Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 16, 2007 1:56:27 GMT -5
Dear Felicity,
I'm really sorry about this morning. I didn't want it to go like that. I do want to work on our friendship if you still want to. Please, can we still have dinner tonight?
DrewIt had started out much longer, but after a dozen or so revisions it had ended up all of three lines. He had taken out all of the buts and ifs, gotten rid of the excuses and the self-blame, rewritten it a few times after it inexplicably got water spotted. He did want to try and be her friend, feeling like he had to have something with her. If this was all she was willing to offer him, then he'd work with it. And maybe... just maybe... He wasn't going to think about that. He wasn't going to set himself up just to be crushed. He would focus on getting their friendship back on track and let things go naturally from there. He tied the note to Boggie, his overly hyper saw-whet, and hoped Felicity would at least consider keeping their date. At exactly 15 minutes to six, he was at the Trophy room, a bag of apples in one hand and his wool blanket over the other arm. He had showered and shaved, combed his hair, and dressed in a clean shirt, sweatshirt and jeans. He wanted to look nice, but hoped it wasn't too obvious that he was trying. This was just two friends having dinner together after all, wasn't it? That is... if she even showed up. {closed}
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Post by Felicity Hjort on Dec 16, 2007 15:57:50 GMT -5
How long she stayed out by the lake, she didn't know, but it didn't feel long enough. Unfortunately, the mud didn't let her sink further than a couple of centimeters, and it seemed unwilling to let her sink any more. Was this truly how it felt? Or was it because she was the one who did it?
After thinking about things over and over, she decided she had nothing to think about. Dwelling wouldn't do any good, what damage was done, was done. There was no changing the past, no making him understand. She'd tried, and failed. Maybe this was how everyone felt after their heart was so broken it couldn't hurt anymore, she didn't know, but she hoped that she'd never feel this bad ever again.
It hadn't taken very long for her to realize, as she trudged back to the castle taking the longest route there was in hopes of avoiding Drew at all costs, that she didn't want to forget dinner with him. Why would she want to forget anything with him? Yes, she'd ruined everything, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to save what was left in the future. Maybe the past couldn't be changed, but nothing about the future was set in stone.
Running to the lions den, she showered, changed into something meant more comfort than glamour (as all of her clothes were), and spent close to an hour deciding whether or not to wear the necklace Drew gave her. Did she have the right to wear it anymore? It was hers, and he didn't say he wanted it back from her.
After making her decision, she ran like none other down to the kitchens. No, he probably wouldn't show up, but she didn't want to let go of that hope either. In a frenzy, she actually asked the House Elves to help her put together a picnic-like dinner. They provided more than a few helpful decisions, tried to push her out of their way as much as possible, and even tried sneaking things into the basket she had after she'd told them that wasn't what she wanted.
A little over an hour later, she was set and knew she'd be cutting it close getting to the Trophy room, and this was after fitting in time for her to get lost by. The basket was full of goodies, things that smelled more than wonderful while making them, and made her insides hurt with hunger after leaving with them wrapped securely in her basket.
Grilled ham and cheese on the biggest dinner rolls she'd ever seen, four baked potatoes with sour cream and butter in little containers, fresh celery, chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and...she forgot the beverage! Turning around and running back, she grabbed a container of milk and ran back out. Thankfully, she'd packed flatware, plates, cups, and napkins already.
On her way up the stairs, she was suddenly bombarded with a ball of fluff. Of course, she recognized the little owl, knew it as Drew's, and immediately dropped the basket and spent a good minute and a half trying to get Boggie to calm down so she could get the letter attached and read it. How long he'd been looking for her, she was unaware, but it didn't matter as long as Drew wasn't leaving her with bad words.
There was only one line on the note that bothered her. He didn't want it to go like that? He wasn't even the one to do it, so how could he say he didn't want it to go like that? Or maybe she was reading it wrong? Did it matter when he said he wanted to be friends and still wanted dinner?
Rushing with the basket in hand again, she made her way to the Trophy room, passing by anyone with a curious stare as to why she had a basket and was running away from the way of the Great Hall. Just after six o'clock, no more than five minutes, Felicity was catching her breath outside the entryway.
"Drew?" she said carefully, peeking into the room, hoping she wasn't too late.
And her decision? It hurt too much to wear her necklace.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
|
Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 16, 2007 21:58:05 GMT -5
At ten minutes till, he was pacing the room, telling himself that he was stupid for setting himself up for an emotional beating.
At 8 minutes till, he had convinced himself that of course she wouldn't show up. She obviously hated him and had flat out told him she didn't want to meet him.
At five minutes till, he chucked an apple at the trophy case, angry with himself for being such an idiot. Even if she did show up, what did he expect would happen? He gathered his things and decided to just forget it and go back to his dorm.
At three minutes till, he picked up the apple from across the room and repaired the case he had broken. She would still show up and he would tell her he was sorry and agree to anything she wanted.
At one minute after, he was positive she wasn't showing up. He had blown it. She had asked to still be friends and he hadn't even been able to give her that. Again, he gathered his things to go.
At three minutes after he was sitting against the wall, head down and feeling defeated, but determined to wait there all night if that's what it took. Even if she didn't come down until the next morning on her way to breakfast, he'd still be there, proof he still cared. He gently rolled the bruised apple between his hands, having nothing else to do but think about what had happened. He just wished he knew what Felicity thought was missing so he could work on getting it. Sure they had their misunderstandings, but he thought they were working through them. They had been laughing... and kissing... and everything had been fine just minutes before she decided that she wanted to break up. Whatever she wanted, it obviously wasn't him and he'd have to figure out how to deal with that.
He was just about to start thinking that she wasn't coming, when her voice calling his name startled him. His head banged against the wall, but he ignored it, wiping at his eyes instead before coming out from the corner he was hiding in.
"Yeah, I'm here," he said, attempting a smile when he saw her. It was hard not to smile, Boggie was still fluttering around her, as if waiting for praise for a job well done.
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Post by Felicity Hjort on Dec 16, 2007 23:37:01 GMT -5
At least he was smiling. For whatever reason, he was trying to, and that really meant a lot to her. Whether he was doing it because of her, or was doing it because of some other reason, it didn't matter, not when he was looking in her general direction and was smiling.
The little owl had followed her all the way to the Trophy Room, and she wasn't entirely sure why. Unless Drew told it not to let Felicity out of sight. It was possible, and she didn't think of it in a horrible way, but rather that he wanted to make sure Felicity would show. However, she was pretty sure he had to know that she wouldn't just not show up. How could they be on their way to being friends if she didn't put forth the effort that was needed to be friends with someone? After all, she had followed Celina around like a lost puppy dog until her friend finally agreed to be her friend, and even then it'd almost been a forced kind of agreement, but now Celina was easier about it with her. Actually, Felicity understood the girl's weariness of being her friend; after all, the first time they met, Felicity soaked Celina with water from the toilet. That was rather rude of her, but was it her fault she didn't know there was a crying girl ghost in the loo?
"I got your note," she answered. It saddened her a bit that he'd only signed his name, but she couldn't blame him. "Only a few minutes ago," she tried to smile back carefully. Maybe he'd conclude that she had to have been planning on showing up even if she hadn't gotten it. After all, a few minutes isn't enough time to shower and put a dinner together. "It took a bit to catch Boggie." Perhaps only a moment, but while reading the note, it felt like centuries.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 17, 2007 1:02:08 GMT -5
The traditional closing of his note had been lost in the first edit, during his "Why should I write it since she obviously doesn't care" phase of the afternoon. He really hadn't seen a reason to add it back during the other revisions, thinking it was just going to sound desperate or insincere.
"Hey, Boggie, back off!" Drew told the little owl, who must have thought this was an invitation to perch on Drew's head and peck at his hair. Drew took a couple of swipes at the bird and then resigned himself to having his hair pulled.
"I... I wasn't sure if you were... if you were still going to come," Drew told her. Why would he when she said to forget it? "I just wanted to let you know... I still wanted to."
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Post by Felicity Hjort on Dec 17, 2007 1:21:12 GMT -5
The smile that was trying widened just a bit in response to Boggie's behaviour. At least someone was acting normal in the setting. The blonde had gotten over the shock of Drew shouting at his bird a long time before, knowing just how much he loved the owl. It wasn't as though he shouted all the time either, only when Boggie was being bothersome. Truthfully, she thought it was adorable, especially when the owl perched in Drew's hair.
"And miss a chance to cook for you?" she asked him. Even if they weren't dating any longer, she loved cooking for him and didn't want to suddenly stop. She could cook for a few others, Corey, Lucas, Celina, but it just wasn't the same. "I kind of skimped a bit this time," she continued, feeling bad about it. "But I think everything turned out all right."
Producing the basket, she held it out a bit, but not too much. It was his choice to take it and peek, or to just ignore it, and it didn't look obvious either way which she wanted him to do. It just looked like she was showing it off.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 17, 2007 1:32:51 GMT -5
"That's okay," he told her, taking the basket, smiling a little easier this time. It was probably just the owl on his head, but that didn't matter much.
The food in the basket might have smelled great under normal circumstances, but Drew really wasn't in the mood to eat, and only took the briefest of peeks inside. Anymore and he was afraid he'd throw up from stress. "It looks really good," he said truthfully. He just wasn't planning on eating much of it.
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Post by Felicity Hjort on Dec 17, 2007 1:55:15 GMT -5
At least he was talking and smiling a little bit. Truthfully, she'd half expected him to give her the silent treatment and never talk to her again, she wouldn't and couldn't blame him if that's what he chose. However, she didn't miss the briefness of his look.
Nodding, she agreed. It did look good, but that was mostly due to the House Elves, they'd made sure she didn't burn anything. The cookies had been the worst because she did burn the first batch, but they were under orders not to touch them. And after they'd burned, they begged to let her let them watch them in case she was busy. And she had been, busy being preoccupied, she was lucky the whole dinner hadn't been ruined.
"Where did you want to sit?" she asked, casting a glance around the room.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 17, 2007 2:03:17 GMT -5
"I brought a blanket," he told her, motioning over to the corner where he had left it in a bundle. At one point, during his wait for her, he had set it out in the center of the room, but eventually, it had gotten tossed aside, ready to be dragged back to his room or used to hide from the world under. He still wasn't sure which he would have chosen.
He placed the basket on the floor as he went to get the rummpled blanket. It also gave him a chance to hiss at his owl to get lost, but Boggie seemed determined to stick around.
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Post by Felicity Hjort on Dec 17, 2007 16:56:56 GMT -5
"All right," she told him. Drew hadn't answered her question, but she wasn't going to press him to either. They were going to sit on a blanket, and from the looks of it, the blanket he'd been using lately. It was the one he had on Valentine's, the one he had that day out by the lake. Felicity would've liked to think of it as their balnket, but she couldn't, not now since there was no their. It was him and her. She had even given back his hat, the one she'd planned on teasing him with to take, but hadn't given herself that chance.
Grabbing the basket from the floor, she pulled back into her arms, waiting for him to spread the blanket out where he felt like sitting. The scene before her made her smile, though she wasn't sure she felt like it. Boogie at least was being normal, but someone had to be.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 17, 2007 21:48:33 GMT -5
He had answered the question quite specifically. He wanted to sit on the blanket. It was much better than the cold stone floor.
The blanket held no special significance to him other than it was the warmest one he owned. That was why he usually brought it along when he knew he'd need some extra warmth. Felicity hadn't specified a particular place so once he had the blanket, he spread it out where he had previously had it, an open spot near the far end of the room, behind a short row of cases, close to the fireplace. It was out of the way, but not hidden.
He got it smoothed out and smiled in her direction, suddenly wondering if he should have gotten a cleaner blanket. He had been sleeping with this particular one and he hoped it didn't smell funny. Too late to change now...
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Post by Felicity Hjort on Dec 17, 2007 23:31:13 GMT -5
When Drew sprawled his blanket out, she didn't say anything about it. It was actually a romantic set-up, but she wasn't going to start anything with him. Besides, it was cozy and that's probably exactly what he'd been thinking about anyway. It would be warm, which he liked warm, and she couldn't argue with warm all of the time. Besides, she told him to pick the spot, and where she would've picked, if given the choice, would've been cold anyway, especially since he wouldn't be wrapping his arms around her anymore.
Smiling lightly back at him, she walked over to where he laid their makeshift table and kicked her shoes off to the side of it. Why dirty his blanket with whatever was shoved up in the crevis' of her shoes? No need to, besides, she wouldn't feel right doing it. It was just wasn't proper, dating him or not.
"Shall we dig in?" she asked gently, offering the basket to the air a little bit. She wasn't sure if the sandwiches would be warm or not, but the ham had been cooked and the cheese was melted.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 18, 2007 0:02:27 GMT -5
Drew didn't bother taking off his shoes before sitting down crosslegged on the opposite side of the basket from her. It was his blanket and he didn't want to get too comfortable anyway. That could be dangerous.
"Yeah... sure," Drew answered, figuring they might as well. He wasn't hungry in the least bit, but there really wasn't much else to do besides eat. Maybe this hadn't been such a great idea after all.
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Post by Felicity Hjort on Dec 18, 2007 0:13:48 GMT -5
Felicity took no notice of what Drew did, other than he seemed to be as far from her as he could get. Though, the furthest he could've gotten was the corner, and not the side, so maybe it wasn't so bad after all? However, it meant he was a bit further from her, and it wasn't inviting for conversation, but maybe he didn't want to talk to her? But if that was the case, why did he bother contacting her and asking anyway?
"All right," she answered softly, feeling a little disappointed. What would've happened if she hadn't shown, if she had gotten his note and refused? Truthfully? Felicity didn't want to think about it, at all.
Opening the basket, she pulled out a cup, plate and a couple of napkins before handing it over to Drew. He was who she'd cooked for, he could take what he wanted first, and then she would take what she wanted. And she hadn't seen the apples, but wondered if maybe he had brought them.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 18, 2007 0:31:23 GMT -5
Drew took the basket, attempting another smile as he pulled out a plate and a sandwich. It looked delicious, but again, he wasn't sure if he was actually going to eat it.
So what were they going to do, just sit and stare at one another while she ate dinner? He wasn't sure, but knew there weren't many other options. Previously, they could have talked about what they had done during the day or what they planned to do the next day. Drew really didn't want to share that he had spent a good chunk of the day sitting fully clothed in the shower, anymore than he wanted to discuss a day that wasn't going to include her.
"Looks good," he told her, putting the sadwich on his plate and handing the basket back to her.
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