DISCLAIMER: AS WITH ALL THE OTHER LOVELY WRITERS ON THIS SITE, I OWN NOTHING. I PROFIT FROM NOTHING. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME. I LOVE YOU, J.K. ROWLING. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ALL OF US THIS WONDERFUL WORLD AND THESE WONDERFUL CHARACTER FOR US TO BASTARDIZE FOR OUR OWN EVIL AGENDAS!
NOTE: As my longest chapter to date, a special surprise appearance awaits the person who can come closest to guessing how many pages/words this installment of You Never Said This Would Be Easy ended up being. I use Arial 12pt font. Good luck and remember if you are the only person to guess you'll win by default! ;D Now, without further delay...
XXX
"Just stop messing with it, Andi." Renae chastised me for the hundredth time since we changed into our gowns. "You look bloody ravishing and you know it."
"Seriously, Andi. What are you trying to do to that poor boy?" Angelina smirked, applying the finishing touches to her makeup.
"I could say the same about you. Fred's not going to be able to keep his hands off you." I sniggered, giving Angelina the once over. Nothing was overtly scandalous about her dress, but the way the deep purple fabric clung to her body you could tell she's been training hard on the Quidditch pitch.
"Let's hope not." Angelina muttered to the mirror, blowing herself a kiss.
"You little minx!" I teased.
"Oh, please. Like your dress isn't screaming to be ripped off?" Alicia scoffed, looking away from her reflection to give me a dubious look.
"Is it too much?" I asked, subconsciously studying myself in the mirror. I still loved everything about the dress, but looking at myself compared to what the other girls were wearing, I knew I looked very different.
"Oh no, Andi. It's absolutely perfect." Alicia encouraged.
"Honestly, if I didn't love you so much, I'd hate you for how good you look right now." Angelina joked.
"Besides, it's a little late to go changing anything now." Renae pointed at the clock hanging above the door.
"We're expected to be late. It's fashionable. So really, we're right on time." Alicia replied in a cheeky tone, making no motion to get up.
"Yeah, well soon we'll just be late...unfashionably." Renae grumbled.
"All right ladies. Let's throw her a bone, so to speak." I laughed, tucking my wand into the garter under my dress. It wasn't the easiest to reach, but there was nowhere else to put it and I certainly wasn't leaving it behind.
"I suppose we've kept them waiting long enough." Angelina sighed dramatically once more before both she and Alicia finally turned away from their respective vanities.
"Thank you!" Renae huffed, pushing the door open and ushering us outside, not trusting us to linger if she went first.
We made our way down to the grand staircase where we would meet our dates before going into the Great Hall. Angelina had whined about how much easier it would be to meet them in the common room, but Alicia and Renae were quick to remind her their dates were from different houses.
Yes, Renae and Draco had made up and are attending the Ball together. It was absolutely infuriating to see her with him and not be able to tell him what a pondscum molecule he truly is. But no. I had to hide my true opinion for the sake of secret identities, sisterly solidarity, and all that nonsense. Before we reached the stairway, I nudged Angelina in the side. When she turned to face me, I'm sure the grin on my face was enough to warrant a stay at St. Mungo's mental wing.
"Well. That means trouble." She whispered back.
"Oh yes, it does." I snickered, failing to keep my voice low in my amusement. "How about we play a little prank on the fools we picked as dates?"
"I'm game. Just tell me what you have in mind," After I told her the plan she had a wicked grin of her own. "I like the way you think, Wendling"
I blew her a kiss before schooling my expression as we rounded the corner. To think the twins' had a shocked expression before the plan was even set into motion. Maybe Renae was right. Maybe I did over do it. But if I did, I didn't regret it.
George's jaw was on the floor. As we made our way down the grand staircase they never looked away. It was exceedingly difficult to not look directly at George. Thankfully, he made it easier by standing shoulder to shoulder with his twin, identical down to the last freckle.
Neither Angelina nor I hesitated as we took the last step and hurried over to the boys, our friends forgotten as they went to meet their own dates. Their gobsmacked expressions gave us leverage for the plan to work as we each round our arms around our respective twin and gave them each a kiss to the cheek.
"Looking good, Weasley." I address Fred, pushing his hopeless hair out of his face.
"Yeah, Fred. You've proven to clean up well, after all." Angelina beamed at the gobsmacked twin in front of her.
"Drells? What are you doing?" George asked, stepping away from Angelina to look at where I was still hugging his brother.
"What do you mean, Fred? And don't call me "Drells". Only George gets that privilege." I patted Fred's cheek for emphasis.
"But I'm George!" He protested.
"Sure, Fred. Like we weren't expected you to pull that trick on us. Doesn't it get old?" Angelina sighed. She was doing an amazing job at containing her laughter by focusing her energy into acting annoyed instead. I must ask for lessons on her methods, as they are proving to be quite effective.
"But we're not! We haven't done that one in years!" George exclaimed.
"That's exactly what you'd say if you were playing a trick." I pointed out. Rolling my eyes at George before turning my attention back to Fred. "Ready to go inside, George?"
"Sorry, love. My brother's telling the truth. I'm Fred."
"Sure, you are."
"What do we have to do to convince you?" George asked, frustration levels clearly rising.
"Oh, I can think of a few things." I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively. "Afterall, it would just take a quick peak."
"Meaning?" Fred asked.
"After last night, the real George would have a mark right around… there." I grinned, stepping back to make a dramatic show of locating where the mark would be before pointing just above Fred's left hip.
"You're a wicked woman if I've ever met one." George huffed before pushing Fred away from me so he could stand in his place.
"You're brilliant, Andrella! Don't ever change!" Fred cackled at the same time, clearly more amused by the prank than George.
"Come on. You've been pulling that one for years. We thought it was time to use it against you." Angelina smirked, willingly being pulled into the correct Weasley's embrace.
"Real clever, you are." George grumbled but pulled me in for a hug regardless.
"Hey, lighten up, mate. Either way we win." Fred shrugged.
"Is that so?" Angelina snorted.
"Yeah, either way there's a stunning girl on my arm." He explained, before bowing so low his nose almost hit the floor. As he came back up, he wore his typical devilish grin and offered his arm for Angelina to hold.
"Smooth, Fred. Real smooth." I giggled, flattered by his comment in spite of how lame it sounded. "Let's go! I want to get to the dancing."
"But they aren't even-" Angelina began to protest from behind us before Fred cut her off.
"When she's in one of these moods, it's best just to go with it." He advised.
I lead the train that snaked around the crowded mass of bodies milling around for the official entrance of the Triwizard Champions. I saw Lee waving us over and we made a b-line to him and his date Amulya-a quiet but sassy Hufflepuff fifth year.
"Took you guys long enough." Lee joked, clapping the twins on the back and bowing to Angelina and I with exaggerated formality. "Not that I can't see why."
"These two decided now was the opportune time for a prank." George explained, still looking slightly annoyed.
"When isn't it?" I replied, grinning at Lee's praise of our actions.
"Really, mate. Would either of you be here with them if they didn't think like that?" He shot back. No one missed how George's expression softened when he said that. I smiled seeing the smile creep onto his face but when he noticed me noticing it he rolled his eyes at me before his smile turned into a pout. Angelina and I both broke into hysterical laughter at that. If this was the payout, we'd have to do this more often.
"Shh! It's starting!" Amulya hushed us, pushing in front of Lee so she would have a hope of seeing. Unlike the other members of our party, she was what some would refer to "fun-sized"-a muggle phrase my cousin taught me to use instead of the less kind label of "vertically-challenged".
She was right, of course. The music had started and we were expected to be silent as the Champions kicked off the celebration. Fleur stood with Roger Davies, Cedric with Cho Chang, Krum with a blushing Hermione, and Harry rushed in with one of the Patil twins (unlike with Fred and George I was never able to tell them apart). He looked so honestly panicked at having to dance in public that it was adorable.
Once the teachers and other students joined in on the dance, George directed me to the center of the floor. It shouldn't surprise me after all this time that George was a good dancer, but I was still fascinated by how he could get his gawky limbs to move in such a graceful manner. But that was nothing compared to the shock I felt as George pressed me flush against his body, to make the presence of his arousal known as it brushed against my hip. George only held me to him for a moment before pulling me into a more appropriate dancing position, but there was no denying what I felt. When I caught his gaze my reprimand was cast silent as I saw the intensity of his desire reflected in his darkened eyes.
"You are going to be my undoing, Andrella. Is that what you want?" George growled into my ear before lifting me up in that air in sync with the other dancers.
"I take it you like the dress, then?" I giggled.
"The dress is gorgeous, but it's the girl wearing it that's put me in this predicament." He said, illustrating his statement by pulling my hips back to his.
"George! We're in public!" I chastised, trying to hide how deep a shade of red my cheeks had become.
"Don't care." He whispered back, sliding his hand further down my back than expected. I actually squeaked when I felt him grip my ass in full view of everyone.
"George…" I said what was supposed to be a warning, but admittedly sounded more like a moan.
"Why, Andrella, is that a blush I see?" He teased back, completely shameless.
"Your fault." I shot back weakly, glad I was being lifted back into the air. I didn't trust my ability to stand at the moment. Damned do I know how, but that boy knows about some special sort of magic.
"Don't worry, darling." George laughed boisterously, pulling me to his chest as the song came to a close. Once he was near enough to my ear, he whispered "There will be plenty of time for that later."
I didn't have time to think of a reply, even if my brain was capable of higher level thinking at the moment, I thought it was supposed to be boys that were this affected by their hormones, but George was a quick lesson in how that doesn't seem to be the case for me. Thankfully the Weird Sisters decided to take the stage at that moment, saving me from having to respond. Good. I need to jump and dance around to let off some steam before I ended up dragging George to the first empty classroom I find to have my merry way with him.
Thankfully dancing to the faster songs (which required minimal contact) managed to cool my blood. By the time we left the dance floor I no longer felt like I was having a hot flash. Even still, whenever we touched an electric shock traveled down my spine. It was ridiculous, really. How many time had we've been intimate and he still has the power to affect me like this? I comforted myself with the fat that I had never seen him in formal wear before, which obviously would explain my internal meltdown.
"What did I tell you?" I heard Angelina's laughter before I actually saw her. "Couldn't keep his hands off you for a bloody second."
"I believe it was I that said that to you." I corrected.
"Same difference." Angelina scoffed before giving me a scandalized smirk. "Seriously, though. Fred and I are taking bets on how long it'll be before you two disappear."
Instead of being offended, I replied with "How long do I need to hold out for you to win?"
"At least another forty-five minutes, maybe an hour to be safe," She advised. I nodded my head solemnly. I'm sure that the doubt in my expression was as clear if not more apparent than Angelina's.
"Where's Fred, anyway?" I asked.
"Off to get drinks and by how long he's been taking, he better've spiked them." Angelina rolled her eyes, which had us both laughing for the umpteenth time that night.
We might not have always been the best of friends, or at all really, but we were always friendly, sharing a dorm and whatnot. The true friendship didn't form until I started dating George, but I was thankful that it did. It was nice having someone to talk about these things with someone that wasn't as innocent as Renae or my other female friends-not that I really had any others. It wasn't like Renae and I were really that close now that she's spending all her time with Draco and the other Slytherins.
"Finally!" Angelina gasped as the twins came into view with four goblets of cider held between them.
"It's all right, love. I'm back now and bearing gifts." Fred said with a cheeky wink before he and George handed us our drinks.
Having danced so ferociously, I was dying of thirst and took a large gulp. I barely choked when I realized my drink was more firewhiskey than cider and I was more proud of that fact than I should be. "Oh, you beautiful, naughty boys." I cackled, taking a more modest sip the second time around.
"Why'd you think it took so long?" Fred laughed, taking a sip from his own goblet.
"Had to wait until no one was watching." George explained with a devious smile.
"Has anyone told you are brilliant lately?" Angelina beamed at them, sipping her own drink with appreciation.
"Normally I'd tell her not to feed your egos, but this time you actually deserve it." I agreed, content with being pulled into George's side. I only had to make it another hour and then I was free to let the night pace itself naturally.
"We always deserve it." George started.
"We're bloody brilliant and it's about time everyone realized it." Fred continued.
"If they haven't already." George finished, sending a particularly loaded smirk my way. I willed myself not to blush remembering just exactly he had done to me on the occasion that elicited that specific praise.
"See, I told you." I sighed at Angelina as she was preoccupied giggling at something Fred was whispering in her ear.
"You can pretend you don't find my confidence charming, but we all know you do." George purred.
"Confidence not cockiness." I corrected him.
George opened his mouth ready to retort with something wildly inappropriate no doubt, but thankfully Fred cut him off. "Come on, Angelina, let's leave these two alone to sort out their issues."
Angelina shot a look over her shoulder as Fred dragged her back to the dance floor. It begged me to be strong and I would do my best, if only to beat Fred at his own game. I turned back to George who was giving me his unwavering attention. The look in his eyes, once they had traveled the length of my body to finally meet mine, proved that my mission might be one I was bound to fail.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked self-consciously after he was silent for too long.
"I'm trying to find the right words to describe just how incredibly beautiful you are, but I'm coming up speechless." George answered.
"Well, aren't you Mr. Charming, tonight?" I teased, resting my hands on his chest to steady myself. Even though I knew I was blushing, I couldn't look away from his eyes.
"I'm being serious, Andrella." He scoffed, using my full name to prove he's attempting to do just that. "I don't know how you manage to do it but everytime I see you, you get even more beautiful."
"Sounds like I'm putting a spell on you."
"I can't really think of a better way to explain it, but if that's the case-It's working and I have no complaints." George said, his breath dancing across my lips.
"Good to know."
"What's that look for?" George asked, fair to be suspicious of the smirk on my face.
I bent over so that my cheek was resting on his to give him a hope of hearing me over the music. "I'm just glad to know that when I kidnap you later and fill you in on what I've been thinking about since I first saw you tonight...it won't be kidnapping because you'll be a willing captive."
"Not that being your captive for the night does not sound like a positively smashing idea" George began in a silly accent, "but I'm afraid we'll have to postpone that for another night. Tonight I have everything planned out."
"Oh, you do, do you?" I asked as it was now my turn to be suspicious. Plans were all well and good but usually when George said he had a "plan" he really meant he had a idea for a prank.
"Yes, but it's a surprise." George said pecking my cheek before pulling away to beam at me. "So you're just going to have to wait another 56 minutes to find out."
"Why '56' minutes?"
"So Fred will lose his bet to Angelina." He said nonchalantly, already guessing that I had been filled in by Angelina herself.
"What will happen when he loses? Will you stop speaking like a weirdo?" I asked smirking deviously.
"Another surprise, I think." He chuckled at my indignant expression, choosing to annoy my comment about his accent but dropping it nonetheless. "Trust me, love. It will be worth it."
"Fine, but know it's only because I love you." I glared at him, not liking the idea of waiting longer to find out why I'm waiting in the first place.
"Thank you. I know that's very hard for you." George said in complete seriousness before a smile returned to his face. "Now come on, let's finish our cider and get to dancing, yeah?"
"Someone's just as impatient as I am." I teased before downing the rest of my drink.
"If we're leaving early, I don't want you to miss out on anything because of me. I want you to get the full experience." George confessed.
"That's very thoughtful." I said, although it sounded more like an accusation than a compliment.
"That's what you do to me and you better keep it a secret or someone will think i've grown soft."
"Prank some Slytherins tomorrow; It'll even out." I said, kissing him briefly before pulling back. Although it might not seem like it, we were trying to not be so overt with our affection. The professors had taken to bodily separating the affectionate couples with noisy charms meant to embarrass the young lovers enough in hopes they would not become repeat offenders. For how unsubtle George and I were behaving toward each other, it was shocking we weren't made a target yet.
"Come on, let's go dance." George suggested, taking my hand in his.
I allowed myself to be pulled away by George and consumed by the positive energy of the crowd as George and I fell into step beside them. Thankfully, among the list of George's talents, distracting me came in the top ten. He always had a knack for it and given the new array of methods at his disposal, he's only gotten better. I was swept into his arms as we shimmed and laughed, dancing as energetically as the Weird Sisters were playing up on the stage. I was enchanted by the festive atmosphere, amazed by the effect the decorative magic had in transforming the Great Hall into a winter wonderland.
We danced for twenty minutes before the tempo slowed mercifully. George pulled me back into him, arms looping around to rest on my back, as I reached to hook mine around his shoulders. My heels made us exactly the same height, so we danced cheek to cheek to carry out a whispered conversation.
"The hours' almost up." I mused.
"Thirty-two minutes to be exact, but who's keeping track?"
"Someone's eager." I teased.
"I know you are and you should be." George huffed, turning it around on me, yet I couldn't deny the validity in his words. "A lot of thought went into these plans."
"I don't want to wait." I whined.
"But you have to. Not for much longer, love." George cooed. "How about you go dance with anyone you still want to and say goodbye to our friends. Time will fly by and when its up meet me outside by the stairs. Then it'll finally be time for your surprise."
"Fine, but it better be worth the wait, Weasley." I smiled back, laughing at the childlike excitement on his face.
"See you in thirty-one minutes." George promised, releasing me from his grip.
I spun around, eyes set on finding Renea. I was lucky in that I instantly spotted her just as Draco was making his departure toward the refreshment table.
"Andi!" There you are!" Renae greeted me merrily, pulling me into a bug as soon as I was in reach. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding me."
"Well, we've both been preoccupied, haven't we?" I retorted with a sly grin.
"I suppose we have been." She agreed. "Where has George run off to?"
"Not sure, to make the rounds I guess. He has some sort of surprise for me." I shrugged, adding the next part to keep my promise at behaving civilly. "And...Draco?"
"To get some more cider, which the twins hopefully spiked by this point?" Renae asked hopefully.
"Oh, yeah. Sip lightly if you don't want to get trashed..or not. It is a holiday, so your call, really." I shrugged, never one to be shy in terms of alcohol consumption.
"Speaking of George. Should I not wait up tonight?"
"Definitively not." I leered, not bothering to fake modesty.
"Good thing I wasn't planning on staying in the dorm, anyway." Renae said, the horror on her face shifting into a smug expression.
"Oh, really? Where will you be spending the night, Miss Silver?" I inquired.
"Draco invited me to stay at the Manor until classes resume for the new year." Renae gushed looking as if she had been blessed with a Christmas miracle.
"Oh. That's great, Renae." I said, hoping that my lie was convincing to her at least. I had to get away from her before I freaked out about the hundreds of different reasons this was a terrible idea. I couldn't warn her without exposing the secrets I've been entrusted to keep to myself. "But hey, I've got to go say goodnight to everyone before I'm supposed to be meet George. We'll catch up when you get back, yeah?"
"Sure thing, just for Merlin's sake Andi, you better be safe. You don't want to add to the Weasley family just yet do you?" She teased.
"You do the same. We don't need anymore Malfoys, period."
"Hey, be nice!" She scolded.
"That was me being nice."
"Whatever." She scoffed, shoving me away playfully. "Go shag your boyfriend."
"Someone's feisty tonight!"
"Goodnight, Andrella!" She repeated in a sing-song voice before walking away to go meet Draco with their spiked cider.
I rolled my eyes at her antics and turned to find other people to say goodbye to until I remembered there wasn't anyone else. I had friends, quite a few in fact, but not that many close ones, fewer still were the number of people who be upset if I didn't wish them a goodnight before disappearing. I began to make my way to the door to meet George early when I saw someone approaching from my peripheral. Turning to face them, I saw Elliott coming to a stop next to me.
"Not leaving so soon are you?" He asked with a smile that could only be described as wistful.
"Caught me." I chuckled, all of sudden very aware of the nervous energy coursing between us. I forgot what to do with my hands and I felt how awkward they were just hanging in front of me.
"You can't leave yet." He pouted.
"Why not?" I questioned, confused by his reaction.
"Don't you remember? You promised me a dance."
"That I did." I laughed, nervously looking at any face that didn't belong to Elliott. I wasn't looking for anyone in particular, but I knew I didn't want to look at him just then. "But won't your date mind?"
"I don't think so." He laughed but it sounded hollow. "She's a bit busy at the moment." Elliott inclined his head to the right. I followed with my eyes to see two fair-haired Beaubaxton's students passionately interlocked at the lips.
"I'm sorry, Elliott." I said, touching his shoulder hesitantly in what I hoped was a comforting way.
"It's fine. I mean what did I expect when I found a date a week before the Ball?" He sighed. "Turns out she only accepted my offer to make her ex-boyfriend jealous. Guess it worked."
"Still. She shouldn't have left you half way through the night to be with him. She could have at least been more subtle about it." I argued, appalled by the way they mauled each other in plain view of anyone who cared to look. It seemed the professors had given up for the night. Or at least, the ones who still gave a damn were off in the corridors and abandoned classrooms, where a good majority of the seventh year had appeared to slip off.
"Better that she left instead of staying wishing she was with him." He answered. I couldn't help but catch the not-so-hidden meaning in his words.
"I suppose that's true. It gave us the chance to have the dance I promised you at any rate." I said, making a split decision. I still had fifteen minutes until I was supposed to meet George and I did promise to save Elliott a dance when I rejected him the first time.
"After you, then." Elliott grinned, making an elaborate gesture of offering me his arm to take. I rolled my eyes but lead the way to the dancefloor. Thankfully, they were playing something upbeat.
"Okay, time to take a break. Let's slow things down for a minute. You all okay with that?" The lead singer spoke into the microphone proving I spoke too soon once again. The crowd cheered in the affirmative; my mind screamed, NO.
I took a calming breath before facing Elliott. I was surprised he was offering me his hand, thankfully opting for the dancing position with the least contact. I took his hand and placed my other on his shoulder, his other hand coming to rest on my back as we found the beat.
"You're quite a good dancer." I complimented. Of course he was-in my knowledge most pure-blood, French wizards were taught the traditional dances as children.
"And so are you. Where did you learn?" He asked, knowing I wouldn't have learned in the same manner he did.
"My mother loved to dance in what little free time she had. I went with her to the studio and picked up a few things over the years. This really isn't more than a basic waltz." I recalled, conjuring the memories of the dance hall down the block from my childhood home.
"All these years and you are still such a mystery." Elliott said, giving me a strange look.
"Should I take that as a compliment?"
"Yes. It just attests to your complexity." He answered.
"Thanks, I guess?"
"You don't have to thank me. I'm not even sure you know what I'm saying." He said, his voice sounded far away even though he was closer than ever. Somehow in the dancing, our position changed. My palms gripped his upper arms and his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me to his body. I felt uncomfortable but didn't step away at first.
"What are you trying to say, then?" I asked, confused by his cryptic words and trance-like tone.
"I'm not sure exactly, except that you make me feel light-headed, especially when you look like you do tonight." The song ended and a new one began. Elliott stopped dancing but kept holding me, looking deep into my eyes. The intensity in his stormy grey eyes scared me.
"Elliott?" I called, my hands squeezing at the muscles of his biceps still prominent even hidden under his suit jacket. I had never realized how developed his arms were before then, or how large his hands were as I felt them sink lower on my back until they were blatantly roaming over my ass.
"What are you doing?" I demanded in outrage trying to pull away from him.
My actions sobered him and it was if I could see the crash landing before my eyes as he came back to reality. "Right, sorry. I don't know what came over me. I know you have plans. I won't keep you." He said, dropping his hands to his sides as if my touch burned him. "Goodnight, Andrella."
I wanted to yell at him, to demand him to explain why he thought he could touch me that way, but too many words came to my head at once. Before I had a chance to think of the correct words, he walked away. I stood staring after him in shock for what seemed like eternity before I snapped out of my thoughts. I headed toward the exit knowing it was too early to meet George, but needing to get to a less crowded area to clear my head.
I scurried off, thankful not to meet anyone else on my way to where I was supposed to meet George. I let out a sigh of relief once I left the excitement of the Great Hall for the much quieter hallway. There were quite a few others that decided to leave early, mostly couples giggling and holding each other as they sought an empty broom closet.
I searched for George, knowing that if he was actually anywhere to be seen, I would have seen him already. He could be stealthy when he wanted, but mostly he had the tendency to stick out no matter how large the crowd. I knew I shouldn't be expecting him for several more minutes; George admittedly had more friends he would want to say goodnight to than I did. I was happy with the extra time it gave me to sort out my own confusion so I could properly focus on my night with George.
Without a hope of blending in with my deep maroon gown which was far too tight and revealing to go unnoticed, I leaned against the wall in what I'm sure was a less than casual manner. I wondered if that had an effect on Elliott's behavior, not that it would excuse it. I knew he liked me, that was painfully apparent now, but I also knew I had been nothing but clear that my heart belongs to George. I don't think he was under the impression that I would do anything to betray George or that he had a chance in convincing me to do otherwise, but I obviously needed to be more assertive the next time I saw him. If he couldn't respect my relationship for George, or me for that matter, by keeping his hands to himself, maybe we couldn't be friends after all. I didn't like the idea. Elliott was a good friend to have but if he couldn't give up his unrequited crush, it would be in both of our best interests to see less of each other.
Maybe I was overreacting. It could have been a mistake, but I couldn't think of an innocent reason to feel up someone else's girlfriend in plain view of half the school. Honestly, what if George saw that? What would he think? I'm sure he wouldn't have been able to come up with a single reason not to punch him straight in the face- "mistake" or not. I would have to make my unavailability even more obvious moving forward. If I ever gave him the impression that I would be open to such a move-which I don't think I did despite what Renae said when I told her he asked me to the ball- I needed to correct his idea of me.
I would also have to be more observant to make sure this wouldn't continue to be a problem. As a courtesy to Elliott, I avoided bringing up George unnecessarily. I talked about him to everyone enough as it is, but if it would help deflect unwanted attention, I wasn't above it. I ran over the possible scenarios of how I could approach the subject in the least awkward way until George appeared in front of me, nearly scaring me to death.
"Sorry, love. Didn't mean to break your concentration." George chuckled, putting one hand on my waist to steady me, the other held a small box, wrapped in glittering gold paper.
"Never mind give me a heart attack." I mumbled under my breath.
"What were you thinking about so deeply, anyway?" George asked and credit to him that his face or tone didn't betray any anger or worry. His eyes told a different story as I practically watched his mind jump from one horrible conclusion to the next.
"Nothing important. What's in the box? My surprise?" I asked, trying to redirect the conversation before it exploded in my face.
"Part of it, but I'm not letting you open it until you answer my question."
"I did."
"Truthfully." George amended, his voice growing hard. The way his eyebrow narrowed in accusation erased any idea of trying to lie again.
He must have seen Elliott and I dancing. I heaved a heavy sigh. "I think Elliott has a crush on me."
"And?"
"And I've been thinking of the best way to let him down so that he understands I'm not interested without being too harsh."
"Oh?" George said, making it sound like another accusation.
"He didn't do anything-" I began to say in defense before George cut me off, choosing now to start speaking longer than one-word sentences again.
"Putting his hands on you like this," He began, his voice raising as his hands dropped to grip my ass through my dress. He moved so swiftly I couldn't even process what was happening until he began to speak again, his body now flush against mine and his voice loud and harsh in my ear, "doesn't count as 'doing' anything?"
"He said it was an accident. He apologized." I stammered, too flustered to think of a better answer as George began to nibble on my ear lobe.
"Bullshit, Drella. He wants you." George swore, moving his assault downward to the only exposed skin of my neck.
"I'm sorry, George. Honestly, nothing like that has ever happened before and I won't let it happen again." I promised to myself as much as him. I was tired of people thinking they could touch me without my permission.
"Good, because I don't think I could stop myself from breaking that pretty boy face of his if he ever puts his hands on you again. If I didn't know it would have ruined your night, I would have already done it." George vowed, still addressing my neck between kisses.
"I'm sorry, really. I didn't think he'd do something like that. I thought I was just imagining it."
"You haven't been." George said, keeping his answers short now that his mouth was busy. It was clear he was trying to mark me as his own and where I normally wouldn't condone such possessive behavior, I wanted to be claimed just as badly as he wanted to claim me. "He's been after you for years."
It was my turn to say "Oh." I didn't think he knew.
"He's a little obvious about it, especially lately." George's tone was just beginning to dethaw but I needed to know what he meant by that, aside from what had just occurred. I risked it, afraid it would be a rare time when he let jealousy get the best of him.
Instead of getting angry, he sighed as if completely exhausted with the subject and said, "The way he looks at you is not the way someone looks at a friend." It must of been obvious I wanted him to elaborate, so with a self-sacrificing chuckle he added. "Kind of like how Ron looked at you all of last year, but he's usually more subtle than my brother could ever hope to be."
"Oh." I repeated, feeling stupid for not seeing it sooner, but as I compared the image of them both I was blindsided by what I saw.
"Except its different, though. It's darker. Full of...desire and lust," George choked on the words as if it physically made him ill to speak them.
"George-"
"I don't like it, Drella. He shouldn't be looking at you the way he does." George said, visibly getting worked back up again. He went back to attacking my neck, this time choosing to work on the other side so that the damage would at least be even.
"No, he shouldn't and I'm sorry it upsets you but you have to understand I don't even notice it. I don't see him that way. That horribly infatuated look you were describing? I've only ever looked at you that way. I've only ever felt those emotions toward you."
"I know, it's just-"
"No, George." I said, pulling him by the hair and moving his face so we were eye-level. "You need to understand this. Ron, Elliot, Cedric-"
"Cedric?" He interjected.
"Or whoever else," I continued, "can look at me and feel any way they want about me. I can't stop them and I can't change that. But that will never change or impact the way I feel about you."
"And what is that, exactly?" He asked, the corners of his lips threatening to twist into a smile.
"Love, you idiot. For some crazy reason I can't figure out, you're the only one I've ever wanted."
"You want me?" George asked, a wolfish grin overcoming his face.
"I don't know, maybe not." I shrugged, but seeing the crestfallen way his smile fell I amended my statement, "Maybe this surprise of yours will convince me."
"Oh, I have no doubt that it will." George's breathy words caressed my ear, before he pulled away to give me his infamous grin.
"Was it designed to get me into bed with you?" I asked coyly.
"Of course." George replied without a thought.
"So, then what are we waiting for? Let's put it to the test."
"I like the way you think, love. Let's get to it, then, shall we?" He said with a proper grin spreading across his face.
He grabbed my hand and began leading me down a hallway. He didn't say anything else and I was too winded to ask any questions as he was nearly running in his excitement. We only stopped when he had reached a deserted classroom, but he stopped too suddenly, causing me to trip over my heels and bring us both crashing to the ground.
"Hello there." George chuckled, wrapping his arms around me. Instead of bothering to get up, he just pulled me in closer.
"Hi." I giggled.
"Not that this isn't lovely, but it's not exactly what I had planned for tonight, love. Although a lot of the elements are similar. Care to guess which ones?" George beamed.
"Then what are we doing here?" I said, rolling off of George so he could stand up. Once he was standing, he helped me up. If I had known I'd be running all over the castle, I wouldn't have been as ambitious with my heel size.
"This is just a pit stop."
"A pit-stop?"
"Yes. From here on out the plan requires us not being seen, much less caught wandering the grounds after hours."
"Wander the gr-"
"Yes and the reason why is a surprise so no more questions."
"Okay?" I said, still not catching on.
"I sort of need your help with this part." George admitted.
"Help with what?"
"Making us invisible."
"You say that as if it's easy." I retorted.
"I'm hoping it is." He said, a sheepish smile on his face.
"I've never made anyone but myself invisible before."
"Will you try?"
"Yeah, even though I don't know the first place to begin." I nodded, determined to rise to the challenge.
"Start with yourself. Maybe it will give you an idea." George suggested.
I held back my pessimistic comment, not wanting to be the reason for his infectious optimism to waver. I may have only done this once before but at least I was successful. I didn't have a mirror to look in like last time so I stared at my hands and willed them to disappear from sight and take the rest of me with them.
"You did it! Poof! Gone!" George hooted with a whoop of excitement, then in a more resigned way asked, "You're still there, right?"
"I'm still here." I reassured him, gently placing my hand over his. Despite my best efforts not to scare him, he still jumped.
"That's so freaky." George laughed, rubbing my forearm with a fascinated expression. It was just amusing from my perspective, because I could see my body in front of me but it was clear by his reaction that George couldn't.
"In a good way?"
"In the best way. Just imagine the next level of pranking this will bring us to if-"
"If I can actually do it?" I questioned.
"Well, yeah. I have complete faith in your abilities but I don't want to put any pressure on you. It's amazing enough that I'm standing here, having this conversation, feeling your skin but not being able to see it." George explained, his fingers now trailing a line where the soft velvet of my dress meet my skin.
I smiled at his ability to talk his way out of things. If he wasn't so damned good at it, I'd be upset in his lack of faith in my magic. The fact that I was doubting myself just a minute before was entirely different manner completely. It stung that George asked for my help while not entirely convinced I'd be able to achieve it. "Guess there's only one way to find out."
I reached over to grab his other hand and pull him closer to me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders thinking that the physical contact would only help. I concentrated on George and myself, how we fit together. I willed my magic to reach outside of myself and shield him in the same invisibility.
"You know, thinking about it. I'm finding so many ways only you being invisible could be quite interesting." George mused, breaking the silence.
"Shut up!" I yelled, slapping his arm. "You're breaking my concentration."
"I can see you!" George exclaimed, stepping out of our embrace to stare me down as if he thought he'd never see me again. "Does that mean I'm invisible, too?"
"It either means we're both invisible or we're not invisible. There's no way to tell until we run into someone." I shrugged.
"We'll be on the safe side just in case, yeah?" George said as he lead me to the door.
"Okay." I agreed, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. I didn't want to be caught by any means but if we took a route that would avoid encounters with others, I wouldn't know if I succeeded in making us both invisible.
"Don't worry, love." George chuckled, leaning over to kiss my forehead. "We'll have plenty of other opportunities to test this out."
"Okay." I said again, this time with more conviction. It was if that boy could read my mind and always come up with the perfect thing to make me feel better.
I happily followed George as he took the long way around to doors that lead out back toward the Herbology greenhouses. George managed to make sticking to the shadows, sneaking around the castle into a light-hearted game instead of a testament to his lack of faith in my magical abilities. I tired to be patient like George had asked, but once we left the castle I caved and asked where we were going.
"You'll find out soon enough. You do want this to be a surprise, don't you?" came his exasperated reply.
"Yes." I pouted.
"Do you trust me?" He asked suddenly, stopping so that he could look me in the eyes.
"Of course."
"Then take my hand and follow. You'll know when we're there." George insisted, too stubborn to give into my pout. He grabbed my hand and began to lead me across the snow covered ground.
"George, wait. I can't go as fast as you in these shoes!"
"Then take them off. We have to hurry in case the invisibility spell didn't work or wears off."
"Take them off? It's twenty degrees!" I hissed, being mindful not to be overheard, if there was anyone to hear us in the first place.
"Are you a witch or what?" He retorted, using my favorite insult against me.
I rolled my eyes at the dirty move and bent to take off my heels. I felt the cold instantly but I willed it away. Like the clouds when I was flying, I could feel the snow but it wasn't cold on my skin anymore and as I stepped forward, I felt it solidify so I wasn't falling through. George came to walk beside me but it felt more like we were gliding across the snow.
"Well, that's bloody wicked." He commented as he looked back the way we came and saw that our trail of footprints disappeared after I stopped to remove my shoes.
"Are we going to Hagrid's?" I asked as we steadily approached his cabin.
"No, we aren't and you promised you'd stop asking."
"Fine. I'll be quiet." I said mopily.
"That's not what I was implying, but that might be a good idea. We don't want Hagrid stopping us for an update on the blast-ended skrewts."
I felt...something as soon as we we were surrounded by the cover of trees but I'm not sure if I could describe it accurately, not even to myself as I was experiencing it. I never felt anything like it. It was if my body was aware of something my mind wasn't. Even as George lead our way through the darkness, he didn't need to worry. I was being pulled to whatever he was leading us toward-like I could sense it, like I could feel it in my limbs as they carried me toward it.
I knew we were there before George stopped walking. I looked around the small clearing for any physical indicators, but found that all the trees looked exactly like all the others. The only difference was that they were perfectly rounded to form a perfect circle with an open meadow in the middle. I found myself standing in the gap from the missing seventh tree, making the circle whole.
George moved so he was standing in front of me and after rummaging through his pockets he placed something square into my hands. I looked down to see a see a small box wrapped as neatly as George could manage.
"Go ahead, open it." George urged, his giddiness was endearing. He was the type that preferred to be on the receiving end of gifts but he looked as if he wouldn't dream of having it the other way around this time. I did as he told me and opened the box to find an archaic, primitive stone key. It was heavy as I placed it in my hand, larger than expected, and as I held it up closer I saw there were ornate carvings etched deep into the surface. It made for a charming yet rather confusing gift.
I looked to see if George's reaction would help me interpret its significance. He looked like he might explode from excitement at any second, but otherwise was not helpful. "Thank you. It's quite lovely." I said the only true positive thing I could thing to say.
"Normally, I'd take the opportunity to draw out your torment but I'm just too excited to get to the next part." George said in a rush, as if any of that made sense. He continued with a sigh. "The key obviously isn't the gift and it won't make any sense until we get to the next part."
"What are we waiting for, then?"
"Take the key and tap it against the stone three times." George directed me to the flat rock jutting out from the snow in the center of the clearing.
"Take the key and-"
"Tap it against the stone three times. Yes, you heard me correctly." He said as if explaining a simple process to a child.
"What's going to happen?"
"Why don't you try it and find out for yourself?" He beamed, very smug about the entire situation.
With a heavy sigh, I made an exaggerated display of following his instructions and nearly feel on my arse in shock. As soon as I tapped the key against the stone for the third time, the stone sprung up from the ground. I jumped back to join George as we watched the stone ascend until it stood at just over six feet.
"Well, are you going to use that thing or not?" George teased, gesturing to the key in my hand.
"How?" I asked, trying to be open to whatever ridiculous thing he told me next after almost being knocked over by my unwillingness to believe in the impossible.
"Stick the key in…" He said pausing as he ran his fingers over the surface of the enlarged stone. "Right here."
"Stick the key in? It's solid rock!" Or maybe not. Muggle habits die hard, after all.
"Just do it!" George huffed.
"Fine!" I said, doing as he said but making sure he knew I wasn't happy about it. "But it's not going to wor-" I stopped and watched as the key slipped easily into the slot George located.
"What was that?" He teased.
I turned the key, right then left and felt my jaw drop as the stone swang open as if on an invisible hinge. "What is this?" I asked, finding it difficult to tear my attention away from the stone to look at George.
I had seen and done my fair bit of magic in the last six years I've been immersed in the wizarding world, more recently that magic has grown to become very advanced. None of that could change the fact that I was a muggle-born and the idea of sticking an ancient key into a random stone hidden in the forest and having that stone be responsive was enough to blow my mind. .
"Your surprise." George chuckled. "Ready to see it?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I am." I scoffed.
"Well then. Take my hand and allow me to honor of showing you, m'lady?" George asked, once again adopting an extravagantly formal attitude to match the occasion.
Still trying to fully comprehend what was happening, all I could do was nod my head eagerly in response. He laughed at my expression before taking my hand and leading us inside the opening of the stone. Once we had both entered completely the stone slammed itself shut, sealing us in complete darkness. I screamed instinctively and instantly found myself wrapped in George's arms.
"Shh, love. It's all right. I'm right here." He whispered in my ear. I felt his fumble in his robes one-handedly to retract his wand. He cast a nonverbal 'lumos', bathing the stone walls with the bright light from his wand tip.
I quickly followed suit lighting my own wand until we could fully see our surroundings. We were standing in an extremely cramped space, with us both being taller than average we had to press close together to fit at all. I looked beyond George and could see that there was a downward incline, but couldn't see more than a few feet down the path.
"Is that a slide?" I asked incredulously, squinting down into the darkness.
"Shame to say that wasn't my idea, but we fund it like that." George grinned, looking absolutely delighted by my shocked reaction.
"Where does it lead?" I asked, trying to see as far down as I could without accidently knocking us both down.
"You're about to find out, love." George chuckled at my impatience. "Ladies first!"
"No way am I going down there first, George." I declared, retreating so that my back was pressed against the sealed stone entrance.
"Suit yourself." He sighed. "But you've got to promise to follow."
"Just go already!" I laughed, still close enough to reach out and nudge him toward the slide.
"If you're so eager why don't you just go first?" George said cheekily, bowing and gesturing in invitation. When he looked back up at me he had a smirk on his face. "Unless you're afraid, of course?"
"You wish, Weasley." I scoffed, bunching up my dress in my hands and sitting down in an unladylike fashion at the top of the slide. Gathering up my Gryffindor courage, I gave myself a push start down the cold stone surface.
I had expected a quick, straight shoot down at a relatively slow pace. I had been terribly, terribly wrong. The descent was endless. The path twisted and curved at whim as I was propelled mercilessly through the earth. I completed the journey in darkness, slipping my wand back into its garter for safety. I was just barely able to make out the sound of George shooting down after me.
Just as I was beginning to think this was some sort of practical joke on George's part, where I would be sliding down this tunnel for the rest of the night, I shot out of the mouth of the slide. I skidded to a stop, bouncing gently across some sort of giant cushion. I retrieved my wand and muttered "lumos" before jabbing the lit end every which way to ensure I was safe. Once I was certain that there was nothing ominous hiding in the shadows, I comfortable enough to explore my curiosity.
I started by inspecting the enormous cushion that broke my fall. It was a giant six by six foot square, sewn using deep purple silk and shining gold thread stitched in an ornate design before collected at the corners to form tassels. The silk looked aged but still delicate and smooth on my skin as I crawled to the edge of it.
I cast a spell into the darkness that caused orbs of light to rise to the ceiling in search of a corner to anchor themselves. Once I could properly see the space, I saw the wall directly in front of me was lined with shelves upon shelves of books. They ranged from looking fresh off of the press to so ancient they might disintegrate if looked at for too long.
Once I rose to my feet I stood transfixed at the center of the room, overwhelmed and unsure where to look first. My eyes darted around the room, trying to take in every detail at once. They moved from the full bookcase to the desk pushed against the wall beside it. It was clear except for a blank piece of parchment, an inkwell, and a quill with a red tipped feather. My eyes jumped to the walls themselves that were made of the same stone except the rock was darker, jutting out roughly, which caused the light orb to reflect against it. The way the stone caught the light made it appear as if the walls and ceiling were sparkling. My eyes followed the glittering trail across the ceiling over the open space in the center to the far corner of the room.
I saw there was a crack in the wall in the outline of the door and let curiosity get the best of me. I walked forward and pressed against the stone. It was lighter than expected and swung open to reveal a full bathroom entirely made of the same stone, complete with a bathtub that was looked more like a swimming pool. I heard a loud thump and went back to the main room to inspect the commotion. I found George standing in the middle of the room dusting himself off with an amused expression on his face. I had gotten so caught up in looking around I hadn't waited for him before I started to explore.
"This place is absolutely amazing. What is it?" I asked, coming to stand next to him.
"Yours." George answered nonchalantly, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. "This is your christmas present. We've been working on it nearly all semester."
"I'm sorry, I still don't understand." I said honestly, covering George's arms with my own as his head came to rest on my shoulder for the first time not having to stoop at all to be at the right height.
"Fred and I found this place second week back by accident while we were scouring the forest for useful ingredients for the skiving snack boxes." George began to explain. His breath hot on my shoulder as pressed gentle kisses between words on the only skin left exposed by the high halter neckline of the dress. I never considered my arms to be a particularly erotic area, but just his innocent pecks were causing the hair to rise in anticipation. Even though I was thankful I faced away from him so he couldn't see my blushing face, I knew my nerves had not gone unnoticed as I felt his lips curve into a smirk as he continued to kiss a trail across my shoulders.
"It was hilarious really. Fred found the key on the ground and as he went to stand up he tripped and fell key-first into the stone. Then the door swung open, knocking him on his arse again. We played that hand game you showed us to decide who would go down the chute-"
"Rocks, paper, scissors?" I interrupted with excitement.
"Yes, that!" George nodded, happier to know the correct name for the game than he was annoyed at being interrupted. "And I lost so I went first and honestly, from the second I saw it I knew you'd love it. It didn't look like much then. Everything was collapsed on the ground and covered in centuries worth of dust and spiders but as soon as I imagined what the bookcase must have looked like when it was at its glory, I envisioned your face when you saw it restored and I knew it had to be yours.
"Mind you, one of the hardest parts about the entire thing was convincing Fred to give up his plans for a laboratory. Really couldn't have done it without him. We've been working on it every chance we could to get it ready in time. I think even he'd admit it was worth it seeing it now. In fact, I think everyone in the dorm will be thankful we have a place we can escape to for some privacy." George's words sounded like a taunt as he continued to kiss lower down my arm. By the way he was smirking as he only just reached my wrist, I suspected that he was prolonging the torment because of my reactions.
"But I- I don't-" I stuttered over my words, too many questions coming to my mind at once.
"Yes, love?" George prompted.
"But we weren't even dating at the beginning of the semester!" I blurted out.
"No, we weren't but I've told you already that I've liked you for years. Regardless, you're still my best friend and when I can do something that I know will make you happy, I'm going to do it." George said.
"But this is too much, George!" I protested.
"No, Andrella. It's really not." George reassured me.
"You do realize you've practically gotten me the equivalent of a house for Christmas, don't you?"
"It's not that extreme, Drells. It's just a place you can come to practice your more advanced magic without fear of getting caught. Besides, there isn't a kitchen therefore it's not a proper house. " George reasoned.
"George, it's still above and beyond anything-hey wait."
"What?" George said, rightfully nervous by my narrowing eyes.
"You said you started building this place our second week back, right?"
"Right?"
"We didn't even know I could do advanced magic then so that can't have been why you built it."
"Okay?"
"That wasn't a question, George, it's a fact. The question is what was this place's original purpose." I pressed.
"Okay, fine. Aside from the fact that it was like this weird voice was in my head telling me to give this place to you, which we are going to ignore because it was weird and I don't know what was happening there-" George began to babble. "I, uh, might have been really nervous to tell you how I feel about you and I guess I started seeing this place as the place where we'd, uh…"
"Why are you so nervous, George? It's only me." I reassured him, taking his much larger hands in mine and bringing them to my lips to brush kisses across the knuckles.
"I'm sorry, I guess this is just harder for me to talk about then I realized it would be." George said, squeezing my hand tightly in reassurance.
"It's okay, George. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I didn't meant to push you." I apologized, not liking how serious his expression had grown to become.
"No, It's important that I tell you. Just bare with me and let me get it out, yeah?"
"I can do that." I promised.
"I knew I liked you for years, I said that, but I didn't realize that I loved you until recently. It wasn't until after you were attacked and I thought I would lose you." George said, speaking urgently now that he had started. "It was then that I convinced Fred we should make this place for you. Above all else I wanted you to have a place where you could go to be safe, but I won't lie. I imagined myself coming here to comfort you, that you'd want me to be here to hold you and keep you safe.
"I liked you so much, Andrella, but I was so scared. I didn't know what love was or that's what I was actually feeling for you-all I knew was that you were the best friend I have ever had and I was terrified of doing anything to jeopardize our friendship. I still am afraid that I'm going to do something to mess everything up, but I'm glad I took that risk because being with you has been amazing." He puncucated his statement with a kiss.
Pulling away, I continued his train of thought, knowing there was more to the story. "But?"
"But I spent a lot of time sulking and convincing myself that you'd either reject me or that if by some miracle you didn't, I thought of all of the ways I could mess it up."
"George-"
"Please let me finish, Drella. You promised."
"Sorry." I said quietly, waving him on to continue even though I desperately wanted him to stop speaking negatively about himself but I knew he needed to get this out.
"This is the place I used to image telling you how I felt about you once I gained the courage to do it. But I'm glad that you confronted me before the first match, because you made me realize that my not telling you to save our friendship was only driving us apart. If you hadn't said anything, I don't know how long I would have spent wallowing in my self-pity instead of enjoying the best month of my life with you." George finished, the sincerity in his voice making tears well in my eyes. "I didn't mean to make you cry, Drella. I'm sorry." He apologized, placing a finger underneath each of my eyes to catch the tears before they spilled down my cheeks.
"Stop apologizing. I'm only crying because you are the sweetest, most considerate person I have ever met and you taking such good care of me is only going to make it worse." I laughed, trying not to lose myself to my emotions completely.
"I'm sorry but I'm never not going to comfort you when you're upset. I'll always try and make you feel better. That's what you do when you love someone the way I love you." George vowed.
"I love you, too, George. Thank you for everything. For the most amazing gift that I don't think anyone will ever be able to top ever in the history of gift-giving which if I wasn't on the receiving end, I might be upset seeing as I used to hold that title." Now it was my turn to babble. Realizing this, I took a deep, calming breath before trying again.
"Thank you for being the best boyfriend a person could ever have. You have shown me what it means to love someone, to want and desire someone with my entire soul, and you have made it so that your arms are the place I feel safest. I might not know what true love is either, but I do know that I don't want to feel what I share with you with anyone else."
"I don't want you to love anyone else the way you love me." George said, bringing me back into his arms for a hug.
"I won't."
"How can you be so sure?" George asked, unable to hide the hint of doubt in his voice even as he tried to cover it with a smile.
"Hasn't anyone told you? I can see the future." I teased him, bopping him on the nose gently.
"Oh, really? Are you having any visions of what the rest of our evening has in store?" George asked, playing along.
"No." I said, then dramatized the act of receiving a vision by stepping back away from George with my hand clutching my forehead as if I had been knocked upside the head with the knowledge of the future. "Oh, yes! I've see it now!"
"What does fate hold in its card for me, tell me! No, don't tell me. Oh, I'm so worried!" George exclaimed, faking the act of biting his nails.
I didn't answer George. Instead I stared at him for a moment while I made up my mind. I reached behind my back to slid my fingers over the smooth velvet until I found the tiny eyelet hook holding my dress closed and popped it open.
"What are you doing?" George asked, dropping the act in his confusion. His eyes lingered on my raised arms and what he could not see happening behind my back.
"My vision was rather literal. It didn't leave much to interpret." I said vaguely as I peeled the flap of the neckline down my shoulder to release my arm. I shivered as I felt the chains move across my skin but there was no backing out. "I won't be needing this." I said, pulling the other side of my dress down so that with the single motion the entire thing slid down my body. I smirked in satisfaction as I watched George's wide eyes follow the movement of the velvet as it came to pool on the floor at my feet.
"You are going to be the death of me, Andrella." George practically growled as he pressed his body close to mine.
I could feel the evidence of his own arousal on my hip before he lifted me into his arms. I wrapped my own around his neck as my legs hooked behind his back at the hips. Even though his pants, the contact was overwhelming; I was too turned on to be embarrassed by soft mewing sounds I made as George nibbled my earlobe.
"Let me show you my favorite part of this place-the bed" George purred in my ear starting to walk with me in his arms. Every step he took rubbed his concealed, yet unrestrained erection against my already dripping core.
I couldn't see where he was walking and neither could he really, as I craned my neck to catch his lips in a sloppy, yet passionate kiss. I was overwhelmed by everything-the profound sweetness of his gift paired with the way the firewhiskey made every touch searing. I was completely consumed by the feeling of kissing George. I never wanted the moment to end while wishing everything to speed up at the same time. I was momentarily caught off guard by my back hitting a heavily cushioned surface.
I finally opened my eyes at the sound of George's groan, realizing for the first time that we were no longer kissing and his body was no longer pressed against mine.
"What? What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up on the bed to look at where he was standing. I watched as he dragged his hands through his hair down his face in frustration.
"Bleeding hell, Drella. Look what you do to me." George groaned again, pointing at the very obvious tent in his trousers.
"I can help you with that, if you'd like." I said coyly, leaning forward to rest my hands on his hips. I highlighted the perfect height difference our position created by resting my check against his thigh.
"I swear, Andrella." George muttered almost incoherently..
"What?" I asked innocently.
"You really will be the death of me." He said, trailing off as he became distracted as my hand rest gently over the seat of his pants as I worked on the button.
I pulled away immediately with a gasp as I looked up at him in horror. "Did I-? Did I-"
"Soak my cock through my pants? Yeah, you did." George said through clenched teeth but he looked far from angry. For the briefest second I stared at him in shock, but the simple fact of the matter was that his brazen attitude only encouraged me. I began to furiously tug on his zipper, frantic to have him undressed.
"Sod it all." I cursed, waving my hand carelessly.
"You never cease to amaze me." George chuckled as all his clothes disappeared from his body to be relocated in a neat pile on the floor next to my dress.
"Enough talking." I groaned, reaching to pull him down to the bed. "I need you now."
Those words were enough to respark the urgency we had before. George was suddenly laying over me, hands roaming everywhere, lips and tongue lavishing every inch of my body at warp speed but still not fast enough.
"George." I said. Tugging his mouth back to mine by grabbing a fistful of his hair-a benefit to him keeping it long aside from the fact that he looked ravishing with long hair, of course.
"Someone's eager." George laughed, nudging apart my thighs with his knee.
"Your fault." I groaned in frustration, hands fisting in the sheets as he used a pressure so light I couldn't tell if he was actually touching me or if I was just imagining it because I wanted it so badly.
Torture, that's what this is.
"Bloody hell, Drella." George cursed, fingers instantly soaked in the proof of my torment as he finally touched me.
"What?" I barked, throwing my head back onto the pillows in frustration.
"You're so beautiful when you're impatient." George said, his laughter tickling my collarbone as he worked his way down my body with open-mouthed kisses.
"That's your fault, too." I retorted, my resentment downplayed by the moan I let out when I felt his breath over my nipple.
"So beautiful." he mouthed against the hardened nub, his tongue flicking out to torture the inflamed skin.
"George." I whined impatiently, rubbing myself against his knee.
"Yes, love?" He taunted.
"You're driving me crazy." I huffed, fidgeting to create friction between my neglected core and his hand, which for some godforsaken reason had stopped moving.
"Good." He snickered but started to move his thumb around my clit in slow, teasing circles. "You can join me in the constant state of madness you keep me in."
"More kissing, less talking." I demanded, pulling his face back to mine to catch his still smirking lips in a kiss.
He bit my bottom lip as he slid a finger inside me, causing my head to fall back as I cried out. This gave him access to my neck, as was clearly his intent by the way he attached his lips to the skin and began sucking greedily. His lips moved in a frenzied rush but his fingers kept their agonizingly slow pace as he worked a second finger in beside the first.
"George, please." I pleaded, sucking on the spot on his neck that usually made him lose whatever control he had left. Tonight his determination to stick to his plan gave him strength as my actions caused the opposite of the desired effect by him removing his hand all together.
I was past the point of caring about how desperate I sounded as I begged him to take me. "George, please. I need you now. Please just...oh, fuck! Fuck!" I screamed as he entered me without warning, burying himself to the hilt.
"I love it when you swear." George purred in my ear. Bringing his hand down to where our bodies were joined, he stroked me in time with his thrusts once he started to move.
"Shit. Damn. Bollocks. Bugger. Twat. Cunt. Tits. Arse. Fuck. Fuck me, George. Fuck." I swore, my breath becoming more rageded with each word until I wasn't even aware of what I was saying anymore. The only thing I was aware of was how each thrust rattled my body, finally giving me what I craved.
"It's too much. You're too wet, too tight..." George mumbled against my throat, his own words becoming incoherent as his movements gained a frantic pace. "I can't...I'm not going to be able to…"
"George." I panted, my nails digging into the skin of his shoulders as I gripped them trying to steady myself. He found the spot deep inside me that made me lose myself in the sensation. Before my eyes slammed shut I saw that we were starting to float, a dull glow of color building around us as we ascended into the air.
George pulled my body against his but didn't stop moving. The elevation gave him access to new angles that had me writhing around him, clutching at his arms to give me leverage as I bucked my hips to meet his.
"God, I love you so much, Andrella. You are the bloody perfect woman." George groaned as I bit down into the abused spot on his neck. My mouth needed to keep busy and his head was thrown back in ecstasy as he used his hands to guide my hips.
"I love you, too, George." I said, the words coming out in a breathless string.
We were both so close. We were both so desperate to get closer, to push the other over the edge and then join them in the fall. The only question would be who fell first.
We moved as one, finally synced, as we became completely surrounded by the most brilliant scarlet I had ever seen. Every move was anticipated, ever expectation shattered as every touch became electric. I felt more connected to George in that moment than I ever knew was possible. His pleasure was my pleasure, the normal intensity doubled as I felt every kiss, every touch, every sensation from both his perspective and mine.
A final thrust and we were both moaning, crying out each other's name as our release synchronized. It was the most powerful emotion, the most intense sensation I had ever experienced. Every nerve in my body buzzed as I clung to George. We remained in the air for twice as long as we normally did fighting to regain control of our breathing, our bodies twitching and spazzing. By the time we started floating back down, the post-climatic afterglow became replaced with shared exhaustion. Still entwined completely, body and mind, we were both asleep before our heads touched the pillow.
XXX
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
ELLO LOVELIES! I am proud to present to you a chapter I have been waiting to write from the very beginning-ALMOST EXACTLY 9 YEARS AGO TODAY! I don't know about you but I honestly cannot even process the fact that I've been working on this story for nearly A DECADE. I know I always encourage you guys to let me know how long you've been reading for (and I honestly do apologize for that even being a relevant question) but now more than ever I ask you to leave me a comment!
I've said it before and I'll say it over and over and over again: I WILL CONTINUE TO WRITE THIS STORY UNTIL IT IS FINISHED BECAUSE EVERYONE WHO HAS READ OVER 300 PAGES OF A STORY DESERVES TO HAVE AN ENDING! (Note, I'm not promising for a perfect or happy ending, but goddamn you will get an ending...and sooner than you think.)
So, like I proposed to you all before you began reading...This is my longest chapter to show for in 9 years of writing. I ask you to take a guess at how many words or pages of writing you think you've just read if you want to possibly be included in the story. I have the perfect idea that will allow a few of the people who care to be involved to have a minor role in what I have in store for Andrella.
Also, as always, I encourage any an all comments you might have about my work! I spent a GREAT DEAL of my time writing this story and I love hearing what people have to say about it-good or bad. As long as its constructive, I'm all ears.
Ex's & Oh's
Audrey V. Sullivan