sapphire || fred weasley

forty

Fred was lying on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling while George, Charlie, Bill and Fleur talked in the living room after Christmas dinner that the part-veela has prepared with help of her husband and brothers-in-law.

Fred didn't want to be part of any of it. The warming charm on the plate of food on his desk had worn off while still being untouched. Fred was too out of it to care. Him and George received a howler from their mother a couple of hours prior but in the midst of his annoyance and frustration he had set it on fire without opening nor giving it the chance to explode on its own.

He turned on his side to look at a framed picture of Beatrice he always kept on his bedside table. She was smiling, the corner of her eyes crinkling and shapphire irises shimmering. He missed her smile and laugh more every day that passed. He couldn't get her out of his mind.

"Fred you have a call!" George knocked loudly on his twin's door.

With a loud sigh, Fred got up from his bed and threw on a jumper before stepping out of his room. The three of his brothers and sister-in-law sent him a supportive smile a he sulked towards the muggle telephone in his and George's office down at the shop.

"Hello?" he asked the moment he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hey, happy Christmas," Bea's quiet voice made his heart flutter.

"Happy Christmas," he smiled sadly to himself. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, I just wanted to hear your voice," her own voice cracked. "I'll leave you be now then."

"I miss you," he blurted, gripping the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Yeah, I love you Fred," she whispered and tightly closed her eyes to keep the tears threatening to fall at bay.

"I know," his voice slightly trembled. "I love you too Beatrice."

"I sent your present via owl post, I hope you like it," she added.

"I'm sure I will," he cleared his throat. "I sent yours this morning too so let me know when you get it."

"I will," she breathed. "You shouldn't have anyway, the necklace you got me for my birthday was enough."

"No it wasn't," he murmured. "You deserve more than I can give you."

"As long as I have you that is enough for me," the first tear rolled down her cheek almost effortlessly.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?"

"I just am," he swallowed the lump on his throat. "Why don't you come over tonight?"

"I um, I don't know if we should," she hesitated.

"Please?" he begged. "I just need to have you in my arms tonight Tris."

"What's happened to us Fred?" she sniffed and gripped the phone tighter in an attempt to stop her tears. "Everything was fine and a day later it wasn't."

"We're not doing this on the phone," Fred shook his head. "Please just come tonight."

"I think we need a little bit of space from each other," she breathed. "We just need to think and clear our heads and figure out where we're going."

"I understand," he mumbled.

"I wish you could talk to me," she blurted. "You seem to never want to anymore."

"There is so much I want to say," tears fell down his cheeks. "I just can't find the words to explain."

"Do you still love me?"