Just Another Boy - Fred Weasley

5. Wanderlust

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

It had only been just over a day since Sofia arrived, and Fred was dead-set on making her his summer target. On this particular morning, Fred chewed slowly on his bacon, grinning stupidly at Sofia as she sat across from him, holding eye contact with him. An hour ago he'd heard her wake up before the others, and decided he'd miraculously wake up too, and cook breakfast just for them. So, here they were. Fred liked getting a rise out of her, it amused him how mad she got. Admittedly, he also enjoyed hearing her creative insults.

"Do you always sleep without a shirt on?" Sofia asked him, taking a sip of water from her cup.

As of last night, Fred had the brilliant idea of sleeping without a shirt on to catch Sofia's eye, and hopefully conduct a reaction. "Only when you're around, Sparky," he said smoothly.

Beneath the table, Fred began nudging her legs with his feet. She stayed silent and dropped her gaze to her plate. "Why?" he added. "Like what you see?"

Sofia's eyes flitted to him, and she gazed at him promiscuously through her eyelashes. "There isn't much of anything to see," she said whimsically.

Fred put his fork down and scrunched his nose bemusedly, glancing away. "What have you and your little posse got planned for today?"

"Nothing which involves the likes of you," she replied hastily.

"Are you kidding?" He laughed and propped his legs up on her lap underneath the tablecloth. She tensed and rolled her eyes. "Wherever you're going, I'm sure to follow. You don't expect me to sit home bored, do you?"

"I'm sure I could convince your mother to find a laborious chore for you."

Fred threw his hands up defensively. "Hey! There's no need for hostility. I just want in on the fun," he said.

Sofia suddenly perked up and grinned. "Well, I suppose if George comes, it won't be too bad."

Fred's expression fell to a dull, frustrated glare. "Why's that?"

"So that he can keep you in line of course," she said lightly. "Why? What did you think?" she asked, pushing his legs off and bringing her plate the the sink. After washing her dish, she walked past Fred and leaned down by his ear. Fred felt his face grow warm. "Thanks for breakfast." Then she went upstairs to get dressed as the rest of the household woke up one-by-one.

From Hermione, Fred learned that they would be going to a mall today. Hermione spent most of breakfast explaining what it was, and telling them what they could find there. They waited for Sofia to finish her tedious morning routine, which took longer than the lot of them combined. Everyone waited impatiently downstairs, passing the time with jokes about her being so "prissy". Fred himself was getting bored of waiting, and jogged upstairs to see if he could hurry her along. Rapping thrice on the door, he waited for a response. Sofia opened the door a moment later in a white, slightly cropped tank-top with washed jeans, and her hair half curled.

"We're all wondering what it is you're doing that's taking so long," he said.

Sofia left the door ajar and walked back over the mirror, pointing her wand at her hair and curling a section of it. "You never know who you might meet when you leave," she stated.

Fred's stomach dropped uncomfortably, watching her continue the routine of hair-curling. He walked up behind her, studying her face in the mirror. "Are you expecting to meet someone?" he asked coarsely.

Sofia curled the last strand and spun around, chin raised to meet Fred's gaze. "I'm just spending a day with my friends, and an idiot who invited himself. So, no," she said matter-of-factly.