it only hurts this much right now ━✫ sebastian sallow

chapter 14

Three Heads Are Better Than Two

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Sofiya pushed through the large, familiar gates of the Great Hall, instantly greeted by the loud banter filling the room. She had showed up a bit late to breakfast this morning, the majority of the Ravenclaw table had already filled by the time she had arrived — but it wasn't too hard to find a seat when she spotted Everett waving wildly in her direction.

"Sofiya! Over here!"

An amused smile spread over the girl's face as she approached, promptly sitting beside the curly-headed boy.

He gave her one of his lop-sided yet oddly charming grins. "How did you sleep last night? After my first Quidditch game, I nearly fell asleep right there in the field, I was so tired!"

"Tha's because you wanted to stay up the nigh' before and celebrate, you wick." Callum called from behind the two, "Always gurning, you are. You should've listened to—"

"And when did I ask for your opinion, Cal?" Everett retorted, glancing over his shoulder at the Irish boy. His expression tightened at Everett's response, and before Sofiya could even answer the question the two boys had erupted in idiotic banter. It was a bit funny, though.

She began to reflect on last night as she piled eggs and toast onto her plate — the only appropriate breakfast foods.

In the simplest of terms, Sofiya didn't sleep much at all last night. In more complex terms, her conversation with a certain Slytherin kept her up most of the night. She had said goodnight to Samantha, tangled herself in her sheets, and watched as the moon rose to the highest point of the ink-black sky. Yet, she still didn't sleep. She had wondered if what she said was sufficient enough, both for her own closure and for Sebastian.

Not only that but she felt overridden with a kind of guilt she was afraid would never escape her. Ever since Sebastian told the story of his summer, that guilt entered her ears and overtook all the thoughts in her head. It poured into her eyes that overflowed with salty tears. It forced its way into her throat, leaving a speechless tongue in its wake. She could barely stand herself.

But as Everett looked over at her once his argument with Callum had ended, his clueless smile still stuck on his face, Sofiya couldn't bare but say anything more than:

"I slept great, actually! Just great."

Before Sofiya could continue digging into her light breakfast, the commotion in the Great Hall seemed to become even louder. The occasional student would point up at the sky, and as Sofiya followed their hands she spotted owls flying overhead, varying in size and color. They all dropped letters and packages down into the laps of their targets – Sofiya included. She watched in surprise as a small Barred owl dropped a letter into her hands, watching it disappear with the rest of the flock.

Sofiya never received owls – not anymore, that is. But judging by the owl who dropped the letter, the way the paper had been tampered with, and how the wax seal barely held the paper together, she felt her heart swell. She knew exactly who sent her this, and she didn't find it dreadful to realize.

Her pale hands carefully unfolded the paper, revealing the quick and sharp letters that took over the page.

Sofiya,

I wanted to talk to you, properly this time. The way we used to. Meet me in the Undercroft?

Sebastian

Before she could catch herself, Sofiya realized a small smile had crept its way onto her features by the time she finished reading the short message. She folded it back up into the slim rectangle shape it came in and tucked it away into her robes before standing from the table.