Words - 482

Rating - PG13

Warnings - Mild angst

Prompt - Based on the song "The Only Exception" by Paramore. I recommend that you listen to that while reading this. Written for Porsh, because I'm too nice (and desperate to write something, suggestions for anything else is welcome by the way).

#18 – SWAY

You are the only exception

And I'm on my way to believing

Oh, I'm on my way to believing

- "The Only Exception", Paramore

Ginny closed her eyes, swaying back and forth slowly on the shiny dance floor, head resting on his chest. She didn't know how she'd gotten here, and lately something in her had been clenching in a wonderful sort of fear, a sort of breaking.

She'd sworn – to herself, in private, a secret oath – to never believe in love again, not after Harry. She just couldn't make it work. Maybe her parents were happy, but she was another matter, and she'd sworn she was content, accepting. She'd really believed herself, too, for years she'd had her friends and career and it was always more than "enough".

But this. This was different.

She didn't know how, or why. Merlin knew, it hadn't been this way when it started. She was a realist and a pessimist in one: love didn't work out for her, no matter that Luna and Blaise's wedding last week had been a beautiful and happy one. Some other people had it, maybe, but not Ginny. She'd come to terms with this so long ago that it wasn't even on her mind anymore. She had known everything, going into this.

She'd known, and she had honestly believed herself. She had been keeping her promise for years, this was nothing new. There could be a relationship without love, attraction didn't mean attachment. She didn't even think to consider anything long-term. It wasn't as if either of them would want it.

But somehow. Somehow she'd lied to herself and mixed everything up.

And now here she was, swaying in his arms with her eyes closed and this felt inevitable in a way, like the slow-building music around them. Like she hadn't noticed it until it was too late, and yet she couldn't even be upset because…

Because she had lied to herself. Love may not like her, but she couldn't avoid it forever, and now she was falling again, could feel the drop with each heartbeat under her ear. And she knew the reality, knew that this wouldn't last for either of them, surely, but oh when he was breathing so steady and moving so slow. When she opened her eyes and there he was, handsome and grey-eyed and just watching her like maybe he felt it too.

When he smiled, just a little, and her heart didn't skip a beat so much as it just sighed out happily, and she felt herself smile back. No matter what she'd promised herself, she just smiled back.

She knew the truth, but she couldn't quite make herself believe it anymore, and she didn't know since when. But she couldn't help it and felt herself relax into him, and she really couldn't stop this slow, steady fall.

It took a moment to realize, a sway, a heartbeat, a breath, a look, and she knew inevitably: more than couldn't stop, she really just didn't want to.