Just Friends (Rory Campbell x Fem Reader)

Chapter 24: Rose

~Y/n~

"Can I go forward when my heart is here? Turn back, dull earth, and find thy centre out," Rory recited from his script. It was another night of rehearsals, the last night before we were dismissed for spring break, and Cora had come along to watch rehearsal. She sat next to me as Ced, Rory, and the boy who played Tybalt acted out their scene, which was primarily about how randy the three of them were.

"I don't get it," Cora said, making a face at the lines.

"Well, they're just saying how-"

"I know what they're saying, I understand old English," she interrupted, "I just don't get why they'd talk about such things in the first place."

"This is the scene right after Romeo meets Juliet, and he's just learned their families are enemies after falling in love with her," I explain.

"So?"

"So, have you ever been in love?" She just shrugs.

"No, and I don't ever intend to be."

"Then you wouldn't understand," I say, turning back to the stage.

"Right, because you already have such a firm grasp of what love does?" she scoffs. Rory's running his hand through his hair and whispering something to Ced while Flitwick is on a rant about something, and he smiles when he sees me staring. I can't help but forget Cora's question, and I almost forget she's there at all as I smile right back at him.

"So you do," she giggles.

"Do what?"

"You love him. I mean, so do I, but you love him."

"I suppose I do," I answer. It sort of felt good to tell someone else besides him; that made it more real. I only hope Rory doesn't mind if he ever finds out. Cora just leans her chin in her hands and keeps watching the boys onstage.

"What's it like, being in love?" she asks.

"I thought you said you never wanted to feel that way."

"I'm allowed to be curious. So, what's it like?" I've never had someone ask me that question before, and I wasn't at all prepared to answer it.

"I don't think words can do it justice," I say, which is the truth.

"That's the same rubbish everyone on television says," she whines. I wish I was better with words so I could say something that she'd want to hear, but I can't come up with much else that doesn't sound outright stupid.

"Okay, it's like...a lot of things. Have you ever discovered something you really like? Like a new song?"

"Yeah, I'll fixate on it but I always get tired of it after a while," she said.

"But what if you didn't get tired of it? What if, every time you replay it, it made you feel the same way you did when you first heard it? And as time goes on, it's just a part of you because you have all the words and the music memorized. That's what love's like." She thinks for a minute, then shrugs her shoulders.

"Sounds nice," she says, "but I still think I'll pass."

"Fair enough," I reply. We both go back to watching the boys, and when Rory raises his hand to ask Flitwick a question, I remember something that I've never told anyone else.

"You know something?"

"I know plenty of things."

"The day of the quidditch game when George got his head bashed in," I began, "I drew a little rose on Rory's palm in astronomy. That's months ago, right? But look at his hand, it's still there." She squints to see better.

"So it is," she smiles. "He's been tracing over it all this time to keep it? That's sweet."

"I know," I sigh back. "But at the twins' party I saw him go into the stairwell with another girl, and he was in there for a while."

"From what I've heard, everyone was wasted. Maybe they just went in there to cool down."

"That's what I thought, but he came running out and said he wanted to leave. I've just been trying to pretend it didn't happen." Rehearsal ends and the boys come down off the stage, and Rory walks up and smiles at me. I smile back, but it feels fake given what Cora and I were just talking about. I wish I kept my back turned for just another minute at that party so I wouldn't have seen him or the girl at all.

"I wouldn't worry about it," she says to me on our way out.

"Worry about what?" Rory asks.

"Nothing," I reply with another feigned grin. He slips his hand into mine, the hand that I drew the rose on, the rose that had been there when he was in that room with that girl. I also wish it didn't feel wrong to hold his hand back.

Dear Reader,
My feelings were hurt today so I decided to take it out on my characters because doing that on actual people is frowned upon, but I hope it wasn't too bad...anyway thanks for 500 reads! And happy cinco de mayo! Next chapter is gonna be about spring break, so stay tuned for more! Until next time...

XOXO,
Frankie :)