I Know Places (Ominis Gaunt x F!MC)

Nottingham

Christmas, 1897

Two weeks after burying her father, Siobhan is still heartbroken over the loss. Her childhood home in Nottingham, a cottage nestled in the farmlands outside the city center, is eerily quiet without his presence. For days she wanders around in a haze, barely functioning as she processes what life will be like without him. Her mother passed away when she was too young to comprehend death, but now that she is an orphan at one-and-twenty, the loneliness feels absolute.

She is not truly alone, however.

Sebastian, the one constant in her life, has held her hand through it all, providing a shoulder for her to cry on and embracing her through the toughest days and nights. He is a pillar of strength for her in ways she did not think was possible. He is not the same naïve boy from their school days, even though he still indulges in mischief here and there. No, he has grown into a respectable man, one that her father doted on like a son.

Even though he reconciled with Anne a few years ago, they keep a respectable distance, especially around the holidays. It is for the best. Much like a stray cat, Sebastian simply showed up in Nottingham one day and never left. Not like Ominis did.

Siobhan should be used to loss by now, or at least accustomed to heartbreak. The invitation to Ominis to spend the holidays with her and Sebastian goes unanswered, shattering her heart anew. It will be three years since she saw him last and if she knew it at the time, she would have said more, done more to keep him in her life.

She would have told him how she felt.

While Christmas is supposed to be a joyous occasion, Siobhan struggles to find the holiday spirit. She visits her father's grave early in the morning and attends mass in his honor at the hamlet's tiny church. She recognizes the irony of a witch and wizard sitting in the pews, especially one that did not grow up Catholic. The priest silently scrutinizes her and Sebastian's closeness but says nothing, sparing her any ridicule for the time being. The walk back to her home is silent, except for the sounds of their footsteps in the fresh snow.

Sebastian does his best to cheer her up, even if he knows his efforts are mostly futile. Still, he takes care of the holiday meal, spending most of the morning in the kitchen as Siobhan watches from her perch on the settee in front of the roaring fireplace. They exchange idle conversation from across the room, him occasionally crossing the threshold to refill her glass of red wine with a wistful expression. She is not ignorant to the fact that Sebastian is in love with her, despite the fact he has not told her himself. But he is not stupid, understanding that she is not in a position to give her heart so freely. It is an unspoken agreement that lingers between them. Perhaps in another lifetime...

Siobhan wishes it were not so complicated.

She wishes she could abandon the lofty notion that a former flame (if she can even call Ominis that) will one day return to sweep her off her feet. She wishes she could forget. She wishes she could just...

Sebastian enters the sitting room again with the bottle of wine, softly laughing at a joke she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to hear. Siobhan stares at his face, studying him carefully as if she is seeing him for the first time. She can admit that he is handsome, with a youthful sparkle in his deep brown eyes. There is a light growth of stubble on his neck and jawline and she wonders if he plans on letting it grow out this time, always afraid if he grew a beard he would end up looking like Solomon. His freckles crinkle slightly as he grins at her, raising his brows up in a silent question.

She sets her wine glass down before standing up, mere inches separating them as Sebastian looks at her with a mix of wonder and apprehension. She lifts her hand to cup the side of his face and he tilts his head against her touch, eyelids lowering as he releases a shaky breath.