Chapter 47 – Dance with me

GN

I was smiling to myself as I was situated between Cedric's legs, my back against his chest. Cedric was sleeping against the tree behind me as I flipped through my book. It's been almost three weeks since school ended, and we were young and in love. Going on dates, staying at home together and planning our trip around the world. It felt like a dream, and I was afraid I would wake up and it would be over. But Cedric's warm hand around my waist kept me grounded. His head was nuzzled in my neck, and I turned my face so I could kiss him lightly. I saw him smile, but he didn't wake, he just readjusted himself and me, so we were lying fully down on the blanket. My eyes found the sky and I followed the few clouds that drifted by before my gaze shifted back to the handsome boy, no, the man next to me. His hair had grown out since last summer, hanging a little over his eyes, curling in the nape of his neck. Seeing him, so peaceful made my heart skip a beat with the thought that he was mine, and mine alone, after all this time.

It's been three weeks of bliss, but now Bash and Charlie's wedding was coming closer, I could see the worry lines form on Cedric's face. He didn't say anything, and he understood how I had felt towards George, but I saw his fear. The fear if I would see George, I would drop him like a rock. But it couldn't be farther from the truth. Yeah, I still loved George. Maybe I always will. But how I felt for Cedric right now is more than I could bear. Every time I saw him, my heart beats faster, my palms get sweaty. When I'm with Cedric I felt safe, loved, happy and home. He never made me feel bad, he can bring a smile on my face just from one look. It took us years to get here, and I wouldn't let him go for anything or anyone. If he would ask me to marry him today, I would said yes without thinking.

So no, Cedric didn't have anything to worry about. Was I nervous seeing George again after all this time? Yes. But more so for his reaction of me and Cedric being together. Maybe he knew already, but I knew Lee wouldn't say anything.

I pushed the hair out of his closed eyes and leaned in, kissing his nose, his cheeks, his lips. "Wake up, love." I whispered. Suddenly, his arms wrapped around me and pulled on top of him before his eyes fluttered open. "You're lucky your parents aren't home." I chuckled as my eyes flickered to the house and back to the boy under me.

"Hm, lucky huh? What do you have in mind, Winnie?" He purred as he pulled me flush against him, our faces inches apart.

"Sorry." I gave him a quick kiss and pushed myself up. "We need to get ready."

"Ready for what?" He frowned a little as he pushed himself and leaned on his arms as I climbed off him.

"The surprise date." I smiled as I pulled him up. His arms circled around me again, his eyes dark. "But first." I leaned on my tiptoes and kissed him with everything I got. Cedric opened his mouth willingly and nudged me against the tree.

GN

I was changing in our room while Cedric took a quick shower. My hair today was dark blond, that reached my mid-back, loosely curled at the bottom. I pulled on a navy-blue cocktail dress and went to grab my wand to help me with the zipper in my back, when two large strong hands pulled the zipper up slowly, his hand going over to my waist once it was closed.

"Hey, gorgeous." He whispered close to my ear. I smiled before I turned in his arms and saw that he was standing there in nothing but a towel around his waist. His hair and body still wet from the shower. The scar still prominent on his chest. "How is it that every time I see you, you get even more beautiful?"

"Flattery won't help me spill the beans." I chuckled as I wiped a waterdrop from his shoulder. He pouted like a little kid as he looked at me. "Go change, pretty boy." I shoved his chest lightly, making him step back. I hopped on his bed as I summoned my shoes. While I tugged on my heels, I glanced to Cedric in the corner of my eye as he went to pick out clothes form his dresser. His normally pale skin, now a little tanned from the summer sun. A dozen or so freckles scattered over his shoulders. Even when he pulled on a shirt, you could still his muscles under the fabric. He isn't just a pretty boy, the man was gorgeous!

"Like the view?" He asked with a grin.

"When am I not?" I grinned back as I crossed the room to him and helped him button up his shirt. Once the buttons were closed, my hand went higher and ran through his hair. "Leave it like this." I said as I tousled it a bit.

"Only for you." He kissed the top of my nose before he leaned down to tug on his shoes. With one last look in the long mirror against the wall, he turned to me. "I'm ready." He offered his arm. I looped mine through his and with a wink, I apparated us out of the room.

We landed in an alley right next to a busy street with clubs, restaurants and pubs. The street already filled with people of all ages. I intertwined my fingers with his and tugged him through the busy street. The street was loud, laughing and singing people wandering through the street. Decorating lights hung from post to post, enlighten the street. We passed pubs, restaurants, clubs filled with people. Cedric didn't ask me where we were going, he just followed me with a smile on his lips. When we reached one of the plainer looking buildings and halted the both of us. Cedric raised a single eyebrow before I tugged him inside. We entered a dark lit hallway, a door on the right and a desk on the left. Behind the desk was a beautiful woman, about mid-twenties, her blond hair in a high ponytail as she wore a tight black mini dress. She eyed Cedric when we walked in, ignoring me completely.

"Hello." I greeted her with a smile.

"Hi." She said to Cedric. I went to turn my head to look at Cedric, but he already had put his arm around my waist tugging me close.

"My girlfriend and I." I grinned as he emphasised the word girlfriend and felt butterflies in my stomach as he called me that. Thinking he would never call me that, how the world had changed. "Have reservations?" He asked to me, not knowing where we were.

"Yep." I smiled up at him and heard the girl huff in response. "Northon, seven o'clock." I turned to the girl as I leaned my head against Cedric's arm.

With a last glare, she looked down at the list. Her finger skimming over the paper in front of her. "Northon, Northon... right here you are." She looked up. "Can I hang your coats?" She asked as she gestured at the coatroom behind her.

"That would be lovely." Cedric smiled kindly as he helped me out of my summer coat. After she hung our coats, she led us through the only door in the hallway. The room we entered was large, all the way in the front was a large stage where a band was playing music. In front of the stage was a large, empty dancefloor, around it the room was filled with round tables. We were still looking at the place, when the girl just walked ahead of us, guiding us impatiently to our seats. The girl pulled out a seat for me, while she took out the seat for Cedric on the other side of the table. We smiled politely as she left, and Cedric gestured me over to his side in an instant. When his arm was wrapped around me, he whispered.

"What is this place?"

"It's a dance club with live music." I said as he trailed his finger up and down my arm. A young waiter came over to take our order. The band played some traditional and non-traditional Spanish music. "It's not like the yule ball, and we did have a dance together then. But I wanted a redo." I looked sideways to him. "Sappy, I know." I chuckled.

"Brilliant, more like it." He tipped my head a little higher with his finger and kissed me slightly. "You beat me to it, love."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, I had a whole thing planned, with our original dress robes and all." He said with a small blush.

"Well, keep planning then. Then this is just a practice for your idea." I winked. "Thank you." I said to the young waiter as he placed our drinks on the table. "Let's go." I stood up and held out my hand for Cedric. He smiled up at me, a smile that made my heartbeat go faster. He took my hand gently as he stood and headed to the dance floor. Just as we reached the dance floor, the music slowed down. My arms went around his neck, while his found my waist.

"Who would have thought we would have end up here?" I asked.

"I did." He said confidently, his thumb rubbing circles on my waist. "It took a bit longer than I wanted to; I have to admit. But we're here, together. Finally. And I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Me neither." I breathed before I reached up and kissed him. One of his hands cupped my cheek as we kissed on the dance floor. "Hm, you're a good kisser." I bit my lip as I pulled back.

"Just good, huh?" He smirked. "Maybe I need to up my game." Then his face turned serious, and filled with regret? "I'm sorry." He said, his hand still on my cheek.

I cocked my head to the side in a question. "For our first, second and third kiss." He shook his head, angry with himself. "I always told myself when I would finally kiss you, I'll be the last man you kissed, you'll be the last women I would kiss. And then I fucked everything up." He grumbled and I waited, because I had a feeling he wasn't done, and he had been thinking about this a lot. "The first time, I just couldn't help myself. You always take my breath away and I just kissed you. When I said it was a mistake, I meant the way I kissed you. Out of the nowhere, it wasn't sweet or romantic, it was just out of the blue. I wanted our first time to be special, preferably linked to a date."

"Oh." I breathed softly as we swayed on the music.

"It had nothing to do with Cho, I never loved her. I loved you, probably long before I realised it. I never loved anyone else, Winnie. The second time, I was so plastered." He breathed in deep. "I can't condone what I did that night. I remembered later the day after what I did, that I kissed you. The part of telling you I loved you-"

"So in love with me." I corrected with a small smile, letting him know I had already forgiven him.

"It came back to me over the next few weeks, but I always thought I dreamed it. Because I've dreamed about it before, about telling you. The part of me meeting Cho after I left, that we kissed, I still don't remember doing it. Maybe I blocked it out because I didn't want it to be true."

"Or maybe it never happened." I said as I played with the hair in the nape of his neck as he nodded slowly. We danced silently for a few minutes before I spoke again. "And the third time?"

"When you kissed me then, my heart exploded. I didn't want to let you go. Then you told me how you felt, the words I had been waiting for months to hear. Then Cho appeared behind you when I was starting to answer."

"You never loved Cho." I frowned a little, before I looked up at him, my eyes wide. "You were going to tell me you loved me. Why didn't you find me after?"

"Didn't I tell you I was an idiot?" He chuckled dryly. "I was a coward, Winnie. The thing with Cho, it felt easy. With you... I was already so jealous of George, I acted like a git. And I'm so sorry for everything. It's because of me it took so long."

"Hey." I cupped his cheek as he looked away sad, turning his gaze back to me. "We both didn't handle it in a good way. But maybe it all needed to happen, so we could grow as a person and learn from our mistakes. And I have forgiven you a long time ago, Ced." I kissed his cheek his slightly. "I love you, and if it is up to me, I'll never let you go."

"Gods, I love you!" He pulled me flush against him and kissed me. "I'm never letting you go either, FYI."

"Good." I chuckled and he twirled me under his arm.

GN

Later that evening, after many dances together, we apparated back home. Once we changed into our pyjama's, we crawled into bed together. I lifted my head, that was resting on his chest and looked to him.

"You don't have to worry about anything, you know? The wedding." I added as he looked confused at me. "I've seen the worry stretch on your face, about George."

"I'm good, I promise." He kissed the top of my head. "Especially now, after our talk earlier. I'm not worried, not even if Superman landed in front of you to whisk you away." He gave me a lopsided grin as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Good night, love." He gave me sweet kiss.

"Good night, Ced." I let my head rest on his chest again. When I gave his bare chest a light kiss, his arms tightened around me before we drifted off to sleep.