There's No Business Like Show Business

Oliver glanced nervously over at Lottie as he tugged on his new leather jacket a bit. While he was no stranger to dressing up for things - there were quite a few quidditch events throughout the season that required him to dress up - he couldn't help but feel a bit out of place with the new clothes that Alicia and Angelina had brought him the night before the date.

Once again, he got the feeling that something was going on. Never had they ever given him fashion advice, or in this case, forced him to wear something. But he had to admit that once he had put on the ensemble, he had liked how it all looked together. And that it was very much his style, though better.

They had wanted him to wear a tie as well, but he had opted out, feeling it was a bit too stuffy for his liking. Granted, once he saw Lottie in her dress, he worried that he had made a mistake. But then she had given him an appreciative look and that had calmed his worries.

Dinner and drinks had gone well, he thought. The conversation flowed as easily as it had at the park. And now she had her arm through his as they walked down the sidewalk towards the theater. He couldn't help but feel a bit thrilled by their nearness the entire walk.

"Just where are you taking me?" Lottie asked, smiling up at him as her eyes twinkled. "Surely you can give away the surprise now?"

"Almost there," he said as they turned a corner and the theater came into view. Lottie stopped as her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened.

"Phantom of the Opera? Merlin, I've been trying to get tickets since I heard it was coming to town but haven't been able to," she exclaimed brightly. She then looked up at him, the awe apparent in her gaze. "How did you manage? And how did you know?" Oliver shrugged, hoping that he wasn't currently blushing. He was a professional quidditch player, dammit, and they did not blush.

"You mentioned you liked musicals, so I asked Kates if you might like this one," he said casually, leading her towards the entrance and carefully glossing over the fact that the whole idea had been Katie's.

Lottie blushed slightly as she smiled up at him.

"Seems you've been doing your research, Mr. Wood," she said lightly. "First the old park and then this… you could have been an auror with all the things you've figured out about me."

"Not so sure about that," he said with a nervous chuckle. "Fairly sure quidditch is the only thing I'm good at… And well, I am friends with Kates, so it's not like I had to dig too far..."

"You're good at other things than quidditch. I remember that you did fairly well at class - well, anything other than potions. And… you were always a great friend," Lottie said. There it was - she only saw him as a friend. Oliver couldn't help as his heart dropped slightly. "And you're obviously incredibly kind and thoughtful. Figuring out the things that I like… certainly goes a long way with impressing me." He looked down at her, noticing the brilliant grin on her face and slightly pink tinge to her cheeks as she continued looking forward, almost as though she were too shy to meet his eyes.

That was not how someone who thought you were only friends reacted… was it?

The two hurried into the theater and Oliver was a bit surprised himself when he saw that Katie had gotten them box seats. No wonder they had been so bloody expensive. They both got settled as Lottie looked out around the theater, making small exclamations here and there.

"So, why is it that this is your favorite musical?" he asked, finding it curious just how much she seemed to love it already and the show hadn't even started. Lottie looked over at him.

"It's hard to explain, though you'll get it once you see. The music and costumes and sets are just… so beautiful… and the story, it's just…," Lottie gushed. "And then the main character Christine, she's got a pet name - Lotte. Suppose I sort of… felt a connection with her… though really, it's silly of me… Can't sing to save my life… and I'm certainly not an orphan."

A furious blush had come over her face as though she hadn't meant to blather on. Though Oliver didn't see it as blathering. He hung on every word.

"I don't think it's silly that you might connect with her," he said, leaning closer to her. "And if it makes you feel better, can't carry a tune myself."

"Well, I feel like you'll enjoy the show. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if there is someone doing a bit of magic behind the scenes. It's incredible the sets and all. How they change and such," she said, looking back out towards the stage.

Before he could respond, the lights went down, and the music started up. From the moment the first chord hit, Oliver found himself a bit overwhelmed, though in a good way. As the show began, he could clearly see just why Lottie had become so taken with it. Even though it was completely muggle and not a stitch of magic, Oliver couldn't help but feel like he had taken a time-turner back to 19th century Paris.

Throughout the show, he couldn't help but glance over at Lottie, taking in the sheer look of delight on her face and found himself feeling even more enthralled with her. During a particularly tense moment on stage, she suddenly reached over and gripped his hand. A warmth spread throughout his body at the touch. It continued when the moment passed but she didn't move her hand from his, instead intertwined her fingers with his.

Perhaps this was something more, he thought.

It seemed as though the musical passed by in the blink of an eye and the next thing he knew, they were stepping out of the theater, with Lottie talking brightly about her favorite parts. Oliver was content to just listen.

"What about you? What did you like the most?" Lottie asked, coming to a stop and turning to look at him, her eyes bright.

"I… everything," he said, at a bit of a loss. She continued to look up at him. "I mean… you were right… seriously wondered a few times there if there wasn't some witch or wizard backstage making some of the things happen…" He trailed off, feeling a bit like a failure for his inability to really express what he thought of the show.

That it was amazing like she said it would be. But his favorite part had been watching her react to it.

"Truth be told, that's the first time I've seen a muggle musical. Bit overwhelming, but in a good way," he said. Lottie grinned as she looped her arm through his and started walking down the street again.

"Suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but why didn't you say anything?" she asked. "I could have explained things if you got lost."

"Wanted to make you think I knew what was going on," he admitted. Lottie chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You don't have to pretend with me, Wood," she said, glancing up at him. "I like you just the way you are." He thought his heart had stopped for a bit with the look that she was giving him. He could only swallow. "You should come with me to see more musicals. I've a fairly decent knowledge of the world and I'm always looking for someone to join me."

"I would like that," he said, looking back down at her. He wasn't sure if it was the way that she was looking at him or the night or what. But what he said next came spilling out his lips before he could think.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said. Lottie stopped again, looking up at him with an eyebrow quirked.

"Thanks," she said, blushing furiously as she looked away. Oliver stopped, turning to face her.

"Truly," he said softly. "And watching you tonight during the musical… it was like… magic…"

As soon as he said it, Oliver immediately regretted it. Merlin, he sounded like an idiot. There was no way that she would agree to another date with him now. This is why his relationships never lasted long before. Because he was a complete nutter.

Lottie stared up at him for so long, he was worried that she was about to laugh in his face and then make some quick excuse to leave. Perhaps she'd let him down gently. But instead she slowly went up on her toes. Oliver's eyes widened as his breath hitched as his eyes closed, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

When her lips met his, it was like time stopped. Hers were soft and he was afraid to move for a moment. But then when she didn't move away, he stepped closer, bringing his hands to her waist and pulling her closer. He began to move his lips against hers. When she reciprocated, he felt as though he just made the game-winning save on the pitch.

But then all too soon, she had stepped back. He blinked his eyes open and looked down, seeing her blue eyes staring up at him and the soft smile on her face.

"What do you say to getting one more drink before we call it a night?" she asked softly.

"Sure…"

"Seriously… where are we going?" Lottie asked, laughing as she trotted to keep up with Marcus in her heels. He just grinned and winked at her.

"Trust me, you're going to enjoy this," he said. Lottie just chuckled as they continued down the sidewalk, heading towards one of the biggest clubs in the city.

"A club? Seriously?" she asked, her eyes widening as they got closer. "Flint…"

"Again, trust me," he said smoothly. Lottie just smiled and laughed, though there was a nervous tinge to it. Blimey, had he made a mistake with the party? He certainly hoped not because it was too late to back out now.

Rather than getting into line, Marcus walked them straight to the front and pulled out two passes from his coat jacket. Lottie raised her eyebrows as the man looked them over and then glanced back up at them.

"Right this way, Mr. Flint," he said. Flint held his arm out.

"Are you ready, Ms. Bell?" he asked. She grinned and accepted his arm.

"Of course, Mr. Flint…"

As they walked through the club, Marcus couldn't help but enjoy the look of awe on Lottie's face as she took in everything. They made their way through a large room before they walked to double doors towards the back of the club. The man pushed them open and then stepped aside.

Marcus led Lottie in and as soon as they stopped, her eyes looked as though they might possibly pop out of her head.

"Is this…"

"Cast Party for Phantom of the Opera," Marcus replied. "Was hoping to get tickets but they were all sold out. So, I hope that this will do."

"Holy shit," was all Lottie could say in reply. She couldn't move, she was so obviously starstruck. Marcus chuckled as he glanced around. He didn't know any of the muggle actors, but apparently Lottie did and that was all that mattered. He leaned down to her ear.

"Let's get a drink," he said softly. A shudder went through Lottie, but she looked up at him and grinned, nodding. He led her over to the bar and picked up two glasses of champagne, then handed one to her.

"How did you get in?" she asked, turning to look at him. "I mean… this is… wow." She looked around the room again. "That's Margaret Walters. She's Christine Daae! The Christine Daae! And, Merlin! That's… that's… Michael Flemming… he's Raoul… Merlin, he's more handsome up close…"

"Should I be worried?" Marcus asked, smiling at her. Lottie looked back up at him, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

"No!" she nearly shouted. She then chuckled. "Sorry, just… never thought I'd ever be this close to them." She looked over at the two. "I've been watching them on stage for years…"

Marcus then placed his hand on the small of her back, starting to lead her off.

"Then let's go meet them," he said, leaning towards her. Lottie looked up at him, her face paling slightly.

"I couldn't… I'd be a wreck," she said quickly. But Marcus didn't stop.

"I have a feeling that you'll be just fine…"

An hour later, Marcus couldn't help but smile down at Lottie as she stepped closer to him, not shying away from his arm around her waist. Her eyes were lit up as she chatted animatedly with the two actors. It had taken a bit of time to get her to muster up the courage to actually approach them - along with a couple shots - but now she appeared to be enjoying the conversation.

The three were currently talking about their favorite spots in New York, apparently having the same taste.

"Have you tried Giovannis? I swear, best pizza in the city," Margaret said. Lottie's eyes widened.

"My work mates and I would go there all the time," Lottie exclaimed.

"Just what is it that you said you did?" Michael asked. He grinned at her, but then glanced at Marcus. The quidditch player chuckled softly, sensing that the man was testing him in some way. But he didn't have anything to worry about from the way Lottie had been leaning into him all night.

"Oh, boring government job. Spent most my day behind a desk," Lottie lied easily. She glanced at Marcus, still grinning. "Just recently moved back home."

"And what do you do?" Margaret asked, turning her green eyes to Marcus.

"Footballer," he replied smoothly, having come prepared with a story for this very thing. "Minor league here."

"And how long have you two been together?" Margaret then asked. Lottie's eyes went wide as her cheeks turned pink. She glanced at him and then back at the two actors.

"Oh, well…"

"We're old schoolmates. Just recently got back in touch," Marcus interjected. Lottie shot him a grateful smile.

"Oh, well that's wonderful," Margaret said a bit too brightly.

They continued chatting a bit longer before Lottie excused them to get another drink from the bar, but not before Margaret had gotten her contact information and promised they would meet up again while they were in town for the run.

He wasn't sure what it was - perhaps the question about them - but Lottie seemed to be a bit antsier in the last few moments. She continued looking around them a bit more, her eyes constantly scanning the crowd. She hadn't stopped playing with the strap on her purse for the last 15 minutes.

Lottie sighed as she leaned against the bar and ordered a rather strong cocktail. There was a relatively large open space around them as most people were either on the dance floor or attempting to chat up the actors.

"Is that because you're happy or…"

Lottie looked up at him with wide eyes again and then smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry," she said, taking a drink. "I'm much better at crowds than I used to be, but still… sometimes gets to me." She then took another drink. Marcus stepped closer to her, part so he could hear her over the music, part because he was curious about what she meant. Lottie looked back at the bar, playing with her glass nervously. "Always been like this…"

"Shy?" Marcus asked. A fleeting smile came over her face, but she continued to look down at the glass, now spinning it.

"Bit more than that… social anxiety, I think is what they call it… though I don't have it so bad. Some people can't even be out in public for long. For me, I just get nervous when I'm around people I'm unfamiliar with or large places with large crowds… well… something like this… used to be worse..."

Marcus' eyes widened as everything about her in Hogwarts suddenly clicked. Why she seemed so skittish and anxious all the time. Why she never went to any of the big parties. Why she would literally run in the opposite direction anytime she saw him or his friends.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry," he breathed. Lottie looked up at him, her eyes wide. "For… Merlin… I wish I had known." She smiled slightly and shook her head.

"I told you, it's fine. Auror training helped loads," she said, reaching out and touching his arm as though she were trying to comfort him, when he should be the one comforting her.

"I shouldn't have brought you here," he replied. "Should have asked or something."

"Seriously, Flint, it's fine. I'm having fun. This," she stopped and motioned around the party, "has been amazing. And it's not like you had any idea – I don't tend to bring it up with most people. Not to mention, I thought I would be fine. And I am fine. Just… needed to step away a bit…"

Marcus looked around the party again and then back down at Lottie.

"How about we get out of here? Go to this quiet place that I know," he said. Lottie smiled and finished her drink.

"Of course," she said. She took his offered arm and they made their way through the club and outside. Once on the sidewalk, Lottie stopped and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. "Much better."

She then looked up at him and grinned.

"Really, tonight has been amazing," she said. Marcus stared down at her a moment and then acted without thinking. He bent down and lightly brushed his lips against hers. Lottie's eyes widened, but then she stepped closer and pressed her lips against his, her kiss being more firm. Marcus wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as he moved his lips against hers.

He had often thought about what it would be like to kiss Lottie. This moment was so much better than his fantasies, he decided as a jolt of something ran up and down his spine.

But then just as suddenly, she pushed him back, breathing slightly heavily, her cheeks flushed. Oh Merlin, he had done something wrong. Had he lost track of time and kissed her for too long?

"I'm… sorry," he breathed. Lottie smiled and shook her head.

"No, it's… you did nothing wrong," she said softly, though there was something in her eyes. "Let's get going. Getting a bit chilly…"

He nodded and started walking, happy to find that she let him keep his arm around her and snuggled up to his side.

Perhaps he hadn't done anything wrong…

"Alright, spill," Penny said, drawing her legs up on the sofa. Lottie frowned as she took a drink from her wine. "Take it things did not go well…" Lottie groaned.

"That's the thing… everything went extremely well. Too well," she said, looking up at her best friend. "Oliver took me to see Phantom and it was… wonderful. He's never been to a muggle musical before and his reaction was just… adorable. And then he was so sweet afterwards. We talked for hours and he just… he gets me… and I then kissed him-"

Penny's squeal caused her to jump slightly and then frown at her for interrupting her.

"Sorry… just… how was that? You FINALLY kissed Oliver Wood!" Penny shouted. A smile tugged at Lottie's lips.

"It was… sweet and… as wonderful as I thought it would be," she said. "No. It was better."

"Okay, so far, not seeing the issue… how was the date with Flint, then?" Penny asked.

"He took me to the Phantom cast party. I got to meet the actors," Lottie said, getting a bit excited. Penny's eyes widened.

"No shit. How did he manage that?" she asked. Lottie shrugged as she took a drink of wine. "More than that… how did you do? I know you don't do clubs very well still…"

"I was okay, though things got a bit rough in the end. We ended up leaving after a couple hours," Lottie said as she looked down at her wine glass. "I told him… about that…"

"Ah… bet that was… unexpected," Penny said. Lottie looked up at her.

"He didn't find it strange. In fact, he apologized… for bringing me to the party and again for how he treated me back then," Lottie said. "And then… we kissed…"

Lottie looked back down at her glass, her emotions swirling. Both dates had been amazing. And both men had proven that they were thoughtful. Listened to her. Kind. Everything that she had always wanted in a relationship. The problem was, she had hoped that after these dates, perhaps she would start feeling more strongly about one over the other.

But she didn't.

"It's just… with Oliver… I feel so comfortable. And warm. Like I'm home," Lottie said. "But with Marcus… he's exciting and, and… but then there's a softer side to him. A side that I feel like he doesn't show many people and the fact that he's showing me…" Lottie sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do… I told both of them that I don't want anything serious right now… but… Merlin, Penny… what if I'm falling for both of them?"

Penny sighed as she sat up and patted Lottie's leg.

"I know it's confusing-"

"Ha! That's the least of it!" Lottie shouted.

"You could always figure out a tie-breaker," Penny said. Lottie studied her. "Perhaps a shag tie-breaker."

"Merlin, no!" Lottie shouted, her cheeks going bright red. Penny just laughed loudly at her. "I mean… I'm no prude, but… don't you think that's taking it too far?"

"Look, just… You don't have to decide right this second. It's not like you have a deadline or anything. It'll come to you when the time is right. Whatever it is," Penny said, this time a bit more gently. Lottie just gave her a look. "No, I can't tell you how… you'll just know. And if you choose neither, at least you have me."

Lottie smiled at her.

"This is true… it's only been two dates," she admitted.

"Yes, and don't you want to find out where they take you next?" Penny asked, waggling her eyebrows. Lottie just rolled her eyes and chuckled. Penny lifted her glass. "To figuring it out."

"To figuring it out…"

So did a thing today. I was starting in on the final couple of chapters, and I felt like the story had gotten too serious. This is supposed to be a funny, fluffy romantic comedy. So I ended up changing direction and rearranging things, which meant cutting a bunch of chapters both written and planned, then re-planning the last 5-6 chapters. But I've got everything plotted out and finished one of the new chapters. It's now a total of 18 chapters. The last three will be posted all in one go for reasons.

I'm still five chapters ahead, so I think I can post one a day as long as I keep finishing writing on 1-2 chapters per day.

LeeForShort - Wow! Thanks! I'm happy that you're enjoying it!

I'm the Galactic Starfish - Thanks! Yea, that did occur to me and I went back and tried to edit it to make it seem not so bad because in my head, it wasn't as though he was torturing her - just being a stupid boy, which is easier to forgive and let go of as you get older and why she was able to do so. And we learn a bit more about why that was in this chapter. And you think the meddling is bad now, just wait. We get to meet Lottie's oldest brother in a few chapters. And well... things are going to happen. ^_^

Thanks for reading and following everyone!