Symphony || Remus Lupin

LVII

But Myra didn't seem to notice his slip up. "We'll take them to someone's house. Alice would take care of them for the night. Or Lily's. Then I'll stay with you for the night." Remus looked at her before giving her a weak smile.

He adored how she seemed determined to make him better. He loved how her blue eyes glittered and how they stared intently at him. Her lips were pressed together but she didn't seem to notice, only focusing on him. A few strands of her hair fell in on her forehead and he wanted to brush them away. Her words were like a river, washing away his worries, flowing over his mind, and soothing him. He loved that her voice always did this, always relaxing him. He loved that, even with her own worries, she still cared about him.

He wished that she didn't worry so much over how her kids were going to turn out. He wanted to tell her that they would love her, no matter what. He wanted to tell her that if they had kids, they would always trust her with all their problems. They would have much trust in her that he did. He wanted to tell her that they would have her compassion and that they wouldn't push her away.

Remus wanted to tell Myra that he wanted their kids to have her soft eyes. He wanted them to have her eyes and her hair and her softness and her concern and her determination. He wanted them to love as she did, softly, gently, but so fiercely at the same time.

The sound of a chair scraping broke him out of his thoughts. He felt Myra delicately place her lips to his forehead.

"I'll wash the dishes." Remus hummed, not paying much attention to what she was saying. He felt the lingering imprint of her lips, feel their softness. As he heard her move to the kitchen, he could feel the weight of the box in his pocket.

It had been resting there for over a week. One day, after the Order meetings, Remus walked around the town and spotted a jewelry shop. On the display was a bright blue opal set in a rose gold band and small diamonds embedded around it. On an impulse, he went in and bought and since then, he's been trying to find the perfect moment.

Why should I find the perfect moment?

Why can't I create it?

Myra was wiping her hands on a dishcloth when she turned around, her eyes looking to Remus. The cornflower orbs that he loved widened, the dishcloth falling out of her hands.

"Remus?" She began shakingly. "What are you doing?" He gave her a smile, ignoring how hard his heart was pounding in his chest.

"What's it look like?" He joked, trying to relieve some of the nerves.

It didn't work. If anything, it made them worse.

He cleared his throat, starting to speak. "Angel, I've had a crush on you since third year. I've never really thought much about it until the first day of fifth year, on the train. I saw how Sirius treated you and I was annoyed. Why would he be mad at you? Why would he do that to you? He didn't even know you. But then I realized, I didn't know you either. I didn't know what was your favorite color, your favorite food, your favorite anything. All I knew about you was that your name was Myra, you were in our year, you were the best Charmer in the school, and that you were beautiful beyond my imagination.

"So I made it my mission to get closer. I wanted to know you, I wanted to be your friend. I wanted to be someone who would make you laugh, make you smile, make you happy. Every moment we had, I cherish it. I remember it. I remember meeting you in the Common Room and helping you with your bandages, I remember being your partner in Herbology, I remember us sitting by the lake in the middle of the night, sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace on the night of the Halloween Ball, I remember every single Hogsmeade trip we went on. Somewhere along the line, I realized that I wanted to make you more than happy. I wanted to be with you in every sense. I wanted to be the one.