Chapter Two: Tea For Two
Madame Flourescue's was packed as Ron entered with the still nameless
woman, but he didn't see anyone he knew. He let out a sigh of relief and his
partner glanced at him curiously. He smiled at her, hoping he looked reassuring.
She smiled enigmatically back at him and led the way to a small table near the back. As they wound their way through the tables, the woman caught the server's eye and made a brief signal that Ron couldn't fathom.
At the table, they both sat and listened to the conversation ebb and flow around them. Ron stared at his hands, clenching and unclenching them on the table,
sneaking glances at the woman. She was letting her gaze wander the room,
looking at nothing and no-one in particular. He finally stopped bobbing his head up and down to gaze at her profile fully, drinking in her face.
He wanted to commit the line of her jaw and the curve of her cheek to memory.
He felt cursed at not being able to run his thumb across the feathery strands of her eyebrow, at not being able to taste the rosebuds of her lips, at not being able to smell her skin and hair at the nape of her neck. He closed his eyes, feeling physical pain at what he was experiencing. Nothing with Hermoine had ever felt like this. A soft touch on his clenched fists made him start and open his eyes.
"Are you feeling alright, Ron?" Said the still nameless woman, her face a picture of concern.
Taking a deep breath, he replied.
"Yeah, yes. Sorry, I was just...thinking about something."
She smiled gently at him.
"Not a pleasant something then?" She said, her voice causing waves and ripple to flow over his scalp and down his spine.
"No, not at all, it was...nothing. Sorry." "No need to apologize, I won't pry again." She said, withdrawing her hand from his.
He winced at her withdrawal but was saved from explaining that by the return of the server with two gigantic hot fudge sundaes. Ron gaped at the confection before him. The woman laughed.
"What's the matter? You look like you've never seen ice cream before." She said, pushing a spoon towards him.
He swallowed hard and laughed.
"It's not that, but I haven't had one of these for ages."
She smiled at him again, and grabbed her own spoon.
"Then it's a good thing I came along."
Ron paused as he was about to dig in to the pile of cream on the top.
"My mum would go spare if she saw me eating this. She says it's bad for my complexion. I would be in a lot of trouble." He said, his grin fading.
The dancing brown eyes watched him for a moment, and then his companion picked up her spoon and scooped a large amount of cream and sauce into it's bowl. She pointed it towards his lips and then caressed his cheek lightly.
"Then I consider it my duty to reintroduce you to all those dark and forbidden things your mum told you to stay away from." She said, giggling.
He felt himself flush and then opened his mouth quickly to accept the large gooey mess coming towards him. He clamped his mouth down around the cool creamy dessert and then waited for his companion to pull the utensil away. She did so,
but slowly, so as to make it seem like a caress. He licked his lips as she watched him intently. He blushed and looked down at the table top for a moment before picking up his own spoon and digging into the sundae. Laughing, she joined him in devouring her own.
She smiled enigmatically back at him and led the way to a small table near the back. As they wound their way through the tables, the woman caught the server's eye and made a brief signal that Ron couldn't fathom.
At the table, they both sat and listened to the conversation ebb and flow around them. Ron stared at his hands, clenching and unclenching them on the table,
sneaking glances at the woman. She was letting her gaze wander the room,
looking at nothing and no-one in particular. He finally stopped bobbing his head up and down to gaze at her profile fully, drinking in her face.
He wanted to commit the line of her jaw and the curve of her cheek to memory.
He felt cursed at not being able to run his thumb across the feathery strands of her eyebrow, at not being able to taste the rosebuds of her lips, at not being able to smell her skin and hair at the nape of her neck. He closed his eyes, feeling physical pain at what he was experiencing. Nothing with Hermoine had ever felt like this. A soft touch on his clenched fists made him start and open his eyes.
"Are you feeling alright, Ron?" Said the still nameless woman, her face a picture of concern.
Taking a deep breath, he replied.
"Yeah, yes. Sorry, I was just...thinking about something."
She smiled gently at him.
"Not a pleasant something then?" She said, her voice causing waves and ripple to flow over his scalp and down his spine.
"No, not at all, it was...nothing. Sorry." "No need to apologize, I won't pry again." She said, withdrawing her hand from his.
He winced at her withdrawal but was saved from explaining that by the return of the server with two gigantic hot fudge sundaes. Ron gaped at the confection before him. The woman laughed.
"What's the matter? You look like you've never seen ice cream before." She said, pushing a spoon towards him.
He swallowed hard and laughed.
"It's not that, but I haven't had one of these for ages."
She smiled at him again, and grabbed her own spoon.
"Then it's a good thing I came along."
Ron paused as he was about to dig in to the pile of cream on the top.
"My mum would go spare if she saw me eating this. She says it's bad for my complexion. I would be in a lot of trouble." He said, his grin fading.
The dancing brown eyes watched him for a moment, and then his companion picked up her spoon and scooped a large amount of cream and sauce into it's bowl. She pointed it towards his lips and then caressed his cheek lightly.
"Then I consider it my duty to reintroduce you to all those dark and forbidden things your mum told you to stay away from." She said, giggling.
He felt himself flush and then opened his mouth quickly to accept the large gooey mess coming towards him. He clamped his mouth down around the cool creamy dessert and then waited for his companion to pull the utensil away. She did so,
but slowly, so as to make it seem like a caress. He licked his lips as she watched him intently. He blushed and looked down at the table top for a moment before picking up his own spoon and digging into the sundae. Laughing, she joined him in devouring her own.