Jam
Chapter Five - Uneasy Sleep
Colin came running into the bathroom, watching in amusement as Ginny flapped her arms about, dancing around the note in horror, clutching her head at the same time; she was causing her own headache.
"Practicing for a tribal dance?" he asked trying to suppress a chuckle. She let out a horrendous shriek upon seeing him standing in the doorway, promptly covering herself with another towel, her head still pounding. Her cheeks flushed to a bright red, giving her embarrassment away. Colin rolled his eyes, walking out of the bathroom; hadn't she wanted to sleep with him only nights before? The door slammed shut once he was out of harm's way.
He set himself to work about her kitchen. She had wound up spilling the contents of almost everything the previous night, scattering the empty jars across the table and counter top. With a wave of his wand, everything was put back into place, the room tidy as it ever was; which wasn't saying a lot.
He plopped down on the couch, lying against a pile of pillows. He was going to watch her all day if he had to; she would hurt herself if someone didn't. Just as her face was swimming in his head, she emerged from the bathroom, fully clothed. He goggled at her; she was beautiful even with a throbbing headache and a fear stricken face.
Her wide eyes looked into his, her hand dropping down, letting the note fall into his hands. He briefly scanned the note, laughing heartily.
"You were pissed, he had to have known that. It's only just a tease!" Colin smiled, pulling her down onto the couch next to him. He wrapped his arms tightly about her, cooing comforting things in her ear. When she didn't relax, he rubbed the tops of her arms gingerly. "Look Gin, he's just trying to scare you. Don't let him. Overpower him!" he boomed, which caused Ginny to flinch.
"Not so loud…" she whispered, covering her ears. His lips brushed the top of her head apologetically, hoping to coax a response from her.
Smiling, she wrapped her around his waist, placing her head on his chest. She did not kiss him, nor did she try to get him to. She was just content being held. She felt safe, as if Malfoy couldn't get her if she was wrapped in his arms, though she knew this wasn't true, she pretended it was. Her eyes fluttered closed… the sound of cars racing along the street outside her open window lulling her to sleep.
***
A warm wind whipped about Ginny's face, her body bobbing up and down with the current of the river beside her. The sunlight was amazingly bright, penetrating her eyelids. Her eyes fluttered open, immediately blinded by the orange sun. She raised her hand to cover the blast of sunlight, slowly sitting up.
She gasped, seeing that she was dressed in a bright pink bathing suit. Looking around, she saw nothing familiar, just water and a bank on each side... though none held anything of recognition. Placing her hand down underneath her, she felt a leather material caress her fingers. Looking down, she saw she was sitting on the front part of a Muggle speedboat.
Completely baffled, she went to turn around, but found she couldn't. Her head wouldn't let her. Feeling venerable, she curled herself into a ball, letting the boat take her where it wished. She was bored, and could do nothing about it. She hated the feeling of helplessness. Her teeth chewing thoughtfully on her tongue, she began looking around, trying to find out where she was.
There were a few bridges connecting one bank of the river to the other. Trees seemed to cover one bank, but were scarce on the other; buildings were the prominent objects. The sky was a bright blue, contrasting greatly with the many birds flying above. They were tiny black dots, flitting across the air.
The water in front of Ginny was like a sheet of ice, smooth and undisturbed. Little bits of the water flew up onto her face from the sides. She tried to wipe them away, but only more would come splashing up. As if the boat could see her dilemma, the front rose so the she was out of the water's reach. Smiling she placed her head on her knees.
Well, it's not so bad… at least it's warm…she thought, sighing to herself. Indeed it was warm, in the sun. The boat plunged into the shade, underneath the bridge. It seemed to anchor itself, causing the boat to drift with the waves that it had made moments before.
Shivering, Ginny pulled her body close to herself, rubbing her arms to warm them. Something cold and hard knocked up against her leg. She looked down to see what it was, but her vision blurred.
***
Ginny's eyes shot open, blinking for a moment. It took her a second to realize she was back in her flat, cuddled into her own bed. She was safe and sound, not stranded on a boat in the middle of nowhere. Slowly, she stood, taking a moment to catch her balance. Hearing someone pounding about her flat, she smiled, resolving to kiss Colin. He's so sweet watching over me like this! She beamed inwardly, stumbling into the living room.
"Hello, did I wake you?" a female voice called. Ginny blinked, not believing who it was.
"Luna? What are you doing here?" she asked, a bit rudely. Luna blinked, giving Ginny one of her bigger smiles.
"Colin had to go in for a business meeting. He asked me to watch over you until he got back. I do say, you were having quite a fit in bed before, thrashing about as if your world was turned upside down," the blonde stated lamely, not even noticing Ginny's gaping mouth.
"How did you know that was what I was dreaming about?" Ginny snapped, her Wealey temper getting the better of her. She knows too much for her own good!
"It was in your horoscope," Luna smiled, holding up The Quibbler. Ginny smiled, relieved, muttering a thankful 'oh' before she walked into her kitchen to pour herself a glass of orange juice.
"Do you know what kind of meeting Colin was called in for?" she asked, emerging from the kitchen, a glass of orange juice close to her lips. She hastily took a sip, waiting for an answer.
"Just your normal business meeting," Colin smiled, striding into her flat. He kissed her on the cheek, guiding her over to the couch. "You need your rest, sit down."
Ginny didn't argue. It felt good sitting in her chair, her mind not troubled by anything. Luna had disapperated, though Ginny hadn't noticed. It was only a small detail that she thought was rather unimportant. Yawning, she pulled Colin down next to her.
"Hold me," she ordered, looking sleepily at him. He obliged, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame. Smiling stupidly at him, dropping her orange juice, she collapsed; a small line of drool winding it's way down her face. Colin shook his head, wiping it away, but jumped with a start as she snorted, which was the beginning of her loud snores. He grunted, telling himself it was going to be a long day.
***
She was on the boat again, anchored in the same spot. Looking around, she saw no one there; and was, once again, stopped when she tried to look at the driver. It will come in it's own time, she told herself, rather disappointed. Stretching her legs out on the cool leather, she prepared herself for a nap, though her eyes would not close.
She cursed her surroundings, feeling the sudden cold again, though it was not as harsh. She supposed she had grown accustomed to it in her subconscious. Wiggling about in the boat, she found she couldn't get comfortable. Standing up, she prepared to walk to the back of the boat, but she was blinded with darkness.
Collapsing onto the floor, she found it hard to breathe. Dragging herself across the rough plastic beneath her, she heaved herself onto the front seat where she had sat before. Her head was spinning in thousands of directions, making it hard for her to focus on where she was. Feeling nauseous, she bent over the side of the boat, letting the half digested food come spilling out of her mouth, burning her throat on it's way up.
Feeling the wave of sickness was over; she managed to bring her head back up to a frontal position, looking ahead of her into the now murky mist. She squinted, but could see nothing; the fog was looming over everything, impairing her vision. She felt the hard jar brush against her arm once more as she placed her hand next to her bottom. Turning to look, her head was forcefully snapped up.
***
"Purrow," her cat meowed in her ear, rubbing its sleek body against Ginny's side. She grumbled, petting her cat. It curled up into a ball in-between Ginny's legs.
Colin slid his head in the door, smiling as he saw she was awake. "Ah, good. You're awake…" he sat down beside her, caressing strands of her crimson hair. Lightly kissing her lips, he pulled away, touching a freckle on her nose with his finger.
"What do you want?" she asked, her mouth turned to a frown. Colin sighed, defeated.
"Malfoy invited me to dinner tomorrow night to discuss some business propositions and asked me to bring a date-"
"Not-uh! NO WAY COLIN! You know how much I hate him! How could you even ask me? I thought you knew me better than that…" Ginny spat, appalled, sitting straight up in her bed, a look of anger spread across her face.
"It's just dinner Ginny, besides, I'd be there the whole time to protect you," he affectionately nipped her chin with his hand, but she brushed it away, giving him a stern glare.
They broke their intent gaze upon hearing a quick rapping on her window. Silently, Colin pulled up the shades, opening the window. The same eagle owl that had delivered Ginny's letter before swooped inside, letting the letter fall on her head, swooping out the window once more.
Her eyes wide, she picked up the piece of parchment, tearing it open.
If you want to discuss the proposition you proposed to me last night, I recommend you accept his invitation for you will get none other. -D. Malfoy"All right, I'll come," Ginny said suddenly, looking up at Colin.