A/N: hahaha well it's been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that. I've been sick and busy and full of writers block, but despite not feeling much better physically or emotionally I've had some inspirational breakthroughs~ I hope you can forgive my lateness and enjoy!
The beginning of the week flew by and before George knew it, it was Wednesday afternoon. Most of the morning had passed in a daze. That night was his first date in years and he could barely keep his head straight.
"Oye, boss!" Jeremy, one of the first employees he had hired when he had re-opened the shop, yelled, jolting him out of his daze. "What's up with you today? You seem out of it."
George rubbed the back of his neck. "Nothing, just thinking about making some new products, that's all." He lied easily. He'd had more than enough practice over the years.
Jeremy shrugged, "Whatever you say, boss." Jeremy walked off to help a couple customers who had just walked in. George watched fondly as the employee he had trained himself did sold the products so well. Jeremy had grown to be more of a co-worker to George over the years. He'd grown to be a friend. Not that George had ever done anything with Jeremy outside of work, but it was one of the closest relationships he had despite still being distant.
George glanced at the time for the millionth time that day, 4:56PM. He decided he might as well start getting ready. His reservations weren't until 6:30, but he wanted to make sure he got there on time, being late could end something before it even started.
"I'm leaving early today. Can you close up tonight, Jeremy?" George asked his faithful assistant.
"Big plans for the evening, boss?"
George eyes widened slightly, but he quickly covered up his surprise with a swift lie. "No, I just have some shopping to do."
"Alright, well, have fun shopping." Jeremy said, obviously not buying the lie.
"I'll do my best." George said monotone before excusing himself to his flat above the shop before Jeremy would have any more time for snide comments or nosey questions.
He shut the door behind him as he stepped into the small flat. George walked into his bedroom, sighing loudly as he opened his closet door. Most of his clothes were old, second hand, and overall unimpressive. He went through most of his closet before he found a button down shirt that wasn't wrinkled beyond the repair of a quick ironing spell and a pair of slacks. George laid them out on his bed and grabbed his wand.
"Rugam Reparium." He said with a quick wave of his wand, the shirt ruffling under a rush of warm air.
George left the shirt and slacks laying out on his bed as he walked into the bathroom. He avoided his reflection in the mirror, keeping his eyes focused on the sink as he washed his hands and face. Eventually he had to look up in order to comb his hair into some semblance of order, the face staring back at him was simultaneously that of a stranger and all too familiar. He quickly combed his hair so his missing ear wasn't visible and hurried out of the bathroom, closing the door loudly behind himself. He sat down on the edge of the bed, putting his head in his hands.
"Dammit." He mumbled to himself. "It's been 5 bloody years…" he took a shaky breath, trying to calm down his racing thoughts and anxieties. He stood quickly and paced the short length of his room a few times, trying to rid of the nervous energy.
After a few long minutes, George had managed to calm down enough to continue to get ready. He slipped on the slacks, which were almost a size too large for him, and grabbed a belt. Then he buttoned up the shirt, one button at a time, just like everyone else. The clock told him his early departure had been a better idea than originally thought. It was nearing 6:00PM and it would take at least fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant. He quickly slipped on his shoes and a jacket before heading on his way.
Diagon Alley was bustling and full as always. George managed to navigate easily through the crowd, into the Leaky Cauldron, and out into muggle London without much of a hassle. There were plenty of good magic restaurants, but George always preferred to dine in the muggle part of town if he was going out for anything special. It was quainter and less stressful. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked along the sidewalk towards the hole in the wall Italian restaurant.
Fifteen minutes after six George walked into Intermezzo. It was a small restaurant, the seating area only about the size of a small classroom. He walked up to the podium where a young man with well-kept brown hair was welcoming customers.
"How may I help you tonight, sir?" The young adult asked George.
"Reservation for 2 under Weasley." George told the host, and underlying level of rudeness and impatience in his voice.
The host looked down at the binder, running his finger down the paper until he saw the name. "Ah, yes. You're right here, Mr. Weasley. Your table should be ready in just a few minutes."
George nodded and sat on the bench in the small waiting area. He looked around the restaurant. The décor was simplistic, a few pieces of artwork, a few bottles of wine, a couple of plants and candles, nothing magnificent or eye catching, nothing impressive. Maybe he should have chosen a nicer restaurant, something a little more upscale or expensive, but it was too late to change plans now.
"Mr. Weasley, your table is ready." A waitress with slicked back blonde hair announced a few minutes later.
George stood and followed the waitress back to the table. She placed down the two menus in her hands and said she would be back in a few minutes to take his drink order. He placed his jacket on the back of the chair and sat down. George had hoped that Mai would have gotten there before he had been seated so he wouldn't have to crane his neck around to watch for her to come in. Thankfully it only took a few short minutes before Mai entered the Italian restaurant. George was stunned, she looked absolutely amazing, with her shoulder length dark brown hair perfectly placed and the navy blue dress accentuating not only her figure, but her eyes. He waved for her to come over to the table and she did, her stride ever so slightly off balance due to her heels and the carpet. She took the seat across from him.
"Sorry I'm late." Mai apologized immediately, straightening her dress.
"You're not late. I just got here early." George responded quickly before mentally hitting himself for making the second statement.
Mai chuckled. "Okay then. So how have you been?" She asked.
George shrugged. He could tell her that he had been doing nothing but working and sleeping since Sunday, but that wouldn't make for a very interesting subject so he decided to change the subject to her. "I've been okay, I guess. How about you, how have you been?"
"Pretty good. I finally got a key witness moved from Lithuania to testify in a case, which is a relief." Mai told him.
George nodded, interested in what she had to say. "So do you enjoy your work?" He asked.
"Yeah. It's really interesting. I get to travel and meet a bunch of people and learn a lot about different wizarding cultures." Mai said with a smile.
"That's good." George said, trying to keep the subject on her at all cost. "So do you have any siblings?"
"One, a little brother, his name's Nicholas. He's still at Hogwarts." Mai answered. "You have a pretty big family if I remember right."
George nodded. "Yeah. So is your brother a Ravenclaw too?" George inquired. It seemed only natural to him; most families had all their children in one house after all.
"No. He's a Hufflepuff like my Mum." Mai answered. "I'm the odd one out of the family I guess." She finished with a shrug as the waiter came back up to get their drink orders.
"Just a glass of water, thank you." Mai said, when the waiter asked her, then he turned to take George's order.
"A glass of wine, red." He ordered curtly, not adding in formalities to his order. It was the man's job after all.
The waiter left the couple to their conversation, going to get them their drink orders.
"So what about you? I assume Gryffindor considering all the decorations at the family home, but one can never be too sure."
"Yeah, my whole family has been in Gryffindor basically as long as I can remember." George quickly thought of another question to ask her before he became the topic of conversation. "Have you seen all the slander in the daily prophet about Hogwarts? I'm surprised Professor McGonagall puts up with it." He had to reduce to lowly gossip, but it was still better than the alternative.
"Yeah, I saw that." Mai said, seeming slightly confused by the abrupt change in topic. She fiddled with her necklace. It was a silver rose on a thin chain that fell just above the neckline of her dress.
"That's an interesting necklace." George said, noticing the simple yet elegant piece.
"It was a present from my Grandmum. I think this might even be from the 1920s. It's probably worth too much to just be wearing around on my neck, but." She shrugged, "You're probably not interested in my banter about old jewelry."
George shook his head, "No no, its fine. Your Grandmum sounds like a wonderful person."
"She was. She passed a few years ago. She was 105 years old so it wasn't much of a shock, but it was sad none the less." Mai said.
"Sorry to hear that." George said, frowning slightly.
The conversation went on and the night progressed. It was included plenty of laughs and smiles. At the end of the dinner George took it upon himself to pay the bill. As the two walked out of the restaurant he spoke, "I can walk you back to your flat if you'd like." He offered.
Mai smiled at him. "Thanks, I'd like that."
A/N … done… that took a while. Anyways I hope it wasn't overly boring or disappointing. I just really don't think George would be rushing this relationship and Mai's not one to push. If you have any ideas feel free to leave a comment!