to paint." I picked up the backpack from where Sebastian had left it and took out a blank canvas, a paintbrush and all the different coloured paints.

Eyeing the clearing, I searched for the perfect spot to get to work. To my left, a large rock rested beside the tree line. Perfect. I gathered my supplies and filled a cup with water from the river before I perched myself on the rock. Crossing my legs, I rested the canvas on my lap and begun to fill the tray with a small amount of every colour Sebastian had bought me.

Sebastian. Remembering he was there, my head snapped up to him. He was laying on his back, floating in the water. The sun glistened off his wet skin. His hair sprawled out in the water like black ink flowing across a table top.

And, suddenly, I wanted to paint him.

"Sebastian!" I called loud enough for him to hear me with his ears under water. He stood up quickly and turned to me. "Get out of the water." His eyebrows knitted together in confusion but he obeyed, walking out of the pond and shaking the droplets out of his hair.

I deliberately kept my eyes on his face and ignored the way his minimal clothing clung to his wet body.

"What is it?" He asked, standing in front of me. He tilted his head to the side and patted his ear to get the water out as he eyed the canvas in my lap.

"I want to paint you." I declared. Sebastian stared at me for a second before he burst out laughing.

"Me?" He repeated, absolutely bewildered. "I brought you here so you could paint this clearing, Rose. Not me."

"I want to paint you," I demanded stubbornly. He crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, his mouth still hanging slightly open in surprise. "God, don't act so shocked. You're obviously aware of how good looking you are, Sebastian. So sit down and let me paint you." I said sweetly, pointing at the similar rock adjacent to mine.

Sebastian laughed awkwardly as he shook the water out of his hair. "Excuse me?"

"What? You have the whole sexy-lumberjack thing going for you. Believe me, it works." I pointed at the rock again as he cleared his throat. "Sit."

He simply stared at me, not saying a word, before trudging over to the rock and sitting on it. He leaned back dramatically and rested one hand over his forehead, the other on his heart.

"Good?" He called, laughing at his own joke.

I glanced around for something to throw at him and came up empty handed. "No. Sit normally, please. Just... get comfortable. And brush your hair off your face," I added after a moment.

He readjusted himself on the rock so he was sitting upright, facing me. His feet were planted squarely on the ground, knees touching, with his forearms resting on his thighs.

I jerked my chin towards the right. "Turn a little." He obeyed, adjusting his position slightly until he was half facing the pond and I had of his side.

Perfect, I thought to myself.

"Paint me like one of your French girls, Rose." I stared at him in annoyance before I bursted our laughing. Did he really just quote Titanic? "Get it?" He asked. "'Cause you have the same name as her." He smiled, proud of his joke.

"Got it. You're absolutely hilarious. Now, don't move a muscle."

"What if I have to sneeze?"

"Hold it in!"

As Sebastian laughed, I lost myself in the stroke of brush on canvas. In the way the colours spread across the page, intertwining with themselves like the sounds of a beautiful symphony. I painted the sky the lightest shade of blue, not a cloud in sight. The trees were a collage of green, a patchwork of light and dark. The pond was even lighter than the sky, a blue that nearly looked white on the canvas.

But by far my favourite part to paint was Sebastian. The way his midnight black hair contrasted with the light sky. The way the sun hit his golden skin and made it shine like diamonds. The dips and curves of his face and the hard lines of the muscles beneath his skin. The bow of his full lips and the sharp lines of his jaw, all the way up to his soft eyes the colour of a black hole.

Like Caleb, the painting didn't do him justice.

Painting was intimate for me. Caleb was the only person I had ever painted, the only person I had ever wanted to paint. But painting Sebastian felt different — it felt right in a new way.

Sebastian was as still as a statue the entire time, not saying a single word. I had to stop for a moment to make sure his chest was still rising and falling. When my gaze met his, he was already watching me with an unreadable expression on his face — like stone.

I had learned to mask what I was feeling inside a long time ago. And something told me Sebastian had learned that, too.

"Done," I breathed, what felt like hours later, as I stared at the completed painting on my lap. I glanced up at Sebastian and grinned proudly. I had really done it. I painted.

Caleb would be proud, I thought. And, I knew it was true.

Sebastian sat up slowly, his movements fluid, and walked behind me to peer over my shoulder. I heard his sharp intake of breath.

"When you said you liked to paint ... I didn't think you meant like that."

My grin grew even wider. "You like it?"

"Rose, that's incredible." I revelled in his compliment. "Where did you learn to paint like that?"

"My—" I paused, searching for the right word. "— ex-boyfriend. He inspired me to start and once I did... I couldn't stop. He's the only person I've ever painted." I looked up at Sebastian and smiled. "And now you, too."

I could see the questions popping into Sebastian's mind and I was terrified for a moment that he would ask — that I would have to talk about Caleb and his death. To my own relief, Sebastian didn't comment on it.

"Your work deserves to be seen, Rose."

I felt a pang in my heart, that iron hot knife sliding down once again. "He used to say that to me, too," I whispered so slow I barely heard it myself.

I stood up suddenly, filled with the urge to move. To do something. I placed the painting on the rock and packed up the supplies, storing them carefully in the backpack Sebastian had brought.

Turning around, I gasped at Sebastian who was standing directly in front of me. My cheeks heating up in embarrassment. The air had dried his hair that now hung around his face in soft waves, curling at his ears.

"Sebastian," I breathed before looking away quickly. The guilt in my heart was eating me alive. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to figure you out." He said slowly, his eyes searching my face before lingering on my mouth.

I laughed nervously and crossed my arms over my chest. "There's not much to figure out."

Sebastian shook his head quickly. "I don't believe that for a second, Rose. I can see the secrets in your eyes. The ones you try to hide from everyone. Maybe even from yourself."

"I don't have any secrets," I lied. "I'm just a girl with a broken heart."

Sebastian's hand reached out and lightly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "You're a lot more than that."

My eyes locked on his. "And what about you, Sebastian? What about your secrets?"

The corners of his mouth curved up into a lopsided grin. "Maybe someday I'll tell you them."

"Then maybe someday I'll tell you mine, too."

Sebastian sighed, his hand dropping from my face. He took a step back and picked up his clothing from the floor before he began to get dressed.

"Thank you for bringing me here." I said awkwardly, still recovering from the moment we just shared.

"Thank you for painting me." He chuckled. "Can't say anyone has ever done that before." His tugged on his shirt and smirked at me. "Or called me a sexy-lumberjack."

I groaned and walked to pick up my painting, just to have my back to him and hide the heat covering my cheeks.

Sebastian was waiting at the tree line, clothing on and backpack slung over his shoulders, when I turned around. I fell into step beside him, holding my painting in both hands, as we trudged back down the familiar path, back home.

Home. The word drifted uneasily in my mind. These woods, those cabins, these people, didn't feel like home.

But like all things in this forest, they had the potential to grow into it.

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Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter — it's one of my favourites I've ever written, actually. What are you thoughts on Sebastian? What secrets do you think he's hiding? Any theories?

Until next time!