Chapter Thirteen

Kayla had never woken up in someone else's bed before.

When she was at Hogwarts and dating Daniel Finch-Fletchy, things were usually quite strict and boys weren't allowed in the girls' dormitories. She had to sneak back to her own room after fooling around in his.

Not that much else had happened that night. She and Albus had snogged for a good while before they decided to go to bed; they were both exhausted, and fell asleep almost immediately. When she woke up, Al was still sound asleep beside her and sunlight was beaming into his room.

Kayla yawned and stretched; her limbs felt heavy and stiff, but she felt immensely warm under the thick covers. Al's room was spacious but his clothes were absolutely all over the ground and hanging out of drawers. When she sat up, Al woke, startled.

And then he squinted his eyes from the sunlight and groaned. He shifted back under the blanket, covering his head.

"You okay?" she asked softly, looking down at an Al-shaped blanket.

"This is why I never do shots," came his muffled voice.

"You have to live a little."

"But I feel like death."

Kayla giggled as he pulled his side of the blankets down unceremoniously, looking rumpled and grumpy, but she thought it was beyond adorable.

He kept his eyes shut determinedly. "What time is it?"

She leaned over to his windowsill, where she'd put her watch. "Almost noon."

He groaned. "Noooo. It's too early."

She reached for his hand and curled her fingers through his. "At least your hangover isn't as bad as it could've been."

Al grunted but opened his eyes. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," she said honestly, though she attributed that more to exhaustion. Kayla had a lot of trouble sleeping in new places and it wouldn't surprise her if it took some time to acclimate to Al's place.

"That's good," he replied gently. "I still like your pyjamas."

Kayla looked down at her clothes. She'd finally gotten rid of the flour before she fell asleep. "The purple unicorns really turn you on, don't they?"

"Undoubtedly," he joked. He tugged on her hand and pulled her so that she was lying down again. "You look cute."

"Thanks." She blushed and rested her head on the pillow as he reached for her hair, playing with it. For a change, he looked a bit nervous.

"Listen," he began, "last night…"

She smiled. She couldn't help it. "It was awesome."

He burst out laughing, looking a little relieved. "It was awesome."

"So maybe…" Kayla hesitated. "We could go to the wedding together?"

"That would be fun," he said, shifting closer. He pressed a closed-mouth kiss on her lips, which made her smile. "I do have an extra toothbrush if you want it."

She thought he just looked a little too nervous to be talking about a toothbrush. "Is that your way of asking me to be your girlfriend?"

"Maybe."

"That was sad," she said, grinning.

"I have a huge headache," Al grumbled, rolling onto his back and closing his eyes. He was almost never indirect about anything, but he looked so uneasy that she wanted to laugh.

She was in his bed, for Merlin's sake.

Kayla scooted up to kiss his cheek, and he groaned again. She kissed him twice more before he gave a begrudging smile. "You're so mean."

"I would love to be your girlfriend," she said, blushing as she said it, but she felt extremely pleased.

"Great," he replied cheerfully, getting up slowly and yawning. "Okay, now I have to eat brownies. They are the ultimate hangover cure."

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "As told by a certain, very messy Potions Apprentice?"

"A very smart one!" he insisted, grabbing his wand off his bedside table and hastily waved it to gather all the clothes on the ground into his laundry hamper. "To be fair, I had no idea you were coming over."

"You could make it up to me with coffee?" she suggested teasingly. He took her hand and pulled her towards the kitchen. Al looked happier than she'd seen him in a long time, even with the hangover.

It was incredible to her that she could do that for him.

When Kayla got home late that afternoon, she was only a little surprised to see Lily and Hugo snuggled up together in the living room, watching the telly with small pints of ice cream in front of them, along with popcorn, crisps and wine. Kayla shrugged off her coat before summoning a wine glass for herself.

"Budge over," she told them, and they reluctantly scooted over from their comfortable positions to let Kayla plop down beside them.

"How did it go?" Lily asked quietly. Kayla sensed her nervousness, and as a response, she rested her head into her best friend's shoulder.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend."

"And?" Hugo piped up eagerly.

"I said yes."

There was a small relief in Kayla's chest when she saw Lily grinning excitedly for her. The look was sincere, and probably a little bit guilty. Hugo whooped and whistled obnoxiously, and Lily kicked him.

"So what's going on here?" Kayla asked, grabbing the bowl of popcorn and settling into the couch. A film she didn't recognize was playing on the television. "We haven't done this in forever."

"A real tragedy," Hugo said melodramatically, turning his attention back to the screen.

Lily sighed and picked up the carton of ice cream. "I'm doing the post-breakup thing. I am getting fat and preparing to get extremely pissed at the wedding next week so I can make a very embarrassing toast."

"Rose is going to kill you," Kayla replied, raising an eyebrow.

Lily snorted. "Serves her right. She is Bridezilla right now."

"It's true," Hugo said thickly, mouth full of crisps. "My sister invaded my flat yesterday with some bullshit about napkins and place cards."

"Dammit, not that again," Lily moaned.

"I have no sympathy."

"Oh dear," Kayla said, hugging her knees to her chest. "Did she find her dress?"

"Hell if I know," Hugo said, shrugging. "I told her if we were missing Quidditch for this, she'd better not ever mention any of these stupid wedding details to me. Then she stormed out of my flat. Didn't even shut the door, the nerve…"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Hugo just sent an owl to that comedian," she said to Kayla. "He accepted the invitation."

Kayla's gaze snapped to him. "Hugo –"

"And he just broke up with Gemma," Lily put in quickly in a low voice.

"Oh." Kayla's eyes went wide, but he wasn't looking at her. "Right."

"He ate lots of ice cream."

"I see…"

"I can hear you guys," Hugo said in a bored voice. He was digging in the giant bag for a crisp at the bottom. "I'm fine."

Kayla and Lily exchanged uneasy glances.

"It's okay if you're upset," Kayla said gently as he found the crisp and threw it in his mouth with a crunch. "We're here for you, you know. I even made cookies."

Lily snorted.

"I'm fine," he repeated, still not looking at them. His voice was forced and steady. "I explained what was happening and she said she understood. Nothing dramatic. It was a very amicable breakup."

Lily uncorked the wine bottle that was sitting on the coffee table and leaned forward to refill Hugo's glass. "Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

A silence fell over them when he didn't reply.

Kayla almost felt guilty for feeling so happy when her best friend was so sad.

Lily gave Kayla a meaningful glance and waved towards the kitchen. Quietly, the two of them got up and made their way out of the room. Hugo didn't question it as they left. When they got to the kitchen, Lily rounded on Kayla in hushed tones.

"I think he might need some time alone," she said, crossing her arms against her chest and chewing her lip worriedly. "But I'm also nervous to leave him alone."

"You have a point."

"He only came over because I insisted." Lily sighed and that guilty look crossed her face again. Kayla suddenly realized how often she'd seen it before their fight, but never realized exactly what the expression was.

Glancing back into the living room, where Hugo was still stuffing his face, Kayla nodded. "I think you're right. We should just tell him we're stepping out and take him out later for dinner or something."

"We could go dress shopping," Lily suggested quietly.

"We could," she said, feeling a little surprised. "We don't have to, though. I was going to drag my mum out tomorrow."

"I'll help," Lily insisted earnestly. "I feel bad about what I said the other day."

Kayla stared at her. "I know you didn't mean it, you were trying to get a rise out of me. I needed that."

"I know." Lily still looked uncomfortable.

Kayla understood why she'd done it, but guilt was a funny thing. Even when forgiven, Lily was still struggling with everything she'd done. Perhaps the best thing Kayla could do was accepting the things Lily was trying to do for her. She slung an arm across Lily's shoulders and hugged her.

"Let's head out, then," Kayla said, letting go and smiling. "I really do need a decent dress for the wedding if Al's going to take me."

Lily linked her arm through Kayla's. "I know just where to go."

Rose had decided on a classy white-and-pink theme for the wedding ceremony hall. Kayla had arrived early enough, but let Lily handle the bridesmaid duties herself. She and Hugo sat together as they waited for everyone to sit down before the ceremony could start. Lily and Hannah stood in the front and looked wonderful in their bridesmaid's dresses. Al looked vaguely uncomfortable in his tux, but Kayla was enjoying it.

Hugo caught her looking at Al and poked her. Kayla turned her attention to him, and he was smirking.

"Shut up," she whispered, feeling herself turn red.

"I didn't say anything," he whispered back, grinning at her.

She crossed her arms and looked back to the front. Al and Scorpius were speaking quietly to each other. "I'm allowed to look at my boyfriend."

"I didn't say anything," Hugo repeated, clearly trying not to laugh. "I have to go up there in a bit."

"You should probably go now, they're going to start soon."

"Yeah." He didn't move.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Well." Hugo hesitated. "I'm wondering if I made a mistake."

Kayla uncrossed her arms and turned in her seat to see him properly. "You look fine…"

"No." He didn't look at her. "With Gemma."

"Oh," Kayla said, understanding. He'd been miserable all week, and even though she and Lily had given him space, a shoulder to cry on and plenty of ice cream, it wasn't nearly enough time before he had to attend his sister's wedding.

"I dunno." Hugo was staring determinedly at the altar and his hands were squeezing his knees. "I just saw Rose and she's ecstatic."

"Scorpius looks pretty happy, too." It was true; Scorpius was fidgeting with his sleeves and shifting back on forth on his heels, but he was positively beaming. Kayla shrugged at Hugo. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah." She could see him clenching his jaw. "Everything I do is to be happy like that. Two jobs, all the shows, saving every knut, all of it."

"And now you're doing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Yeah." He glanced to Kayla for the first time. "Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way."

She felt the sinking feeling in her chest. "You've considered all the options, haven't you?" She didn't know what else to say. There was no way she could tell him what to do.

"Yes." He sighed and leant back in his chair. More people were suddenly piling into the hall. "I can't give up the biggest opportunity in my life for a two-week relationship. I can't ask Gemma to wait for me. I don't want to have all this –" he gestured around the hall "– for at least five years."

She gave Hugo the most sympathetic smile she could. "I know. And I know this is hard."

He swallowed, looking extremely dejected.

"But listen," Kayla said, slightly urgently as people were seating themselves and Hugo really did have to get up there. "This is your sister's wedding. She's been looking forward to this day for years, and she wants you to be happy for her today."

He nodded tightly.

"So just force a smile for the next little while, okay?"

"And you, me and Lily are all going to get stupidly pissed at the reception?" he asked as he stood up.

She laughed. "Sure."

Hugo gave her a meaningful look before taking a deep breath, in and out. He went to stand beside Albus just as nearly everyone was getting seated. One of Rose's relatives took the seat beside Kayla, and a few minutes later, a hush fell over the crowd.

Kayla could see Scorpius standing straighter as the music started. Beside him, Al looked a little more apprehensive, and she supposed she could understand why. The two had been best friends since their first year of Hogwarts. She remembered what Al had said the week before about how he'd had to move out of their apartment and Rose and Scorpius wouldn't be living in Diagon Alley anymore. Everything around him was changing.

Things were always different after marriage.

Al caught Kayla's eye, and she gave the most reassuring smile she could.

Despite worries of napkins and wedding dresses, the wedding was beautiful.

There was obvious tension between the Weasley and Malfoy family, but they were clearly trying very hard to stay civil towards each other for Rose and Scorpius. The ceremony, thankfully, went smoothly.

After the ceremony they began to take photos, and just when Kayla thought her feet would fall off from the high heels she was wearing, they moved onto the reception dinner and toasts. Al had just finished his best man speech and plopped down beside Kayla at their table.

"It was great," she whispered encouragingly. "Scorpius was properly embarrassed."

He grinned at her. "My job here is done."

On Kayla's other side, Lily was pouting; Rose hadn't let her give the drunken speech she wanted. Beside Lily, Hugo had done his toast and was downing his fourth glass of champagne, while Lily was on her third. The glasses kept magically refilling themselves.

"And now," Rose's mother was announcing, "It's time for the first dance."

As Rose and Scorpius began to dance, Al leaned back, the upper corners of his mouth lifting slightly. Kayla elbowed him. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing." She elbowed him again and he chuckled. "I'm just thinking about when Rose was in Hogwarts. She was seeing Scorpius secretly and was trying to decide whether if it was serious enough to tell everyone."

"Not so secret," Kayla added, rolling her eyes. "I caught them once."

Al laughed. "Of course. Well, she was really torn up about it. And now they're getting married, and Draco Malfoy is scowling in the corner."

"Hmm." She picked up her glass of champagne to hide her smile. "As a closet romantic, a part of me is loving their story."

"Closet romantic?" he said teasingly, turning to look at her as other people began to join Rose and Scorpius on the dance floor.

"Yes."

"You cried openly at both of those sappy movies we watched a month ago."

"You weren't supposed to say that out loud," she grumbled, and he laughed again.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, reaching out and taking her free hand. "I can't actually dance that well, but it looks fun."

"Neither can I." She was extremely pleased to see that his cheeks had flushed pink, even though they were definitely together at that point. "You'll have to put up with my aching feet though."

"You don't have to wear shoes –"

"Oh Merlin, just go," Lily said irritably from behind her. "I'm tired of you two flirting."

"Seconded," Hugo grunted.

With red cheeks, Kayla and Al went to the dance floor and joined the crowd that had gathered there. She saw her own parents, as well as Rose's and Albus'; Teddy and Victoire Lupin, whose children were running around the dance floor wildly; Al's older brother James, who was dancing with Hannah Wood while her boyfriend glared at them.

"What is your brother doing?" Kayla murmured as they swayed together.

"I dunno." Al grinned and spun them around so they could switch places and see what was happening. "Oh, yeah. They've had a thing since school."

"Really?" Kayla said incredulously, playing with Al's collar at his neck. "But she has a boyfriend. He's right there."

He snorted. "You know James. He doesn't really like rules."

"I didn't know they had a thing," she said, thinking back to Hogwarts. Maybe Lily would know, as they were all in Gryffindor. "She never mentioned it."

"She wouldn't, if she's got a boyfriend."

"Hannah was saying how he never wants to get married," she recounted. "He wants to stay boyfriend and girlfriend forever. She was very put off."

"James wants to get married," he responded, wiggling his eyebrows a little. "He told me the last time I saw him. I had no idea what he was on about at the time, since he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Hmm." Kayla tried not to laugh as Hannah's boyfriend angrily cut between her and James. "Well he certainly is daring."

"I suppose," he said thoughtfully. "That's something, then? People who date but never want to get married?"

"Yeah." She shrugged as she noticed a bloke sitting at another table, staring at Lily. "Some don't believe in marriage and weddings and all that. I dunno. I always thought it was nice."

"Because you're a closet romantic," he teased, and she stuck her tongue out at him. Al tightened his grip on her waist to bring her closer. "But someday, maybe few years, you know…" He looked around him. "I could see myself doing all this."

She rolled her eyes. "You are also a closet romantic."

"I am not."

"You can be in denial all you want, I know the truth," she said in a sing-songy voice.

"Kayla," he groaned, and she laughed. He pressed a kiss to her hairline as they kept swaying. "You look amazing, by the way."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling. Thanks to Lily, she'd been able to find a flowy blue dress she loved. "You look great, too. Though you could've combed your hair."

"I did," he insisted, reaching up to ruffle his hair, and she leaned her forehead against his chest, giggling. He was laughing along with her until he abruptly stopped. "Oh shit, Gemma's here."

Kayla lifted her head to see Gemma, who had evidently just crashed the reception. She was standing at the end of the hall near the entrance in a deep red dress that complimented her dark skin. She was leaning over on her toes, clearly looking for Hugo.

He was sitting at his table close to the front, looking dejected as he chatted with Lily. Hugo's face matched his red hair, probably because of all the champagne. He didn't see her until Gemma had come all the way in front of him, at the opposite end of his table.

"Hugo rehearsed his set with me the other day," Al said quietly to Kayla. "It was awful. I convinced him to do an old routine for his show with that famous guy."

"He's definitely been miserable all week," she agreed. Hugo was finally noticing Gemma standing there, though neither of them said anything. She could see tears in Gemma's eyes.

Kayla and Al had stilled on the dance floor to watch, and she made an impatient noise. "Come on, Hugo."

And then Hugo was darting around the table, knocking his chair over as he ran over to Gemma. He leaned down and kissed her fully on her lips, wrapping his arms around her. She responded very enthusiastically.

"They're together," Kayla said softly, looking up at Al and smiling widely. "He'll be thrilled."

"Isn't he still moving, though?"

"Yeah." She leaned her cheek on his chest as they began to sway again. "I think they're going to try to make it work."

"Probably," he said. "Lily looks all alone, now. And slightly disgusted by Hugo."

"Fair. But now that guy at the other table is going to make his move."

"What are you talking about – whoa." Kayla laughed into his chest as he stilled, watching the man go over to that table. "That was a bit scary."

"Well he was staring at her for the past ten minutes."

Al shook his head, and she leaned back to give him a questioning look. "You're just… interesting."

"Gee, thanks," she said, looking past his shoulder. Hugo and Gemma had disappeared, probably to talk and work things out.

"In a good way." He swayed with her for a few more seconds before speaking. "I've never known anyone to care for people as much as you do."

Kayla looked at Al. She didn't know what to say. "I don't think it's any more than anyone else."

"It is," he told her, holding her closely, and suddenly her heart was beating rather quickly. He really chose to say it in the most romantic place possible, with fairy lights floating above them, beautiful music in the background. She felt so overwhelmed she nearly wanted to smack him for it.

He rested his chin down on her head and spoke into her hair. "I definitely think I'm falling for you."

She was suddenly breathless.

They danced together for a few more moments before she reached up and kissed him. When they separated, she poked him gently. "You are a romantic."

"Fine," he said dramatically, and she laughed. "By the way, Lily just slapped that guy."

He was right; Lily, who had been flirting with the man who'd approached her a few minutes ago, had unexpectedly smacked him and stormed off. She came up to Kayla and Al, and they broke apart.

"I'm going home," she said to Kayla.

"What happened?"

"That guy I was talking to?" She jerked her head towards him, who was still staring at her. "Everything's fine, and I'm thinking, 'Wow, he actually seems quite intelligent' and next thing you know, he's telling me the dirtiest pick up line I've ever heard."

Al looked disturbed, but Kayla was confused. Lily's face was flushed and looked angry, but not that angry. She looked a little more nervous than anything. At the table, the guy was still sitting there, grinning and rubbing his face.

"Did he really?" Kayla asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!"

"And did it work?"

"Yes – what?" Lily stuttered, caught off guard. Al groaned, but they ignored him.

"So," Kayla continued, trying not to laugh, "I assume you're trying to leave without being noticed by your mum and dad?"

Lily looked frozen, her face steadily turning redder. "Maybe."

"And her really is quite intelligent?"

"Shut up," she said under her breath, and Kayla laughed. "Can you please stay at Al's tonight?"

"Why – never mind," Kayla decided, throwing up her hands. She could tell Lily was somehow hooked on this guy. "I don't want to know. Al?"

"Sure," he agreed wearily, not looking at Lily. She thanked Kayla and hurried out of the hall. The man followed her a minute later. Al looked slightly sick.

"I do not recognize him, and therefore I cannot kill him," he grumbled irritably.

Kayla laughed.

"That was nice of you, though," he acknowledged, pulling her back into him so they could continue dancing.

"Thanks."

"And now you're coming home with me," he said in a low voice, teasing her. She couldn't stop the heat from spreading in her cheeks and her heart from thumping madly in her chest. Al gave her a smile and a comforting kiss on the forehead – but somehow, the nerves weren't all bad. Not anymore.

Kayla didn't know exactly why she felt so anxious about everything, or if it would ever go away, or if she wanted them to. All she knew was that she was realizing when it happened and that she couldn't hide behind her friends when she felt it. She had to take care of herself.

She had to embrace her nerves, and maybe that's just the way it was.