The Courtyard

[Frankie Redfield]

She couldn't look him in the eyes when he took her chin in his fingers. She blinked away the final tears and looked slightly downwards. She couldn't really process what he was saying, let alone decide what she wanted. He would wait for her? What did that mean? She had to make a decision, but she had no idea at all. Her mind was scrambled. Had he really cared for her like this for so long? How long? How long had he felt this way?

When he kissed her cheek it took her by surprise. She didn't flinch, but she stared ahead with wide eyes, her cheek tingling from the touch of his lips. It had felt nice. Now she was really confused. she was aware of him moving and turning away, but she was still processing the kiss. She reached up and touched her cheek subconsciously.
When he asked her if he should stay or not she blinked ahrd and looked at him. His back was to her so he couldn't see to slight frown on her face. Suddenly it seemed like a stupid question.

"Stay."

[Justin Morson]

Justin's heart was beating faster and faster as the silence dragged. It seemed like the rest of the world had stopped around him and Frankie. Everything and everyone else had been forgotten by them. All that mattered was this moment right here. All that was left to was to hope that he hadn't messed things up beyond repair. "Stay" he heard Frankie say. He let out a deep sigh. He hadn't realized that he had been keeping his breath for the whole time. A weak breeze of wind came out of nowhere. It was so refreshing. He wiped the tears from his eyes, turning back towards Frankie, staring straight int her eyes. This time he didn't move closer to her. Instead he leaned on the fountain, leaving a good space between them. A distance long enough, not to suffocate, but close enough to still hear her heart beat. He tilted his head slightly "Well, so far we knoe that you don't want me to go" he joked "so i think we're getting closer to finding out what you want or don't want." It was so like him to make a joke in a situation that wasn't funny at all. The problem was that usually only he himself found the comment funny. It looked like this was one of those times. He wanted to take his words back as soon as he had said them, but what's done, is done. He tilted himself backwards slightly. He could feel the tiny splashes from the fountain hitting his back, relaxing him.

[Frankie Redfield]

As the silence was broken it was like the spell that has isolated them here in the courtyard had been broken and the sudden breeze made her shiver. She watched him turn to face her and for a moment she though he was going to move close to her. But he didn't. She was quietly thankful as her head was still whirring.
As he made the half-joke she quietly snorted a laugh, though the reality of the situation stopped it being very amusing.

She blinked away the last traces of salt water and sighed. She had a million questions, but right now only one seemed important.
"How long?" she asked, her voice a little clearer now she had calmed down. She looked at him for the first time, her query reaching her questioning eyes. "How long have you..." she searched for the right words. "...felt this way?" she finally finished.

[Justin Morson]

A smile spread over Justin's face, when Frankie laughed a little at his joke. He hadn't ruined everything completely then. His heart jolted a bit, when she looked at him finally. Her eyes looked so confused and still watery from crying. Once again he had to fight the urge to run to her and hold her tight. She needed the space, he realized that. Yet she was looking so gorgeous and now that she knew how he felt, it was very hard for him to stay that far apart. You need to keep it together he reminded himself You don't know how she feels. He couldn't tell anything from her body language either, so all he could do was just wait. He swallowed hard when she spoke. "Umm.." he couldn't find the right words "It's been quite a long time." He lowered his eyes a little, remembering the moment, when he realized he loved Frankie. He chuckled slightly. "Do you remember the second term on our 3rd year in Hogwarts?" he asked her, not waiting for a response. "You were best friends with one of the girls a year older then we were, Elise her name was, I think. You two were even closer then me and you are. Probably cause you shared the same dormitory, which for me was impossible" he laughed again. "Anyway, you had a crush on this guy called Carter in our year. Remember he got transferred into Drumstrang a year later I think. But yeah, you had obviously told Elise about how you always try and pair up with him in potions and stare at him during our history lessons. However you were always too scared to tell him anything and you made me swear to keep my mouth shut." He looked back up at her seriously. "One day you came running to me, with tears in your eyes. I could barely understand what you were saying, so I just held you tight and let you cry. After you had calmed down you told me how you had seen Elise and Carter kissing in the 6th floor corridor. You were heartbroken and it hurt me so much to see you like that." He let out a deep sigh "That's when I realized that I love you. That I want to protect you forever. And that I don't want any other guy hurting you ever again." He looked deep in her eyes. "From that moment on I've never left your side. I've been there for you whenever you've needed me and I still will be. Forever."

[Frankie Redfield]

Frankie just sat listening as Justin began his story. A look of horror crossed her face as he mentioned Carter and the ridiculous she had on him. Her face also creased up in slight pain at the memories of her friend's betrayal. She and Elise had been inseperable, except for classes. They had done everything together, shared everything. She had trusted her completely. In the end it had been Elise's betrayal that had hurt her the most rather than the ache of Carter being with someone else. In fact she had gotten over that almost immediately. The hurt of Elise still burned her now.

But when the direction of the story turned to Justin realising his feelings for her it was forgotten.
"But...that was so long ago." she exclaimed softly, looking at him finally. Her mouth hung open in slight shock. "You've...felt like this all this time?" she asked, not sure how to react to the bombshell. She felt uncomfortable using the word "love".
"Even...even last term when we went to the dance? I danced with you. I thought...I thought you just felt sorry for me because I didn't have a date." she said shaking her head.
Other memories came into her head. Hugs he'd given her. Times he'd held her hand when she was sad. Times he'd spent hours just listen to her talk about things that had bothered her. Things that had seemed so innocent at the time. And yet he'd never said a word. Never let on. But he had always been there for her. Until...
"But what about Sophia? I thought you liked her." she asked, still slightly confused.

[Justin Morson]

Justin couldn't help but laughing, when Frankie spoke. "Trust me, it feels like an even longer time for me." he kept staring at her, locking his eyes into hers. He listened to her as she mentioned the dance. It had been the highlight of his year. He had been so glad it was him who took her to the dance and not anyone else. The way it had felt to have her in his arms. Even then he had wanted to tell her how he felt, but he didn't want to risk it. When she asked him about Sophia, he stood up and took a step closer to her, still leaving a bit of distance between them. He knelt down in front of her and didn't break eye contact. "Sophia is a nice girl. And I do like her" he paused, trying to find the right words "but she is nothing compared to you. She is just a pretty face, while you're beautiful to the core. Besides, she is a player. Both you and I know it. While as you are genuine. All I tried to do, is see how you react to her. I wanted to see whether you feel the same way about me, as I do about you." He took a deep breath "Cause I know how jealous I got whenever you were with another guy, I figured if you felt anything towards me, you'd react the same way."

[Frankie Redfield]

Frankie frowned at him slightly as he knelt before her and explained about his true opinion of Sophia.
"Wait. So...you were trying to make me jealous?" she asked. That was basically what he'd said. "That's not very nice. Poor Sophia." she added in a scolding tone. But inside she felt an odd rush in her belly. She had been jealous hadn't she? She had passed it off as just not liking Sophia. But it had been the attention Justin had given Sophia that had really upset her. What did that mean?

Did she love him back?

She studied his face, trying to understand her own feelings. But had she become so comfortable and used to Justin being there that she couldn't interpret her own heart?
She chewed her bottom lip nervously.

"If it helps at all..." she began and then stopped. Should she tell him the truth when she wasn't even sure of it herself? She had been jealous, yes, but there were many types of jealousy. She could have been simply jealous that her friend was spending less time with her. Or maybe she had come to take Justin for granted, just assuming that he'd always be there at her beckon call. What did that say about her?
"I...I was jealous. Of Sophia. But I don't know what it means." she told him honestly and looked down avoiding his eyes. She suddenly felt guilty.

[Justin Morson]

Once again Justin couldn't help, but to laugh. "Poor Sophia?!" he exclaimed "She is not a one man woman, hon, trust me on that one." He shook his head slightly. He had never understood how Frankie could be so naive and innocent. Though that was probably one of the reasons why he loved her so much. It was the fact that she was always honest and genuinely meant whatever she said. He let his eyes run over her features. Her face, her eyes, her lips, her hair. She was just so pure and naturally beautiful. Nothing compared to Sophia, who had to have tons of make-up splattered across her face, to look just as pretty. He continued listening to her soft voice. So she had been jealous, he found himself thinking. That had to be a good sign. When she lowered her eyes again, he stood up and slowly walked over to her. He sat on the bench next to her, but didn't touch her. Even though he wanted to. "Frankie, look at me" he said in a slightly commanding tone "It doesn't matter that you don't know what it means right now." He could feel that his breathing was getting quicker, for he did want to know how she felt about him. But he knew he couldn't rush her. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. "I told you, you can take as much time as you want. You're happiness means everything to me, even if it's now with me." he held his hand out to her, hoping she would place hers onto it. "Besides, it's not like i'm going anywhere."

[Frankie Redfield]

Frankie didn't flinch when he sat beside her and she couldn't help but smile when he talked about Sophia.
"It looks like I sold you short. I couldn't understand what you saw in her. I couldn't understand why you couldn't see past the glamour and lipstick. Now it turns out you weren't even looking." she turned to look at him and smiled softly.
She found herself studying his face more closely. His brown eyes that she thought she knew so well. Now she saw slight flecks of gold in them she hadn't noticed before. His lips looked soft. She caught herself and looked away again, brushing some of her hair behind her ear.
As he held his hand out to her she stared at it for several seconds. She wanted to take it because that would be comforting and it would mean everything was ok between them. She'd held his hand before many times. But if she took it now would it mean something more? How would he interpret it?
Cautiously she hesitantly placed her hand in his. The warmth of his hand felt nice, comforting. She just stared and their hands for a few seconds, not saying anything. after a while she looked at him again, smiling.

[Justin Morson]

Justin had never stared at his own hand as he did now, waiting for Frankie to take it. Once again time seemed to slow down. He could hear all the sounds of nature. The birds singing, the water falling quietly into the fountain. The low whistle of the gentle breeze that kept blowing through Frankie's hair. He looked as she pushed the same stubborn lock behind her ear again, knowing that it will fall back just as perfectly, even before she moves her hand. It made him smile. Then his attention went back to his hand. He was ready to drop it, when he saw Frankie's hand move hesitantly. Blood rushed through his veins, when she felt her soft hand in his. Their fingers intertwined like so many times before, but it had never felt this good. He squeezed her hand tightly and couldn't help but to grab her into his arms. Though he still didn't hold her as tight as he would've wanted to, leaving her with the chance of pulling away without hurting his feelings, he could still smell the sweet scent of her perfume. Her hair were tickling his chin and he could feel her breath against her neck. All she needed was time. She'll learn to love you at some point he thought to himself.

[Frankie Redfield]

Frankie was slightly taken aback when Justin pulled her into a hug. The shock actually made her giggle and then she felt stupid and clamped her mouth shut. She let him hold her, not sure how to react or how she felt about it. She'd hugged him a hundred times, but this was different.
She was suddenly super-aware of the warmth of him skin as her cheek rested against his neck. She found herself holding her breath, almost afraid to breath or move. She noticed his scent, something she had always taken for granted, but now she realised how comforting it was. Because it was his. Her friend. The person who was always there for her, who didn't judge her, who loved her just the way she was. He was the person she always turned to first, the person she missed the most when term ended and who she was the happiest to see when they were back together again.

She loved him.

And suddenly she realised. It hit her hard. She loved him.
She turned her head slightly so her face nestled against his neck and closed her eyes. Finally she began to breath again and a tiny, happy sigh escaped her throat. She didn't even notice she was smiling. She slid her arms around him and hugged him back.