messy // george weasley

ch10: Rum and Orange

    Willow thumbed through the small box of notecards as she searched for the recipe she was looking for. She caught the faded piece of paper with her pointer finger as she slid it out of its spot in the back of the box.

It was the morning after the party, so Willow was using her free day to bake whatever she wanted. She skimmed over the recipe in her hand as if she had never seen it before. Willow already knew how to make the cookies from memory, but something about being able to glance over her Nana's handwriting as she baked made her feel calm.

Which is exactly what she needed after last night, a sense of calm.

She began to gather the five ingredients needed to make her favorite cookies, chocolate shortbread. There was something about them that made Willow happy. She didn't know if it was the memories of making them with her grandmother or just the idea of taking a typically simplistic cookie, like plain shortbread, and adding a twist of difference. But she loved them no matter what.

She plugged in her stand mixer before dumping the required butter and sugar into the large glass bowl. As she turned on the mixer and listened to the soft whir, Willow began thinking back on last night.

Even though she had been drinking, Willow remembered every moment after Dean had made his dramatic exit.

She had spent the majority of her night after the dramatics attempting to comfort Claudia. Fred had also seemed to want to make sure the girl was okay. Willow was pretty sure she even saw the two of them head towards his bedroom as she was leaving.

It was an unusual way to comfort someone, but if it made Claudia feel better, Willow wasn't one to judge. She was probably even a little jealous of her. Not that she wanted to spend a night with Fred, but just that Claudia didn't have to be alone all night.

The timed mixer came to a stop as Willow reached for the measured flour, salt, and cocoa powder she had arranged on the counter. She sifted each ingredient into the bowl before flipping the switch back on.

Even though Willow didn't know Claudia, she felt guilty for accidentally getting her involved in an issue she originally had nothing to do with.

Although, Willow had to remind herself that it only seemed to be an issue in Dean's world. She had made it clear from the beginning of running into him that she was interested in nothing more than a one-night hookup.

But, still, she couldn't help but blame herself partially for everything that had happened. It isn't like she knew what would come out of deciding to have sex with Dean the weekend before, but she also had to point out that she would have ended up seeing Dean regardless at the party. However, who's to say that Dean wouldn't have just transferred what he said to her last weekend to last night.

Willow still didn't know if his words had any merit. And there was a large part of her that couldn't help but wonder if that was bad a thing. If what he had said had no real meaning then it meant she didn't have to bother herself with him.

But she also worried that if he did mean what he said, it would cause her to fall back into old habits she didn't know if she liked anymore. Her relationship with Dean was not one she enjoyed dwelling on, especially since it had been years since it had ended.

She flipped the switch on her mixer as she took a few pinches of flour out of the nearby bag. She sprinkled the powder across the counter before dumping the sturdy dark dough out of the bowl. As she began to knead, her train of thought turned back to him.

There was always a part of her that had longed for closure. From the moment she saw him with Ginny, Willow didn't want Dean to be back in her life. But looking at him again, more grown-up and slightly more mature, caused a feeling in her stomach to stir.