Chapter Text
The setting sun emits a warm glow filling the room. I sit at my desk, my cursor blinking idly at the end of a half-written chapter. If it wasn't for the crickets starting to sing, it would be completely silent. I have to finish this chapter... and the next ten. I drag a hand down my face with a groan. My editor is gonna kill me.
A sharp knock jolts me from the sleep-deprived staring contest with my laptop. I peel myself out of my chair and open the door to find Sam standing on my porch, his hands buried in his jacket pockets. He smiles warmly.
"Hey, Rose," he says, shifting his weight. "Abby and Seb are down by the lake outside and... well, we wanted to know if you wanted to hang for a while." His eyes flicker past me. "You, uh... writing, or do you need a rescue?"
"Hey, Sam," I reply in a tired voice while I lazily rub my eye with the back of my hand. "Rescue, please," I playfully beg. I think if I try writing any more I'll actually lose my mind.
As we walk down the dirt path together, the mountain lake provides a crisp contrast to the stagnant air I've been breathing the past few days. Sam falls into step next to me, matching my pace.
"You've been kind of cooped up recently," he says softly. His usual bouncing energy is dialed down. "I'm glad you're taking a break. Abby dragged Seb out of his room too. They're up at the dock now."
Through the trees, I can see them. Abigail's hair catches the sun as she rests her head on Sebastian's shoulder. He wraps an arm gently around her waist. Sam slows his pace and turns his head towards me.
They look so... perfect together. I pause for a second before smiling and calling out teasingly, "hey, lovebirds!"
Sebastian drops his arm from Abigail's waist as he turns his head. For a fraction of a second, his eyes lock onto mine before looking down, his posture more rigid than before.
"Decided to leave the cave?" Abigail chirps with a wave.
Sam steps a hair closer to me and shoves his hands back in his pockets. "Took some convincing, but I rescued her from her writer's block," he says with a small smile.
Abigail scoots, patting the space on the dock next to her where I go to sit. "Perfect timing. Sebastian was complaining about code, and I almost was about to throw pebbles at him," Abigail says with a laugh.
Sam takes a seat on the other side of me. "If you did that, he'll just retreat further into the basement."
"I'm right here, you know," Sebastian chuckles dryly, staring down at the water lapping against the wooden dock. He glances over Abigail's head, his dark eyes meeting mine for a beat too long. "Glad you came out, Rosalie."
Abigail smiles and bumps her shoulder against mine. "Seriously. Tell me there's some dark romance in that book of yours. Real life in this town is dreadfully boring lately."
I shake my head with a giggle. "It's a sci-fi, Abby. There's no romance when the world sucks."
Abigail groans dramatically. "Ugh, not a dystopia. Rosalie, the world already sucks! You're supposed to give us an escape."
"Sounds realistic to me," Sebastian says, letting a small smirk. "Cozy is overrated."
"Of course you'd say that," Sam chimes in. He leans closer to me, his voice dropping into a warmer tone. "Even if the world sucks, the characters have to have someone they're trying to save, right?"
Someone they're trying to save, huh? I shrug. "I suppose everyone has their reason for trying to save something," I say.
"Deep," Abigail laughs lightly.
Sam doesn't laugh. He looks at me, his expression soft. "Yeah," he says gently. "Even if it's just one person."
A breeze whirls over the lake. "Man, it's getting cold. Seb, can we go inside soon? My hands are getting numb," Abigail says, taking Sebastian's hand and pulling it into her lap. Sebastian smiles softly at their interlocked hands and rubs his thumb over her knuckles.
My shoulders slump, and I wrap my arms around myself to hide the reaction. Pull yourself together. He's not your boyfriend. She's your friend. "It is chilly," I say, my eyes fixed on the water beneath the dock. I know I shouldn't want Sebastian, but every time I see him with Abigail, my heart squeezes in agony. I take a slow, deep breath.
Before anyone can say anything, Sam is pulling his arms out of his worn denim jacket. "Here," he says, draping the fleece-lined fabric over my shoulders. It's warm and smells faintly like fresh laundry and the outdoors.
Sebastian's eyes snap to the jacket and his brows furrow slightly, but he remains quiet.
I still for a millisecond before holding the jacket around my shoulders. I turn my head to Sam and smile. "Thanks."
Sam clears his throat after staring at me for a brief moment. "Anytime," he says quietly, a hint of pink hitting his cheeks.
Abigail stands, brushing her off her jeans. "Let's go to the kitchen and make some tea, Seb. You guys coming?"
Sebastian stands beside Abigail, his eyes linger on me wrapped in Sam's jacket. His expression is tight, a muscle jumping in his jaw before he nods. "Yeah. Tea sounds good right now," he says, though his voice is flatter than usual.
Looping her arm through Sebastian's, Abigail starts pulling him towards the carpenter's shop. "Awesome. Don't sit out here too long, you two, or you'll turn into popsicles," she says as they walk.
Ooo a popsicle would be so good right now. My mouth is so dry. "Ooo popsicles," I murmur to myself.
A quiet snort escapes from Sam. "Popsicles might be an upgrade to whatever you've been eating lately," he jokes. He rubs his hands together to fight the chill. He leans down a bit, his face more serious. "You okay though?" He asks softly. "You went quiet a little back there."
Oh, yeah Sam. I'm just in love with your best friend who's in a committed relationship. I smile. "I'm okay," I assure Sam with a smile that doesn't quite reach my eyes. I'm being stupid.
"Okay," he says with a sigh. "But you don't have to fake it with me. If you want to skip the whole tea thing and get back to your cabin— or head to the saloon and get pizza instead, say the word. I'll cover you."
"No, Abby is right," I say looking down. I can't keep running away just because it's hard to look at Seb with Abby.... "I've been in the 'cave' too long. I should spend time with everyone."
He watches me, a flicker of something heavy and sad crossing his face before it vanishes with a supportive nod. He stands and offers me a hand that I take. His grip is firm and steady as he effortlessly pulls me to my feet. The wind picks up, and I pull Sam's jacket tighter around me as we walk.
When we reach the door to the carpenter's shop, Sam pushes it open. The warmth hits me at once. I hear the muffled sound of Abigail laughter in the kitchen as a response to the rumbling of Sebastian's voice echoing down the hall. We stand in the entryway for a minute. Sam and I take off our shoes and place them on the shoe rack.
I feel a lump in my throat. I want to go home. I shouldn't be here. In one movement, I take Sam's jacket off and hold it out to him. "Thanks for keeping me warm," I say with a small appreciative smile.
Sam takes the jacket back, his fingers brushing against mine. "Anytime," he says softly.
Entering the kitchen, we are greeted by the faint smell of Robin's woodwork and peppermint tea. Sebastian is at the stove, watching the kettle. Abigail is right at his side, her hand on his arm. The floorboards creak and Abigail turns around.
"Perfect timing!" Abigail beams. "The water just finished."
Sebastian grabs two more mugs and brings them to the table. He looks at me. "Peppermint," he says quietly. "I remember you said you didn't like plain ones."
I take a seat. He remembered that? "Do we have any of that honey Sam brought a few weeks ago?"
"Ooo! The clover one?" Sam pipes up with his classic lopsided grin.
Sebastian places the on the table. He looks from me to Sam and goes to a cabinet. "Yeah it should be in here," he mutters while he rummages through the shelves. He pulls a glass jar from the back and sets it in front of me, his hand close enough to mine that I can feel the heat radiating off of him. His eyes lock onto mine. "Here," he says before grabbing the kettle to pour the water over the tea bags in everyone's mugs.
I love this tea. I smile, grabbing the jar and a spoon. "Yay!"
"Don't put too much in. You'll have a sugar crash," Sebastian says. He watches as me take a heaping spoonful and stir it in my tea. He shakes his head slightly with a hint of a smirk showing. "It's strong, don't ruin the peppermint."
"Oh, let her live," Abigail laughs, placing her hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "Rose deserves some sweetness after gluing herself to her computer all week."
"Thanks, Abby," I say matter-of-factly with a giggle.
Sebastian takes a deep breath. "I'm gonna go check on my bike." He reaches up and squeezes Abigail's hand resting on his shoulder before walking down the hall.
"Again?" Abigail asks, a little sigh passing through her lips. "You spent all morning on it."
"The carburetor is still acting up," he replies, not looking at anyone, but as he passes me, his eyes catch mine, lingering and heavy.
"Boooo," I direct at Sebastian as he passes through the archway to the hall. Okay, this is fine. It's not always so hard around them.
Sebastian stops in his tracks, slowly turning his head back to me with a smirk breaking his typical moody demeanor. "Harsh," he murmurs, a distinct spark in his eyes that wasn't there before. "No support. I see how it is."
"Yeah! Boooo! Listen to her, Seb," Abigail agrees. "Even Rose thinks you're being a hermit tonight."
Sam lets out a soft laugh, and Sebastian shakes his head. "Make sure to put some tea in your honey, Rosalie," Sebastian says softly before retreating down the hall.
Even though I'll never be with Sebastian, I'm happy with my little group here in the valley. "Put some tea in your honey," I mock playfully as I put another spoonful in my tea.
Abigail bursts out in laughter and points at the overflowing spoon. "Yes! That'll teach him not to abandon us for some metal." She takes the seat across from me.
Sam chuckles, taking the seat next to me, shaking his head as he watches me stir the honey into the steaming peppermint tea. "You're playing with fire, Rosie. If he comes back and his stash is gone, he'll lock himself in the basement for a week." Despite the joke, his eyes linger on mine, smiling when I laugh.
"Ugh, don't tempt him," Abigail sighs, leaning her elbows on the table. "So, now that the brooding mechanic is gone, what's the plan for tomorrow? Are you chaining yourself to that desk again, or can we convince you to actually come and hang out at the saloon for Friday night?"
I lick the remains of honey off the spoon as Abigail finishes her sentence. "Hm?" I turn my head towards Abigail. "I don't know... I'm behind on my deadline." But then again... it would be nice to actually enjoy my Friday night. My editor is gonna kill me. "But then again when aren't I," I scoff.
Abigail laughs, waving her hand in the air. "Exactly! Deadlines are just, like, a suggestion for creatives, right? You can't rush genius."
"I don't think that's how contracts work, Abs," Sam points out. He leans to me. "But hey, if you're stressed, the saloon might actually help. You need a change of scenery."
"Yes! See? Sam gets it," Abigail says, nodding along. "Come on, Rose. Just a couple of hours. We can play pool and get some fries. Seb will probably be there too, if he ever finishes playing with his bike."
I giggle. "In that case, Sebastian will not be there." I lean back in my chair. "How many tune-ups can one bike need?"
"At least three a day if you ask him." Sam rests his elbows on the table. "Honestly, I think he just likes the smell of motor oil more than human interaction sometimes."
Abigail rolls her eyes with affection. "It's his security blanket. But if you show up, Rose, I bet we can convince him to show up. He always complains less when you're around to talk about weird sci-fi stuff with him."
Sam's smile falters for a fraction of a second before it disappears when he clears his throat. He taps the edge of my mug. Gently, he says, "hey, don't let her pressure you into being the Glooms-whisperer." His eyes scan my face. "Only come if you actually want a break, okay?"
My shoulders soften at Sam's words. "Well, let me finish two more chapters tomorrow. Then, I'll come."
"Deal."
Abigail raises her mug like a toast. "I'll accept those terms. But, if you don't show up, I'm gonna come to that cabin and drag you out myself."
The heavy thrum of a motorcycle engine rumbles to life outside, vibrating through the kitchen floorboards. In sync, we turn our heads towards the window. He must've fixed whatever he was talking about.
Sam looks back to me. "Well, if you're gonna hit that goal, you should get back. Want me to walk you before it gets dark?"
Ugh, Sam is so nice. I'm glad we're friends. "You sure? It's out of your way."
"Of course I'm sure," Sam dismisses with a quick wave of his hand. "Besides, walking past the lake at night is peaceful. And I get to make sure you actually go to bed and don't try to pull an all-nighter."
Sam and I stand and wave goodbye to Abigail, taking the side exit to the dirt path. Outside, the rumble of Sebastian's motorcycle has gone quiet. Did he drive off somewhere? The trail is illuminated only by the stars overhead and the distant glow of the cabin's porch light. The temperature has dropped significantly as the breeze carries the scent of pine. Sam walks the path closest to the water, putting himself between me and the steep edge of the lake. He shoves his hands deep into his pockets, and his shoulders hunch slightly against the cold. Still, he keeps his head turned towards me, a relaxed smile on his face.
"Soooo," he starts, his voice dropping into a comfortable register. "Two chapters. What's the plan? You gonna drink copious amounts of caffeine, or are you sticking to trying that sleeping thing normal people do?"
I let out a deep breath. "I... think I'll sleep tonight."
Sam stops in his tracks for a second, clutching his hand at his chest. "Woah," he gasps. "Who are you, and what have you done with Rosalie?" He laughs, falling back into step with me. "Seriously. though, that's good. Actually giving yourself a break for once." We reach the porch. Sam stops at the bottom step as I ascend. "Well, home sweet home, Rosie. Go get some sleep, okay? And... I really hope you come out tomorrow night. The saloon is a lot better when you're there."
"We'll see," I say with a wave. "Goodnight, Sammy."
Sam's face lights up. "Night, Rosie," he calls out as I head inside.
I smile, stepping through the door and letting it click shut against the cold.