A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)
September Event: Back to School; Prompt: 24. Susan Bones (Character)
Showtime/Act 2: One Last Time: Saying Goodbye (action)
Word Count: 543
Her long blonde hair floated behind her gently with the wind as she walked through the leaves. Her arms were folded close to her to keep the warmth of her sweater around her body. If it weren't for her kind nature, she would have denied this meeting immediately. However, she wouldn't have been able to deny this sit-down regardless; she needed the closure of seeing this man one last time to say she could completely move on.
It didn't take her much longer to arrive at the cafe that she had been instructed to go to. She pushed the doors open, welcoming the warmth from inside of the place gratefully. She shook the cold off and took a seat at one of the empty tables. Once comfortable and situated, she drummed her fingers on the table, waiting for the man that called the meeting in the first place. It was still strange to her why he wanted to do this, but who was she to deny this last meeting. Her fiancee knew of it, and she had nothing to hide; so things could only go well in her mind.
When the door opened, she instantly looked up and met the same blue eyes she had fallen for once before.
"Susan," he said with a warm smile, "it's good to see you."
"You did invite me after all, Ron," Susan replied softly with a smile, "but likewise."
Ron took a seat and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes swept over Susan, stopping at the jewelry on her finger. He swallowed and gave a nervous chuckle.
"Who's the lucky bloke?"
"Oliver Rivers."
"...Who was he again?" Ron asked, scratching the back of his head as his ears tinted red.
"He was in our Herbology class," Susan explained.
Ron cleared his throat. "Right…" he looked around. "Guess I never stood a chance did I?"
"That's the sad part, Ron," Susan said with a frown. "You did once. You didn't really want that chance."
Ron looked down in shame. "This wasn't a good idea was it?"
"Thinking that I would sit and wait for you to make up your mind?" Susan shook her head. "Then no, it wasn't a good idea." She took a deep breath. "Though it was a good idea because I had to see you one more time...for a final goodbye as someone that I feel that way for."
Ron couldn't look up from the table as Susan spoke.
"I did love you, Ron, but you didn't love me back like you thought you would. When you left right after school to pursue your career in Quidditch, I didn't get upset; I waited." Susan shook her head, and a tear fell from her eye. "I just couldn't wait any longer." She smiled sadly as she wiped the tear from her face. "So I wanted to thank you, Ron, for making me wait."
Susan stood up from her chair and patted Ron's cheek, hurrying out the door. She couldn't look back nor would she want to; but Susan did not want to be around in case Ron blew up. With her past officially behind her, Susan could move on.
She looked at her ring and smiled; Susan knew she could do just that.