Intense

By Seniya

Thick skulled.

That would have been what her mother would have called her, followed, naturally with the obscenities that followed nearly everything her mother said. How could she have been so stupid?

She supposed that Oliver had been gone for hours now, seeing as the sun was preparing to begin its daily journey across the sky. But still Katie hadn't found the motivation to leave the room where they had conversed a while before.

She was such an idiot. Why had she told him no?

Everything would have been so simple, all she would have had to do was just to have told him the truth, and then, well since this was her fantasy, they would run off somewhere (preferably somewhere owl free) and live happily ever after.

It would have been perfect.

But of course, perfect didn't exist for Katie, though stupidity reigned supreme. And that was why, she would end up being a spinster, living in a haunted old house, and the only company she would ever have would be the occasional child who had been dared by his friends to disturb her.

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But would things really have been that different if she had told him the truth? She doubted it.

Oliver was still Oliver and this could have been another one of his elaborate pranks, created for the sole purpose of annoying her to no end, foiled of course when she had hesitated in answering his question.

And if she had answered yes he would, of course, been unreservedly shocked, stuttered something incoherent, and then told her in a supportive voice, with pity marked clearly all over his face, that it was very nice.

She would never be able to look at him again and her spinster prophecy would become a reality much sooner.

Or, maybe, maybe, it could have been that he too cared for her in more than a friendly manner, and had just been wondering if she felt the same way. God knows that she, herself had spent many a night wondering the same thing, only she had never had enough courage to actually seek out an answer.

She doubted it was the latter possibility.

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Though Oliver had been acting strangely as of late. First the now sacred to her heart moment out side her door, and then this.

Maybe it was because he finally realized that he was getting married to the most exasperating human in the world, yes that was a plausible explanation. Wedding jitters.

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Yet another reason that Oliver couldn't ever be in love with her. He was marrying Rose, he loved her, they were destined to be together and have unusually beautiful children together.

It was official. She had lost this game. Rose had won.

And she would just have to accept that.

And if she had answered yes, well then he would have just married her knowing that his stupid friend had spent all her life in love with him.

Oliver loves Rose. She repeated again, trying her hardest to fight the feeling to throw her body onto the floor and sob until noon.

Not you.

She would just have to suck it up.

At least one of them deserved to be happy.

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The room smelt strongly of her. Strange as that sounded it did. She had such as strong fragrance, one of vanilla mixed with lavender, it was artificial, he knew, but her scent was one of his favorite things about her, forged as it was.

"You're late"

She was standing in he middle of the room, hair disheveled, make up ruined. She had been pacing, he had heard her footsteps as he walked up the hallway.

"I'm sorry, I came as soon as I could"

He walked over to her, his eyes never once leaving her face. Unbelievably she still looked gorgeous, even though he knew she shouldn't.

"I doesn't matter now, you told me she didn't leave with you?"

"No, afraid not"

"Why not?"

The panic in her voice had suddenly become more pronounced.

"She said she would, went home to pack and never came back"

"This is bad"

"Is it?"

He was being sarcastic now, of course he knew how bad it was, he also knew that, she, being she would remind him, as though he didn't for the millionth time.

"Are you insane, of course it's bad, the wedding is on Sunday, Oliver won't marry me if she's there"

Maurice felt the custom pang in his stomach. Oliver. Though he'd never met the man, he hated him more than he could describe. This was the man who would be marrying Rose, his Rose. When he obviously didn't deserve the privilege.

That was of course that everything went according to her plan.

"I know when you're wedding is"

He had removed his gaze from her face it was, honestly, one of the hardest things he had ever willed himself to do.

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"Maurice…"

"Is she really that big of a threat?"

"Maybe now, more than before, we had a fight last night, and he hasn't come home since"

"You think that he's with her?"

"Maybe"

This was illogical. If he truly was with this girl then this Oliver was an imperceptive jackass who didn't deserve to be with the marvelous woman who stood before him anyways.

"Rose, you mustn't worry, I'll try again"

"No, never mind, I've got a new idea"

Yet another feature he treasured about her, her assertiveness.

He found it very…arousing.

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"We, well I could…" She had resumed her pacing, his eyes followed her every movement, much like the tiger stalking its prey.

She finally ceased her uneasy movements and settled herself on a battered cot in the darkened corner of the cramped room.

He watched her, as she twirled her red hair with her fingers, a habit of hers, he knew.

"The only way is to break them up, separate them, somehow, though not like before, we could try to damage their relationship in a more emotional way"

"How do you plan to do that?"

"Damned if I know, they're practically joined at the hip"

"I hope he's worth this trouble"

"He is don't worry"

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For the first time since their meeting had begun, his eyes met hers, and the familiar jolt of electricity passed between them. He felt himself being drawn towards her, and soon he was closer to her than he had ever dreamed of being.

Impulsively, he kissed her. She resisted him at first, like she always did, but soon she allowed his tongue to begin its intimate dance with hers. A shower of kisses followed, trailing downwards past her neck, lower and lower, towards his reward.

Honestly, Oliver had no idea what he was missing out on.

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Certainly, she had been feeling poignant and gloomy this morning, even more so than she usually did. But to her, that was no excuse to accept an invitation out to lunch from Annie.

Sadly, she had, and to her great dismay, now found herself, seated in an uncomfortable divan, staring at a blurry bowl of now ice cold tomato stew, half heartedly listening to Annie's criticism of everyone who walked by.

"So Katie, what about you, anything interesting happen in your life?"

"I had a date last night" Katie said, against her better judgment.

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"What's his name" her hazy outline drew closer to Katie.

"Maurice DuPount"

"French?"

"I think so"

"DuPount?"

"Yes, why?"

"Nothing-it's just that I think I've heard that name somewhere, before…"

Exactly where, Katie was never to know, for at the moment their conversation was interrupted by a third voice.

"Kathleen"

Katie groaned inwardly, but still managed to fake, what she hoped was a smile.

"Do you know that you're a very hard woman to find?"

Katie hadn't been able to see a great deal since she had allegedly discarded her glasses, but even through the distorted images around her, she could clearly make out Rose. She was wearing a vivid yellow dress, one that seemed to stop mid-thigh, and even if she could seen her, she would have smelt her, and that overwhelming perfume that she always wore.

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"I had to go to that place you work, they told me that you were here"

"Oh, sorry"

She didn't know what else to say.

"Never mind dear, it's not your fault"

"Annie Cho" Annie thrust her hand across Katie's face.

"Oh, yes I'm very familiar with your work"

Honestly, what had she done to deserve this, the both of them, at once?

"I'll take that as a compliment"

The two laughed, an empty, dry sound.

"Anyways, Kathleen I'm here about the wedding"

"Oh"

"Yes, well I'm afraid to say that you've been, uninvited"

"What?"

"Yes, Oliver and I think that it would be best if you were not to come"

"You do?"

"Yes, and he also asks that you don't talk to him until after Sunday"

"He does?"

"Now, don't worry dear, it isn't your fault, Miss Cho, it was a pleasure"

Her heels echoed off into the distance as she walked away.

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"So I suppose this means that you don't know where their Honeymoon is?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Their honeymoon, do you know, now I heard Barbados, but someone else said Switzerland and I was just wondering…"

Her voice trailed off into a stream of nothingness as Katie immersed herself in her own thoughts. Uninvited?

Now she had never wanted to go to the wedding in the first place, and she had never cared about being a bridesmaid, if fact she had been seriously considering neglecting the entire thing. Not out of malice, it was just that watching the love of your life pledge his commitment to another wasn't something she wanted to see.

But Oliver said that.

That couldn't be right. Could it?

In the years that she had known him he would have never done anything like this, not to her. And if he didn't want her to go to his wedding, well then he would have told her, to her face, he wouldn't have sent his fiancée to do it for him.

But then again…

Was this what he needed to figure out. Had he realized that she liked him, like him?

That was it, wasn't it, he had figured it out and now he didn't want her there because of the discomfort her presence would cause.

Well, then fine, that was fine by her. She didn't care, why should she?

"So Katie, do you know"

"Sure, Switzerland"

"You're telling me?"

"Yeah, and could you make sure you get some really good pictures for me, I'll want to see this"

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I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

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Another chapter finished. Hurray! Two more left. Thanks for all the support, and again, your comments are appreciated.