The next couple of days were busy, filled with meetings and planning for the hotel. Rose was there, right beside Sebastian, giving her input, coming up with ideas, getting to know the contractors and investors involved in the project. She even helped him pick out outfits for the upcoming gala.

So why was it that, to Sebastian, she felt so distant?

The gala was this evening, and getting ready for it should have been exciting. Hosted by one of the oldest and most influential business families in the continent, everyone who was anyone would be there. People were flying in from overseas, just to attend it. And it was a great opportunity for them to mingle, socialize, broaden their connections. All in all, an important night.

Yet, Rose barely seemed present. Mentally, at least.

Sebastian leaned against the doorframe of the guest bedroom, quietly watching her as she tugged at her hair for the millionth time, trying to pull it into an up-do. She was there, right there. And yet it felt like he couldn't get to her. Like a wisp of sunlight dancing on green leaves, something he could see, could admire, but never truly hold.

He'd be lying if he said that her sleeping in the guest bedroom didn't bother him, either.

He knew the sleeping arrangement was for her sake. And he should have guessed that returning from the farm might change things. And yet, the last two nights, he hadn't been able to sleep. No matter how ever many blankets he piled on himself, the bed seemed too cold. Too empty.

And then, of course, there was the kiss.

He raked his fingers through his hair, wishing he could carve that memory out. But it was like a poison, ever spreading, injecting itself into every fiber of his being. He could not stop thinking about it.

He could not stop thinking about her.

"Need some help?" He found himself asking, his voice deceptively level, like there wasn't a storm raging inside. 

Rose turned her face his way, looking at him suspiciously. "What do you know about hairstyles?"

Smiling, he stepped forward. "More than you, for sure, by the looks of it."

She huffed, turning around to face the mirror, and even that small act of annoyance, that small response, made something warm flutter deep inside his chest.

"So," he stood behind her, his fingers gently running through her loose curls. "This is a secret you'll be taking to your grave."

"What, that you're doing my hair?"

Sebastian shook his head, smiling conspiratorially. "No. The reason I know how to."

Rose immediately looked more alert, sitting up straighter. Sebastian reached around her, grabbing some serum from the vanity to run down her lengths, before starting.

"When I was little, I really badly wanted to have long hair, like my sister's," he twirled a curl between his fingers, watching Rose's eyes in the mirror. "But of course, I wasn't allowed. So..." His eyes left hers, focusing on her hair as he braided and pinned different sections. Rose, however, was still observing him, eyeing the way a small crease appeared between his eyebrows as he frowned, and the way the pink tip of his tongue peeked out from the corner of his lips.

"So, to make up for it, my sister let me play with her dolls. It started with her discarded, broken and scrawled on Barbies, but she eventually let me play with her fancier dolls, the ones that were almost as big as me, with long, long hair."

Rose pressed her lips together, pushing back a smile.

"And I realised how incredibly fun it was. And how easily it came to me, doing different hairstyles on them. Sometimes, when I'd go to Grandma's farm, I'd even do elaborate braids in her horses' manes."

At this, Rose laughed. A muted, breathy laugh, but a laugh nevertheless. Sebastian lifted his eyes, mirroring the smile on her face.

"So, yes. Eventually, I did get to practice on humans," he paused, leaning down to fix some stray curls. "Okay, turn around."

Rose swiveled around on her plush chair, her eyes immediately widening as Sebastian leaned down, inches away from her face. "Don't worry," he whispered as he held her chin between his fingers, tilting her face to the side as his other hand pulled out a curl to carefully frame her face. "Unlike some people, I don't kiss with no prior intimation whatsoever."

Rose narrowed her eyes as Sebastian straightened, looking satisfied with his work. 

-🥀-

For the first time in two days, Rose's mind felt clear. The gala was teeming with people, and Rose felt beautiful. Whatever Sebastian had done to her hair looked like magic, and add to it the dark eye makeup she had risked, paired with the emerald green cocktail dress that was but a few shades darker than her eyes, Rose felt ready to take on the world. The past hour had been spent with her practically floating around the room, her arm in Sebastian's, an easy smile in place. The small talk, the perfectly balanced laughter, the smooth segues into business discussions—for all she hated about this world, she also knew that she thrived in it. 

"You seem happy," Sebastian noted, looking down at her with a small smile.

Rose took a sip of the raspberry flavoured drink in her hand, before tilting her face up at him. "Mhm. I'm enjoying this. And the hotel! So many people are interested in it!"

"So... leaving the farm wasn't an altogether terrible idea, then?"

Rose shook her head. "Missing the gala might not have been the smartest move, yes."

"Construction will be starting soon, too," he added, making a small spark of excitement zip down her spine. "But, I wanted you to meet the Head Architect, first. I can manage the logistics of it, but the look of the hotel... that's all yours, Rose."

Rose looked at him, dumbfounded. "What do you mean, all mine?"

Seb just smiled. "You clearly have a vision. You pulled off the soft launch, you came up with the idea itself. This is yours. You can, and will, create the hotel to fit your exact vision."

Rose just stared at him for a few long seconds, before nodding. She could do it. Build a hotel from scratch. Make that small little droplet of imagination into something tangible. Something real.

Scary as it was, for the first time in a very long time, Rose felt alive. Felt like she finally had a purpose. Something to do, a reason to leave her bed.

"Oh, there he is," Sebastian remarked. "By the doors, come."

Rose turned, her eyes flitting across the room—

And she couldn't breathe.

In just a moment, it was like the whole room had been plunged underwater. All the voices, that were chattering so loudly just seconds ago, were suddenly gone, replaced by the sound of the erratic beat of her own heart. All the gown and tuxedo clad bodies dissipated into pure smoke, vanishing from view. Nobody else was there, nobody else mattered. Rose couldn't feel her legs, or the stem of the glass that had just been clutched between her fingers, or even Sebastian's hand on her back.

And she could.
Not.
Breathe.

Because, in spite of the distance between them, and the dim lighting of the hall, she could see the man standing by the door, and his blue, blue eyes.