Addiction
By Orinocono
The Couple
She looked georgeous. Simply put, she looked georgeous.Everything single thing about her was perfect, from the way her dark hair cascaded down her back to the way her eyes shone with excitement when they saw me.
I found it hard to supress my joy as I saw her walking towards me, her hips swaying with her every movement, wearing a smile that equaled mine.
"I'm so glad you could make it Oliver" she whispered in my ear. I could smell the faint scent of her perfume on her skin, it was intoxicating.
She grinned up at me,with that special smile she saved only for me. I responed by pressing my lips against hers, enjoying her taste, loving the feeling of her velvety lips against mine.
"Come on" I whispered, taking her small hand in mine. "Let's go".
I pulled her along behind me, taking her away from the mass of people behind us, stopping outside in the secluded balcony. I turned to face her to find that she was smiling again, looking at me with those beautiful eyes of hers.
"Alicia" I muttered. Taking her hand in mine, cupping her face with the other. Admiring how simply georgeous she looked bathed only in the pure moonlight.
She rubbed her face against my hands, closing her eyes for a moment, I heard her sigh softly.
"Alicia" I repeated this time more urgently. I removed my hand from the side of her face and shoved it into my pocket, feeling around for the the tiny box.
Alicia stared up at me, confusion written clearly on her lovely face.
"I want to ask you something" I explained, my heart was racing, I suddendly had become very nervous.
Alicia nooded, although she still looked confused.
"Alicia" I began, my voice sounded much stronger than I had expected. "I'm not exactly sure about how I'm supposed to do this, so I'll just ask you"
I retrieved the box from my pocket and flicked it open, revealing the jewel within. I heard Alicia gasp. "Will you marry-"
"Yes" Alicia exclaimed before I could finish. "Yes Oliver-I will marry you".
I grinned at her and she flung her arms around my neck, laughing as I clumbisly tried to fit the ring on her finger. I kissed her again and I remember thinking about how perfect our life would be after this.
If only.
The Other Woman
Five Years Later
The office smelt of leather, as odd as it sounds, the room actually smelt like leather. I soon realised why, almost every inch of the room was furnished in leather chairs, each one highly polished and sitting around a long mahogany table, it too was spotless.
I took the very last seat, the one nearest to the door, I knew I probably shouldn't, manners and all; I should probably try to make a good impression. But not today, today I was far too tired to pretend I enjoyed listening to the continuous ramblings of old C.E.O s and the suck ups that they surrounded themselves with.
The large twin doors opened and in walked a man, tall and broad shouldered, carrying a large briefcase and several folders under his arm. He walked straight past me without acknowledgement, and I knew I should have known better than to expect him to.
He took the seat to the very top and opened his briefcase in front of him and started to shuffle through it. I rolled my eyes and picked up my own briefcase and followed him, taking the chair next to him. What I sat down nosily and made sure I pounded my briefcase down hard on the table.
That got his attention.
"Hello" he said, acting as though I had only just come in. "Katherine Bell-right" he looked at my name from a piece of parchment in front of him.
"Right" I tried to keep the frustration in my vioce to a bare minimum, it appeared to be working.
"I'm Oliver Wood" he continued. "Your company has shown some interest in merging with mine-I suppose that's why you're here"
He talking very fast-as though he was in a rush to leave. Well he wasn't the only one.
"Yes Mister-Wood is it, let's just cut the formalities-I'm tired and you obviously don't want to be here" I took out a long white sheet of parchment from my briefcase.
"So I'll make this quick,sign this and we'll be all set" I shoved the stationary into his hands.
He looked at my for a moment- then smiled. All my resentment towards him melted away. I realised for the first time that he was very attractive, brown hair, hazel eyes- georgeous body.
"Calm down Katie" said a voice that remided me of my mother.
"It's business remember"
He handed the parchment back to me and with the flick of my wand it disappered back to my office.
"It's been a pleasure Mr.Wood" I extended a hand to meet his, painfully aware of the fact that I had skipped out on my last manicure last week.
"The pleasure is all mine" he coyly said and took my hand in his.
I frowned as I felt the imprint of a ring in the palm of my hand.
He was married.
Go figure. I finally meet a guy at work who isn't over fifty or over weight and he's married.
I cut the handshake short.
"Well if that's all then" I picked up my briefcase and prepared to disappearate.
"Wait" I felt his hand grab my arm.
"Would you like to go out for a drink-you know to celebrate"
I froze in my tacks. He was asking me out-wasn't he married?
"Sure" I heard myself respond. It's just a drink.
But in the back of my head I knew that this was very,very wrong.
The Wife
I paced up and down the room, occasionaly sneaking glances at the large antique grandfather clock leaned up aginst the wall.
He was late.
But then again he was always late these days.
I stopped my pacing as the clock struck eleven. The constant chiming ringing through my head, infuriating me even further. It wasn't as if Oliver didn't know-he knew of course he did. He knew tonight was our anniversary-he had made reservations at Bisou for tonight. Of course he knew how important this was to me.
But tonight he chose to stay late at work. I could hear his excuse now.
"Sorry, I had a meeting-I'll make it up to you"
"Damn it Oliver" I muttered to the empty room.
I collapsed into the nearby sofa, and pointed my wand at the cackling fire, causing it's small blaze to erupted into a more lively, cackling one. With another stroke I had magicked some floo powder into the fire, making it's flames turn green. I walkied slowly over to the fire and poked my head into the flames.
Angelina sat before me brushing her daughter's hair.
"Angelina" I began.
She jumped and so did her daughter.
"Oh-Alicia-it's you-what are you doing here, weren't you and Oliver.."she stopped."Amy, go upstairs, Mum needs to talk to aunty Alicia for a moment"
Amy nodded and grinned at me, I soon heard her footsteps thundering up the stairs.
"Alicia-don't tell me he didn't come" Angelina turned to me as soon as her daughter had gone.
I nodded. "I owled his office-they said he had a meeting with Parker and Liason"
Angelina looked at me, her eyes full of pity. "Well Alicia, that Parker and Liason merger is really imprtant to his company..."
"I know" I snapped. I didn't floo her so that she could tell me how right my husband was for standing me up.
"But that's no reason for him to not come" she added quickly.
I scowled.
"He's been doing this a lot lately-coming home late"
Angelina frowned. "Do you suppose he's-"
I looked at her and she stopped talking. "I don't know" I answered.
"Alicia maybe you should ask-"
"I've got to go" I stated plainly-I didn't feel like talking to Angelina anymore-she wasn't being very supportive.
I pulled my head from under the flames and they returned to thier orange color.
I stared at them for a while looking at them as if they could give me all the answers.
With one swift movement I pulled off the ring that Oliver had so lovingly bought for me all those years ago and threw it into the fire.
For once tonight I felt satisfied.
The husband
We hadn't gone out. She had gotten half way out through the door with me when she had decided that it wouldn't be a very good idea.
I knew she was probably right. Probably.
I still hadn't gone home though. Instead I had lingered about the office for a while until a very nosy middle-aged woman had ushered me outside.
Right now I was standing outside my house, on the lawn that I had paid twenty-five galleons to perfectly trim.
I couldn't go inside. I couldn't will my legs to. I wasn't that I was afraid to or anything, it was just that I couldn't.
It was on of those times when the feeling of dread is so terrible that you just try to prolong the inevitable. A roar of thunder interupted my streams of thoughts and it wasn't too long afterwards when rain followed, pouring heavily from out of the sky.
With a sigh I started to make my way to the main house it was no use ignoring a sign from God.
The door swung open before I had even reached it.
"Master" said a tiny squeak from beneath me. "Master the mistress is very upset, she wishes to see you now"
I looked down to see a very nervous looking house-elf, twisting the folds of the baby blanket that it had so carefully wrapped around itself.
"She is upstairs" it bowed away, frowning at my now soggy attire.
Now what was that drying charm.
"Oliver"
My eyes travelled up to the top of the mahogany staircase, where Alicia stood with her arms folded across her chest.
"You're late" she muttered.
"I had a meeting, didn't I tell you that this morning?"
"The meeting finished over three hours ago Oliver, we were supposed to go to dinner, remember?"
Her voice wasn't one of sadness, or disappointment but one of anger, a tone Alicia reserved especially for talking to me.
I took off my coat and hung it on the nearby coat hanger.
"I remembered"
"Then why didn't you come?"
I shrugged and stared at my muddy brown shoes.
I heard Alicia scoff. "You are such a child"
"Then why did you marry me?" I responded, shocking mostly myself.
"Oh is that what this is about Oliver?"
I didn't answer, my shoes had become very interesting.
"If you're unhappy you can just leave" I heard her say.
I looked up to see her face, filled with what could only be called loathing.
"I'm not unhappy" I said softly.
She scoffed again. "Who is she Oliver?"
"What are you talking-"
"A secretary, a vice president-a CEO, tell me who she is Oliver!" her scream echoed through the large house.
"I'm not cheating on you" I responded finally.
"Well I don't believe you-how much of this do you expect me to take Oliver-I'm sick of it" she turned around, I heard her footsteps echoing upstairs. She came back very quickly, with several bags in her hands.
"Where are you go-"
"I'm going to Angelina's, I'll send someone over tomorrow for the rest of my things"
She turned to face me. "I don't know if you've realised Oliver, but this marriage is over"
"Blink!" she hollared.
The house elf stumbled from behind the lamp it had been evesdropping behind.
"Get an umbrella, we're leaving"
The house elf found one in record time and soon the two were trotting across the now wet lawn that I had spent twenty five galleons to perfectly trim.
The Other Woman
Now tell me Katherine how exactly does one get so stupid?
I continued to pace around my apartment, a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup clutched in my hand. It had been about an hour since I had gotten home, stripped off my clothes and started to pace. It had started to rain. Not that I really took notice.
He was married Katerine.
"He only had a ring" I told my cat " It could have been one of those stylish man rings you see in those muggle magazines"
Well then Katie you would have known that he was gay.
Yes, I talk to my cat. So what? I'll bet you do strange things too when no one's looking. So perhaps singing into a hairbrush or eating the last peice of a horrible tasting pie isn't as strange as talking to your obese yellow cat. But still, I mean you have to understand my perdicament. Hot guy asked you out, you told him no. Obviously there is something wrong with me and so I think talking to my cat is not the weirdest thing I've done this evening.
Well, at least your mother doesn't know.
"That's right James" I pointed at the feline, spilling some of my soup "And she won't unless you tell her"
My cat purred and hopped of it's perch on the sofa to my feet where it lapped up the spilt soup.
Ah, my mother. She was married at twenty two, and therefore expects the same thing from me. Never you mind that I'm twenty seven haven't had a boyfriend in two years, talk to cats, sing into hair brushes and eat the last peice of my own horrible tasting pie. She has still picked out the dress already claiming that that one special guy will come along.
Well she doesn't know me. Or know what I go through. I work at an office where the average age is forty seven, I can't meet guys because I'm always at work. And when I do meet cute guys guess what they're either wearing man rings or married.
So I think that I'll stay single thanks. My life is as messed up enough already without a man.