Melanie stopped him in the middle of the street by gently pulling on their linked hands. "Are you alright?" her sweet voice cracked a little with concern.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" he feigned utter indifference.
Apparently, he was not convincing enough. "Billy, honey. You just broke up your engagement! What happened, I thought you loved her!"
"I am not so sure anymore that I loved her. I fell in love with her perhaps, but there is very few people I have ever truly loved." he answered her calmly, meaning every word.
Unbeknownst to her, his gaze dropped to her lovely face longingly. She only hummed in acknowledgement of his words, but she caressed the inside of his calloused hand with her baby soft skin. The feeling was almost intoxicating.
"Let's go to Hog's Head!" she suggested excitedly out of the blue.
"For what?"
"To drink the troubles away, silly." she smiled, making her gorgeous dimples reappear.
His jaw almost dropped at her suggestion. "You? Drinking?"
"Oh, yes! But you sir, will be responsible for taking me home if I cannot even stand on my own, alright?"
"It's a deal!" they let their pinky fingers entwine, sealing the promise.
Almost two hours, a long stay at the Hog's Head inn and far too many firewhiskeys, they were both blind drunk and completely hazy. It was hard to determine which one was in a worst state, one would guess it was Melanie, due to her inexperience with drinking, but Bill seemed to be the one endlessly blubbering.
"A hundred suitors? I mean, really now?" Bill exclaimed rather loudly, making even bigger crowds gather around the pair and cheer along.
Melanie on the other hand seemed to bite her lip to stop herself from saying a word, why he could not tell.
"How could I have been so stupid? I mean, I always thought I was smarter than that you know?" he buried his face in his hands, but looked up confused when a pair of arms gently took hold of his wrists.
His gaze rose to meet her dark brown orbs and the comforting smile she always seemed to wear. "Let's go home, Billy." she spoke softly.
"What, now? The party is just getting started!" he cheered again and finished yet another glass.
She ignored his attitude and tried again, her small hand reaching for his across the table. Her gaze was so intense and pleading he almost felt compelled to look back down at her gorgeous brown orbs. "Billy, please. Let's go home." she spoke softly.
Unable to resist her plea, he gladly took her hand and allowed her to lead the way outside, back in the freezing breeze that was growing stronger by the minute. Deathly silence fell between them as they made their way down the ally.
Unbeknownst to Melanie, Bill's gaze was locked on her the entire time. She looked adorable in those black polka dot rain boots of hers and the way they squealed at her every movement. The powerful wind had even managed to mess with her crimson locks that were now escaping the carefully placed pins.
She let out a small shriek at another gust of wind that hit them and he took the opportunity to tighten his hold on her, gently running his hands up and down her arms.
"I can't believe you didn't pack winter clothes." he chuckled and eased the red stray locks that had fallen on her face.
She pouted. "I did. This is as warm as it gets with any of my clothes." she laughed self-mockingly. "It's always hot back home." His heart ached a little at her choice of words. That was not her home, home should be here when it used to be, where he was.
Another pregnant pause followed before Bill started rambling drunkenly again.
"Mellie?" he called out to her and she only hummed in response. "Do you think I made the right choice?" he suppressed a hiccup, trying to sound as serious as possible despite his state.
"Oh my Billy, she's not good enough for you if she can't appreciate who you are. Not even close." she spoke in a rather singsong voice.
"You're right...She never got me - always tried to change me, my hair, my clothes...They weren't good enough for her, I suppose. She didn't get me. You get me, you always have. You've always understood me. Fleur doesn't get me, Mellie. You do, you really do..."
"Aw, William-" she reached up and pulled him close into a heartwarming embrace that made him fell all warm and fuzzy inside. "Not Fleur, me. You...me...we get each other."
Freddie stopped breathing for a second. She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she meant, could she? He had dreamed of her saying something like that for a long time. Admittedly, he still fantasized about her wanting to be with him at times, but there was no way she could have meant anything along those lines. She was drunk too and at the end of the day, they were just best friends, right? He shook away the thought.
There was no point in reading too much into anything that she had said tonight. She was too far gone and couldn't be taken seriously, no matter how much he wanted it. Their words were simply thin air; they would vanish the next day.
A/N: Hi guys! I know, I know! I'M NOT DEAD, I PROMISE! I know there is no justification for how much I have completely ignored my writing for so long and left crucial parts of my works undone. But you have to believe me, it wasn't enjoyable for me either. You see I have been struggling with school and my Italian classes so much in this past few months so I decided to take a break for a while and focus on other priorities but now I'm back on track and more ready than ever to finish what I started! Thank you so much to all of you who stuck around despite the situation. I'm so sorry! :( This is just the beginning, trust me! I'll be back with more for each and every one of my works! (I hope so at least, *wink*)