I'm falling for him… so why does it feel like I'm flying?
You have NO IDEA how difficult this chapter was to write. It was done over a week ago but when I went back over it, I realized it needed major adjustments. I know its not the best I can do, but this chap is as good as it's gonna get. I've seriously reread it about 30 times. Sorry if I missed any mistakes.
Anyway... I give my thanks to my LOVELY reviewers: fantasygirl26, Canadian Harry Potter Fan, ActionsSpeakLouderThanWords, AzNpRinCeSsWaRioR, Ethell, the voice of singing clouds, and lozzie84. I luv ya all!
Just so we're all clear- Oliver's "Quidditch Vacation" is just made up so he can see how important he is in Katie's eyes. In case that may confuse anyone...
Enjoy!
Finally. Friday night is here. It's officially 7:01- so I now have the next 9 days off. I would be excited but what is there to do? I mean- Oliver is supposed to go on vacation and the twins still have work. Ugh. I suppose I'll just have to find something to occupy my time.
After helping Madame Farley close up, I bid her good night and apparate to my flat. I'll just relax tonight and owl the twins in the morning. I feel so much better. After spending the night at Oliver's place, I just felt a lot healthier. I have no idea what was wrong with me. Oliver was so sweet to me the whole time. He made me soup and told me a story. Then when I woke up, we came back here to my flat and watched tv. I got cold so he conjured a blanket and massaged my shoulders. It was really sweet. After that I just felt so much more relaxed. It was almost as if it was Oliver that made me feel better- not the medicine or sleeping for half the day.
I head for my kitchen to make some spaghetti when out of nowhere, I hear a distinct POP.
"Katie!"
Don't get me wrong- I love it when Oliver and I get to spend time together, but sometimes it's like he's stalking me.
"Yes, Oliver?" I lean against the wall and watch as he fiddles with something in his hands.
"What are you doing?" He looks as if I caught him doing something he shouldn't be.
"…making dinner?" I say as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. I haven't eaten all day and it's already 7. What else would I be doing? He looks nervous again. Why has he been like this lately?
"What are you making?" he tucks whatever he was holding in his pocket.
What was that? "I was about to make some spaghetti."
"Sounds great."
"There's only enough for me."
He looks dejected. "Oh…"
I can't help but giggle. "I'm kidding. I have loads of it! Come on- you can help me cook."
"What? But you cook the muggle way! I don't know what muggle things are!"
"Well, I'll teach you, silly."
"Not fair," he pouts.
"It's your own fault- you're the one that decided not to pay attention in Muggle Studies."
"Touché." Oliver follows me into the kitchen and looks around aghast. "What is all this stuff?!"
Deciding it would take too long to answer him, I just grab two pots and put hot water in one. "Find the spaghetti sauce."
He looks around, having no idea where it could be and cautiously approaches my pantry.
"Oh- the noodles, too."
There's a few seconds of silence and then he shouts out, "Found it!!" Oliver brings the two items with him. "Now what?"
"Alright, put the noodles in the hot water. Good- just like that. Put the pot on the stove and turn it on. I'll get the sauce- NO! Not with your wand!! Turn this knob- it makes a small fire. See? Muggles don't have magic, remember?"
We finish preparing the food and within 15 minutes, we're happily eating dinner.
"So… what did you decide to do about your vacation?"
"I planned it all out," he responds excitedly. "We're gonna go to 5- count them, FIVE Quidditch matches all over Europe and Asia. We're going to Bulgaria first. We leave the next day and go to Hungary and then all the way to China! We'll spend a few days there and then the last two games are in Japan. This way I can strategize and maybe even come up with a few new plays," he finishes and waits for my thoughts.
All I can manage to do is stare. Is he serious? This is a VACATION! "Oliver! Are you kidding me? Get your mind off of Quidditch for just 2 measly weeks!" How can that be his entire life? Seriously… I mean, we played a lot in Hogwarts but that was then. All of us have moved on to better things. There's more to life than just Quidditch. I bury my face in my hands and sigh.
"You don't think it would be fun?" He seems upset.
"What does it matter what I think? I'm not going."
"And why not?"
"Because I plan to enjoy myself on this vacation. I didn't even want one in the first place- I blame it on you and your 'My name is Oliver Wood' nonsense with Madame."
"That wasn't my fault. How was I supposed to know she would give you the week off?"
He has me there. I play with one of the last pieces of spaghetti before finishing off my plate. "So maybe it wasn't your fault. But that doesn't mean I want to go watch Quidditch for a week."
"Not even for me?"
"Oliver…"
"Pweeeeezzzzzzz?" Oh no… not the puppy eyes…
With a resolute sigh, I stand, grab my plate, and head for the kitchen. "Fine." I call over my shoulder. He cheers and gets up as well. I place the dishes in the sink and reach for the faucet.
While my hand is in mid-reach, he leans down behind me and whispers softly in my ear, "I can't wait, my dear."
I'm frozen as he puts his plate in the sink and heads for the couch. What? 'My dear?' And why do I have goose bumps all over my arms? Why did that send a tingle down my spine? Am I blushing, too? He's been making me feel this way lately and it's strange. I'm not like this around the twins- why is Oliver different?
I finally snap out of it and look over at him. Our eyes meet. For some reason I just panic and quickly focus on the dishes, groaning silently. He was grinning…
"I can't wait, my dear." I whisper. Her hand freezes and she stiffens a bit. I can't help but smirk. She's paralyzed. I sit on her amazingly comfortable couch and look over. Her gorgeous eyes glace in my direction. Merlin, she's adorable! Aww… and she's blushing, too. My grin gets bigger as she swiftly looks down.
Well, I can't say I'm not pleased. She's starting to get nervous around me. Not in a bad way, mind you. It's more like the nervous feeling I get around her. The nervousness you get when you have feelings for someone. Is my subtle flirting starting to take effect? Maybe so- why else would she agree to go on this "Quidditch vacation"? Sacrificing her holiday just to be with me sure does say a lot. See? That again proves that she's the one. Who else would do something like that?
Apparently finished with the dishes, Katie awkwardly comes over.
"By the way- I have something for you." Now is the perfect time. I search my pockets and find the envelope. She looks confused as I hand it to her.
"What is this?"
"Just open it."
Cautiously, she unseals it and pulls out the contents. It takes exactly 3 seconds for her to scream so loudly that I'm sure my ears would have exploded, had I not been protectively covering them.
"OLIVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She lunges at me in a blur, tackling me in a massive hug. "Oh, Merlin- I'm so bloody happy! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!!! Oliver Wood, you are the best friend in the entire bloody world!!!!"
Her grip gets tighter with every word. Now it's my turn to be paralyzed. My mind goes blank for a few seconds.Is this what it feels like to be hugged by Katherine Bell? She's hugged me plenty of times before but that was years ago… and never like this. I wrap my arms around her in return and soak in the feel. "Are you sure you want this instead? I thought you would have liked the Quidditch vacation."
She fake glares at me, squeezes one last time and detaches herself. "Why would you do this for me, Oliver?"
It's a good thing I've prepared myself for just this question; otherwise I'd end up looking like a babbling fool. "Well, we're both on vacation and you said you wanted to go. So why not?"
"Normal people don't just get up and go on a cruise."
Wait… that was rhetorical. "Uh." Brilliant- I look like a fool anyway. "Well, you see…" Think of something! "We're not ordinary people, are we? We're magical."
"Yeah, but even witches and wizards don't do such extravagant things out of the blue."
She has me in a corner and has no idea. "The point is that tomorrow morning at 8, we need to be in Southampton." Changing the subject was always the easiest thing for me to do. This is no exception. "The ship leaves at 10. We come back Monday night."
"But I have work on Monday."
"It's all taken care of."
"What do you mean?"
"I went to Madame Farley and she said it was the most romantic thing she's ever heard of in her life. She doesn't mind. The other waitress- what's her name? Heather? She's been kind of low on money lately so covering for you is no problem at all."
"Ooohhh….. so that's why she's been giving me so much time off! It all makes sense now." Katie looks down and inspects the tickets. "Wait- who are Mr. and Mrs. Everley?"
"Yeah… about that. We have to pretend we're married. My travel agent said she somehow had an easier time getting tickets. And we can't have anyone finding out I'm there. I'm not risking people pestering me for autographs or whatnot."
"That's understandable." She pulls two cards out of the envelope. They have all the information we need. It shows our name, age (for drinking and gambling purposes- it helps out the employees and saves time), cabin number, our dining room (both formal and informal), dining time, dining table number, and our 'ID'.
"According to Mrs. Lechmere, we use this thing as a 'charge card'. Oh- she's the travel agent," I explain. "I have no idea what a charge card is, though."
"This will be like our money. You can use this to pay for stuff- computers will let the bank know how much you spend and that amount will be taken out of your account. I assume that she made you a special account that will tell Gringotts how much money to give the muggle bank."
"Right." That makes a little bit more sense.
Katie plays around with the 'pass key' and looks over the itinerary.
"Oliver, you seriously are the best friend in the world. I can't believe this. This is amazing!" She hugs me again but this time it's different. My heart beats faster as she lays her head on my shoulder and wraps her arms around my chest. All I can do is return the hug and hope to Merlin that she doesn't hear my pounding heart.
A few moments pass. I have to go pack and get sleep- I only got 3 hours of rest last night. I have this thing- when I get nervous or excited (like before a game), I can't sleep. Regretfully, I let go. "Be ready by 7:30 tomorrow. I'll apparate here and we can use a portkey that Mrs. Lechmere sent."
She smiles gratefully. "Thank you, so much."
Merlin, that smile is amazing. And to know that I'm the one that made her so happy makes me feel like never before. With a final wave, I apparate to my flat.
The woman smiles at us warmly as she hands back our tickets. "Have a great stay with us! Bon Voyage!"
Oliver looks over at me as we walk away. The gangplank is in sight. I repeat- the gangplank is IN FREAKING SIGHT!
"Woah, Katie!" Oliver laughs, pulling his suitcase behind him. "Calm down. There's no need to run- we still have two hours before we depart."
"You don't understand, Oliver! The gangplank is right there!" I cry, pointing at the bridge that will allow us to board the ship. "Come on, slow poke!" I barely even realize that I'm still dragging my own luggage.
Oliver grins as I grab his hand and drag him with me. "Oi!" he chokes. "I didn't think you would be this happy. Have you ever been on one of these?" It sounds like he's out of breath for some reason… Sure, we're walking kind of quickly, but a professional Quidditch player should be in shape, right?
"Nope. This has been my dream since I was 8 and a half."
We're 3 meters from the gangplank. My heart skips beats. I subconsciously squeeze Oliver's hand tightly as we take our first steps onto the bridge. He makes a weird noise again but all I can focus on is the sudden wobbling. It's safe, but since it's connected to a ship that's sitting on undulating water, walking feels strange and my balance is slightly thrown off. Oliver notices my difficulty and puts a hand on my waist to stabilize me. At his touch, a tingle shoots down my spine. It feels like a jolt of electricity just surges through me. What's making me feel like this? This happens only around Oliver. I don't know why- this has never happened to me before.
Wait- Alicia was talking about something like this. She said that before she started going out with George, her spine would always tingle and it was hard to breathe when he was around. She would start blushing for no reason and she couldn't look George in the eyes… and when she did, she would just be mesmerized.
I suppose my symptoms are the same, but that would mean I like Oliver. Nah… that's impossible. He's my best friend!
Cautiously we step into the atrium. So many things catch my eye at the same time and my breath catches in my throat. The walls are painted in lovely hues. Marble floors and numerous grand staircases lavishly decorate this welcoming room. Rich colors are found throughout and mesh together perfectly. A small stage with a live band is set up in front of two massive glass elevators. There's a bar, information center, and stories upon stories of countless things to see. Everything is shiny and clean and it looks brand new. It makes me feel like royalty. A little bit bigger than the Great Hall in Hogwarts (though the ceiling here is barely even visible), the main lobby is meant to be used as a meeting place and connects to all the main parts of the ship.
"Blimey…." Oliver whispers in awe behind me. I look back at him. He's absolutely captivated. "You were right- it IS big."
"Oliver, this is just the lobby… this is nothing compared to the rest of the ship."
"Blimey," he repeats.
"Come on, silly! We need to find our room. Let's just drop off the luggage and go explore." I pull out our charge cards. "Let's see… our stateroom is on deck 2. Let's use the elevator. It's two decks below us because this is the fourth deck. I don't feel like lugging these things down two flights of stairs," I indicate our belongings.
"I can carry yours. I offered before but you shooed me away. Let me help. That's what I'm here for."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Come on- let's get to the elevator before it gets too crowded."
We march across the atrium. The band is playing some light relaxing music; they nod and smile at us as we pass by them.
Once the elevator doors close behind us, I push the number 2 and we smoothly begin to sink below the floor. Oliver, clearly amazed, starts grinning foolishly. That smile is so cute. It makes me just want to hug him.
Wait. Cute? Hug him? Where did that come from? I mean, I've always thought Oliver was cute but lately I've been thinking that a lot. In fact, a little too much to think he's cute in just a 'friend' way. There's no explanation for why I get sudden tingles or why he makes me so excessively happy. Why would I blush or lose my breath for no reason?
No. I don't like him. That's crazy. Preposterous!
I feel my cheeks warming at the thought.
"What's wrong, Katie?"
His concerned look snaps my attention back to the present. "Uh. It's hot in here, don't you think? I mean there's not much air flow in an elevator so that could be why it's humid."
He gives me a look. "Uh- the door's been open for the past minute." And sure enough, we're no longer in the lobby, but looking out into a long hallway with countless doors.
"Right." I stumble out and look at my charge card. 2608 is our room. Oliver looks down the hall and waits for me to lead the way. As we get closer and closer, I start to mutter the numbers aloud. "2602. 2604. 2606…… Here. 2608." I slide the pass key into the slot and the light above the hole turns green for an instant. Without delay I pull the handle and the door swings open. To make sure Oliver understands how this works, I explain a few times.
We step into the stateroom and place our things on the floor. It's nothing significant. Half the size of a muggle hotel room, there's barely any walking space. There's a small desk with a vanity mirror. The bathroom is diminutive. A small television is suspended on the wall and a queen-size bed is located underneath a small porthole. It's not supposed to be anything special. They want everyone to have fun on the ship; spending the whole trip in your room is no option.
"Umm… there's only one bed?" Damn it! I just got rid of the blush and now it's back.
"She said there would be two. Maybe they come apart."
Sure enough, after a little difficulty, we manage to convert a queen into two twin beds. That saves us a LOT of embarrassment in the near future. Although, I can't help but notice that there's still not too much room between the beds. We pushed them against the opposite walls but there's less than a meter between them. I've never had to share such a small space with a bloke before, let alone sleep so close to one. Actually, I've never had to share any kind of lodging with a guy.
"Are you ok?" Oliver tries to look me in the eyes. I look at him but instantaneously regret it. His enthralling eyes leave me mesmerized and I end up looking stupid with my mouth slightly parted. He gently takes my hand, sits me down on one of the beds and kneels in front of me. Umm… why isn't he letting go of my hand? Why is he looking at me like that? Oh, he's so bloody cute. There are butterflies in my tummy. I shouldn't be so anxious around my best friend! There's no reason for me to even be anxious in the first place! Sensing my distress, he soothingly (or so he thinks) caresses my hand lightly with his fingertips. In reality, it's setting my mind ablaze with a plethora of different emotions and thoughts and… MERLIN! HE'S ONLY HOLDING MY HAND!!!!! "Katie?"
"I'm fine," I manage to squeak.
"No you're not. What is it? You can tell me anything. You know that, right?" His voice is caked with worry.
Yeah, I know; I trust this man more than anyone. But it's not like I'm going to explain that I get weird feelings around him. That just sounds awkward.
I feel dizzy from all the feelings rushing through me. I'm nervous because I don't know what to do. Out of nowhere I feel shy and vulnerable but at the same time, I've never felt so safe because I know Oliver would never hurt me. I have butterflies swarming inside my belly and it's hard to breathe because the way he's looking at me right now is, and I do mean this quite literally, breathtaking!
"I'm fine. Really. Could you wait outside for a minute? I need to use the bathroom. I'll be right out." I'm so dizzy…
He knows I'm lying but complies. That's going to give me trouble- I forgot how incredibly perceptive he is. When the door shuts behind him, I fall back onto the bed. Just take deep breaths, Katie. Deep breaths.
I can't like him. What if he doesn't like me back? Then this whole vacation would be ruined. Our friendship would be ruined. He would never speak to me again.
Stop over-reacting!! He's not a prat like Harold! He's Oliver Wood! Your best friend wouldn't be such a git. Even if he doesn't like me back he wouldn't leave. He's been there for me for so many years now… I trust that he won't give that up.
But that doesn't mean it won't be awkward…
It doesn't matter, though. Because I don't like him. I don't. Nope. It's simply not possible. So there- problem solved.
But does he like me? He's been visiting me a lot… but that could just mean he has no friends. Let's face it- he's Quidditch obsessed. He let Madame believe that we were dating but he likes to joke around sometimes. That doesn't mean anything. Hmm… He's been calling me 'Katie-pie' and even 'my dear'. He would never say that for no reason. He has a reputation to look after! And he's been peculiarly nervous around me for no reason. He took excellent care of me when I was sick. He made me soup and even told me a cute story. A story about love. It was so dorky but adorable at the same time.
Merlin… A world-famous professional Quidditch player wouldn't do something so sweet for no reason. And this cruise? What kind of friend just takes you on a cruise for no reason? That HAS to be a sign!
Wait- what am I thinking? Oliver wouldn't like me for the same reason I don't like him. Case-closed.
With my mind set, I take a deep breath to relax myself. I'm going to need all the help I can get.
Hides Thoughts? Comments? Advice? Ideas? If anyone wants to see something in future chaps, let me know! It'll help me out a lot.
Mucho love!