Learn to Love Again | George Weasley

40. Orange Cranberry Scones

Only half of the words Maxwell said fully registered in her mind. The others got lost in the fog as her heart started pounding. They couldn't go in there, not if George was working. But how could she get out of this without confessing her lingering feelings for the owner?

"Eloise?"

Maxwell's voice pulled her out of the thoughts she was drowning in.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you wanted to step in for a minute."

Her mind went completely blank. Every coherent thought had completely dissolved into panic as she tried desperately to form some sort of convincing excuse to not step foot inside that particular store. But she couldn't come up with anything.

"Okay." she nodded.

Maybe George was out today, maybe he was busy in his office, or taking inventory in the back. Maybe they could browse for a few minutes and leave unnoticed.

With his arm still around her shoulder, he lead them into the shop. Once inside, Verity looked up from behind the counter to greet them, but the words got caught in her throat as she made eye contact with her curly haired friend. Instinctively Eloise shrugged Maxwell's arm of her shoulder, as if she had just been caught red-handed betraying George even though that truly wasn't the case at all.

Verity's eyes flicked between the blonde and the tall man with her for a moment before she quickly retreated from the counter into a nearby aisle without a word. Something told Eloise to stay away from wherever she had gone, so her feet mindlessly carried her in the opposite direction towards the WonderWitch brand of products.

Doing her best to not let her paranoia drive her to constantly check over her shoulder, Eloise tried to look as if she was interested in the products around her. Of course she'd seen every single product that lined these shelves before. This shop had once felt like a safe haven for her, a second home at one point. But now that she was visiting with Maxwell, it felt like she was an intruder within it's walls.

"Look at this!"

She turned her head to see Maxwell holding a small vial of pale blue liquid and her heart dropped.

"This nail polish color is called 'Eloise'. What are the odds?" he laughed, "Maybe I should buy you a bottle."

Eloise tried to paste a somewhat convincing smile on her lips, but her guilt was keeping it from happening. Before she could say anything, an employee of the shop rounded the corner and made eye contact with her over Maxwell's shoulder.

All of the air had been sucked out of Eloise's lungs the moment she locked eyes with George. The entire situation felt like a cruel prank and she wished she could simply disappear into thin air. No one would question her if she suddenly apparated anywhere else, right?

"Welcome in, can I help you two find anything?" George asked in a polite, yet impersonal tone.

For some reason, something as simple as acting as if she was just another customer to him was enough to cause a wave of sorrow to hit Eloise like a tidal wave, almost knocking her off her feet and dragging her into the depths.

"We're just browsing, thanks though." Maxwell replied.

"Are you sure? We've got a lovely selection of Love Potions available right over here. Unless you've already got your friend under one." he smiled as he gestured towards Eloise.

She couldn't tell if he was trying to break the tension or create it, but either way Eloise was reaching a breaking point.

"I'm sorry?" Maxwell asked with widened eyes.