An Affair to Remember (Fred Weasley)

64) Angel amongst the flowers

Giving up on the future seemed like the most feasible option for Adrienne. The scent of the unfamiliar perfume on his skin brought her to senses and she realised that Fred and her were probably a couple only in theory. She hated it all, she hated that Fred had found another woman, and she hated that 'starting over' meant absolutely nothing to him because she could have sworn that he felt the same sparks as her every time they looked at each other. Apparently, she was wrong about that.

Sipping on her cup of tea, Adrienne sat at the kitchen counter, wondering what would happen next. Was Fred ever planning on telling her that he had found someone new? Was he going to end things between him and herself once and for all? The questions loomed over her head like a dark cloud and the cup of chamomile in her hand did nothing to soothe it.

"Hey, what's up?" Fred spoke. Adrienne looked up to see Fred opening the fridge and pulling out a water bottle. He didn't make eye contact with her as he sat across from her, uncapping the bottle and chugging a quarter of it down his throat.

"Nothing" Adrienne mumbled, swirling her tea around. Would it be appropriate to ask him what he had been up to? Last night, he had returned home slightly drunk but within a matter of minutes, he had been up and about as if nothing had happened. But the bruise on the side of his forehead stayed as a reminder.

"Rough night yesterday?" Adrienne asked, glancing at his bruise.

"Rough? Oh...no I just had a few errands to run at Oxwell" he said, still not meeting her gaze. Adrienne's brows furrowed, something didn't seem right.

"You came back half drunk and sporting a massive bruise, I don't think that sounds like 'running errands' one little bit" she pointed out, trying her best not to sound too nosy.

Fred drummed his fingertips on the counter, eyebrows raised "I-I met a friend and we went to the bar in the evening" he finally said.

That was all Adrienne needed to know.

She looked down at her cup again, unsure of what to do or say next. Fred's stay at the lodge was coming to an end soon, did this mean they would part ways? Her conversation with George came crashing back to her and she realised that there was no way she could face the rest of the group without Fred's support. Unfortunately, it seemed like Fred was no longer interested in her.

Fred suddenly stood up, catching Adrienne off guard. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He didn't respond. Instead, he walked around the counter to stand next to her, hands awkwardly dangling by his sides. He tried to casually lean against the counter, crossing his arms and giving her a crooked smile.

"Okay Fred you're creeping me out" Adrienne said, resting her cup on the table, "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

Fred stopped smiling, the tips of his ears and nose turning red. "I-erm...I was wondering..." he said, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

"Go on" Adrienne encouraged, intrigued by what he could possible have to say.

"Well you don't have to if you don't want to in case you think it's too early but I'd really love it because I think that you'll like it too. But if you don't then that's okay, you don't have to worry about it. No pressure, no pressure at all-"

"Fred! You're rambling" Adrienne had a small smile on her face, helping him calm down.

"Can I take you out on a date?" he finally breathed out.

Adrienne had to do a double take. Had she heard him right?

"What?" was the first word that came out of her mouth.