Chapter 2: Think But This And All Is Mended

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in, and out. In, out. In, out.

Modeling is my job; fashion and kicking ass are my true passions. And right now I wish I were just a fashion designer/ fashion magazine editor/ fashion magazine co-owner/ spy/ bounty hunter, because right now the model part is just one slash too many.

Thank goodness the photographer is my best friend JJ, because if he tells me to "give him" anything else I fully intend to give him a good kick in the ass.

I feel as if I have been spending far too much time with Tasha, my other room mate/ best friend who also has far too many slashes in her life. International Quidditch player/ long distance girlfriend/ CIA Ambassador to MI-6/ spy/ bounty hunter, however the long distance slash is soon to go away, she just doesn't know it yet.

JJ is only a few slashes short of us, however his are racking up as well being a photographer/ fashion magazine co-owner/ fashion magazine editor/ photography studio owner. I could add in personality traits, but then JJ and Tasha's lists would never end.

"One last pose Andi," JJ yelled as the male model behind me was repositioned so that his arms were around my waste.

A few flashes later and we were done.

I walked over to JJ where he was behind a computer screen looking at the photographs he just shot.

"No peaking!" he said as he immediately covered the screen and took me away. "That was amazing," he told me, clearly happy with the results. "Now we just need you to get the team to agree to a photo shoot and we will have a big article."

"I know, just let me work it out. I don't want him to think that I am just using him." I replied walking back into the dressing room to change, leaving JJ to his work.

This building is the love child of JJ's professional relationship and mine. Well not really the building, but everything inside of it.

Double Letter Score the photography studio is on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Double Letter Score the fashion magazine office is on the 4th and 5th floors. The loft that JJ, Tasha and I share is on the 6th. It is only accessible through the private lift and staircase from the lobby, or the hidden staircase from the office that JJ and I share. All of the other lifts from the lobby on the first floor only go as high as the 5th floor. The lobby doubles as an art studio for up and coming artists in the wizarding community, our current featured artist is Dean Thomas.

Double Letter Score was conceived the day that Rita Skeeter decided to print and article that claimed I was only featured as the cover of Witch Weekly because I had slept with the head photographer, JJ (ew!), which caused JJ to loose his job (tear!). We already had the building because we owned the loft so we kinda just started. Together we had the funds and the equipment, JJ always insisted that he use his own, and due to the budding fame of our third roommate we had our first subject.

The only thing that we didn't have was a buyer. Because of being fired no magazine in the wizidering community would print anything taken by JJ. They would soon come to regret that decision.

Since they wouldn't print anything from us, we would. Once again, we had the funds, the knowledge and the subject, so we started Double Letter Score the magazine. In the beginning we were a bit shaky, but by the next fashion season we were a hit, and have been since.

It is weird how some things just click, and I cannot express to you happy I am that DLS did. Because now that everything is settled down, no less exciting, just that we are now fully staffed so it kinda just runs itself, kinda, either way it leaves time for me to work on my next project: "Double" the fashion line. It is just starting up but it seems to be budding. Double is accessible to both the muggle and the wizidering population so that helps a lot.

The story behind the name is not really a story, more of a fact, but everyone asks so here it is. Note the following names: Joseph Jackson, Natasha Neilson, Alexandra Armadi, notice a pattern? Well, that is where the name Double Letter Score comes from, us pretending to be witty.

Today I am a fashion designer. I was sitting at my desk, sketching a new dress for Tasha because she has far too few, listening to the soft buzz of the office on the other side of the walls of the glass walls that form the office shared by JJ and myself. We were between printings so I had a good week until everything became a state of emergency again.

"The shoot was fantastic D. I swear the camera just loves you. You make me feel unneeded and unloved." JJ looked up at me from his computer with a pout on his face. "I need a hug." And he opened up his arms in a way to say, "hug me" the same was a five-year-old does.

So I walked over to his chair, sat down on his lap and gave the big toddler a hug. "Feel better?" I asked walking back to my desk.

"No, not really. I think I was confusing unwantedness and hunger again. It must be lunch time." He replied, completely serious.

"Only you J, only you. Alright," I told him as I stood up and put on my coat, "lets go and get the big boy some food." Then we walked out the door towards the elevators.

Once outside JJ decided that he wanted Chinese food, however since there are no Chinese food places in Diagon Alley we headed to the Leaky Cauldron and out into muggle London.

We got lunch and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron, and after tapping the required combination into the bricks back into Diagon Alley. We walked past WWW to the building right next door, DLS.

"Good afternoon Ms. Armadi, good afternoon Mr. Jackson." Greeted our security guard Stand and Julie, the nice girl who runs the lobby studio.

"Good afternoon." We replied together. By the time we reached our private elevator JJ's stomach was getting far too cranky for his liking. But since there were anti-apparition charms set on the building that could only be reset by myself, JJ and Tasha all together, he was going to have to wait.

Xoxox

"So, when are you telling Tasha the … news?" J said with a look on his face that told me that he still was not happy with me about this, as we were sitting eating our lunch in the loft.

"I don't know." I said, but the look on his face told me that that was not a good enough answer. "Look, I want to, I really do. I hate hiding this from her. I just feel like she will try and kill one or both of us when she finds out." So sue me, I'm scared of my best friend.

"Well it better be soon. Does he know that your roommate is his seeker?" He asked, curious.

"No, so I clearly need to deal with that too."

"Clearly." He said then got up to take care of lunch.

Yes, you did read that right. I, Alexandra Marie Armadi, roommate/ best friend/ partner in anti-crime of Natasha Neilson, am dating Oliver Thomas Wood. And, no, neither of them knows my connection to the other.

Oliver and I met at a party for Dean Thomas' success and I was invited because DLS studio brought on that success. Oliver was there because Dean seemed to be dating one Katie Bell, an ex-team mate of Oliver's from school.

We met while sitting at the bar, neither one of us in much of a mood to socialize. We talked and talked and talked. During all of which we drank as well. We left the party early together and proceeded to a park near his apartment where we had a night of drunken debauchery and I woke up sans clothing, in his bed, with him, equally as naked.

Xoxox Flashback xoxox

My head was pounding and the mini marching band lodged in my brain was being obnoxious. The light streaming through my eyelids wasn't helping either.

I could tell I wasn't in my own bed because I wasn't surrounded by my 27 pillows (I kid you not), however the pillow I was sleeping on was amazing. The bed wasn't bad either, amazingly warm. Where ever I was it smelled delicious.

I rolled over on to my side to get away from the light. I rolled into something, something that pulled me further into it, looking down, … ok, into him clearly. He stirred, so I decided it was time to really open my eyes.

"Oh I like this view" I thought to myself.

" I'm glad." He responded. Ok, so I didn't think, I said. Oops.

I finally looked at his face and everything that happened the previous night came rushing back to me. I was surprised that I felt no regret rushing in with those memories. Strange.

Oliver was now looking back at me too. It looked like he also remembered no too. That's fortunate.

"So…" I said, not really used to this.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't go to the press with this," he said, sounding concerned.

"Oh, I am the press honey." I replied jokingly.

"Oh, yeah. Well what happens now?" he asked.

"Well now, now you pull me to your chest and kiss me senseless, and if you so choose you may then offer me a proposition for a relationship."

"So you don't just want this to be a one time thing?"

"Not at all." I had no intention of not having a repeat of last night, and earlier this morning if I remembered correctly.

"Then I guess it is goo that I can follow directions well." And he did, and when he asked I said yes.

Xoxox End Flashback xoxox

I was shaken from my thoughts by a huge bear that seemed to be trying to give me a hug.

"Heaaa-----y Toe---knee" I squeaked out, or at least tried to.

"Ok, you are squishing her big guy" JJ said, coming to my rescue.

"Hey Tony," I finally managed after regaining my breath.

"Hiya Squish!" he said.

I looked over to JJ and scowled "I hate you, that is your fault, all you."

"So," Tony started, throwing himself down onto the couch, bringing JJ down on top of him. "Did you tell Oli and Tata yet?"

"What? How do you know? I have no idea what you are talking about." I am so glad when my amazing interrogation training comes in handy.

"Oh, yeah" he scoffed, "cause JJ can keep a secret." I turned and smacked JJ on the butt.

"Nice, JJ, real nice. And no Bear I have not told them yet. I don't know how she will take it, and that terrifies me." It really did. Then I started vibrating.

I picked my phone out of my pocket. "Hello?" I asked.

"Hello, beautiful." I knew that voice, that amazing, husky, Scottish voice.

"Oliver, aren't you supposed to be at practice?"

"I am at practice, but I needed to ask you a question."

"Alright, ask away."

"Well," he started, sounding nervous. "There is a team meeting tomorrow morning and I can't use the field cause it will be locked, and my apartment is too small so I was wondering if we could possibly use your apartment, and this way you can finally meet the team. So what do you say?"

"Well one of my roommates owes me," I said as I glared at JJ, he can deal with it, he told Tony my secret. " And my other roommate won't have a problem with it." And it would give me a way to tell Tasha and Oliver at the same time. Well, not really tell, more like show, but at least it gets that out of the way. "So, yeah. That sounds fine."

"Alright well since you three are having a girls' night in and you are leaving me out I guess I'll just see you around seven tomorrow morning." He was still a little bit bitter about not being invited to movie night.

"Okay, bye love" I responded, ignoring his little hint that he wanted in tonight.

"Bye," he said.

Well that is going to be an interesting meeting.

AN:

Thanks again for reading, and anything that you have to say about the story would be very helpful (even if it is to tell me that I can't write to save my life and should never try again)!

Chlorine Water