Best to You ✸ Regulus Black

004. Grapefruit Dreams

AUGUST

♱

A hand lay over his eyes, the sun was too bright. Was it normally this bright or was it his wizard ancestors punishing him for being such a coward?

A coward for taking the mark, a coward for not being able to handle his drinks and a coward for calling the girl of his dreams a slut— to her face!

Here she was sat in front of him, angelic as ever, eyes shut as she basked in the warmth. Lipstick on her lips, smoke trailing from the half smoked cigarette that lay on the ash tray ready to be finished ( also covered in berry coloured lip product ), her freckles were more prominent than ever with her face bare.

It hurt his eyes as much as the sun, her beauty. Regulus was speechless, unsure where to start a conversation, after all, the guilt was still heavy from earlier that morning. He also couldn't seem to fathom how she wasn't hanging as dreadfully as him. Still in yesterday's clothes and stinking of alcohol.

"You're cute when you don't talk." Her voice startled him slightly, the sound ringing round his already aching head. He could barely process her words.

"Hmm?" She only giggled. And it was music to hisw ears. He would drown in the sound it if he could. Gods, he sounded pathetic.

"You have such a beautiful face you know? Your nose is perfect and your freckles are the cutest!" Inès was a rambler. She reached forward and touched his face, not noticing the red creeping up his neck. Her finger trailed the bump of his nose and the small speckles that dusted his cheeks. Regulus didn't even register the waiter coming up besides them, but he noticed the absence of her soft fingertips, frowning at the missing touch.

"Ah, mattina, prenderemo due caffè neri, un pompelmo e un cornetto con marmellata. Grazie" She spoke gracefully, and winked at the waiter. It annoyed him.

"Why do you do that?" He found himself questioning out loud.

"Do what?"

"Flirt with every man you see." Regulus hadn't meant it to come out that way, though it was too late to take it back now. Inès had this look on her face, one he didn't like the look of. Her head was tilted to the side, her eyebrows screwed together as her eyes held only disappointment.

"Try again." She was calm, as usual. He sighed.

"I-I'm just confused, Inès-" Oh how she liked the way he said her name. "-there's so many signals being thrown at me, I don't know how to act."

"Flirting gets me places." It was a short answer. Regulus could feel a deeper truth behind her words she wasn't allowing to be aired. "Now Mr Black, I want to know more about you." It was incredible how she managed to change the subject away from her.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Why are you in Italy?" It should have been an easy question, but considering he was a wizard on death eater business, well, it had him stumbling.

"My parents are here for.. work." She seemed to believe it.

"O-kay, tell me about your home."

"Well, I live in England but I board at a school in Scotland." Her face lit up, murmuring a that's so cool under her breath. Regulus could only smile gently. "My best friend Evan hates it, he barely tries in any of the classes. He spends most of his time drinking or getting with any breathing being his age. Unlike Pandora, his twin sister, she loves school. All she ever does is talk about narg- animals."