"What do you mean, you're 'pretty sure?' Last night you said you loved me without any hesitation and now you're just 'pretty sure'?" she shrieks, jumping up from the kitchen table. "I can't believe you!"
Scorpius refrains from rolling his eyes. "Rose, calm down. I didn't mean it."
She gapes. "Oh, you didn't mean it? You just thought you'd say it, just joking around and all? You think that's funny, toying with a girl's emotions, do you?"
Scorpius is having a hard time following all of this. "What? No, Rose, forget I said anything. I love you. And I'm one hundred percent sure, okay?" He stands up and walks over to hold her but she backs away.
"Ha! As if you can just say you're sorry and be done with it. Do I seem like an idiot to you, Scorpius? Do you not remember who got all O's on her NEWTs?"
"Six years ago," he can't help but add under his breath. Unfortunately for him, she hears him very clearly.
"You are the absolute worst boyfriend anyone in the whole bloody universe could experience!"
Now she's starting to wear on his calm demeanor. "Rose, can you just drop it? You're so dramatic."
"Am not!" she cries, slamming her fist on the kitchen table hard enough to knock over her glass of orange juice. "Ugh!" she laments, watching her crossword puzzle absorb the juice.
"You are! Did you just see what you did? It was totally unnecessary! And, pardon me for asking, Miss Straight O's, but is that not the very definition of dramatic?"
"Screw you!" she replies, storming to the bedroom. He follows her, and watches as she stuffs newly-ironed shirts and skirts and pants into her carpet bag.
He sighs, his temper already calming down a bit. "Rose, don't leave. You really don't have to."
She sniffs, her nose high in the air as she reaches for a lost shoe under the bed. "Yes, I do, for your information. I need to get the hell out of here before you can have a chance to break my poor little heart beyond repair."
So dramatic.
"Merlin, Rose. You don't really mean this, do you?"
"I most certainly do, you meathead!" Her voice is rising again. "If you think that I'm just going to stick around with a guy who is only 'pretty sure' he loves me, then you don't know me at all! Which is just another reason for me to leave!"
See, if she wasn't threatening to leave him, it might have been cute. Instead it's just irritating him.
"Fuck, Rose. If you're going to leave again then just get out of here! I don't have time for all of your bloody antics."
She gives him a disgusted look. "Oh, fuck you, Scorpius! I'll leave when I'm fucking ready!"
She marches out of the bedroom and into the living room, where he follows her once again. She pulls a couple books off the shelf before kicking over the coffee table. The vase of flowers he brought her the night before cracks and breaks.
"That was totally unnecessary!"
"You know what's totally unnecessary? Stringing me along like that, you big ponce!" she says, dropping the books from her arms to poke him vigorously in the chest as she speaks. She picks up the books and goes back into the kitchen, where the front door of their flat is. She opens it and looks back.
"I wasn't stringing you along! This is completely unfair." His voice is calm again. He doesn't want her to leave, even if she is neurotic. "Rose, I love you. You know that."
She sniffs again. "All I know is that this is goodbye, Mister Malfoy. Don't try to find me. I don't want you too," she says like a true diva.
He gives up. "Fine, but you can't come back this time, Rose!" Because he is so sick of her stringing him along and playing with his emotions. He doesn't have the patience for her to keep leaving just to come back.
"Fine," she agrees. "In that case," she walks over to the stove and picks up the tea kettle, "I'll be taking this with me." She opens the fridge and pulls out the bottle of orange juice. "And this."
With an overflowing carpet bag in one hand and stack of books, a kettle, and a bottle of orange juice supported by her arm and chest, she walks out with as much dignity as any women in only her now-ex boyfriend's tee shirt.
When she's in the hallway, she shouts, "I would slam the door right now if I could, you bastard!"
"Fine!" he shouts back, and slams the door behind her.
He sighs, tired and kind of relieved and also resigned. Because he does love her, very much. But they're so different. He tries to be, for the most part, the calm one, in order to balance out her loud and dramatic personality. Which is something he loves about her, even if it's tedious and exhausting. It's worth it.
So maybe this time she's really not going to come back.
He slides his back down the door until he's sitting on the floor. Why did he have to say that?
Well, it's true, in the moment it was the right thing to say. And he is so fucking tired of her making him think they're over just to walk right back into his life a day later. And while the walking back into his life isn't that bad (because he loves her, for some reason, and also because they usually end up having amazing sex), the walking out thing has gotten so draining on him. It's just not fair.
So maybe he should just not let her back, the next time she comes knocking on his door like he always does. Maybe he should find a nice, sane girl who wouldn't dream of knocking over the nice coffee table they bought together, or stealing his tea kettle, or pretending to break up with him every time he slips up.
But he wants that. He wants Rose and her flair for drama. The way she knocks over his coffee table is sexy. The way she stole his kettle was adorable. The way she pretends to break up with him... well, if nothing else, it always keeps him on his toes. And while he should hate her, he should call the Healers on her and ask them to take her away, he loves her for it all.
Well, at least he knows where to find her.
Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour (although no longer run by Fortescue, may he rest in peace) is where Rose goes when she's feeling anything particularly strongly, whether that be joy or depression. And she's there, the only customer. He can see her through the window, sitting on one of the high stools with her head laid down on the ice cream bar next to a tall chocolate milkshake.
The middle aged witch who runs the place now pats her hand.
Scorpius walks in as quietly as possible, but the bells on the door jangle. Rose doesn't look up, but the witch says, "Hi, welcome to Fortescue's."
He nods as way of hello, and pretends to looks at a poster of all the flavors on the wall.
"Listen dear," he hears the witch murmur to Rose, who has been motionless even since before Scorpius entered, "It's good that you guys are done. He sounds like a big jerk, to hurt such a sweet girl like you."
Scorpius nearly snorts. Rose is a lot of things that he loves, but sweet is not one of them. She's vicious, not sweet. Vicious!
"Why did he say I couldn't come back? He's always wanted me to come back before." Her voice is so quiet, Scorpius has to strain to hear it.
"Oh, dear. It can't be that bad. He probably just wanted time to clean up before you came back."
The thought to clean up has never occurred to Scorpius until now. Oh.
"Maybe he's already got himself another girlfriend. The arse."
Scorpius nearly laughs and the witch glares at him from behind the counter.
"Excuse me, sir, but it's rude to eavesdrop."
Scorpius says, "Sorry, ma'am," without thinking about it, but Rose hears his voice and immediately whips her head around.
"You arse!"
"Rose, I-"
She stands up, and he notices the tear tracks on her face. "I cannot believe you! Really, the nerve! After you were so terrible to me!"
"Rose, calm down. I love you. Calm down," he says, grabbing her hand in his.
"Don't tell me to calm down! You came here just so you could rub it in my face, didn't you? You're the absolute worst!"
Scorpius sighs. "Rose, could we sit down for a minute?"
Rose thinks about it, glances at the witch, who nods, and she obliges. "Fine. But make it quick. I have- I have better things to do with my time."
Scorpius sits down beside her, and waits for her to take a long sip from her milkshake.
"So what do you want?" she says, finally.
"Well," he starts, but he notices that the witch behind the counter is watching them. She notices him staring at her and her mouth pops into an "o" and she hurries into the back room. "Well, Rose, I want to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said that, and I'm sorry I told you not to come back. Because I didn't really mean it. I love you, and I want us to be together."
She stops herself from smiling. "How do I know I can trust you again?"
"Gosh, Rose. I should be asking you! If anyone's playing with anyone else's emotions, it's you who's playing with mine!"
She looks as though he's slapped her. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Sorry, it's just that, every time you break up with me, it feels like I'm dying. I'm so worried that you're not going to come back sometimes. And then you do, and then you leave me, and it's ten times worse than the time before."
"Oh, Scorpius," she says softly, a small smile on her face. "You really mean that?"
He nods. "Of course I do. I love you."
"Oh, what was that? You what me?" she teases.
"I love you!"
"And you're not just pretty sure?" she asks to confirm.
"I'm so sure that I would swear my life on it."
"Good," she commends. "And I suppose I'm sorry, too."
"So does this mean you're not going to walk out anymore?" he asks, holding her hand.
She giggles. "No, I still plan to."
"Oh yes, so sorry indeed," he mutters.
"But I'll guarantee you something," she adds. "I'll always come back."
And even though it's completely crazy, it's the exact type of crazy he likes.
A/N I love Rose in this. Even though she'd be kind of terrible in real life, I really like her. Crazy as she is.
Also, two one-shots in two days? Whaaaaaat?
Yeah, I know. Pretty cool. Heh.
Although, this one is a very great deal different than "Sick." (Which, for those of you who haven't read it, should read, btdubs)
So, anyways, please review!
xx
Ali