A/N - Had a bit of a moment there and added the wrong chapter. Oops.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Chapter 10
"So, you work in the arts?" Jeff started brightly as they ordered their drinks and began perusing the menus set in front of them.
"Not exactly," Rosie laughed, "But you make my job sound much more interesting."
"It's an art of sorts, you have those book displays at the entrance…they're sometimes artistic…"
"Ha ha, I wish I could take credit but that was Rita my superior...I'm not actually allowed to touch the displays."
"Well I suppose you have to work your way up the hierarchy of the library, soon you'll be moved up to book stamping, then the late fees desk and maybe when you've been there long enough they'll move you up to the highly sort after task of book display…You have to have something to work for I think."
"Yeah, that is what I strive for, I think once I reach the lofty heights of book displays I can die truly happy!"
They laughed their way through the next hour. Rosie found Jeff extremely easy to talk to, he wasn't one of those people who forced their entire life on you, every word he spoke was like turning the page of a familiar book. He wasn't hard to read, or secretive, nor did he thrust his past and opinions on Rose. Jeff was different. He spoke about his job in the Wizarding records centre, his love for history and how one day he wanted to write a book about his findings. As he spoke, Rose began to mentally recreate him, snatching the glasses from his face and throwing them aside, giving him an ironed shirt, a pair of jeans, burn the hideous cardi he was wearing and of course a nice short back and sides, then she'd muss his hair up good and proper. Yes, she thought, he could look rather sexy with a bit of help.
After their meal, they began a slow walk around the dimly lit streets of Greenwich, Rose found herself opening up about her childhood. The difficulty of being the child of two 'celebrities' and the pressure put on her to succeed, but also the fun she had being a member of the notorious Weasley clan. Jeff was exceedingly jealous being an only child.
"But don't you have cousins?"
"Yes, two but I've only ever met them twice, they live in Canada."
"Corr, I couldn't imagine Christmas without the whole family, the massive dinner, present opening in age order, and the traditional Weasley Christmas day Quidditch match extravaganza. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without all that..." Rose trailed off, she probably sounded like such a twit!
"Ahhh, in my house Christmas was always just a day of forced merriment purely for my benefit. Then as I got older, it became less about making sure I would have a good day and more about which one of my parents could get drunk the quickest."
This halted the conversation, they walk in silence for a couple of minutes, Rose didn't know how to respond. She thought about her childhood, and how she always moaned to herself about the hardship and pressure of it all but at least her parents had always loved her, loved each other. Thinking about it, she'd been lucky, she'd never wanted for anything her parents had provided her with both material and emotional support and always would...
"I'd really like to see you again, Rose, if that's alright? Only if you want to." he stared into her eyes with a kind of wonderment that made Rose want to laugh out loud, she held it in though it would, of course, be rude to laugh in a man's face. Especially when he was asking he out on a second date.
"I'd like that." Rose smiled as a huge grin spread across Jeff's face.
"Excellent, wonderful, I know I great place to eat!"
"Great! I love to eat!"
"Excellent! I'll owl you, say Wednesday, with details?"
"Wednesdays good." Rose was surprised how easy this was, in her experience, the after the meal bit was hard. Trying to decipher whether or not they'd both had a good enough time to want to do it again. But Jeff seemed to by-pass all the ambiguous intentions, he was straight to the point, even gave the day he would owl. None of that 'see you later' stuff Rosie had never understood.
"You are wonderful Rose Weasley, you didn't disappoint." He kept staring into her eyes, any other man would have looked away long ago, but oh no not Jeff. "Until Wednesday." Then with one last smile he turn on the spot and apparated off leaving Rosie completely bemused, he really was a funny fellow, old-fashioned manners, foppish and an utter toff! But yet so savvy with the ways of the world, so self assured with himself, a completely different man to the stuttering geek that had asked her out in the library. Rose had absolutely no idea of what to make of him but yet she found she quite like it.
"Oh for fucksake Cass'" Scorpius entered the living room to find Cassie curled up on the sofa with that ginger monstrosity licking the leftovers off her plate. "I told you not to feed it! It's not your cat."
"He obviously likes it here, he waits for me outside the back door." Cassie wailed slightly too dramatically to be considered believable.
"Of course he likes it here," Scorpius interjected "somewhere cozy to sleep, as much food as he can eat, that cat has definitely put on weight!"
"Hmmm," Cassie considered the cat for a moment, "maybe you're right. He is looking a bit tubbins." She sniffed the air, "Speaking of which, can I smell chips?"
"Oh yeah, I really fancied a massive chip butty on the way home, wanna join me?"
"Wicked, I've already had a pasta bake but I'll definitely take a couple of your hands." Said Cassie tucking in. "Did you get any curry sauce?"
"Of course." Scorpius pulled the top of the sauce with his teeth, squirted a hefty amount on to the bread and piling the chips on top, they both took huge bites simultaneously.
"Corr, you can't beat a chip butty. Beer?" sliding a bottle across the table.
"Mmmmhhnnk" mumbled Scorpius through a mouthful of chips taking a swig of beer. The flat mates sat in near silences making the occasional yummy noises, Cassie finished first she never was very lady-like, just wolfed down her food like no tomorrow, barely touching the sides. She let out a small belch and patted her stomach gently.
"That hit the spot, how was work?"
Scorpius chewed his mouthful for a moment then swallowed.
"Good, fine you know same shit different day…more flippin' redundancies, I'll have to come work for you if I get given the shove."
"Sorry but you're not qualified enough."
"Not qualified? You work in a shop."
"A specialist shop. Do you actually know anything about Oneiromancy, or Gastromancy, or palmistry? No? Didn't think so."
"Yeah but all that's stuff is guess work, you don't really need any training…"
"You've just failed your interview. I'm afraid you have been unsuccessful on this attempt." Cassie stood up ruffled Scorpius' hair and headed for the front door. "I'm off out, see ya later."
"Yeah don't worry I'll clean this up." Scorpius started sarcastically as the front door slammed behind her. He sighed at the mess in the kitchen sink, he looked down to see the cat winding itself steadily around his legs. "…and you can fuck off as well."
"You're back late?"
"Yeah, it went a little bit better than I had anticipated." Said Rose hanging her coat up and sinking into the sofa next to Cilla.
"Well clearly, how was it?" Cilla shifted her enormous bosoms and turned to face Rose. "Have you found yourself a nice hunk of man candy?"
"No not attractive at all. He looks like he should be teaching history of magic, but he's nice, granted a little odd, but he was complete gentleman. Didn't even try to grope me at the end."
"But all men are shite at dressing themselves, unless their gay…besides the good looking men are usually complete swine's."
"Yeah," Rosie replied slowly, "It's just I'm used to dating people I find attractive, and Jeff is not the guy I would usually go for looks wise. But he's kind, very intelligent and quite interesting, maybe I should try dating someone who I like, rather than who I fancy?"
"Never worked for me personally, I'm far too shallow, but you should give it a go."
"And," Rose lent forward grinning. "He called me wonderful."
"Well, at least we know he's sane then, and you like him?"
"Yeah, I do, I'm actually looking forward to his owl on Wednesday."
"Then that's fab, isn't it! Wine? I need to discuss Magnus with you."
"Alright, but just the one glass mind, I stupidly agreed to look after four children tomorrow. I'll definitely need my wits about me."
"Oh, you poor thing! I can't think of anything worse."
