(A/N): I'm so sorry for making you guys wait for so long. Between real life getting hectic, Black Mirror being a huge distraction, and losing motivation in general, I kind of fell behind schedule. But anyway, now it's here and let's just get right into the story, shall we? Enjoy the last chapter of New Rules! Warning: it's pretty long - it just wrote itself
Rule 3: Don't be his friend; you know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning
He had left that night feeling a sense of relief, as though a huge burden had been lifted off him. He had been stupid not to realise his feelings before, but he was sure of it now. The fact is, he loved her. Simple as that.
Love didn't hold him back. In a way, it liberated him.
This new found realisation only intensified his will to win Rose back, and he wasn't going to give up without a fight.
So that's exactly the reason why he shows up the next day, with a movie in hand. At first she's reluctant to let him in, just like she had been the day before and he contemplated leaving her be after her constant protesting, but the look in her eyes gave him a clear signal that she meant otherwise.
"Scorpius, you know we shouldn't be doing this," she says, her body swaying and her voice lacking conviction. There's a small smile that she hides behind her hair, secretly delighted that he came.
"Why? Can't we enjoy a movie together without stirring up controversy? You see, I even brought your favourite," He held up an old, tattered DVD of 'Ten Things I Hate About You', a classic that Rose simply cannot resist.
Little did he know that when she had watched it for the first time, in a way it reminded her of their own relationship, without the money involved, of course. They were electrifying, passionate, and they understood each other in a way that no one else could. There were the occasional boys who sought after her, but none could ever hold a candle to him. And it really was good-friend Albus who had realised how much they suited each other, and somehow briefly brought it up in conversation with Scorpius, all the while unknowingly stirring his interest in the redhead.
She couldn't help but smile at his hopeful expression, and she nudged the door wide open to let him in, eventually settling down on the sofa with the television playing softly in the background.
And how was it that they found themselves tangled together on the sofa the next day is beyond her, but in the first time after all these months, she finally felt at ease. They were lying against the wall on the side of the sofa, with him encasing her, as she sat between his legs. Her head rested on his chest, as she felt it rise and fall to the rhythm of his breath, and his arms wrapped around her waist.
It wasn't the most comfortable way to fall asleep, but somehow it was.
She had desperately wanted to stay in this exact moment for the hours to come, but judging from the way the birds were chirping outside her window, and the sound of her neighbour's loud morning dance routine, she knew they would have to get going to work soon.
As she turned around to look at him, his eyes fluttered open, and upon recognition, he gave a gentle smile.
"Morning," he drawls, one of his thumbs rubbing light circles on her waist.
"Morning," she replied, mimicking his smile, "I can't believe we fell asleep during the movie"
"I am a very comfortable pillow, or so I'm told," he laughed melodically.
"I'm sure that pillows don't snore"
"I do not"
"Do too," she teased, chuckling against him.
"Oh, Rosie, Rosie. Do you know what happens to girls who spread lies about me?" He tried his best to look menacing and scary, "They get..."
And before he finished his sentence, one arm gripped Rose firmly, and the other started to tickle her around her belly.
"Ahhh," Rose laughs and attempts to squirm away from him, but he has her pressed tight against his chest, "No, stop, stop, Scorp!"
"Surrender, Weasley, or you're going down"
"Okay, okay," she struggles to control her laughter, "I surrender"
"And?"
"You are the most comfortable pillow, I can vouch for that"
"Thank you, Rosie. Now was that so hard?"
They're both catching their breaths as silence pours over them. Rose catches his eyes, and for a split moment flickers down to his lips. Feeling the magnetism calling upon her, she reluctantly looks away. I can't do this, not yet, not now, she thinks to herself.
"So, I guess I better start getting to work then," she clears her throat and untangles herself away from him.
But before she could move away, she feels him grab her wrist.
"Hey… umm… How about dinner tonight?"
Rose falters, unsure of what to say. She enjoyed his company the night before, more than enjoy, in fact. But that was the problem, wasn't it? She was falling right into his schemes.
Yet it felt so good to fall.
"I don't -" she's unsure what to say, because every excuse sounded extremely stupid.
"Think of it as us reacquainting ourselves with each other. Like friends"
"It's… We can't. There's too much history for us to be friends right now. We need time to grow up and be apart"
"And we have. We've been apart for three months and I can't stand not being with you anymore. I'm not good with all this emotional bullshit, but I swear I've changed, and I know you can feel it too," he stood up to her level, "I'm not saying that we need to get back together right away, but at least spend some time with me. Get to know me, really know me for who I am. Come on, Rose, I dare you."
She focused her eyes on the floor and shook her head.
"Why're you fighting this?" He asked, gently.
"Because!" she cried out, "Because if we're friends, I know I'll end up in your bed in the morning, and I'll never be able to get over you!"
"That's the thing! I don't want you to get over me!"
Rose looked away, faltering against his intense gaze.
"One chance, Rose. Believe in us, like you said you did"
"I believe in us, Scorpius, and I know that one day you'll be ready, and I'll be waiting" she said as she dressed before him and walked out.
It felt like a lifetime ago when she had said those words, but as much as she would like to protest otherwise, she knew it was the truth.
Soon, the cold winds of winter passed, and the flowers began to blossom. One chance turned to two, two turned to ten, and ten turned to countless more, and before they knew it, they were spending at least three days a week with each other.
It was effortless, the way they fell in harmony so easily that they didn't even realise they had an unspoken agreement to adapt their busy schedules to fit one another. They simply enjoyed their time together, and every meeting was an event to look forward to.
During these four months, they strayed away from spending too much time in their flats, mostly to ease Rose's worries. They spent endless nights chatting away in the park near her place, watching movies in the Muggle cinema, strolling by the pier, and going on broom rides in the countryside. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much, and it was obvious, even to the people around her.
"Oh honey, you look well, I'm so glad that frown has finally left your face," her mum half-jokingly said during their Easter gathering. She knew her mother was concerned for her wellbeing, particularly when things went sour with Scorpius and Rose couldn't seem to hide the sadness on her face.
"So I gather you have good news to share with us, Rose?" Aunt Ginnie probed.
"Just happy, that's all," Rose replied, "Things are finally back on track"
"Could it be a new man?" Victoire wiggled her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, as she joined into the conversation, and soon after, Dominique and Lily stood beside them.
"I wouldn't say new," she said coyly, as she smiled thinking about him. No one in her family really knew the whole truth about her relationship with Scorpius, apart from Lily and Al. Of course, they had suspected things before, but no one involved had confirmed it.
"Awww isn't this absolutely adorable, look at Rose, red as her namesake" Vic teased.
"Well, he must be pretty special to capture our Rosie's attention," Dom chimed in.
"Oh, trust me. He's definitely something," Lily said with a smirk, as she walked away. Those Potters sure are dramatic.
The doorbell rang as he was about to get ready for sleep. Silently cursing whoever it was that clearly had no sense of time, he flung open his door and was surprised to see a familiar redhead stand before him, looking unfairly adorable with her flushed cheeks and frizzy hair.
"Rose?" He started, "Oh shit, did I forget we were supposed to meet? Shit, I'm so sorry"
"What? No, no, no. I should be the one who's sorry for coming over unannounced. You didn't forget anything, I'm just... in a sort of a… predicament," she ran her fingers through her hair for the millionth time that night, before she noticed the clock behind him, "Oh bloody hell, it's past midnight and you look like you're getting ready to sleep and I've completely interrupted, haven't I? I'm so sorry, I should go"
"No, it's fine. Honestly, I wasn't even planning on sleeping yet," he lied smoothly, "Come in, I'll fix you some hot chocolate and you can tell me what happened"
She marvelled at how utterly organised and sophisticated the interior design of his flat looked as he headed towards the kitchen. She knew he had to thank his mother for her impeccable taste in decorations, but the stark contrast between his flat and hers was a little embarrassing.
She had been to his place before, of course, but it has been many months since her last visit, and she couldn't help but compare the differences between then and now.
Sure, the majority of things were still the same. The big pieces of furniture were all exactly as they were seven months ago, but she took a glimpse of a few little things that would've gone unnoticed had she been someone else. But she was Rose Weasley, and Rose Weasley was nothing but observant (especially when it came to him).
The newly bought television didn't escape her, as it was something that she constantly nagged him to buy. Alongside it was a row of DVDs, all of which she recognised to be things they've watched together before, and enjoyed. By the fireplace, was also a new set of photos stuck to the previously empty wall. She felt giddy as she saw polaroids of the two of them on several occasions that they hung out these past few months, along with some of his family and friends.
The biggest surprise came when she absent-mindedly wandered into his bedroom, a place that she's all too familiar with, and saw its subtle new arrangements. Next to the bed was a large bookcase, and she recognised some of her own books that she must've left over lining the top two shelves.
On the other side of the room was the closet, and neatly hung up on the rails were jackets, scarves, shirts and other items of clothing that she had left behind. That part of the closet was even charmed yellow, a contrast to the predominantly grey bedroom that he resides in.
She walked over to 'her' closet, and hung on the knob of one of the drawers was a small keychain with a key to it. She knew then and there that it was a key to his flat.
He loves me, as she felt a strong surge of emotions overcome her. She couldn't stop smiling, and it almost felt as though she was fifteen years old, who had just gotten a "hi" back from her crush.
She knew she was right to believe in them. That one day has finally come.
She was startled when she heard footsteps coming closer to the room, as she immediately sprinted to another part of the room. It would've been embarrassing if he came in and saw that she had been fondling the key.
Scorpius came in and handed her a cup of hot chocolate, with extra froth in it.
He walked slowly towards the yellow closet, as Rose began to drink, and stealthily (or so he thought), hid the key in his pocket. There was no need to scare her with all that, he thought.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," she said, looking rather red, "I have no idea why I came in here," she laughed nervously, "Habit, I guess"
"Don't worry, love, nothing you haven't seen before" he deliberately left out the yellow part of his room, because that was a conversation for another time, "So, what brings you to my humble abode?"
"The strangest, most absurd thing happened, but I swear it's true. Long story short, I suppose, I was cleaning out some old stuff from my room and a flock of doxies came flying out of the box. I knew they like to infested homes, but these days, they're so far and few that I never would've imagined seeing them in my own. Anyway, I got out of there pronto, before one of them could bite me" she ran her fingers through her hair again, "I floo-called Aunt Luna and she says she'll help me with it tomorrow, and told me to stay elsewhere meanwhile, so here I am," She spread her arms open to gesticulate the room.
"To be fair though, I didn't want to bother my parents so late at night, and Al is out of town. Lils and Hu are back at Hogwarts, and the next person I could think of was you" she added as an afterthought.
He chuckled, "I feel truly special, Rosie"
She laughed along with him, and lightly smacked his arm, "Oh please, as if you're not secretly thrilled"
"Then I would say you know me well," he smirked, taking a step towards her.
She was so tempted to just fling herself into his arms and snog him senseless, but she was embarrassed enough as it was.
She cleared her throat, attempting to ease their obvious unresolved sexual tension.
"I hope it's not too much to ask for, but I was wondering if I could take your sofa tonight?"
He was taken aback, "What kind of host would that make me if I let the one girl I care about sleep on the sofa? You can take the bed, I'll take the sofa"
She felt another wave of giddiness glide through her at his admission. But even that couldn't deter her from the fact that she was the one making an inconvenience.
"No way. I'm the one who's asking you for a favour"
"Yes way. I'm the host and you're my guest"
"An uninvited guest"
"Still a guest"
"Arghhh, you're so infuriating"
"One of my strongest attributes, I assure you"
"I'm not letting you sleep on the sofa, and clearly you're not letting me either. I'm tired, you're tired, so why don't we just sleep on the bed together," she couldn't believe she just proposed that out loud, and it seemed like neither could he as he smirk grew wider by the second.
"I never thought you were so forward about this, you should've just said so ages ago," his voice suggestive and low.
"Scorp!" She stomped her foot, "That is not what I meant. We can sleep on the bed together, separately"
"That sounds ridiculous"
"You know what I mean"
It was then that she realised how close they had gotten following semi-spat, if you could even call it that. Her eyes drifted from his chest to his eyes, to his lips, and that ever-recurring sense of attraction hit her like a tsunami.
"I mean, we're friends, right?" she said quietly, not exactly sure who she's trying to convince, "Friends do these kinds of things, right? Like sleepovers"
"Yeah sure" he zoned out of the conversation, as he instead focused on her full lips and how it would feel against his, "friends"
It was unsure who initiated it first, but the moment he exhaled those words, they gravitated towards each other and closed the remaining gap as their lips collided in a throe of passion.
Hands moved everywhere. Tangled in her hair. Along his toned chest. Down her waist. Cupping his jaw. They stumbled towards the bed that they were to share, together.
"It's been too long," she uttered, as he rolled on top of her and hummed in agreement.
Clothing were tugged off. His shirt. Her skirt. His trousers. Her blouse. Until they were left in their undergarments.
He wanted to savour her. It really has been too long, and he needed to be reacquainted with every part of her.
He pressed soft kisses down the length of her, pulling off the rest of her clothing as he went along. His fingers lightly massaged her core, as she bent her legs to push down his boxers.
With deft hands, she guided his length towards her centre, as he moved back up to align with her. Furrowed brows and short breaths, their eyes locked together as he thrusted into her.
"Fuck, yes," she moaned, the sound of their lovemaking filling the room.
Feeling the all familiar sense of utter ecstasy building up, he quickened his pace as her legs wrapped tightly around his hips, and her nails scratching down his back.
"I'm going to come, fuck, you feel so good," he panted.
"I want to feel you let go in me," she whispered, her breath ragged as her body tensed.
With a few more well placed thrusts, he spilled himself inside her as she shuddered and rode out her own waves of pleasure.
He kissed the top of her head as he rolled off her, without letting go of her hand.
Instinctively, they turned towards each other and their satisfied expressions mirrored one another.
"That was unexpected," she giggled.
"Best surprise visit ever," he chuckled lightly, as he brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her gently, "So, where does this leave us? Because I don't know about you, Rose, but after that, you know I can't let you just walk out of here pretending like nothing had happened. I don't want you to get over me."
"The thing is, I don't want to get over you either."
"Say you'll give us another chance"
"I do," the brightest smiles spread across their faces.
"I love you, Rose"
"I know, Scorp. I love you too"
She had three rules to follow. Rule 1, Don't pick up the phone; Rule 2, Don't let him in; and Rule 3, Don't be his friend. It was the perfect way to get over him.
But she broke every single one of them.
Fin.
(A/N) So that's it, ladies and gents. Thank you very much for reading New Rules, it's been a blast writing it. Please, please leave a review if you enjoyed it.
If you guys follow my tumblr (same username as this account), I'm taking a break from writing Scorose fanfiction, mainly because I feel like I'm producing pieces that people aren't really reacting to, and it's frustrating. But I'll still be updating my tumblr, so feel free to head on over for updates, I'm sure the hiatus won't last long.