The perfect way to say I love you.
It was meant to be the perfect way to say I love you. An expensive gift (preferably jewellery), a fresh red rose mounted on a breakfast tray of fried toast, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, sausages and a cup of the best coffee available. And to top it off, the mornings paper beside it.
The magazine article Fred Weasley had come across in one of his mothers magazine's lay on the kitchen table of the burrow, surrounded by empty egg boxes, bacon packets and teabags.
The Perfect Way To Say I Love You
In nine easy steps,
by Maureen Dimple.
1. The mornings local paper
2. A freshly cut red rose
3. Fried toast with butter
4. Bacon
5. Sausages
6. Scrambled eggs with salt and pepper at the side
7. Searing hot coffee
8. An expensive gift
9. And most importantly… those three simple words.
Of course, the article had merely been the inspiration; the girl he was attempting to woo would not have appreciated half the things on the list. The article had crossings out and hand written scribbles all over it, so it almost obscured the original text.
Such phrases as "Coffee makes her shake… give her tea instead", "Likes to read the quibbler instead… makes her laugh" and "Doesn't like the smell of roses… favourite flowers are sunflowers" were dotted here and there, and even little diagrams of how the breakfast tray would be made up could be seen.
However, this wonderful and somewhat ingenious way of saying 'I Love You' was much easier to think about than it was to do.
A sunny morning during the school summer holidays found Fred Weasley coughing up smoke and attempting to clear the air by using his hands as a fan. It was a complete disaster. The only sunflower he had managed to find in the lavish garden of the burrow had been gnawed by insects, the toast had burnt, the eggs had stuck to the pan, there was no milk left for the tea and the bacon and sausages had caught fire, engulfing the entire kitchen in thick black smoke.
Holding his hands out in front of him to prevent himself walking into anything, Fred made his way steadily through the smoke, and exited the kitchen, shutting the door behind him.
He slumped down on the tattered green carpet and leaned against the wall, rubbing his eyes wearily. What was he going to do now? He couldn't present burnt toast, congealed eggs and the charred remains of bacon and sausages to the girl he loved. She wouldn't exactly be swept of her feet if she had to eat charcoal for breakfast.
As he was debating what to do with himself, he heard someone enter the kitchen through the back door.
"Oh my God! What's happened? HELP!"
Fred jumped up and wrenched open the door, and the smoke began to filter out of the kitchen.
"Keep your voice down! Do you want to wake up my entire family?"
"Fred?" came the voice of Katie Bell, "Fred, is that you? What's going on?"
The smoke was slowly starting to clear, and he began to vaguely see the slender shape of the girl all this was for.
"I was trying to make breakfast. Katie, what are you doing up this early?"
"I went for a walk. Breakfast? Good God, I knew you liked your food, Fred, but this is a bit extreme!"
Fred scowled at her.
"It wasn't for me!" he said incredulously, "It was for… well, someone special."
He saw Katie raise her eyebrows and move further into the room. He, too, moved towards the table where Maureen Dimple's article lay open. He didn't particularly want Katie too see it.
"Someone special? She must be special if your going to all this trouble. But since there's only me, Alicia and Angelina staying here, it must be for one of us. Unless you've taken an unhealthy attachment to one of your brothers which, I must say, is quite disturbing if you have…"
Fred laughed.
"No. It's definitely for a girl… a girl who is not in my family," he added as Katie opened her mouth to speak again. He had reached the table now, and was attempting to slyly slide the magazine off of it before she saw. Unfortunately, the smoke had cleared a considerable amount, so that they could see each other quite clearly now. He thought how lovely she was, even first thing in the morning.
"Well, I'm assuming it's not Alicia, since your dearest twin would hardly let that one slide, and I'm hoping you would never be shallow enough to steal your brother's girlfriend. So, I'm guessing… Angelina? What's that?" she said, spying the magazine.
"Nothing," said Fred quickly, but before he could remove it from sight Katie snatched it out of his grasp and gave him a questioning look.
"The perfect way to say 'I Love You'" she recited, "sunflower, expensive gift, tea, toast, bacon, sausages, the quibbler… Angelina hates the quibbler Fred."
Fred smacked his hand across his forehead and laughed.
"Oh, Katie, it's about you. You fool!"
Katie looked at him, stunned.
"About me?" she mouthed. Fred smiled at her and nodded.
"Yes, about you. So… what do you think? Oh! Wait! Don't answer yet, I've not completed the list…" and he drew from his pocket a small parcel, wrapped in gold paper with a red bow wrapped around it. He handed it to her and watched her eyes grow steadily shinier.
Katie's fingers fumbled as she undid the packet. Inside, was a small jewellery box, which held a gold, heart shaped locket embossed with the letter 'K'.
"Fred… how did you afford this?" she asked, touching it lightly with her fingertips.
Fred shrugged and rubbed his nose.
"I saved up," he said simply, "I can take it back if you don't like it-"
"It's beautiful."
They stared in each other's eyes for a moment, and then, Katie raised herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
"I love you too," she said, once they had finally broken apart.
So, the article had been right all along. With toast, tea, sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, the quibbler, a sunflower and an expensive gift, not to mention those all important three little words, it really had been the perfect way to say 'I Love You.'
Yes, very cheesy, but I fancied a break from my other story, so I wrote this quick wee one-shot. Please review and let me know what you all think please!! Ta ta for now. Xxx.