dedicated to dork-with-glasses
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every time I look at you
no matter what I'm going through
it's easy to see
cause you're everything to me
- Every time I look at You, Kiss
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She's his little piece of foreverafter.
He blinks, then again and then once more for luck because he can't quite believe she's real. He watches her closely examining every detail of her from each freckle scattering her face to the length of her perfect legs. He can't quite believe that she belongs to him because she's all shimmer and shine and he can't help wondering if he even deserves her. For some reason she chose him over any man she could have had and he has never been more grateful that she did. He really can't imagine a life without her because it feels like she was made to fit him exactly.
As he watches her he notices that famous, dreaded blush creep up her cheeks burning her face almost the same vibrant colour as her hair.
"Sage," she mumbles avoiding his eyes, "can you please stop staring at me?"
He blinks up at her from where he is lying across their bed and then smiles at the coy way she isn't looking at him. He gets to his feet and cross to where she is standing in front of the long mirror, dressed only in her underwear with her wand in her hand desperately trying to curl her hair. He wraps his arms around her.
"Sorry," he whispered delicately in her ear, "I suppose I just can't help myself."
"You make me nervous when you stare at me," she tells him looking at him in the mirror.
He smiles and holds her just that little bit tighter to his chest dropping a kiss on the bare skin of her shoulder.
"Well maybe if you weren't so ravishing I'd be able to take my eyes off you."
Her blush deepens but she smiles at him and her cobalt blue eyes seem to sparkle. His stomach seems to do a somersault as he looks at her in the mirror with half of her flame red hair in curls and the other half poker straight.
"What happened to delectable?" she asks with a laugh as his breath tickles her throat.
"I have just decided that ravishing is a far better word to describe you," he declares his lips brushing her shoulder once more. "You look incredible."
"Sage, I'm only in my underwear."
He grins at her as he rests his chin on her shoulder.
"You look incredible in anything but especially in your underwear. You're the most beautiful creature in the world."
She laughs again and he reveals in the sound.
"I'd better not tell Gloria that," she says humorously, "or she'll be very put out with you."
He smiles against the skin of her neck as he presses as kiss there. He had never really clicked with Gloria whom he found self centred and manipulative. When he had first met her she had been overly charming, almost flirtatious. She relied heavily on her stunning good looks and she was obviously used to men hanging on her every word which didn't bode well when Sage all but ignored her. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful but next to Roxanne she paled in comparison.
"You know it's hard to get ready when you've got your arms wrapped around me," she interrupts his thoughts.
"Oh sorry," he says reluctantly unwrapping his arms from around her as he glances at the clock. "Maybe I should head over early and help out or else I'll probably just sit here and stare at you. I might even drool a little bit."
She turns and slaps his arm playful.
"Ha ha," she says her voice laced with sarcasm. "I hardly think I'm worth drooling over."
"You are without doubt the most beautiful, gorgeous, ravishing, stunning woman I know," Sage tells her tucking a stray curl behind her ear.
"You can hardly say that with Olly and Victoire around."
Sage rolls his eyes. All the Weasley girls seemed to have a complex about Victoire. He didn't really understand why. She was beautiful but she was too perfect and her porcelain doll features didn't really do anything for him. Olly's beauty was something he well appreciated but he had never looked at her as more than a friend. Her beauty didn't move him or stir any non platonic feelings in him.
"Of course I can," he reassures her. "There is nothing more beautiful to me than you. I'll head over now. I'll see you when you're ready."
"Okay, see you soon," she tells him leaning forward for a kiss which he gently bestows on her mouth.
"Remember, eight."
She nods and he gives her one fleeting smile before he disappears with a loud crack.
.
He lands in the middle of an extravagant living room. The fire is crackling in the grate throwing the green and grey sofas into sharp relief. He glances around. The room is empty but he can see light flooding in from the open doorway. He heads towards the light and as he draws near he can hear familiar voices. He pushes open the door to find stairs that he knows lead down to the kitchen. He makes his way down the steps towards the voice and pushes open the door at the bottom.
"Sage!" he is greeted by a chorus of voices.
He grins.
"Hello you lot," he says. "What are you doing down here"
In the cavernous kitchen sitting around the enormous table are his various, assorted friends, their faces lit by the hundreds of candles floating in the air. Olly looks stunning in an emerald top with a pair of black jeans. She is flanked by James and Fred both wearing identical grins. Fred's girlfriend Ava was sitting next to him and on the other side of the table is Olly's twin brother Jake with his girlfriend Taggie. Alex Flint was next to Taggie holding what Sage recognised as a cocktail glass in his hands and Eric Nott was at the top of the table twirling a cocktail stick with an olive on the end in his hand.
"We're drinking margaritas," Olly tells him lifting her glass in a toast. "Where's Roxy?"
"She's just finishing getting ready," he says as he moves towards the table. "I came ahead because I was distracting her whilst she was trying to curl her hair."
"What were you doing," laughs Fred, "telling her not to curl her hair with her mouth open?"
Sage neatly slaps Fred across the back of his head.
"I hate to break it to you Fred," says Jake with a grin, "but Roxy having her mouth open whilst curling her hair is probably a lot easier to watch than you having your mouth open whilst you're chomping on something."
"Hey! I'm not that bad," protests Fred outraged.
"Are too," Jake retorts.
"Am not."
"Are too," choruses everyone else.
"Okay, fine, fine," mutters Fred looking miserable, "gang up on me."
"Aw Fred baby," coos Ava ruffling Fred's hair.
He grins.
"So a margarita for you Sage?" asks Olly her hand reaching for the bottle as the doorbell rings through the house. "Merlin, that'll be Lily and Teddy. For some reason Teddy refuses to apparate into the front room."
"I'll get Sage the margarita, Ol," Jake tells his sister as she disappears out of the room and up the stairs. "Would you like it dirty Sage?"
Sage frowned. He has never had a margarita before. It sounds like it's a muggle drink but then he couldn't really expect anything better from Olly. She enjoys muggle drinks, muggle books, muggle pastimes like television and even muggle music.
"I have no idea how I would like it since I've never had one before," Sage informs Jake taking a seat on the barstool beside him.
Jake grins at him and begins pouring some clear liquid into a metal tumbler. Sage frowns a little wondering what on earth could be in store from him as Jake picks up a green bottle pours yet more clear liquid into the tumbler.
"Don't look so worried, Sage," says Alex as he sips his own margarita. "It's actually quite nice."
Sage nods looking sceptical but no one notices as Olly returns to the kitchen with Teddy and Lily in tow. Lily looks stunning in a clinging bodycon black dress with some skyscraper heels, her inverted bob messily arranged around her face and her eyes dark. Beside her Teddy towers above her with his hair a bright turquoise wearing black jeans ripped around his knees and a t-shirt the same colour as his hair. They make a stunning couple. Sage greets them with everyone else and as Jake offers them margaritas he pulls Olly to the side.
"Hey, I just wanted to make sure it's still okay to ... well, you know."
Olly looks at him like he's crazy.
"Of course it's okay Sage," she tells him. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well," he says feeling a little awkward, "I just didn't really want to steal your thunder."
Olly looks incredulous before she bursts out laughing.
"Don't be ridiculous."
He feels a little silly now but he just grins at Olly as the door behind her opens a little.
"Hey everyone."
"Roxy!"
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Ting. Ting. Ting.
He looks up to the top of the table where Olly is now standing with James having caught everyone's attention by tapping her glass with her knife. They both have stupidly happy smiles plastered on their faces that Sage can't help but smile as well. Along with Fred, James and Olly have been his best friends since they were born and sometimes he still finds them being a couple a little strange. Not because it changed their friendship in anyway but because they are so perfect for each other, like two halves of a whole, that it doesn't seem like it could have been any other way.
"Well," mumbles James looking down at his chest a little, "I'm not amazing at making speeches. In fact, unless it's telling the Daily Prophet to bugger off, I'm not great at making public comments at all but I know my wonderful fiancée and soon-to-be wife would like to say something."
Olly smiles at him adoringly for a minute and Sage catches Fred's eye across the table.
"Pass me the sick bucket," he mouths and Sage just has to grin.
"I want to say thank you all for coming," Olly begins looking round the table. "I know we both have a hen party and a stag do coming up closer to the wedding but this will be the last time we all go out together. This party is supposed to be about friends and our friendship and how grateful James and I are to each of you for shaping us, for making us who we are separately and together. I would like to say thanks to Lily, Taggie and Ava for being my bridesmaids and, of course Roxy, for being my Maid of Honour."
"I would like to say thanks to Sage, Fred and Jake for offering to be my groomsmen," James adds, "and although he is unavailable tonight because of work my little brother Albus deserves thanks for being my best man. Teddy, Alex and Eric, Olly and I, would like to thank you three as well for being our ushers."
Olly smiles suddenly looking a little tearful and Sage feels horrified because Olly crying is rare and upsetting spectacle.
"You are the greatest friends a couple could wish for," she tells them raising her glass from the table and holding it up in the air. "To friends."
Sage lifts his glass with the others and toasts it.
"To friends."
Olly shakes her head a little and Sage can see the way James squeezes her hand tightly as she set her glass back on the table to wipe under her eyes.
"Now Sage," she says looking up at him her eyes glistening, "I believe you have something you wanted to say."
He nods as he begins to rise from his chair and suddenly his legs seem to be made of jelly. He pulls his chair back from him as he looks around the table, attempting to swallow the lump in his throat before his gaze lands on the perfect creature beside him, Roxanne. Slowly he turns to her and she looks up at him with confusion in her eyes as he puts his hand in his pocket to feel the smooth surfaces of a small box. He pulls it from his pocket before he gets swiftly down on one knee, without thank Merlin, falling over. He can feel the sweat popping out on his forehead as Roxy's eyes go wide in realisation and there is complete silence, not even the sound of the others breathing.
"Roxanne Weasley," he says in a wavering voice and he swallows trying to steady it, "I love you more than I could ever tell you in words and I was wondering if you would do me the immense honour of marrying me?"
It feels like his heart has stopped for a moment before it start thundering away in his chest again and Roxy is looking at him with amazement in her beautiful cobalt blue eyes. She's all shimmer and shine and he can't quite believe she's his so he wants to hold onto her forever and ever. The moment feels like eternity as he pops open the box to reveal the ruby ring nestled in black velvet and his fingers are trembling as he takes it out of the box. He watches her as a tear forms in her right eye and he swallows harder trying to steady his nerves and he can't believe how long this one moment is.
"Yes," she whispers. "Of course yes."
As she holds out her trembling left hand and he slides the ruby ring over the knuckle of her fourth finger deafening cheers erupted around them but he's just lost in her shimmer and shine.
She's his little piece of foreverafter.
I hope you adore it.
Kerr x.