One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 63

Sirius is not surprised when he wakes up alone, but it doesn't quell his immediate fear.

Gwen had struggled to sleep that night, her mind full of images of the water. Even though she'd been glad she'd waded in deeper than she had in a long time, the nightmares crashed into her like the waves, leaving her scrambling to keep her head above water.

She'd apologized profusely, her skin clammy and her legs quaking every time he woke up. Her voice was small, timid. She felt like a shell of herself. Sirius didn't say much, just held her close and stroked her hair until she fell back into tumultuous sleep. And then they would repeat.

Sirius quickly climbs out of her bed, not even bothering to stop by the guest room to get dressed. He nearly trips down the stairs, flying down them as concern weighs heavily in his heart. He sprints to the front of the house, flinging open the door.

He winces when he hears a shriek of surprise, cringing when Gwen goes flying backwards. She somersaults back into the sand, her limbs a tangled mess as she groans,

"Fucking hell."

Sirius springs into action, quickly grabbing onto her arms and pulling her to her feet. He grins bashfully at her narrowed eyes, saying apologetically, "My bad, Ninnie. Just looking for you."

"Seems that you found me," She scoffs, biting back laughter at the pink in his cheeks. She dusts off her clothes, looking up when she realizes he's grown silent. His eyes are soft, lingering on the pale yellow dress that clings just enough to her lithe body. It was sweet, simple besides the looping design at the hem just above her knees. Beautiful. She looked beautiful.  She flushes at the look he's giving her and clears her throat. His eyes fly to her face and he studies her carefully, noting the tired lines around her smile and the faint purple beneath her eyes.

"Gwen," Sirius starts, his voice still raspy from sleep. His hand reaches out, stroking his knuckles against her cheekbone. When her eyes flutter shut and she sighs, his heart rings in his ears.

"Let's just spend the day here," He says quietly. "Let's relax."

Her eyes slowly open and she quirks a brow, asking bluntly, "Changed your mind have you? Don't fancy a date?"

He scowls slightly and quickly says, "No, I just—"

"I'm fine. And I'm going, whether you come with or not."

He groans exasperatedly, muttering, "Fine, Inferi. But you are taking a nap this afternoon! It's not healthy for you to not get rest, sleep is important!"

She smiles wryly, her eyes full of mock innocence as she asks, "Anything else you'd like to teach me, Professor?"

He blinks at her, immediately taken back to the night they first kissed. Her sitting on a desk. Her skirt riding up as her legs cross. Her calling him Professor. And him nearly choking at the word. He swallows roughly, voice husky as he responds quietly,

"There's quite a few things I'd like to teach you, Whitlock."

Her smile grows. So does his, and he knows they definitely look dumb. Just standing there and smiling at each other. But he cants seem to care. She finally cracks, laughing as she says, "Go get dressed! I'll wait here."

Sirius rolls his eyes and turns to go inside. He pauses, quickly spinning to pull her into his arms. His lips find hers instantly, and he relishes the feeling of her smiling. He smirks and playfully bites her lower lip before separating from her, saying simply,

"Good morning."

Gwen brushes her fingers over her lips, her eyes locked on him as he backs away towards her house. She smiles, replying with mirth in her voice,

"Indeed."

She can hear him chuckling as he disappears inside her home. Gwen exhales the breath she was holding, and while she feels tired, the way he was looking at her gave her a surge of energy. She smooths out her dress again, smiling to herself. He liked it, thank Merlin.

Gwen looks up when the door shuts and Sirius mumbles a quick spell to lock up the house. Her smile grows at the action, and she's reaching out before she can stop it. She interlocks their fingers, feeling a tingle run up her spine at his look of surprise. He smiles down at her, rolling his eyes when she says cheekily,

"I take it you know how to ride a bicycle."

"Yes, Gwenyth," he sighs. "I know how to ride a bicycle."

She laughs as she leads him to the side of her house. He grins at the two bicycles leaning up against the vines of jasmine, heart pounding faster when she pushes him the blue one. He notes that her bicycle matches her dress, and he briefly wonders if she prefers yellow over blue here. Maybe she didn't want to be reminded of Ravenclaw or school here. Or maybe when she was at school, she favored blue because it reminded her of the ocean. He bites back his questions and follows her as she walks her bike up the driftwood path until they reach solid ground.

Sirius watches her carefully perch on her seat, following her lead. And then they're off, pedaling down a road that looks untraveled. Maybe to all but her.

He grins as her hair blows back in the summer air, a content smile of her face. Her grin grows as she says,

"Better watch where you're going, Black."

Sirius bites back a laugh and turns to face the road in front of them. He listens as she describes the town, tells him that she likes to go at least once a week. She mentions to not use his wand, which he rolls his eyes at yet again. Though her description does little to paint a picture in his mind.

He's too busy memorizing how happy she looks on her yellow bike, her smile wider and her eyes brighter.

She looks less tired, and he hopes that if nothing else she can forget about her nightmares just for a while.