"I like you. A lot."
That was not was Remus was expecting her to say.
To say that he'd ever thought about her like that would be a lie. He'd wondered what it'd be like if they were a couple, to hold her hand and kiss her and do whatever couples do, but he had never really taken it seriously. Until the Winter Ball - after Grace had kissed him on the cheek and he'd looked around at all of the dancing couples surrounding them, staring lovingly into each other's eyes as they twirled past thinking that perhaps they could be like that - when he realised that it was actually quite possible.
And it was a possibility he quite liked.
So when Grace took off through the trees, down a narrow path that should lead her in the direction of her grandparents' cottage, Remus paused for a beat, his mind still in overdrive, before running after her.
"Grace! Just... just wait!"
She was far enough ahead of him that he couldn't see her, but he knew that she would stay on the path. It was extremely easy to get lost in this forest and that was not something Grace would want to deal with right now.
"Grace! Fel! Felis! Grace Thorne!" Remus called in between pants. "Please just... stop..."
About half way, Remus had to stop and rest against a tree. Whilst he hadn't sustained any serious injuries from his transformation the previous night, he was still exhausted and slightly sick.
He stayed like for a few minutes before continuing down the path, at a much slower pace this time.
---
Once Grace reached the edge of the forest that faced her grandparents' house, she stopped running and leant against a tree, slowly sliding her back down it until she was sitting against its base, her wide eyes never once leaving the ground.
"Merlins beard, what have I done," she said quietly to herself. She told him that she liked him and then she just ran away!? Who does that? Me, apparently, she thought. That's who.
And now what were they going to do? Maybe they'll joke about it in a few years' time – "hey, remember that one Christmas holiday when you told me you liked me and then just ran off?" – or maybe they'll never mention it again and just pretend it never happened. Grace had to admit, though, that it certainly felt good to get it off her just. Now she was just going to have to deal with the aftermath of it.
After over five minutes of contemplation, Grace's thoughts were disturbed as something – or someone – came crashing through the trees behind her.
"Grace?"
Grace got up from the base of the tree and looked over to find a tired looking Remus approaching her.
"What are you doing here? You followed me? Remus, in case you forgot, you turned into a werewolf last night. You're going to be so tired-"
"I think I... I like you too," Remus cut her off, looking at the ground and then glancing up to meet her eyes with a nervous smile.
"Oh," was all she could say. This morning was just full of surprises, and it wasn't even eight o'clock yet.
"Yeah."
"That's..." Grace began, but she couldn't think of anything appropriate to say. Instead she pulled her eyes away from the ground and met his, green on brown.
Her eyes then drifted across his face, tracing along a faint scar that stretched from the end of his right eyebrow to the corner of his mouth, until they came to a rest at his lips. For the third time that day, an instinctual idea popped into her head.
This time it didn't involve a confession or running away, however. It involved putting her hands on either side of Remus' face and angling it downwards ever so slightly, allowing her to kiss him.
And, for the third time that day, Grace decided to follow her instincts, pulling him down and pressing her lips to his. Sure it was awkward, their noses were pressed together and Grace could feel Remus lightly placing his hands on her waist as if he wasn't really sure what to do with them, but regardless it was – for lack of a better word – absolutely magical.
After a few seconds, Grace pulled back. "I'm sorry, I should've asked if-"
"No its fine. Really," Remus assured her, blushing hard. "Just maybe... give me a bit of warning next time."
"Next time?" Grace questioned, unable to stop the grin that spread across her lips.
"Yeah, if that's alright with-"
"Remus!?" A voice called through the trees, belonging to none other than Hope Lupin, walking through the forest looking for her son, just as she did every other full moon.
"Ah, Merlin's beard, I forgot about her. Is it alright if I-"
"Yeah, go," Grace said, glancing back at the ground. "I need to go back too. They'll be wondering why I'm sleeping in so late."
"I'll see you later then?" Remus asked, beginning to walk through the trees.
"How about... three-ish? In the usual spot?"
"Sounds good to me," Remus agree before disappearing into the forest as Grace watched him go, a smile still spread across her face.
---
aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ITS DONE ITS CRINGEY AF BUT ITS DONE
I'm being a bit illegal here bc I still haven't finished the chapter after this (which I always do before posting a chapter) but I feel like after the cliffhanger on the last one you guys deserve to know what happens. It just means I have to write more throughout the week.
-Grace