"So that's when I said to him, 'Mate, if you were feeling that lonely you should've just said!'"
Giggles and titters erupted around Charlie Weasley as he lifted a bottle to his smirking lips.
Teddy thought it was a little sad that grown women reduced themselves to blushing school girls the second a handsome man paid them a little bit of attention. It wasn't even a true story, Teddy had heard Charlie bragging to Ron and Harry once that he'd developed it to be the perfect chat up. True to form Charlie was looking positively smug at himself as he caught Teddy accidentally staring. A little too quickly to be subtle, Teddy looked down at his bottle and the shredded label that once proclaimed its contents to be 'magically refreshing gnome-brewed cider'.
"Have you ever wondered what they mean by gnome-brewed?" he thought out loud to the little group he'd found himself attached to.
George peered at the unharmed picture of a gnome juggling apples on his own bottle as though it would reveal all the answers.
"Maybe they get a gnome and set it swimming lengths of the cider vat to stir it?" he suggested.
Teddy pulled a face and was about to exclaim that he would never touch another drop if that was true when Rolf interjected with an explanation of free-range gnome orchards in Devon. It sounded very knowledgeable, the bits Teddy actually listened to anyway, but he knew better than to take Rolf's word as gospel truth. While George and Seamus were inescapably caught by the prattle Teddy's attention wandered back over to Charlie and his harem of middle-aged housewives.
Teddy's stomach knotted. One of the girls was now perched on Charlie's knee, practically draping herself all over him. It was pathetic really the she was preening and pushing her self up against him in a way that she probably thought was shyly seductive but to everyone else just looked desperate. She put her hand on his chest. Teddy felt sick. He imagined going over there and pulling her off by her cheap extensions and telling her to get some dignity.
Bitchy! Put your claws away, it's not like he's yours or anything.
His inner voice was irritating but it made a fair point. Charlie was free to do what he wanted with whomever he wanted, even if it was a shallow bimbo. Teddy had no claim on him. For the past couple of months since Charlie's permanent return to the country they had been flirting, or at least Teddy thought they had, but nothing had actually happened between them. Now he was starting to think it might have just all been in his head. Perhaps he had thought Charlie was returning his flirty remarks and looks simply because he had been looking for them? Maybe Charlie was just that way with everyone, he certainly was tonight.
What an idiot! Good job you didn't make your move tonight after all. Imagine the look of disgust on his face if you kissed him or something.
The chatter of the Leaky Cauldron around grew louder around him. All at once he felt so alone as he lost himself in the crowds of people. It was probably the alcohol making everything seem far worse that it actually was but in that moment of self-doubt Teddy felt as though his world was crashing down around him. How could Charlie possibly want him when he had so many women vying for his affection? He had never felt more foolish.
He tried to bring himself out of the feeling and re-focused his eyes. Unfortunately they were drawn back in to the spectacle of Charlie Weasley and his admirers. His gaze did not go unmissed as once again Teddy's eyes met Charlie's through the throng of people between them. An eternity passed by in seconds. Charlie winked, proud of his achievement, and it was all broken; the eye contact, Teddy's hope and his resolve to have a good time despite the internal torment of seeing the man of your dreams parading his wenches right in front of your breaking heart.
"I'm going to head up to my room, I don't feel very well," he announced to his companions, who politely wished he would recover soon and patted him on the back as he swiftly made his way through the crowds and up the stairs. He did not even look back or notice the frown appear on Charlie's face.