Disclaimer: No, I'm not JK Rowling. Sorry for the wait. I had like zero inspiration. Yes, this chapter gets a bit FRIENDS-ish. Sorry, I've been watching it online a lot lately. You get 100 points if you know where it seems like that and what couple it's in reference to.
I had a good cry in the mock-bedroom that the Room of Requirement had made for me before I was ready to leave.
The room sprung a bathroom where I washed my face off so I looked halfway decent. My eyes, though, still looked red and puffy from crying. This was something that I would have to deal with. Most of the students who knew me knew that I had a few allergies, so I really didn't look like anything out of the ordinary.
I turned a corner and heard two people talking.
"How could I have been so stupid?" someone asked. I knew that voice. It was Scorpius. I looked around the corner, only allowing one eye to see what was going on. Al was with him. Scorpius kicked the wall. "She doesn't want me. Of course she doesn't. I was a fool to think that she did."
"Pull yourself together, Scorp!" Albus said, shaking his friend's shoulders. "How can you be so sure of what you're saying? How do you know that she doesn't want you? I think that she does?"
"Yeah, easy for you to say," Scorpius scoffed. "You weren't the one who saw him shoving his tongue down her throat."
I let out a silent gasp. He saw that, too.
How desperately I wanted to go up to him. I wanted to explain everything, to tell him that I loved him as well. But, a voice in my head told me to stay where I was. I was not to interfere.
"Do you know if she was kissing him back?" Albus asked calmly.
Scorpius hesitated for a moment. "…No," he said, "but what if she was?"
"She kissed you," Albus said.
So he knew about that. I prayed that he was the only one.
"Yeah, but she didn't know that it was me," he challenged. "And what if she actually likes this Josh guy? Rose said it herself; she's not the kind of girl who can just be messed around with."
"Trust me, I know," Al said. "She's practically my sister, Scorp. I know her best. This is why I know that she doesn't actually like that kid. He probably forced himself on her."
"I'm pretty sure that doesn't work with Rose," Scorpius said. I knew that he was thinking of that day in the library.
"It would if he surprised her," Albus said.
"You might be right," Scorpius agreed, looking down. "Look, I have to go think some things over. I'll see you later."
"Later, then," said Albus. He walked the opposite way Scorpius did. Scorpius' way was right towards me.
I couldn't turn away fast enough.
"Rose?"
Why oh why did my heart do a back flip when I heard him call my name? I turned around.
"You heard?" he asked.
I nodded.
"What did you hear?" he asked. His voice wasn't angry like the last time he spoke to me. It was softer. He seemed somewhat embarrassed.
"Everything," I told him.
"Oh," he looked at the ground.
I turned around and began to walk away from him, the tears already beginning to roll down my cheeks again. He cared about me, for that I was sure, but he didn't want to say anything, for I had already heard. But he didn't know that I cared about him, too. I wanted to turn around and tell him that I loved him as well. Why couldn't I find the courage to do that? This was the exact reason I wasn't a Gryffindor.
"Wait, Rose." I heard sped up footsteps behind me.
"What do you want already?" I turned around. I talked through my tears.
"This," he said. He pulled me in and kissed me. I didn't try to fight him off this time. He knew who I was, and this wasn't an "I'm sorry" kiss. This wasn't awkward like Jacob or disgusting like Josh. This had real feeling. This was a real kiss. This was my first real kiss.
I kissed him back as well. My arms went around his neck as I pulled him in closer.
I wasn't sure how long we were kissing before we both broke for air.
"Well, that was interesting," he said.
I nodded. "Did you, uh, feel anything?" I asked him breathlessly.
"Uh-huh," he affirmed. "You?"
"Uh-huh," I agreed.
"You know what's weird?" he asked me.
"What?"
"That wasn't weird," he said.
"I know," I agreed. "It just feels so…. right."
"Exactly," he said. We fell into a bit of an awkward silence. "We should do this again sometime," he joked. We both laughed.
"Ok," I said, slightly serious this time.
"Really?" he asked me. I nodded. "Ok, sure. So what, are we dating now?"
"I guess we are," I said.
"I kind of like the sound of that," he smiled, putting his arm around my waist.
"Me too," I smiled. "But I think it would be best if no one knew about this yet, you know, except Albus."
"Why just Al?" he asked me.
"He's the only one in my family I can actually trust in my family not to rat me out to Mum and Dad."
"Ah yes," he said. "Our families don't particularly like each other, do they?"
"Well, maybe we'll be the ones to change that," I said.
"I'd like that," he said. He kissed me on the cheek.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he promised.
"Same here," I agreed.
It was all out in the open between us now. There was nowhere to go but up, right?