Wikeni chewed her fingernails, waiting for Severus. Somehow, it felt a lot closer to the time he would arrive… which she actually didn't know for sure. She sighed. It was already nearing 5:30. How long would this take?

Suddenly, a knock rang at the door, and Wikeni jumped. This time being careful to sidestep the coffee table, she ran as quickly as she could to the door, then, of course, composed herself before answering.

It was Severus… holding a flower.

It was beautiful: crimson red that would put the color of blood to shame. She gasped.

"Oh, Severus, where did you find it?"

He held it out to her. "Oh, somewhere not far from here."

She moaned. It truly was beautiful.

"It's gorgeous… should I put it in some water?"

"Do whatever you want with it."

Wikeni grinned and ran inside, leaving Severus alone at the door. He gingerly stepped inside, where he looked to his left and saw Wikeni in the kitchen filling a large plastic cup with the legend "My way or the highway!" written on the side. She placed it on the counter, then stepped back to admire it.

"That's your vase?" Severus asked.

Wikeni whipped around, her trance broken.

"Yeah, I don't want to use any of my friend's vases, it'd be rude."

An awkward silence filled the small kitchen. Severus was naturally quiet, but somehow this seemed to bother him quite a bit. He didn't know why, and wasn't sure he wanted to anyway. There were places in his mind he just didn't want to go.

"Are you alright, Severus?"

Her saying his name sent shivers down his spine.

"Yes, I'm fine, just… tired."

"Well, then, why don't you sit down and I'll get you some tea?"

"Oh, you have some?"

"Yeah. Got it at the store today, can't believe it was almost three bucks…"

"Bucks?"

"Dollars… or pounds, or euros, or whatever the hell they're called…"

Severus smiled. He had forgotten about pounds. His mother had given him a pound a week when he was younger as an allowance, much to his father's protests… He had been to young to understand normal wizarding money… his father was very angry, and said that he should have to work for it…

Wikeni sat down next to him and Severus suddenly snapped back to attention. She had brought tea rather quickly (how long had it been brewing? It seemed like she always had everything done immediately), and set down milk and sugar. She only put a little milk into her tea, but quite a bit of sugar. Severus was repulsed.

"How can you drink that?"
"Are you insulting my tea? Because it's not homemade so it's not my fault…"

"No, with so much sugar! That's disgusting."

"Well, how do you drink yours?"

"Plain."

"Well, that's no fun. Then it's just tea. My dad adds honey, which I think is gross, but at least he's willing to open his mind a little bit." She held out the cup. "Here, have a sip of mine."

"No, I'd rather not…"

"Here, it's fine, I haven't even drinken out of it yet…"

"No, really…"
"Just drink it!"

Severus took the cup. She was as stubborn as he was. He was intrigued by her again. He took a sip of the tea. The immense amount of sugar and the mixture of milk made his stomach turn. He snorted into the saucer.

"Eew."

"That's repugnant," he complained.

"Oh well, maybe because it's skim milk. I don't think it goes well with tea."

"Ah."

They sat, awkwardly silent again. Severus's heart was beating faster all the time. There was an odd, squeezing pressure in his stomach that he couldn't put his finger on. He looked up. Wikeni was staring straight into his eyes. Hers were a deep, dark brown that looked like they went on forever, and little specks of green glittered in her irises like emeralds. Severus suddenly forgot was he was finally going to say. Wikeni seemed to be entranced with Severus's own eyes, and he could see his own reflection in hers. Suddenly he felt like he had fallen from a great height… his stomach dropped and his body seemed to be floating as he leaned slightly forward to meet Wikeni's lips with his own. It was like a sudden explosion in his heart; her lips were warm and soft, and he could feel her breath on his face, a pleasant feeling. He closed his eyes. But, just as soon as it had happened, it was over. Wikeni leaned back onto the arm of the sofa and Severus slowly opened his eyes. They looked at each other again and smiled. The rest of the night was spent in much the same way.