Risk // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 7: The Bet

I don't know what time I woke up, but there was an unfamiliar weight pressed across my torso. I blinked my eyes hard to adjust to the dim light of the Undercroft where the candles had mostly extinguished themselves overnight.

The weight was from an arm. Sebastian Sallow's arm to be precise. His front was also pressed firmly against my back. We were spooning.

My body froze. I didn't know what to do. So I delicately and expertly slipped out from his grasp and could finally breath again. He let out a small grunt and rolled over onto his other side.

Thank Merlin.

I placed his robe that he'd generously given me last night on the top of him for extra warmth and slipped my boots back on, making a quick escape to the common room.

Unlucky for me, it was later than I expected and I ran into Imelda almost immediately.

"Where have you been? You didn't come to bed at all!" She accused me, quite loudly.

"I... uh... I'll explain later."

No I wouldn't, I just needed to get away from this conversation.

I gave myself a cold shower to try and wash away the sins, unaware I'd even let him get that close to me. It then had me second guessing if anything had actually happened. Surely not, I'd remember that, right?

The cold shower did nothing to alleviate my feelings so I took myself to the Great Hall and fed myself way too much food, hoping a full stomach would bury the guilt inside me.

"You left early."

The owner of the rogue arm sat down next to me at the table with a loud thump that almost shook the bench I was sitting on.

Imelda was listening and threw me a shocked look, her mouth agape.

Fuck. She thought we'd slept together. Shit. Well... I mean, technically we did sleep together. Just not in the way she was probably hoping.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I didn't want to disturb you but had to get ready for the day."

"That's alright. I hope you were warm enough, it got pretty cold."

Ah. That's why.

"Sebastian... did we... uh, do... anything?" I scrunched up my face as I asked. I can't believe I just dared to ask that.

"What? No! What makes you say that?" He looked almost offended I would ask.

"Nothing, sorry. When I woke up your arm was over me and you were pretty close to me, that's all."

"Ah, I see. Sorry about that. As I said, it got pretty cold. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

Damn. That's not really the answer I wanted. I burned to tell him it was alright, that I didn't mind. But instead, I smiled and ate my toast. Pretending I was still mad at him was so much easier than confessing any sorts of feelings I had, whether they were good or bad.

"How are you feeling after last night? With Ominis?" I asked, noticing Ominis sitting up the other end of the table with some other students.

"Ugh... not too great. I don't know what's worse. The fact my best friend has been fucking around with my sister or the fact they both decided to lie to me. It's a good thing Ominis and I aren't really friends anymore because we certainly wouldn't be after this."

"I know it's not really my place, but have you considered how this could possibly be a good thing?"

He furrowed his brows and looked at me, his fork with bacon on it hanging in the air as he dared me to explain myself.