build me up buttercup [s.black]

[28] Fine

The next morning, Aisling awoke with the same heavy feeling still in her stomach. She trudged down to breakfast with Alice and Lily, trying to ignore the meaningful looks that Alice was giving her every few seconds. She had decided that she would tell Lily after she had spoken to Sam; now that it was daytime it was a lot riskier talking to anyone about her predicament, as it was very likely that someone would overhear. The very last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Sam's feelings by letting somebody else talk to him before she got a chance.

It was a Saturday, and Aisling spent a good portion of her day putting off the inevitable. It was past lunchtime when Alice finally hunted her down and told her, with a swift smack across the head with a Transfiguration book, to stop procrastinating and find Sam. And so, with an uneasy feeling, she left the library to go and find him.

After about twenty minutes of searching she saw him, out on the Quidditch pitch with Naadir and Roman.

"Hey, Aisling!" He shouted from about ten feet above her. "Get your broom! We need another player!"

She looked uneasily back up at him, and then to Naadir and Roman; they were hovering a little lower down and giving Aisling stony glares as she shifted nervously on the spot.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?" She said, painfully aware of Naadir and Roman still staring at her.

He lowered himself down and hopped off his broom, then stared at her expectantly.

"Can we go and talk somewhere else?" She asked, as quietly as she could.

"Sure, what's up?" But she merely jerked her head over to the changing rooms.

Once they got inside she wiped her hands, which had become rather sweaty, on her jeans and took a deep breath.

"There's something I need to talk to you about." She said, not looking Sam in the eye.

"Actually," he said, "I wanted to talk to you about something too."

Aisling felt a flutter in her stomach, but it wasn't the butterflies she so hated; it was...hope? Maybe he was going to break up with her, and she would be spared the awkwardness. It was a nasty, selfish thought but she was so desperate to avoid hurting his feelings that it didn't really bother her.

"You go first." She said, sitting on a bench.

"Right so, I know we haven't been- you know...for very long or anything but-"

He faltered, looking nervously around the changing room; as if he was afraid that someone was listening in.

"I think- I think I might..." He trailed off.

"Yeah?" Aisling gave him what she really hoped was a reassuring smile. He was going to break up with her, she just knew it.

"Would- would you maybe...want to make it official?" He stuttered. "Like...be my girlfriend?"

It was like a weight had been dropped onto Aisling's stomach, she felt winded. It took her a few seconds before she could speak.

"Sam I.."

"I know, it's kind of soon. But, I mean, I'm not interested in anyone except you. I just- I wanted you to know that." He had turned bright pink and was picking nervously at a loose thread on the sleeve of his jumper.

"Sam no, it's okay you don't need to be embarrassed." She said, hurriedly.

She was desperately hoping that the squeezing sensation in her chest would go away soon, as it was making it very difficult for her to speak.