The Arranged Marriage | d.m.

ONE // Tea Cups and Bickers

I   W A N T  Y O U  B E S I D E  ME

sacred kiss
from your glistening lips
i'll never fall away
from the gift of us
i want you beside me
for the rest of this

S H I L O W

-5 Years Later-

Seated under the vintage lights of a muggle coffee shop, Ameera Carmel shut her brown, leather-covered, journal of poems. Poems that weren't her own but the poems of others she simply scribbled down whenever she decided that she didn't want to forget them.

A sudden crack of thunder rattled the mug in front of her making her reach forward and steady it with her slim fingers. Groups of rings adorned her hands, all of them the color of silver, fitting in many shapes and sizes. She used them to clink her fingers against the cup while she studied another work of fiction written by a muggle through her small, oval-shaped reading spectacles.

These muggles, how interesting their works of literature were.

"Is this seat taken?" A deep voice murmured from above her. The 22-year-old glanced up from her cup, squinting her eyes at the person standing before her on the other side of the table.

"Uh, yes?" she murmured with annoyance, pursing her ruby red lips together. She took a hold of her cup and placed it to her lips then began listening to the rain pounding on the windows beside her. Rainy days were by far her favorite.

"By who? The ghosts of your poetic love interests sitting in that pathetic journal of yours?"

Ameera glanced up through her eyelashes at her best friend who took the seat in front of her, unwrapping his muffler. Theodore Nott.

"Sometimes, I really wish to light that muffler of yours on fire," she muttered sharply. "You're late, Theodore."

"First of all," he raised his voice slightly as he dropped his hood back then began to shake his damp hair like a dog, spraying Ameera with the droplets of water. She shrieked with annoyance, covering her cup of tea and shielding her face that was coated with fresh makeup. "It's Theo."

"You blithering idiot!" screeched Ameera as she grabbed some napkins from beside her and began wiping at the drops of water that were now trailing down her cheek.

"I'd like to see you raise your voice at your boss, like that. I could never see shy, little work Meera go even an octave past the normal whisper she speaks. Tut, tut—they are all so incredibly dimwitted thinking you're such an angel."

Though Ameera attended one of the smallest Wizarding Schools in Europe when she was younger, she befriended Theodore Nott from Hogwarts after she met him at work. No, they didn't work together. Working and studying as a journalist and newspaper reporter came with many perks, such as interviewing people like Theodore Nott who worked in the Ministry of Magic.

It began with an incredibly long interview, most of it spanning Theo's failed attempts at flirting. Then they tried to sleep together, but failed as well, realizing that their levels of humor and insults were much too excessive to lead them both past the friend zone. This just couldn't end with a simple one night stand. Theo and Ameera became the best of friends since and had now lasted a good 4 years.

"That's because, I am." Ameera smirked devilishly at her blonde haired friend. He was the only person Ameera could be her silly self around. She noticed Theo always brought out the hidden humor in her and this is why she was such good friends with him.

He was dressed in a black rain coat that extended to his knees. His sandy hair was still wet from the shower he had taken before being late to his meet up with Ameera. And under the coat, he wore a dark grey turtle neck, fitting in quite lavishly with the muggles.