One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 31

Gwen's cottage was a sharp contrast to that of Grimmauld place.

The walls were a soft white that the sun bounced off of, the kitchen cabinets all painted different shades of sage green and blues and buttercream yellows. It was odd, but despite the chaotic pastel colors, it was very neat. The only hint of dark in the place was the wood that showed under the chipped white paint of the table Sirius sat at.

He feels slightly uncomfortable, sitting under the slouching ceiling in her kitchen while she rummages around in her fridge and busies herself at the stove. There wasn't a Christmas decoration in sight. No tree, no garland. Just cracked open windows that lets the sea air blow back sheer curtains and bird calls sing in the otherwise quiet home.

She suddenly turns and sets down a steaming mug in front of him. He expects tea, but is pleasantly surprised to find that its hot cocoa.

The Veela takes the seat across from him, staring at him with her cold eyes. His skin prickles, unnerved by her gaze.

"Quit, Inferi," He grumbles, taking a sip of the drink. It burns his tongue, but he doesn't mind. It's delicious. He gulps down more. She doesn't say anything, just continues to watch him.

"So this is France," he muses, peering out of the kitchen and through the windows at the front of her home. He could see the waves from where he was sitting.

"Are we not going to talk about this?"

He doesn't turn at her words, just stares out the windows. The clench of his jaw and the tiny wrinkle between his brow tells her all she needs to know. He's not exactly inclined to talk about it.

She hesitates, unsure how to approach him when he's this way. Brooding and sad and angry. She takes a sip of her own cocoa before murmuring,

"Yes. This is France. Part of it at least."

"I like it."

She can't help the tiny eruption of butterflies when he looks back at her, his eyes much softer. It was a funny sight, seeing the force that is Sirius Black in her tiny kitchen. She sees him thinking, his eyes tracing her face before he mutters,

"Why are you gardening in winter?"

The Veela smiles at him and replies simply, "Bulbs."

He quirks a brow, making her laugh quietly at his confusion before she explains,

"Tulips. You plant them when it's colder and then they bloom in the spring."

He suddenly has a very pretty picture in his mind that includes colorful flowers and Gwen reading a trashy magazine amongst them. He smiles a little before he demands quietly,

"Show me."

Her brows furrow and she shakes her head, replying, "You should get some rest, you're hurt—"

"Show me," He says again, scooting his chair back and standing all in one go. She sighs and nods, grabbing his mug and placing it alongside her own in the sink. She feels the tiniest bit uncomfortable. Scared. She couldn't remember the last time someone had been here with her. It was strange, another warm body in her house. At her table. On her beach.

But she decides to let it be, guiding him out of the house and back onto the path that she and her mom had made from driftwood they'd found on the shore. She can feel him behind her, watching. She has a thousand questions at the forefront of her mind, but he doesn't seem very keen on answering any of them.

She lifts the latch of the gate and holds it open for him, catching his eyes briefly when he walks in the garden. Sirius smiles, spying a small spade and rake and burlap sack. He walks over and peers inside, wrinkling his nose at the tiny brown and tan lumps

Gwen can't help but laugh at the disgust on his face, wondering to herself if he has a garden at the home he'd just abandoned. Probably not, if it was as fancy and restricted as it seemed.

"Well," She says playfully. "What do you think?"

"I think I'm looking at nothing. Aren't there supposed to be seeds?"

Gwen doesn't answer, just laughs some more at his perplexed smile. He pauses, staring at her as her head falls back and her musical laughter mixes with the song of the sea and the birds circling above.

"Come on, Black," She says when she's finally finished laughing. If the wind wasn't so cool, he guarantees his face would feel hot. He follows her lead, kneeling beside her.

They work in silence, Gwen showing him how deep to dig so the bulbs won't get dry. He watches the way he handles them with great care, laying them each in their spots before she begins covering them up. Gwen looks up when she realizes he's stopped moving. He's sitting back on his heels, staring at her. And while normally it wouldn't bother her, she feels a weird tingling up her spine.

Sirius smiles and reaches out, gently rubbing away some dirt on her forehead with his thumb. Instead of pulling away, his fingers linger, sliding down to tuck some of her hair back behind her ear.

"Are you ready to talk about it? I've got questions." She wonders quietly. He can barely hear it over the whistling wind. He swallows roughly and nods, replying quietly,

"Only if you answer mine."

She quirks a brow, looking at him expectantly. He too has more questions than he'd like to admit. He wants to know if she likes being alone here, if she misses celebrating Christmas with people. If she ever wants to swim again. Instead, he asks something that's been weighing on his mind for quite some time.

"Why'd you kiss me?"

She stares at him blankly for a long silent moment, her surprisingly cold eyes warming every crack on the surface of his heart. Then she grins, wide and cheeky and so mischievous it makes him laugh before she even speaks.

"Because you're pretty," She teases, her voice thick with sarcasm. Sirius looks at her exasperatedly, swiping some dirt on her nose.

"I don't know," She answers simply. "Because I wanted to I guess."

The answer is good enough for now, and since they made a deal, Sirius begins spilling out every horrid thing that had happened since he got off the Hogwarts Express.

He doesn't spare any details despite his initial urge to, knowing that Gwen and the wind that covers up the sound of their voices will keep his secrets.

So they sit amongst the upturned earth, talking and listening until the sun begins to set over the ocean.