A/N: Hello all! This is my response to Black Rose Blue's "You Chose the Pairing, I Chose the Song" challege. My pairing was Rose/Scorpius, and the song was Lady Gaga's "You and I." I hope you enjoy it!
Dislcaimer: I do not own HP. That honor goes to the lovely and inspiring J.K. Rowling.
Rose heard the faint tinkling of the tiny brass bell that hung above the front door and called out, "We're closing soon!"
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on staying long."
Rose's hands, which had been busy straightening out a pile of newly arrived books, froze. She knew that voice. That was the voice she'd heard nearly every day for seven years. It was the voice she grew to love, and it was the voice that had ultimately left her. And now that voice was here, in her bookshop.
She plastered a smile on her face and emerged from the back room. "Can I help you?"
Grey eyes met blue, and Rose felt her heart stutter in her chest. He looked the same as he did when he left two years before. Same tousled blond hair, same pale complexion, same steel grey eyes that had the uncanny knack of knowing just what she was thinking. Right now, those eyes were once again fixed on her, like nothing had ever happened.
"It's been a long time," Scorpius Malfoy said softly.
"It has," she agreed, wondering what exactly he was doing there.
"I'm back in town," he said unnecessarily.
"I can see that," she said, arching one eyebrow. His face flushed a light pink.
"Right," he said clearing his throat. He looked around the shop and said, "This is a nice shop you have."
"Used to be an old bar," she said, grateful for the change in topics. "Took a while, but I got it fixed right up. "
He chuckled and shook his head. "Only you would take a bar and turn it into a bookshop. But I thought you wanted a shop in Diagon Alley?" he asked, looking at her curiously.
"Flourish and Blotts is already pretty well-established. It'd be difficult to compete with them. Things change over the years," she said softy, looking him right in the eye. "People change. I decided that I wanted a Muggle shop."
An awkward silence filled the shop, settling into every nook and cranny. All they could hear was the Muggle song playing over the sound system that had come with the shop.
It's been two years since I let you go…
The silence became even more uncomfortable. Rose cleared her throat loudly and said," What about you? Finished your trek 'round the world yet?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "Sort of. I guess."
"I see it did wonders for your eloquence," Rose quipped.
He cracked a smile, but it wasn't genuine. His mouth was strained around the edges, and Rose was back to wondering why he was in her shop. He started looking around once more. "Something…" He paused. "Something about this place is familiar."
Rose fidgeted, but didn't say anything. She tapped the counter in front of her nervously. Why was he here? What did he want? Someone who left you two years ago didn't just stop by to chat. She was suddenly aware of her rumpled blouse and the wisps of red hair that was escaping her braid and sticking to her cheek. She looked like a mess. But why did she even care? She didn't, she told herself. But she didn't really believe it.
She forced herself back into attentiveness as his gaze landed on a squashy navy blue armchair in the back corner of the shop. His face broke into a real smile this time. "Well, that chair certainly looks familiar…" He trailed off, his eyebrows raised and his mouth contorting into a smirk.
Rose flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet. She knew instantly what he was referring to. There was a near identical armchair in the Hogwarts library that Rose had been very fond of. Once Rose and Scorpius had started dating, they sometimes spent hours curled up in that chair together.
"I bought it 'cause it was cheap and comfortable," she said, trying to maintain some of her dignity. "Now, is there something I can help you with?"
Scorpius finally met her gaze then. "I hope so," he said quietly, and Rose knew that he wasn't talking about books.
"Scorpius…" she warned.
But he would not be dissuaded. "Rosie, just listen to me. Give me two minutes to explain."
She opened her mouth to say 'no', but the desperation in his eyes froze her vocal chords. She nodded. "Two minutes."
"You have every right to hate me, I do realize that," he said quickly. "I left you after we graduated to travel the world. I said I was confused, that I needed to discover myself. So I took off, went to place after place. It was wonderful…but I hated it."
Rose was taken aback. She hadn't expected that.
"Everywhere I went, I was miserable. I could never be happy. I didn't know why, and for the longest time I tried to ignore it, tried to force myself into contentment. But not too long ago, I found out why I was unhappy."
Rose knew what was coming next, but she couldn't help but ask, "And why were you unhappy?"
He lifted his head, which had been steadily fixed on the counter in front of him. His gaze pierced her, holding her still, unable to breathe or think. "I wasn't with you. I'd left, and I hadn't looked back. And I was miserable for it."
She'd predicted this, but his admission still caused butterflies to swarm in her stomach. "What did you come here for, Scorpius?" she asked softly.
"You. I came here for you. And, this time, I'm not leaving without you," he said earnestly.
She let out a little laugh. "I think I've seen this ending before."
"And how does it go?"
"It depends on the book. And on the girl."
"What about this girl?" he asked steadily, his gaze unwavering.
"I don't know," she said honestly. "I don't know."
"Rose—" he started, but she cut him off.
"You left me. I loved you, and you ran away claiming you needed to 'find yourself'. Did you know that I waited for you? I waited for you to came back. But you didn't. So I stopped waiting." She leaned forward. "So tell me, why should I forgive you?"
Scorpius didn't flinch away from her angry stare, like so many others had. Instead, he stood his ground. He said simply, "I came back."
"I—what?"
"I came back for you. I know you're angry and upset. But I love you, and I hope you can take me back."
His words penetrated her anger and tore down her defenses. She looked at him, scared and vulnerable. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to say 'no' and send him running. But she didn't know if she could, and it scared her. So she remained silent, unable to speak. Unable to accept him, and unable to turn him away.
The seconds turned into minutes, and not a word was said in the tiny little bookshop. Finally, Scorpius leaned back from the counter. "Right then. I suppose I'll just be off." He turned around and walked toward the door. His every footstep rang out through the shop, counting down the moments when he would be out the door and out of her life.
At that moment, Rose saw two evenings before her.
The first started when she let him leave her shop. She'd watch him walk away, then she'd tidy up her little office and take a quick glance around for anything amiss. She'd gather her coat and her purse, then she'd turn out the lights and lock the door to the shop behind her before walking the short distance to her flat, where she lived alone. She'd make a cup of her favorite tea, curl up on her living room couch, and continue reading the book she'd started yesterday. Normally, she would be quite content with an evening like that, but as she thought of it now, it seemed unbearably lonely. She didn't want another night by herself.
The second evening started when she called Scorpius back. She would tell him that they couldn't immediately pick back up where they left off, and he'd be fine with that. She'd invite him out for drinks, and they would talk. He'd tell her about the places he'd been and the people he'd seen. She'd regale him with the tale of how she'd come by the little bar-turned-bookshop. He would walk her home, but she would not invite him in. She would kiss him on the cheek, and he would maybe, just maybe, pull her in for a proper kiss. The night would not be a lonely one.
And as Scorpius neared the door to her little bookshop, Rose made her decision.
"Wait."
A/N: Please review!