Twists of Fate

Chapter 17: Rushed Days

Rose laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling of their bedroom, silently counting the dots on the wall. So far there we only 322. When she first began over an hour ago, she was certain there were going to be well over a thousand. Halfway through the tiles, her prediction was proving to be far off.

The counting had begun as a way to ease the steady panic. The one that had been growing inside of her since Griffon's engagement ring was placed on her finger. Unfortunately, it was not working.

Rose closed her eyes tightly willing the panic to simmer. She hadn't told him yet. As a matter of fact, she hasn't told anyone yet. It had been a whole week since Rose said yes to Griffon's proposal and they still hadn't told a single soul about it. Griffon wanted to announce it as soon as Rose said yes, but she was more hesitant. At first, she pushed the blame on nervousness, but the real reason was clear. It didn't feel right.

She reasoned with Griffon that she wanted to keep it between them for at least a little while before they told anyone. Reluctantly Griffon agreed to give it seven days.

All week he'd been overly excited, insisting that they begin the planning immediately. Rose, not wanting to dampen his excitement, jumped in along with him and helped with organizing some small details, like the date. Being as Rose started school again in the Fall and Griffon had a few weeks off at the end of August, they decided that hosting a wedding then would be the most convenient for everyone. It was quick and rushed but convenience sometimes trumps desire.

While the planning kept Griffon occupied (for the most part) he held true on his promise to Rose and kept silent. Now that the week was up he was all set on announcing their exciting news. Griffon called the entire Weasley-Potter clan to Gran's (with an extended invite to his own Father), giving Rose only a few more hours to tell Scorpius.

Anxiety was a constant presence in Rose's life, but never before had it felt like someone was clawing away at her insides. She was all set on telling Scorp while they were house hunting but when he smiled in her direction, Rose's knees turned to jelly and she suddenly forgot all about the monster discomforting her insides. In those moments it was all about them. About finding him a home. About getting to spend time together as friends and catch up again. She couldn't force herself to ruin such a perfect day.

After Scorp agreed to put an offer in, he kept his promise and took her to a muggle book store where she purchased way too many books. After that, they went to a muggle cafe and spent the rest of the day talking. Scorp convinced her to try a drink called coffee and she was instantly in love. It was an amazing day, one that didn't deserve to be ruined by her news, so she convinced herself that there would be another opportunity to tell him.

And there were. Rose saw Scorp every day, as he started joining her and Al for lunch, but it never seemed like the appropriate time. So she kept her mouth shut and avoided telling him. Rose chalked it up to nerves, but she knew the real reason why she didn't want to tell him. If she said the words out loud it would forever end the possibility of them. Which was absolutely silly. There hadn't been a them in six years. All the romantic feelings between them were gone. She didn't love him anymore and he didn't love her. When they spent time together they laughed and joked like they used to. They studied and bickered like normal. They picked on Al and had in-depth talks like no time passed between them. They were purely friends. So she told herself.

Who's to say that he would even be bothered by her news? He didn't care about her in that way anymore. He mentioned that he dated a few girls while he was away and Albus blabbed about how they could pick up witches together now that they were single. He was moving on with his life, much like Rose was.

Although there were moments when she thought she caught him staring at her or flirting with her, but she was never certain. A few days ago when he placed his hands on her hips to stop her from falling, she thought that there might have been a moment. With hands were on her bare skin, she felt a shock of electricity rupture at the contact. It brought her back to the first time he touched her like that. Heat coursed through her veins and then their eyes met. She thought she saw something flash through his eyes, but she couldn't be sure. He stepped away and just like that the moment was gone.