Arlene POV
I swore when I stubbed my toe, and then clutched my head for a minute or two. I was in a tiny little alley a few blocks away from the coffee shop. It was the only place I could safely Apparate to without being seen. Unfortunately, it also took a lot of concentration not to Splinch in the narrow space. Although, I had to admit, the pain in my head wasn't so bad anymore. Making sure that my wand and pain potions were safely stored out of sight, I adjusted the scarf and set out for Joe's Café. I loved the tiny streets of older London, they held all sorts of fantastic shops and stores among them, if you were brave enough to venture in. It was all too easy to get lost. Several twists and turns later, the café came into view. I could easily see Vincent, nervously twisting his watch as he waited for me, a cup in front of him. From far away, he looked a lot like dad- a longer face with a strong jaw and dark brown hair. I started my trek over, and I swear, he had Arlene radar, because he looked up instantly and his mouth dropped open. "Jesus, Arlene," He breathed, darting out of his chair to meet me halfway.
"I'm alright, I swear." I promised him, pulling off the scarf so he could see why I was wearing it. His eyes widened until I thought they would pop out of his head. I smiled, chagrin filling me.
"What the hell happened to you?" He gasped, lightly running his fingers over it.
"I took something very hard moving very fast to the back of the head." I summarized, guiding him back to his table and putting the scarf back over my head.
"But you are ok, right?" He checked, and I took both of his hands.
"I'm perfectly fine," I repeated, and he slowly relaxed, still looking at my head suspiciously.
"I can never leave you alone, can I?" He joked, and I rolled my eyes, starting to laugh.
"Probably not. It's been me hurt the past couple times, right?" I was referring to our tally we had going of how many times the other got hurt at their job. So far, I was winning.
"Yeah, but nothing like this." He said with a trace of glumness, before hailing a waiter and ordering me a coffee.
"But you were really hurt when that shark gnawed on you." I pointed out, and it was his turn to roll his eyes. They had him feed the sharks one day…and one wanted a bit more than just tuna. It got a good chomp on him, and he still had the scars.
"Speaking of my job, I have a new coworker. Her name is Michelle."
"Oooh, Michelle." I teased, and he started to flush. "So, have you snogged her yet?" I asked casually, and he nearly choked into his coffee, but didn't glare at me. Instead, he started to full out flush. "You did, didn't you? Oh, is she pretty?" I pushed, leaning forward as he flushed darker yet. God, sometimes my brother was such a dork. But it was cute.
"She's really pretty, and yes, I did snog her. But that's not the point." He said, the flush starting to go away, his eyes sparkling with pride. "She's my girlfriend."
I started laughing, and swatted him on the arm. "Nice! Congrats!" I said, and he took a sip of his coffee, looking very proud of himself, and so he should. None of us had really dated since our parents died, so he was finally starting to move on a little, which was great.
"We are going out for lunch in a few days…will you come with and meet her?" He asked, and I sobered up.
"What am I going to tell her?" I asked, and Vincent frowned, thinking fast.
"You teach peewee soccer," He blurted out, and I started laughing.
"Whatever you say, Vince. I'd love to meet her. What day is it again?"
"Two days from now. And it's going to be a nice lunch, so dress up. What?" He asked, seeing something in my expression.
"It's a late game day that day. But that's ok, I can referee in a dress. It's actually easier than you'd think," I reassured him, and he grinned.
"Awesome. Great." He said, clearly pleased. I chuckled.
"You are such a dork." I muttered, and he smacked me playfully.
"Hey, no picking on me. Are you seeing anyone?" He dropped a bomb of a question and it made me freeze. For some reason, the first person to come into my head was Harry freakin' Potter. No, bad Arlene! Bad! Why did I think of him? I was his kids Quidditch instructor. It could never happen. He had no interest in me, and I had no interest in him. Right? Right. Good. "You are seeing someone! Who is it?" He demanded, misinterpreting my stiffening to the fact that he caught me by surprise.
"No, I'm not seeing anyone," I said, pushing Harry Potter's attractive face from my mind. "Serious!" I swore, seeing his doubtful face. "I'm really not seeing anyone. Seriously." I said in a much calmer tone, and he started laughing.
"Look who's the dork now." He teased, making me groan in exasperation.
"You are impossible." I sighed, and finished off my coffee. I didn't own anything 'fancy' as Vincent put it for this lunch, so I'd have to go to shopping for something. "Ok, you go hang out with your girlfriend, I won't get into any accidents, and I'll see you soon," I proposed, and he thought about it, nodding.
"Yeah, that sounds good. And remember, fancy." He said, and we hugged goodbye. We went our separate ways, and I Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and went to Diagon Alley, and from there, to Madam Malkins.
"Hello, dear, what can I do for you?" She asked, coming over to me, unconsciously looking me up and down, focused mostly on my head.
"I need a nice dress for a lunch party." I said, and she whisked me off to the dress selection, automatically pulling my size without me telling her, and going on about how certain dresses looked better with athletic frames.
"Do you want a matching scarf for your hair?" She asked, and I felt my face flush. I quickly pulled it off, and the look on her face was priceless.
"No thank you. I think I'll be free to take these off before the luncheon." I explained hastily what had happened, and she lamented on about the danger of sports in a friendly, caring, grandmotherly way as she pushed me towards a changing room. I ended up in a deep plum colored dress with thin straps and a tight belt around the waist. It had a sheer layer over the dress in the same color that was slightly wavy at the bottom. (There is a link on my profile if you are interested.) I thanked Madam Malkin profusely and Apparated home with the dress bag. Samuel snorted in greeting, stretched out on the back steps like the adorable lazy pig he was, soaking up the sun.
I went inside, and hung up the dress in my closet and stared at it. It had unexpectedly made me think of Harry Potter again, and how I had randomly thought of him as soon as Vincent said 'boyfriend'. I frowned at the dress. Why did I think of him? Yes, he was a nice man that was devilishly attractive and had at least one adorable kid out of three. He was only a year older than me.
But his wife had only been dead for three years, right after their youngest was born. It hadn't been long enough. I still wasn't over the death of my parents, and that was almost ten years ago. Even if I did have a chance, it was too soon. I couldn't do that to anyone, much less the frickin' Savior of the wizarding world.
I felt old. Vince was younger than me, and he already had a girlfriend at twenty, and I was twenty three. It wasn't that big of a difference, but it was enough to bother me. "Maybe I should get out more," I said to the dress, and downstairs, Samuel snorted.