Slowly Falling
After things had started to settle down with Ginny, the most amazing thing happened. I fell in love.
I was just settling into bed on the night before my birthday, when I heard it: ping, ping, ping.
I got out of bed and looked outside, then quickly put on jeans and a hoodie.
"What are you doing here?"
"I have a surprise for you, come one."
Draco was carrying his boom box in one hand, and took my hand in his other. He lead us into the forest and down a long dirt road past a lake. Blues was playing softly on the radio. It was really dark that night. I could hear the sound of rushing water.
""Where are we?""
""You'll see when we get there.""
I stumbled, ""It's too dark to see.""
""Just hold on.""
He reached out for my hand and kept leading the way. We sat on a ledge, our feet dangling in pitch black.
""Me and Zambini found this place a couple of years ago. We used to come out here.""
His voice trailed off…he turned up the volume. Old blues.
""You like it?""
""Yea.""
I started to dance goofily. I yanked Draco up and tried to get him to dance, but he just laughed. Them, suddenly, at the sound of a siren, he grabbed on to me, holding me tight. There was a loud whooshing noise and the entire area lit up:
We were standing on a thin strip of concrete, surrounded by DANGER DO NOT ENTER signs, high above, gushing water. We were behind the water of a dam. It was beautiful.
""Draco,"" I said, trying to pull away, back toward the path. "I should-""
He grabbed me tighter as I watched the dam finish opening. I held onto him as I watched. His hands smoothing my hair, and then I kissed him. At my instigation.
"Happy Birthday, I wanted to be the first to tell you."
Then I felt it for the first time. That exhilaration, the whooshing feeling of being on the edge and holding, the world spinning madly around me. Letting loose that girl from the early summer. And at that moment, suspended and free falling, I could feel her leaving me. I cold feel myself falling in love.