In The Aftermath

2.

-Sebastian pov-

This summer with Aria and Ominis is very different from the summers I've had previously. First off I'm not at home, and I don't have my sister or uncle, Ominis is trying his best to help Anne, and I can hear poor Aria in the middle of the night screaming due to a nightmare many nights. So many times I wanted to run there and help her but something always holds me back from doing so. You would never know it during the day, but it creeps up at night and with her room being right next to mine and sharing a wall it's easier to hear. 

I was pacing my room back and forth thinking about many things and debating whether or not to write a letter to Anne. When there was a knock on the door again, I thought I told her to leave me alone.

"I thought I told y— Ominis?" I say. "Sorry I thought y—"

"I'm well aware who you thought I was" he says to me. He walks in and I close the door he finds the bed and sits down.

"So what's it you want Ominis" I snap.

"No need to have an attitude with me Sebastian I know what's going on" he says.

"Oh?" I says quizzically.

"But I think you owe the poor girl you upset an apology and explanation" he continues.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"Sebastian" he says sighing. "you're one of my oldest friends and so is Anne, I know it's your Birthday, and that it's the first time you have to have it without her here with you. But you don't have to take it out on poor Aria. All she wanted to do was see you and include you, but you pushed her away, leaving her confused and upset. She doesn't know what today is. Remember we're guests in her home, she invited us here she didn't have too." Ominis tells me. I sigh. He's right.

"You're right" I say to him.

"There is one more thing I would like to add about Aria, I'm afraid to say, and for the love of Merlin I can't imagine why, but, I believe the girl is smitten with you" Ominis adds.

"What makes you say that?" I question him.

"Well many things really, I'm not even sure she's aware of this herself. But it's the way she interacts with you, I can hear it in her voice, it's a higher pitch and her tone when she talks to you or about you, she doesn't do that with me, or her family. She's always laughing when your around. And the way she reacted to you shutting her out just now. The most obvious one being the pheromones, you normal people can't notice it, but because I have heighten senses I can, and it's only when your around." Ominis explained.

I didn't say anything.

"Look don't go saying anything, forget I said anything really, it's not really my business anyway; but please just apologise to her and explain why" Ominis finished. "If you don't I'll tell her myself."

Then Ominis gets up and leaves the room. I have to think about everything that's he's said to me.  Out of everything he's said to me he was right on one thing for sure, and that is that I have to apologise; I did overreact, and it's not her fault she doesn't know, we just never got around to sharing when our birthdays are we were pretty busy, trying to stop Ranrok and find a cure for Anne.

Twenty minutes later, after much deliberation with myself I leave the room to find Aria. I find her in the kitchen cooking like a muggle, no less. There was an enchanted violin somewhere off to the side playing itself.

"What are you doing?" I ask her from the doorway of the kitchen. I see her jump, oops didn't mean to scare her.

"Don't sneak up on me like that Sebastian" she says.

"Sorry didn't mean to startle you" I say.

"It's alright, I'm makings a cake for you, Ominis told me it was your birthday, and I wanted to make it for you, everyone deserves one on their birthday. I know your sad about Anne not being here to celebrate with you. And I understand that it's hard for you too. So I wanted to do this hoping it would make you happy at least a little" she tells me.

"That's very thoughtful of you, I probably don't deserve it after how I treated you this morning, and for that I'm truly sorry, I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you" I say to her.

"I understand, thank you" she says.

"And thank you for the cake, I can't wait to taste it when it's all finished" I say.

"Now if you two are done flirting, she might be able to finish that cake" Ominis says from out of no where making me jump.

"Merlin's beard!" I hear him chuckle from behind me. "Shut it Gaunt"

"Make me Sallow" he retorts. I hear Aria laugh at us, she wasn't facing us anymore, but the cake she was making, and yet I could still see the smile.

__________

-Aria pov-

I was siting in the study reading a book when Ominis walks in. I say hello to him and he finds a seat and sits, facing me and looking at me, well not actually looking, but you know what I mean. He is horrible when it comes to eye contact, but that's not his fault.

"I talked with Sebastian" he says.

"Oh, that was fast, what did you talk about?" I ask cautiously.

"Look, it's his birthday, and it's the first one he has to celebrate without his twin sister here with him. He's never had to before, he's always had Anne with him. But now that she's angry with him, hits differently today. That's why he was short with you earlier" he tells me.

"Oh. That's terrible if I had known." I say.

"Don't worry it's not your fault for that, and Sebastian knows that, or at least I made sure he does." Ominis tells me. "Anyway, I'll be back in the garden if you need me for anything"

Then he gets up and leaves the room. Oh dear. I think to myself on what I can do to help Sebastian forgive me for being ignorant. I know I'll make Sebastian a cake for his birthday, in the hopes that it'll lift his mood even if it's just a little bit. Everyone deserves a cake on their birthday, no matter the circumstance. I mean it's his sixteenth it's a special one. I walk to the kitchen and start prepping. I love baking, I always have. It's something I love to do with my mother, she loves it too and taught me everything I know about it.

It was some time later I heard someone walk in behind me, thought to be Ominis coming in from the garden. But before I had a chance to look behind me, I hear Sebastian ask what I was doing. I jump, not expecting him there I actually dropped the spoon I was holding. He apologises for his behavior, I barely noticed it, because I got lost looking into his eyes, those brown eyes. I snapped myself out of it and I go back to finishing the cake, I saw Ominis come in from behind Sebastian, and thought it funny he was able to scare him while I listen to their banter.