Love unfolding

At the bookstore.

1999

Monday October 25th

I've been working none stop at the bookstore, trying desperatly to keep myself distracted from how much I miss Ginny, she has been in Scotland for now a little over a week but I miss her so much, I miss having her in my arms while sleeping, I miss her touch. And as she doesnt know how to work a telephone I can't call her, the Weasley family is oblivious when it comes to muggle technology, but that doesnt even matter to me, it reminds me that the world is so much more than tjus technology.

But at work today I sat down in a corner to do some light sketching, and I had been sitting in the corner for almost an hour as a young woman approached me, she cleared her throt and said: "Do you work here?"

I was caught of guard as there haven't been any costumers all day, so I looked up and said: "Yes, sorry I do work here."

I got up from the floor, and the woman glanced down on my sketchbook and said: "Did you draw these?" She picked up my sketch book and her voice seemed more soothing than before.

"Yes?" I said hesitant: "Can I help you find something?"

"These are really good, do you sell them?" The woman asked

Still caught off guard I said: "No I don't sell them, I just make them for me."

The woman paged through my sketchbook and my heart dropped when she got to a sketch I had done of Ginny and me kissing.

"This is cute." The woman said: "Is this your girlfriend?"¨

"Yeah, it's my girlfriend." I said quietly.

"How long have you been together?" the woman then asked.

"Four years in January." I said getting more and more confused by the questions.

"Wow thats long."

"Yeah it is, can I help you find a book?" I ask finally.

"Yes, sorry, I forgot what I was looking for."

I sigh rather annoyed, but then the woman asks: "Do you ever draw for others?"

"No." I just say.

"Would you consider it? My oldest daughter is getting married and there is none of the wedding painters I have asked that wants to paint a lesbian couple, and seeing your drawings of you and your girlfriend. Would you like to do it? I'll pay you."

"I..." I start

"You do paint right?" The woman asks quickly.

"Yes I do, but I'll have to think about it."

"Yes of course, the wedding is in four months, the nineth of february." She hand me a note with a phonenumber and a name and says: "Thats my number and you just call me whenever. I'm Abigail Murphy by the way."

"I'll call you Abigail, I'm Harlow."

"I figured." Abigail said.

Looking confused Abigail points to my name tag and says: "The name tag."

I forgot that I was wearing a name tag

"Right" I say, " forgot that."

"I need to run now, but call me Harlow, you have some real talent."

Before I got to answer Abigail had run out the door and I was left alone in the bookstore once again, I looked at the time and it was almost five pm, so I sweeped the floor around the bookstore and then closed the store and then I went home.

Walking home I decided to go by Hermione before getting back to my own apartment. As her apartment wasn't too far away from mine. So as I reach Hermione apartment Amanda comes outside.

"Harlow, surpriced to see you here. You moved right?" Amanda says.

"Yeah, I moved, just visiting my sister, before going home."

Amanda: "Great, how's Ginny?"

"Uhm, she's traveling with her team."

"Team?" Amanda asks.

"Yeah, she plays soccer, professionally."

"Okay cool, I would love to see her play one day." Amanda says casually.

"We'll figure something out when she comes back."

"Aight, good to see you Harlow." Amanda says just before she runs past me and disappears into someone's car. 

I run up the stairs to Hermione's apartment and I ring the doorbell. 

Hermione answers the door a while later and she says excitedly: "Harlow, how good to see you, you don't need to ring the doorbell, you have a key."

"Yeah I take my chances and ring the doorbell, I do not want another Hogwarts expirence."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asks, and then I see that she realises what I mean. I don't want to walk in on them doing more than snogging, as I did at Hogwarts.

"So what brings you here?" Hermione asks.

"I just wanted to see you, it get's kind of lonely at home, without Ginny I mean, and then I need your perspective on something." I explain.

"Come with it." Hermione says.

"So I was working but the bookstore was kind of quiet so I sat down and sketched for an hour, to kill time, and then this lady came up to me, complimented my drawings, she even took my sketchbook and like paged through it, and when she came to this picture." 

I had found my sketch book and showed Hermione the picture of me and Ginny kissing.

"She asked me if I wanted to paint at her daughters wedding because all the professionals were to homophobic to do it." I continued.

"And? Are you going to take it?" Hermione asks. Getting more and more excited.

"Maybe, she said she wanted to pay me."

"Do you have a name or anything on her?" Hermione kept asking me questions.

"Yeah, her name is Abigail Murphy."

"Abigail Murphy? She is the richest woman in town." Hermione almost jumped from excitement 

"So I should say yes?"

"Yes you should, but if Abigail Murphy's daughter is getting married that means that Micaela or Miranda is getting married." Hermione kept going. "Did she say which one?"

"No, just said the oldest and that she was a lesbian."

"So Miranda Murphy, got it, but you could use this for you."

"And how, may I ask?"

Hermione: "Abigail Murphy is the wealthiest woman in town, which says that everybody knows her, and she's not homophobic, so if you can get her to share around town that her daughter and the painter at her daughters wedding is lesbians, you wouldn't get so much hate around town."

"I don't know Mione, I need to know when Ginny is coming home before I decide anything."

Hermione: "Fine, then let's go out to eat tonight just the two of us, my treat."

"Thanks Mione, but I got to get home."

Hermione: "You are not going to do this, I know you, you cage yourself in your apartment if I dont get you out, so listen to me I'm the oldest."

"But I'm the tallest, and I can handle myself just fine."

"Fine, I miss our sister dates, please just go with me, Ron is out with Harry and Draco somewhere." Hermione sighed.

"Fine, I'll do it, but only because I love you."

"Yay." Hermione laughed and then we got ready for our night out. 

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Puplished: 29-07-23