Intense
By Seniya
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So the chocolate hadn't worked. Katie had realised that the moment she had awoken that morning feeling just as depressed as she remembered feeling the night before.
Also she fallen asleep on her kitchen floor, leaving her this morning with a throbbing pain in the back of her neck, and she was certain that although she had spent most of the morning retrieving chocolate wrappers from her hair, there were still some trapped in her curls.
And she still had to go to work. And tonight she was supposed to be fitted for her bridesmaid dress.
Yes it seemed that god really loved her.
Perhaps she wouldn't have been so moody today if she hadn't decided to walk to work, but she had never passed the apparating exam, being too frightened to try after the Weasley twins had told her about one of their cousins who had ended up in France when he needed to be in Wales, headless.
She usually didn't mind walking, it was good exercise, but today she hated it. Today was Monday and Oliver was getting married on Sunday. And today as Katie walked her way to work, she felt as though each step brought her closer to that unavoidable day.
She wished it would rain, if she got wet, maybe she'd catch a cold and die.
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"Good morning sunshine" a sarcastic voice greeted her as she wandered into the office. "What's with the sad face?"
"It's not raining" Katie said to the gorgeous oriental woman, the owner of the voice.
"Why would you want it to rain?" Most people would look at the question, as just an innocent question, but Katie knew better. Annie was the writer for the gossip column, which made her, incredibly nosy.
"I like the rain"
"No one likes the rain"
"I love the rain"
Annie shrugged. "I made you a cup a tea" She pushed the beverage under Katie's nose. Katie wrenched her face with disgust and tried to expel the overwhelming smell of peppermint from her nostrils, knowing her the "tea" was probably laced with some sort of truth potion.
"I hate tea"
"But you love the rain" Annie raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow, but removed the cup.
She followed Katie to her desk and stared at her through her dark framed glasses until she sat down.
"I came by your apartment last night" She said finally as she sat at her respective desk.
"That's nice"
"You weren't there"
So that was the point of the whole tea act.
"Really?" Katie had been working for the prophet for nine months and during that time, she had learnt never to tell Annie anything about your life, you see if you did it usually ended up on page seven of the Daily Prophet, next to the horoscope section.
"Don't play with me Kathleen"
"I'm not playing- fine if you must know my mother was- sick"
"Your mother in Newcastle?"
"Yes my only mother the one in Newcastle"
"Strange how you managed to get from Newcastle to London in just one night, seeing as you can't apparate yet"
Damn.
Katie glanced at the woman in absolute amazement.
"You see Katie" she glanced at the blonde over the top of her very own cup of tea. "When you work as a reporter for ten years, you learn some things"
"Obviously" Katie muttered and began the daily hunt for her quill.
"Under your dictionary love, so you were going to tell me where you were"
"I was not going to tell you anything"
"Why not?"
"Because when I tell you anything you always write it up in your stupid column"
"That was ages ago"
"It was last month and how the bloody hell did you know where my quill was"
Annie frowned. " That was different, everyone wanted- needed to know when the Wood-Ramsey wedding was, and I was looking for some string"
Katie rolled her eyes. "I was at some awards ceremony"
"The Annual Sports Witch and or Wizard Awards, how did you get invited to that"
"Oliver invited me"
"Ohhh"
"What"
"Is that why you were so put out this morning, didn't he look at you or something"
"What do you mean…"
"Please, we all know you have a crush on the keeper"
Katie felt her face grow hot. "I don't understand what you are talking…who's we?"
"We is me" Annie stood up " And of course I know the way your eyes glaze over when you talk about him and well the hearts next to his name and doodles on most of your possessions was also a give away"
"I would appreciate it if you'd keep away from my desk"
Annie laughed. "Don't worry I won't tell, it's a wonder if he doesn't already know, and the people from the Ministry owled, they said you can take the apparating exam tomorrow night"
And with that she sauntered over to a girl named Samantha's desk, her cup of tea in hand.
She left Katie feeling very stupid, but still she had a point. It was a wonder if he didn't know.
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Orange is such a graceless colour.
It's not the first hue that comes to mind when you are picking the tone for your bridesmaid's gowns, or any gowns to be honest.
You see orange flatters no one.
This fact seemed to have slipped Rose Ramsey's mind, because her bridesmaids' gowns were orange.
It probably wouldn't have mattered if they had been a different colour. With the magnitudes of silk flowers and beads that decorated the dress they had been doomed from the very first hem.
"Isn't this woman a designer?" said a woman who Katie knew was Sarah, Oliver's manager. "So then when are these things so hideous"
"I think she designs handbags" Katie replied.
But Sarah had a point, other than being the ugliest things ever mended together by thread, none of the dresses fit. Katie's dress was about eight inches higher than where it was supposed to be, Sarah's was practically falling off of her, and the other bridesmaid, a woman called Amanda hadn't even been able to get hers over her head.
Amanda was now swearing, very loudly about this fact to the only one who'd listen, herself.
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"Here I am!" came a voice, accompanied by it's smile. It was the her, of course a good twenty minutes late.
"You're late" Amanda had taken a break from her ranting to remind the designer of her tardiness.
"Oh am I?" Rose glanced at a silver wristwatch on her hand. "Well, it's not as if any of you have any where else to be"
Katie rolled her eyes and focused her glance to her feet. Beside her she heard Sarah whisper an enchantment under her breath and Amanda resume her cursing from across the room, not so inaudibly.
"Well let's see these dresses, I made them myself you know, down to the last thread"
"It shows" Sarah said.
"Yes, I hope it does" Rose clasped her hands together dramatically, obviously interpreting the comment the wrong way.
"Everyone asked me, Rose why use orange, no one else does, but I said well I shall start a new trend then shan't I!" she laughed again, but soon stopped noticing she was the only one in the room doing so.
"So I'm sensing a problem?"
"Are you blind?" Amanda exploded at once. "Your dresses don't fit!"
Rose's blue eyes began to finally take in the appearances of her bridesmaids. "Oh, well, I was thinking that we'd have to make a few adjustments- Kathleen did you grow?"
"Not ten inches in the last month"
Rose frowned. "Well" she whipped out her wand from a pink handbag. And with a flick of her hand she had set Katie's dress on fire.
Rose started screaming, but soon Sarah had extinguished the fire.
"I am so sorry" Rose replied, she hadn't sounded very sorry and it really didn't help that she was smiling her patented "Rose Smile" when she'd said it.
"I suppose I might have to make you a new dress Kathleen"
"You might?" It was Amanda, she was obviously becoming less and less impressed by Rose by the second. "You set the dress on fire, mind you I think it looks better now"
Sarah laughed.
Rose's smile flickered but refused to vanish. " And I suppose that either of you think that you can do better, I am the most coveted designer in all London, and Kathleen loves my designs don't you Kathleen"
Six pairs of eyes rounded on Katie, who's dress now barely went mid thigh.
"Well, I…"
She was saved from having to answer by a figure that had just appeared at the doorway.
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"What's with all the noise?"
"Oliver" Rose bounded over to him immediately. "Your manager and what is she cousin are insulting my dresses"
Her droning reminded Katie of a child who had just seen her favourite doll destroyed and was telling the teacher about it.
"And tell them Oliver, tell them that I am the most praised and respected designer in all London!"
"You design handbags for God's sake!"
Oliver's eyes scanned the room, the antique ceiling and mirrors and the three women, who dresses lay in three different states, Amanda's whose lay in a ball in the corner, Sarah's whose was being supported by the wearer herself, and Katie's whose dress had scorch marks all over it and was significantly shorter than everyone else's.
Katie's eyes found that familiar spot on the floor again as Oliver eyes took in her appearance.
Finally he turned to his soon to be wife. "Maybe we should all just go home"
"Best thing I've heard all night" Amanda was gone before anyone else could get a word in.
"I agree" Sarah grabbed the edges of her gown and walked over to a room in the corner and slammed the door shut. She really didn't need to since she could be heard quite clearly muttering from the other side anyways.
Rose opened her mouth to say something but decided against it and just continued smiling. "Come along then Oliver" she grabbed his arm "I'm very tired, now that I think about it"
"Actually" Oliver retracted his arm from her grasp. "I want to talk to Katie for a bit"
"Oh well" Rose's smile refused to be put out. "Later then, goodnight Kathleen"
"Goodnight" Katie replied still not looking up from the ground.
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She heard Oliver's footsteps drawing nearer, her own breath quickened. And it didn't help that he was playing around in her hair."Do you know that you have chocolate wrappers in your hair"
"Really?" Katie felt her face grow hot, she still felt the necessity to stare at the floor.
"Yes really" she could hear a hint of laughter in his tone.
"I fell asleep on my kitchen floor last night"
"Did you"
"Yes, and it's not funny, I think I hurt my neck because of it"
"Is that why you're not looking at me?"
He wasn't helping matters.
"Why do I have to look at you Wood, are you that special?"
"I think so"
"I know you do- hey did you know your wife burnt my dress"
"I can see that, I can also see that you haven't gained a pound since Hogwarts"
"You little liar, I've gained ten"
"Maybe your hair grew"
Her eyes darted upwards, meeting his.
"There, now I feel special" He grinned.
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"Well, that's that, see you around Wood, Kathleen, I read your story today"
"Yeah?" Katie had returned to the former habit of staring at walls now.
"Yeah, really very good, goodnight you two"
The familiar bang and Katie knew that Sarah was gone too.
"Go get changed" Oliver prodded her in the direction of the closet, which had served as a restroom this night.
"Don't you have to go home, your girlfriend is what was it, tired"
"I'm walking you home"
"Oliver, you don't need to"
"Of course I do, I need to protect you from any of those delinquents that roam the streets"
"I live a street away, and you're not very good protection, I remember when I was ten and that girl tied to steal my doll and you ran home"
"Only for reinforcements, and besides how old was I, thirteen, now go get changed before I change my mind"
"I wouldn't want that" Katie walked over to the direction of the room, and shut the door behind her. Damn Oliver always had to make things so complicated.
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"What I don't understand is, why you just won't take the apparating test"
"Shows how much you know Wood, I am taking it tomorrow"
"Finally"
"The point is I'm going to take it"
The lift stopped and the two got out. They walked in silence to Katie's door.
"About that story you wrote"
"What about it"
"You've done better"
"Thank you Oliver your opinion means so much to me"
"Now where's the Kate that I know and love she would have slapped me at least five times tonight"
"She's tired Wood"
"I'll bet"
More silence. Katie stared at her shoes again.
She felt Oliver touch her hair.
"I liked it better when it was shorter"
The scent of his cologne imprisoned her. She could feel the warmth from his body on her skin. She could almost feel his heart beating.
They had stood this close before, but somehow, it had never been like this.
Her eyes darted upwards, meeting his, and once she met his gaze, and felt the will to look away leave her. She saw his face drawing nearer. She forced her eyes close, and braced herself for what was to come.
His breath was on her face, fogging up her glasses. A hand, not hers, brushed her cheek.
This was it.
A second passed, and then another, and soon many seconds had passed, and nothing had happened.
Cautiously, Katie opened one eye, and then the other one followed. Oliver was no longer standing in front of her. He was now facing the lifts, running a hand through his mane of brown hair.
"Goodnight Kate" he muttered after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.
Katie managed to scavenge her voice from her stomach. "Goodnight".
He was gone in an instant. Leaving a very confused girl standing in her doorway, desperately trying to hold onto the last remains of his cologne.
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Writers block. I had actually gotten the third and fourth chapters done but not this one. It's three in the morning, but it's done. To those who reviewed, thank you very much and for those who asked, I never do one shots.
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DisclaimerI don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters.