" 우주가 우릴 위해 움직였어
The universe has moved for us
조금의 어긋남조차 없었어
There wasn't anything even slightly out of place
너와 내 행복은 예정됐던 걸
Our happiness has been destined. "
--CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO--
October 20, 1979
Saturday
7:00 pm
Arabella sat in the study of her apartment, contemplating what she would be having for dinner. She much preferred to have something homemade rather than ordering in, so that's what she was doing—looking through a rather thick muggle cooking book, hoping that she would find something that would catch her eye. It was only her that night since Evan had gone out with Remus, the two of them having worked through their hiccup. Arabella wouldn't say that they were dating just yet, but they were getting to know each other on a deeper level.
She was about to put the kettle on to boil water when the silvery Patronus of a dog burst through the kitchen wall.
"Arabella, it's Sirius. I'm coming over, and I won't take no for an answer. I'm bringing cookies. See you in five," the dog spoke before vanishing into thin air.
Arabella snorted a little at his forwardness and quickly realized that she wasn't properly dressed to have company over. She ran to her room and slipped on a pair of black jeans and a cream color sweater. She was about to leave the room when she heard a knock on the door.
After dealing with the ridiculous locks that she had placed on the door, she was greeted with the sight of the eldest Black brother. Sirius was wearing his usual leather jacket with a white t-shirt and some loose blue jeans. In his hands was a plate of cookies, and in the other was a bottle of white wine.
"You got here pretty fast," Arabella stated with an eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, well, I would have gotten here faster if it wasn't for James asking me what to wear on his date with red," he sighed as he walked further into the apartment. Even though Lily and James were already married, they still made an effort to spend some quality alone time since they were busy with work.
"So what brings you around? I thought you had a mission today." Arabella questioned, taking a seat on the couch and Sirius doing the same.
"What? I can't surprise my favorite girl?" Sirius gave her an amused glance. "And the mission got canceled. Something about the location of the death eaters changing again."
"Changing? Changing where?"
Sirius shrugged, "Not too sure. Apparently, they change headquarters every few weeks."
"Bastards."
"Yup. But anyway, I didn't come here to talk about death eaters."
"I figured," Arabella nodded. "Have you eaten? I was about to start making dinner," she said as she got up and started walking towards the kitchen.
"No, I haven't. I'll help you," he said.
Arabella turned back to him, "Didn't you almost burn down Lily's house last time you were making food?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, "That was one time. How was I supposed to know not to put plastic in the oven?"
"Everyone knows that," she murmured.
"Whatever. I promise not to burn the apartment down," Sirius said as he crossed his heart.
And that's how the rest of the dinner preparations went. They had come to realize that that they worked reasonably well with each other. They kept an eye on each other since they weren't known for being the best cooks. Arabella would occasionally whack Sirius with a wooden spoon if he was doing something wrong. Sirius would stand right behind her, watching her every move, making sure she never did anything wrong or hurt herself. At these times, Arabella would find herself blushing, utterly aware of how close they were. She could, at times, feel his breath on her cheek but chose to ignore it and focus on not cutting her finger.
On the other hand, Sirius noticed every time she would blush and the way her body would tense up, then instantly relaxed when she realized it was just him. He liked that she felt comfortable around him. That's all he wanted to make her feel: comfortable. Ever since they had the talk at James and Lily's wedding, they had gone back to being relatively normal. Due to them both working all the time, Sirius at the ministry, and Arabella with Dumbledore, they didn't get the chance to hang out. So they would spend a lot of time writing to each other. Arabella still had moments when she would stop writing, but he completely understood now. In times like those, he would make an effort to show up. That's why he was at her apartment. Arabella hadn't answered his last two letters, leading him to believe she wasn't feeling great.
They ended up making some spaghetti with tomato sauce on top; it was nothing fancy though it was the only thing they could make without trying too hard. They sat down and ate their meal. Having both a glass of wine and a casual conversation about what was going on in their lives; more specifically, the people in them. Marlene and Dorcas were moving in together. Remus and Evan were practically a couple. Frank and Alice recently got engaged. Peter was finishing up his studies. Mary had gotten promoted in her job. Despite being a death eater and a spy, Regulus had managed to get an internship with Gringotts. Everyone was doing just fine. Even Arabella, who hadn't felt like herself in the past months, was now starting to come to terms with everything that had happened. Sirius eventually convinced her to let their friends know what was happening. To say everyone was surprised was an understatement. Many of the girls started to panic and cry, as well as James. The other boys kept asking her if she was okay. And when that all got much for her, Sirius stepped up and told them to give her time, which was what they did, though not before they spoiled her with many surprise visits and take-out nights.
Once the meal was finished, they washed the dishes and made the kitchen look spotless. Arabella was now lounging on the couch with a cup of wine in her hand, and Sirius was exploring the many vinyls records she had purchased over the years. After a long time of looking, he came across a Billy Joel record. He set the record player, and she instantly recognized the song playing: Vienna.
"Good choice," she sighed with a smile on her face. The song brought back delightful memories of her time with her family. Ones that she would never forget.
"Come on. Dance with me," Sirius said as he extended his arm to her.
Arabella looked down at his hand and then back at his face. She was having a strange moment of deja vu.
She shook her head, "You know I can't dance."
"Yes, you can. And I believe it's the law to dance to this song. If you don't, you're going straight to Azkaban."
Arabella looked at his outstretched hand, contemplating. Eventually, she took it, and they began to show dance to Vienna. To an outsider, they would have been a lovely sight to see—a couple dancing in the living room with only the light of the nightstand. Though to Arabella, it made her a bit sad. This was the feeling she longed for. They weren't a couple, and she knew that, but she couldn't stop herself from seeing it that way. She didn't know how Sirius felt. As much as her friends had assured her that he felt the same way, Arabella would have a hard time believing that that was the truth. She felt safe in his arms, but she couldn't stop those intrusive thoughts from running around in her mind.
"What are you thinking about?" Sirius murmured into her ear, causing a shiver to go down her spine.
Arabella looked up at him but still firmly in place. "I like this song," she dumbly responded since she couldn't say what was on her mind.
Sirius eyed her in response. He knew that that's not what she wanted to say, but he didn't pry. Instead, he started humming the song, keeping a firm hold on her lower back. He brushed some hair out of her face, making her leaning into his touch. It was a simple action, but that didn't stop the goosebumps from forming on her skin. Arabella, at this time, had her eyes closed, trying the enjoy every bit of the moment. Sirius, on the other hand, was looking at her with soft eyes. He thought she was beautiful. But not in one of the generic forms of saying the word. In a truly indescribable way. She was brave, honest, and true. Always put others above herself, even if it hurt her in the end. He loved everything about her. The way that her eyes crinkled when she laughed too hard. Or how she sang along to every song even though she didn't know the words. Or how clumsy she was. He would get tongue-tied just thinking about her. For the first time in his life, Sirius Black was utterly in love with the girl in his arms.
"Bells," he whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment. The girl in question slowly opened her eyes, grey instantly clashing with hazel. They both just stood there for a moment, looking at each other. The song was now long over with only the static being heard in the background, not that they cared or noticed. At this moment, it was just the two of them, and nothing else mattered.
Sirius slowed look down from her eyes to her lips as if he was asking for permission. Another way of deja vu hit the both of them, remembering that the exact thing almost happened many months ago. Arabella again didn't answer; her only indication that it was alright was her slowly leaning in.
Then it happened. Sirius was gentle. Making sure that he didn't step over the line. Arabella was different, though. This was a moment that she had waited for. She was the one who deepened the kiss, wanting to get everything she could out of it, and Sirius wasn't complaining. The minute their lips met, everything was different. It wasn't like the movies where sparks flew, or electricity ran through their bodies. No, it was much different from that. When they met halfway, a sense of comfort washed over them. They both relished in the blissful moment. It was like both of them had been energized, renewed in a sense. Then the desire came. They had both craved this moment for so long that when it finally happened, it was like their lives were at peace; like the world was at peace.
Arabella Goldstein and Sirius Black weren't two halves coming together to make a whole. Arabella Goldstein and Sirius black were both two whole people that had gone through their fair share of trauma and life experiences to know that nothing good comes out of being half of a person; that they needed to be complete to be with one another. On that sweet night, Arabella and Sirius had given in and accepted their fate, just like a star accepts their fate by giving their last dying breath to cause a supernova.
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