Serendipity: Fred Weasley

Fifteen

Fred pulled away softly, staring into me as he did so. His hazel eyes roamed my face and my body, a smile glistening on his sculptured face.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice littered with a slight giggle. One benefit that I have received from our years of friendship, is that I know him. I know his actions, and I know his little quirks and whatnot. For example, I know that when Fred becomes curious or when he's thinking about something - he becomes silent. It's not a silence that makes a person uncomfortable, but its rather the opposite. Its a comfortable silence, one that is filled with peace and familiarity. That is the type of silence that was surrounding us now.

Shortly after I asked, something in Fred's face shifted. His features became reluctant, almost like he was hesitant in speaking his thoughts out loud. I raised an eyebrow at him, my confusion obviously apparent on my face, because he started laughing and shaking his head. Another thing that I know about him, is that when he starts laughing - there are usually two reasons behind it. One; he actually thinks that something is hilarious, or two; he's nervous or in an uncomfortable situation and he doesn't know what or how to say something, so he masks it with laughter. Nothing funny had happened, so I knew for a fact that it wasn't the first reason.

"What is it?" I asked again, but Fred's booming laughter still engulfed the previous silence that surrounded us. I smiled and rolled my eyes at him, waiting for him to stop laughing so that he could share what he was thinking. 

But alas - I shouldn't have expected anything. While I was waiting for him to stop laughing, his laughter only grew louder and longer. Fred's cheeks were red, but honestly I wasn't sure if that was from the sun, or from laughing. I checked the watch that was on my wrist, the one that my father gave to me for my birthday. The sun glared into the watch's front, so I had to angle it so that I could see the numbers. The displayed time was 1:30pm.

Another minute went by, and another. Fred was still laughing and shaking his head, and I couldn't get him to stop long enough for him to start speaking clear words. Every time he tried to say a few words, it was taken over by more fits of laughter. In cases like these, normally I would just laugh along with him. Except I didn't know what was going on at this point, and he wasn't able to tell me in complete sentences yet. 

I checked my watch again - it was 1:34pm.

This idiot had been laughing for the last four minutes. You know that phrase "uncontrollable laughter?" Yeah, well that was literally our current situation. 

"Fred," I grabbed his arm softly, resting my hand upon his exposed bicep. "Can you please tell me what's going on?" He shook his head and doubled over onto his back, clutching onto his stomach as he fell backwards. "It - it hurts so bad," 

By this time - I had had enough of his bullshit. "Fred, seriously, what is it?" I looked down at my legs and ran my fingers through my hair, "is there something on me?" I let out a few nervous laughs, "is there something behind me?"

Stifling his laughter, Fred shook his head, "No, there isn't anything on you, or behind you," he paused for a moment, clutching his stomach and taking a few deep breaths. "I was just thinking about something."

Well no shit, Sherlock.

I nodded my head with exaggeration, "Yes, I think I got that far," a few laughs escaped my mouth - the sight of Fred was too funny to take in. I adjusted my position and turned by body ever so slightly, so that I was directly facing towards him. 

Now that Fred had calmed down from his laughter fit, I asked for what I hoped would be the last time, "What is it?" 

"Emma, I'm so sorry for laughing. Sometimes when I get nervous I start laughing and then I can't stop," he gazed in my eyes, a sincere look molded into his features.