Nothing was quite as annoying as unpacking.

It wasn't exactly torture, so you'd be seen as whiny if you cried about it, but it most definitely wasn't something most people took pleasure in, leaving it to be one of those awful things that you have to suffer through in resentful silence.

Rose Beaumont Price was currently practicing the art of resentful silence.

Seven hulking suitcases lay open all around the guest bedroom, their contents spilling out in haphazard fashion. It was impossible. She had no idea where, or how, to start. She had too much stuff, too little space, and absolutely no motivation. It was, undoubtedly, a horrible way to start off the day.

So she could only assume that the gods were real and were, at least occasionally, listening to her when she heard a knock at the door.

"Please, come in," Rose called, looking hopelessly from the many piles of clothes to Sebastian's face.

"Good god," he breathed, scanning the room. "Rose, this is a war zone."

"I know I said I'll try being self reliant," Rose said, sitting down on the bed. "But I can't. I can't. I'm spoilt and useless and please, call someone. I can't do this."

Sebastian laughed, stepping around the clothes to maneuver in. He stood in front of her, offering her a hand to get back up.

"You can do this," he promised. "It looks worse than it is, and I'll help out."

Rose looked doubtfully around the room, before taking his hand and getting up. "Your funeral," she said, before venturing out into the forest of clothes that awaited her.

"Pick a specific type of item," Sebastian suggested. "Say, sleepwear. Pick a part of the closet to put them in, and finish off all the sleepwear. Then move on to the next section. Sectioning it off will make all this much more manageable."

Rose nodded, though not fully believing in him. Taking a beat to psych herself up, she started packing everything up.

It took a long, long time. Hours seemed to stretch into eternity, and the only pinprick of joy Rose found was when Sebastian stumbled across her underwear bag, and very gingerly handed it to her. But, exhaustive or not, he had been right. The workload was reducing significantly, although Rose was sure that was mostly because of him helping out.

"See? I told you, you could do it," Sebastian said, putting the last of her clothes in place as Rose placed all her makeup essentials in a cupboard by the dressing table.

"No, you did it. I helped, like, seven percent."

"Which is a lot of work too," Seb grinned. "Now, how do you feel about getting dressed? I thought we could go out for a bit today."

Rose immediately frowned. "Where?"

"A place I used to frequent with my family when I was young. It will be fun."

Rose hummed noncommitally, not seeming overly enthused.

"And," he continued. "It won't be crowded. At all."

The last bit won Rose over. "When are we leaving?"

"How long will you take to get ready?"

"Um... three hours? I have to shampoo, it'll take a while."

"In three hours, then," Sebastian smiled, heading out of her room. "See you in a bit, Rose."

-🥀-

True to her word, Rose was ready in roughly three hours. The thirty seven extra minutes she had spent trying to pick out her clothes were not to be counted.

Rose was trying to hide it, but she was excited. It had been a long time since she had stepped out just because. For the last couple of years, she was almost entirely home-bound, unless a specific business meeting, or advertising strategy, required her to step out. Even Naina, the one person she still bothered talking to, she talked to mostly over call. So, when presented with an opportunity to finally dress up by herself, she couldn't help but remember how it felt, back in uni, to spend hours picking out outfits, and coordinating every last bit of accessory with it.

She used to love it.

Rose stepped out of her room, decked in a thick beige coat, a plaid skirt and ankle high leather boots. Multiple thick knitted sweaters and fleece lined stockings ensured that the biting cold wouldn't immediately turn her into an ice-lolly. She walked out towards the living room, trying not to feel too conscious. But she couldn't help it. It had been a long, long time, and she was afraid she might have lost her touch.

Was her makeup alright?

Did her purse match the shoes?

Did she look like she was trying too hard?

"Rose?"

She jumped, almost having forgotten about Sebastian altogether.

"Hi," she muttered, giving him a once over. With his knitted turtleneck and equally warm looking brown overcoat, Rose took some solace in the fact that they seemed dressed roughly for the same occasion.

"Ready to leave?" he asked, an excited smile on his face. Rose nodded, looking equal parts nervous and curious. "It'll be fun," he added again.

Rose followed him outside to the garage, not too surprised when he went and sat in the driver's seat.

"So, no regular driver either?" Rose asked as she settled into the seat beside him.

"Only when I'm planning on getting drunk," he said, clipping his seatbelt on, before looking over at Rose. "Seatbelt?"

Rose pulled a face. "No, thanks. It feels super restricting."

Sebastian gave her a look, before reaching over her, and clasping the seatbelt around her. "Having your head go through the windscreen might feel a little more uncomfortable," he said, smiling a satisfied smile as Rose sank into her seat, frowning.

Soon, they were off. Rose wasn't sure how long the drive was, but the lengthy silence didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Sebastian wasn't one to drive and talk, she realised, so instead she pressed her face to the glass, staring as the cityscape melted into an uphill woody area. It had stopped snowing, and she felt so very tempted to roll the window down.

Sebastian must have noticed.

"If I roll the window down, will you stick your head out?" he asked, grinning at her. She shot him an offended look. "You've had your face plastered to the glass this whole time," he defended, slowing the car down.

"It's pretty outside," she said, turning around to look at him. "Are we here?"

"We'll have to walk the rest of the way," he said, stepping out. By the time Rose had undone the seatbelt, Sebastian was already opening her door. He extended a hand ever so chivalrously, and Rose smiled as she took it. Immediately, the crisp, fresh air kissed her face.

Rose sucked in a deep breath, eyes fluttering shut. "The air smells sweet," she whispered, just breathing in the moment. When she opened her eyes, Sebastian had a strange expression on his face.

"You like it?" he asked quietly, his voice edging on nervous.

Rose nodded. "I don't remember the last time I was up on the hills," she said, eyes gleaming as she looked around.

"It gets better," he promised, offering her his hand again. It felt easy, Rose realised as she slipped her fingers into his. Uncomplicated. Right, even.

Not like him.

Rose stiffened, pushing the thought to the darkest pits of her head. If Sebastian noticed her face dropping, he didn't say anything. They trudged uphill on a winding dirt path, frosted over gravel crunching under their boots. After a short hike that reminded Rose just how unfit she had become, they reached a somewhat evened out area, barricaded behind a simple wooden fence.

"This way," Sebastian said, walking forward. He left her hand for a moment to undo the latch on the gate, but immediately held it again. "Wouldn't want you running away and getting lost in the woods," he said, swinging their hands.

"Let's see, so far, you've likened me to a dog, and now, what, a child?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you are a stranger. I've had to draw my own conclusions," he said with a shrug, a cheeky grin on his face.

Rose rolled her eyes, though she never really made any attempts to extract her hand.

—🥀—

A/N: How was Christmas? Mine was pretty great, given that I finally tricked my boyfriend into watching Love Actually with me. Nothing says Christmas like tons of romance and some mildly adulterous behaviour :>

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter! Drop a vote, too, if you liked it. And of course, have a wonderful weekend ahead! See you on Tuesday <3

Love,
Mimia