In the end can they just pretend?
Ronald Weasley had hit rock bottom, his life as he knew it was over. He had lost everything. Well not everything, but it felt like the life he had imagined for himself was over. And his family wasn't helping him. Th...
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Claudia noted that the one thing she desperately needed was a girls night. She needed advice from the people who knew her best, and she needed to become aware that she was walking down very dangerous territory. Perhaps be told how to get out of the path she had set herself upon. A path which had started the moment she became aware of the butterflies she felt for a particular red-haired man and his sarcastic quips.
Astoria had been quick to agree to the evening, her early-wed bliss becoming so heavy that she needed an outs. That she had to escape and therefore, the moment Claudia had returned home from work she was not surprised to find the other woman stood outside waiting on her. She was surprised to see Astoria not inside waiting but it would seem that the blonde had forgotten that she held a key in case of emergencies.
A bottle of wine later and a possibly undercooked meal later, Claudia found herself spewed out on her sofa's tucked into a soft blue blanket. Astoria sat just to her right, bowl of popcorn in her lap, glass of wine swirling in her hands as the pair worked to distract themselves from their ongoing thoughts through the film they had on. Though it was indeed a challenge of which Claudia was significantly failing at. Therefore, she turned to the best friend who she was closer to possibly her own sister, and prepared to share everything that had been plaguing her mind for a couple of weeks now.
"I think I've made a horrible horrible error Tori." Claudia started tearing her best friends attention away from the screen and to the taller blonde resting on the sofa next to her.
"What do you mean Claudie?" Astoria was a little confused at her best friends words, trying to think back to anything the girl could have done in the last months which could have been deemed a mistake.
"This unofficial contract with Ronald Weasley." Claudia sighed as she spoke her hands going to play with her hair.
"In what way? I thought you were enjoying spending time with him." Astoria had noted her friend seemed much happier since she had started spending time with the Weasley man, and therefore remained a little confused that she could have read it so wrong.
"Tori, that is the thing. I am enjoying time with him. Ronald, he makes everything so easy. He can't do that though, he shouldn't be doing that." Claudia felt herself becoming anxious for what she would possibly be sharing next feeling her fingers begin to twitch at the thought.
"That shouldn't be a wrong thing sweetie." Astoria went back to the kind older sister ay of speaking to Claudia. As despite the nice way the Parkinson family presented themselves now, she knew it had been very different when the two girls first met as children. She had taken that older sister role for Claudia so long ago that it was easy to slip back into it in times like this.
"But it is Astoria. This is... its supposed to be fake right. All pretend, just pretend. But it isn't. Not anymore. Not to me." Claudia could feel herself wanting to cry. She was a bit of an emotional person, around the right people. And here she was once again realising that her emotions were horribly under control.
"Claudie, it's okay. It really is." Astoria moved so she could take the slightly younger girls hand into her own. "You're not being silly, feelings like this they can develop easily." She continued to comfort.
"I don't think I've ever met someone quite like him." Claudia squeezed the hand Astoria held, to get one back in response.
"And that's okay."
"But this is supposed to be all pretend. I don't know what to do about it otherwise."
"You need to talk to him about it. Tell him the truth and see what develops." Astoria nudged her friend in what she deemed to be the right direction. People fell for others much faster than the other girl thought and she wanted Claudia to see that, to understand that. But she was unsure that the Parkinson heiress could do that.
"I can't do that. What if it's not the same for him, and poof he's just gone from my life." Claudia shook her head at the suggestion Astoria had brought to the table. Her imagination going wild. "I know it's only been a matter of weeks but I would rather keep pretending that everything is okay and there are no feelings."
"Claudia no, that's not a good idea."
"It can't be that hard right? I just have to go and pretend everything is okay and there are no feelings." Claudia shrugged liking the thought much more than the other option being presented to her.
"Or, how about this? You could end this all and tell him the truth."
"Absolutely not, it's too soon. I would rather do anything else, and I mean anything."
Silence settled as the two stubborn women looked at one another, neither wanting to back down to the other's idea. Claudia was under the belief that everything was one sided and therefore, it would be easier to continue as she was. It would be not worth the consequences she saw in her own mind if she was to change things. But Astoria had a completely different mindset. She had watched her best friend and her date at the wedding. The two who had barely known one another before the event, yet looked closer and better matched than most of the other long term couples. The way the pair had looked at each other, the way that they had interacted. That early on, that was hard to fake. Claudia just needed a little push to see it. But she knew it was too early to do so. And therefore would have to admit defeat.
"Okay. Okay Claudia. But please don't overthink this. Just let things progress as they are. I'm sure you'll be surprised." Astoria finally crumbled.
"I hate surprises." Claudia grumbled before she returned her attention to the movie of which was still somehow playing on the TV in front of them. She had no clue what part they were in, nor did she particularly care. Rather she took a swig from the glass she had ignored only to grimace upon realising it had gotten a little warm.
"This wine's shit where did you get it from again?" Claudia spoke swirling the glass a little as if it would make it taste better.
"Malfoy wine chamber. Gotta get through the shit stuff before we can get better stuff in." Astoria was the one to shrug this time.
"Nah this is something you hand out at Christmas to co-worker to impress but also know they won't come back and tell you it tastes so bad." At Claudia's words the two would break out into giggles moving on past the troubles which had plagued the youngest woman. And onto Astoria's turmoil. Which summer house she was going to visit on the next holiday. An issues only the heiress' would be able to understand.
