Wondering

Wondering

It starts with her birthday.

She's turning twenty-one and wants him to be there when she blows out the candles on her homemade birthday cake. She thinks he's forgotten about it. After all, he is incredibly busy with his own work. In her heart she hopes he knows how much this means to her.

And then he's there.

He smiles as he walks in the door, rushing to hug her and whisper his apologies for being late. She doesn't care, she's just glad he came. He holds her as she clings to his shirt. He smells better than she had remembered. It's been only a year but already her senses are swarming with the old familiarity of him like finding your favorite book that you thought had gone out of print.

He has a box in his hand. He hands it to her and she fights not to cry. She knows he hates it when she cries. She gives him a quivering smile as she slides off the bow and begins to open the box. She guesses that it's probably a travel book of languages or maybe a collection of cds.

But it's not.

It's a velvet box with a small hinge on the front. She stares questioningly at him. He gives her a trademark grin and opens the box.

She fights not to gasp.

She loses.

Inside is the most amazing bracelet she's seen. The small, clear, tiny diamonds sparkle in the dim lighting. She looks at him and he's smiling like she's never seen before. The warmth in his eyes stir some kind of magic in her soul. His hand touches hers and the grin on his face changes into a deeper, more sensual smile.

She blinks and it's gone.

But she wonders.

----->

They're going out to eat (as friends of course) and unfortunately the third part of their party couldn't make it. They eat spaghetti and French bread and have chocolate brownies for dessert. She wants the moments to last forever and when she closes her eyes she thinks that maybe they will.

She can feel his eyes staring at her.

She opens her own to see him grinning again, unaware that he looks like a fool. She laughs at him and scoops up the last of her brownie. He does the same and a bit of the frosting stains his mouth. She stares at it, unable to take her eyes away. His tongue licks up the chocolate and she's mesmerized.

She doesn't know that he himself is entranced by her.

In fact, he thinks she's the most stunning woman he's ever met.

Her brown eyes trace from his lips to his eyes and he smiles once more before dropping some galleons on the table and offering a hand to help her up. She stands up a bit wobbily as a waiter walks by nearly crashing into her. The waiter ends up skidding into a table and the silverware and napkins in their hands ends up all over the floor. She can't help but laugh at the spectacle and when she looks at him he's covering his mouth to keep himself from chuckling too. His eyes sparkle with the same flame she remembered from another day not so long ago.

And she wonders.

---->

They're going to the fair and she's more excited then she's been in a long time. He can't stop himself from laughing at her bounciness. As they come closer to the fairgrounds they pause to wait for the light to cross the street to change.

Red.

Yellow.

Green.

He holds out his hand and she grasps it tightly. They cross the street together and he pays for the tickets. They enter the fair and stare up at the ferris wheel.

He hasn't let go of her hand yet.

And she wonders.

----->

He's taking her out dancing. She's only done it a few times before. They spin and twirl and giggle and laugh and everything is such a mess of hands and legs and arms and hair but she doesn't care but she's having far too much fun.

And then she's breathless. It's not just the physical activity. It's not just the way he's looking at her. It's not just the fact that they're closer than they've ever been before.

It's everything.

And she can't fathom why her feet have suddenly turned to stone or why her mouth is dry or why she suddenly feels the intense desire to bury her hands under his shirt and taste his mouth with her own.

He leads her outside, his messy black hair spiking out from his head. Her dress sways as she walks. She's teasing him.

The moon outlines their figures in the dark. He's staring at her and she can't comprehend everything he's telling her with his body. He leans forward and she briefly wonders if her hair looks ok.

He thinks it looks fantastic.

And then his lips meet hers in a kiss to last a lifetime. The sweetness of his mouth, the scent of his shampoo, the way his hands cradle her waist, everything pulls her in a dizzying swirl till all that's left is him.

And she doesn't have to wonder anymore.