Antidote

Chapter 42 - Declarations

A/N ANTIDOTE SEASON FINALE!!!!

strap in, folks. this last chapter is almost 12,000 words. 

i won't do this often, but i decided for the last chappy to do a split POV since i wanted both Jolie and George's feelings to be purveyed simultaneously. 

i hope you guys enjoy. it's been fun!

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George was in love with Jolie Carrow.

He wasn't exactly sure when it started. But, he was well aware that, somewhere along the way, he had fallen.

Before knowing her, he'd never really given the idea of 'love' too much thought.

He had dated other witches; laid with other witches. But he never felt anything that seemed to compare to the idea of love.

In the many storybooks and great fictional romances he knew of, love was something that encircled the characters. Sometimes it changed them. Sometimes it made them grow. And, sometimes, it led to their demise.

But, every time, it was monumental.

From what George had been able to decipher, the feeling of love was always described as a blow to the chest. A breaking point of emotion. It was a feeling that made the characters sacrifice everything if they had to.

And that was terrifying for him.

Ever since he could remember, George knew he didn't have much. With what little he did have, there was nothing he'd ever be willing to sacrifice, no matter how immense or destabilising a sodding emotion might be.

But the storybooks were wrong.

Not about the intensity of the feeling, no. Everyone was right about that.

However, there didn't have to be any sacrifices.

Instead, love required sharing. Vulnerability. Honesty.

And the feeling itself didn't come as a blow. There hadn't been an abrupt, earth-shattering realisation.

It hadn't felt like falling. Not a descent at all. 

But, for him, it had started as a leisurely trek through the woods.

And the woods were still beautiful—vast trees, valleys, and creeks to explore. Normalcy was a walk in the forest with no destination. For years he'd been walking, enjoying himself just fine.

That is, until he saw a clearing beyond the trees.

Seeing the clearing for the first time caused a moment of consideration. It was different. Intimidating. Thrilling.

Sun and moonlight shone into the clearing, and George wanted to bask in it. He wanted to wade through the tall, lush grass and see the wildflowers grow. He didn't want to watch from beneath the shade of the trees. Stepping into it would be new, and warm, and exhilarating.

To seek it out or stay in the woods. To let himself love and be loved or maintain normalcy.

The choice wasn't all that much of a choice, though. Because he could keep walking through both. He just had to take the leap.

Avoiding the clearing, or maintaining his normalcy, left too much to the imagination. The thought of all the possibilities gradually snuck into his head, and before he knew it, he was already there—standing in the tall grass, sunlight warming his face. It had been a long walk, but he hadn't noticed until he'd stopped walking.