Forget Me Not || George Weasley

Chapter 32

Something was bothering Olive.

She'd spent nearly thirty minutes before the shop opened standing in the middle of the cracked black and white tile. Sometimes, when she couldn't remember something, she would try and not think of anything at all. She found that when she stopped looking for things in life, they often found her instead. Though sometimes when she stopped trying, it simply faded away. She didn't mind that always. She liked forgetting somethings.

But she knew something was meant to happen today. Something she was meant to do or remember. It doesn't come, even when she decides to stop looking for it.

Jackie works beside her as they clear out the last of the flavors from summer. Fall was here, and the light outside had taken on a warm glow reflected by orange leaves and smoking chimneys.

"It's awfully slow today," Jackie muses, and Olive quirks a brow at her. The witch wasn't one for small talk. But Olive quickly realizes what it is she's trying to do when Jackie says nonchalantly, "If you want to go see your boyfriend I can close up."

Her cheeks feel uncomfortably warm, and she haughtily reaches for her yellow planner while mumbling, "He's not my boyfriend."

"Mmhmm," Jackie nods, grabbing a glass and wiping it dry before setting it on the back counter. Shakes were becoming more popular during the fall, and Olive had made a note of it for the next season. She liked to be prepared. She hoped she remembered.

She flips open her planner, still bothered by that something she thought she needed to do. Something.

"You seemed quite happy after your date last week,"

Olive groans, tilting her head up at the sky as if it will be able to help her calm the flush on her cheeks down. She and Lee and George had met Ginny and the golden trio at the Leaky cauldron for dinner. And Olive had nearly melted into a puddle at Harry's feet when he'd nudged her to get her attention for George.

George had been saying her name, and Olive had been so caught up in trying to remember what the name of the song was that played over head that she'd completely missed it. He'd been saying her name, because he wanted to dance.

And she'd drifted into her shop the next day, spinning and twirling just like she had with George Weasley pointing his small smile down at her. Her smile, she decided. It seems easier for him now, but she liked to think that he smiles the most when he's with her. She was glad. She'd embarrass herself, trip over her feet, make a fool of herself dancing if only to hear the rusty laughter escape from his chest shared in the air between just the two of them.

Jackie chuckles quietly to herself, and Olive presses one hand against her cheek as she flips through her planner, stopping when she gets to the right day. She hesitates before checking, "Today is Monday, right?"

"Yes," Jackie says slowly, lifting her eyes and peering over at Olive as she stares down at her planner, "What's bothering you?"

"I think I'm forgetting something," She mumbles hurriedly, rubbing her finger along the tiny notes she's made around the date. She wasn't meant to visit her grandfather until next week. No healer appointment this month. No birthdays or holidays. Olive frowns, tracing the words quart pickup.

"Am I meant to pick something up today, Jackie?"

"No," Her employee replies confidently, "But I believe a bloke came by early last week and ordered a quart of pistachio for his friend. He was a right prick, mind you. Can't remember his name, but you copied it down from the receipt. Want me to look for it?"

Olive shakes her head, trying to leaf through customers in her head. She usually made notes for her regulars. She knew Harry and Ginny's favorites, and had recently written down Ron and Hermione's after they came to share her free birthday cone. Her brows furrow in confusion, studying the little B. That is scrawled off in the margins, like it had been an after thought. Or maybe she hadn't truly read the receipt. She was often guilty of that.