❝𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐄❞
aspen andrews was a worrier, an affectionate older sister, a hard-worker and the proudest hufflepuff you'd ever meet. but up until nine...
FALLING IN LOVE COULD BE ACHIEVED IN A SINGLE WORD — A GLANCE IAN MCEWAN, ATONEMENT CW: sexual content (not too graphic!)
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"HOW WAS everyone, then?" Aspen asked from her spot on the sofa as Fred entered the flat.
The air was sickeningly hot, and the stray baby hairs that had escaped her ponytail clung to the back of her neck, slick with perspiration. Fred didn't seem to care as he planted a kiss to her cheek and threw himself down on the couch beside her.
"They're well. Mum says she misses you," Fred said with an amused snort. "Says you've to come round for dinner soon."
"Y'know I'll never say no to her cooking," Aspen said, leaning back against the arm of the chair to loop her legs over his.
"Clever girl. How's the shop?"
Fred absentmindedly traced circles across her exposed skin of her thigh, the gentle brush of his fingertips sending a shiver down her spine. She let her head loll back lazily against the sofa cushion, shrugging indifferently at his question. She and Verity had closed the shop that evening as the twins were visiting home, and really, Aspen had rather enjoyed it. Technically, she had been in charge, and not having the twins jokingly hold their superiority over her for once was a relief.
"Fine. The key's on the coffee table, by the way," she said nonchalantly. "Verity told me all about her new crush."
"How do you always get the gossip? I'm the one employing her, for fuck's sake," Fred protested, and Aspen laughed at his childish disappointment at being left out.
"Maybe because she actually likes me, Freddie," she teased, leaning up to pinch his cheeks teasingly. "Shall we get to bed? I've been waiting up for you for hours."
"You should've just gone without me!"
Despite his complaint, it was obvious he was pleased Aspen had waited all the same. Wand in hand, Fred switched the lights off, and they tiptoed through to the bedroom hand-in-hand, careful not to wake Alessia. Thankfully, she'd never been a particularly light sleeper, and her sleep-induced murmurs were audible even through the door.
"D'you want my shirt?" Fred asked, aware that it had become quite a habit for Aspen to sleep in his clothes. She nodded, no need for a verbal response as he slipped it over his head and tossed it in her direction. She hummed contentedly as she pulled it over her head, embracing the scent of smokey vanilla that imprinted itself in his clothes.
They slid beneath the covers together, and she tugged her hair down from its ponytail as she lay back against the pillows. Fred pressed his back against the wall and wrapped a comforting arm around her waist, hauling her so close to him that their noses almost touched. She nestled intimately against him, the warmth of his bare skin a welcome feeling as she indulged him in the briefest of kisses.
