FIVE

SHE KEEPS ME CALM BUT
KEEPS MY HEART RACING
VISTAS, CALM

"ONE BUTTERSCOTCH ice cream, and a raspberry watermelon sorbet?"

They'd barely had a moment to situate themselves at the table before their orders arrived. Fred thanked the waitress with a charming smile before passing the bowl of butterscotch ice cream across to Aspen. He didn't speak a word before delving into the sorbet, releasing a string of enthused expletives to show his praise. She rolled her eyes at his immature reaction, before dipping her spoon into the creamy dish before her.

Admittedly, he was right. The ice cream there was sublime, and the second Aspen had let it coat her tongue, she let out an impressed hum of approval as the taste enveloped her. The noise immediately grasped Fred's attention, and he was thankful she'd squeezed her eyes shut dramatically as she savoured the taste, allowing him a moment to compose himself after hearing her elated groan.

"Fuck, Fred," she said, making him flush even more. "I can't believe you were right."

"Are you surprised or something?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow as he tried his best to reform his usual snarky front.

"Totally! It's not often you're this genius, to be honest," she teased, making him scoff.

"And to think I bought you this ice cream," he huffed, crossing his arms across his chest and sticking his bottom lip out childishly. "Speaking of, I believe we had a deal?"

"We did?" She asked, the spoon dangling between her lips as she slurped up another serving of the butterscotch.

"I believe there's a certain title you agreed to bestow me as repayment?"

Frustrated that he was actually being genuine, she swallowed back a wail of protest. Fred looked far too pleased with himself, and Aspen dropped her spoon back into the bowl in defeat, the metal clinking against the curved glass of the sundae dish.

"You're not serious, Fred," she protested, knitting her eyebrows together as she questioned his sincerity.

"Not serious, who?"

She paused, shooting him a look that would probably kill if it were possible. He didn't seem deterred though, and sat back against the plush leather chair as he crossed his arms across his chest. If he wasn't still her boss, she'd probably have felt more inclined to slap him, but she rather needed her job.

"Mr Weasley," she said after a long pause, looking dejected as Fred cheered in celebration. "You're a twat."

The couple at the booth across from them gave them an odd look, most probably for Fred's childish volume interrupting their romantic date. Sharing a look, Fred and Aspen chuckled, hardly dissuaded by the subtle reprimanding they'd received.

For the rest of the evening, they sat there, joking around and embracing each other's company. It felt far more natural than any other time they'd spent lunches together, without the looming reminder of work returning within the hour. Instead, they giggled like old friends, forgetting about the fact he was her boss, and she his employee. Aspen forgot the age gap, instead treating Fred like a friend from school, the same way she hung out with Tonks and the others she'd befriended at Hogwarts.

It was only when it reached ten o'clock, and Aspen remembered she actually had a little sister she'd promised treats to return home to that they decided to leave. The leather chairs had sunken in after the many hours they'd spent there, leaving imperfect imprints of their bodies behind. Aspen headed towards the counter with Fred hot on her heels and hastily ordered Alessia's favourite - bubblegum.

The employee quickly scooped it out into a takeaway cup, not wasting any time as the queue had died down alongside the setting sun. Aspen reached into her purse to retrieve the little stash of muggle money she kept on hand, but before she could pay it, Fred slipped the coins into the cashier's hand and grabbed the ice cream. Aspen began to protest, but Fred shook his head, ushering her out of the door with a cheerful "thank you!" offered in the direction of the till.

"Take it as a present from me to your sister. As a sorry for seeing her in her pyjamas," he insisted, making Aspen erupt into laughter despite her annoyance.

"You didn't need to!" she protested as they approached the ominous alley they'd appeared from earlier.

"I know. I wanted to, though."

She huffed, but murmured a genuine thanks, accompanied by a grateful smile that disappeared amidst the darkness of the alleyway. It almost certainly looked sketchy to any nosy passersby, perhaps like they were two drunk teenagers on their way to enjoy each other's company a little too much. Still, it was better than being caught apparating by a muggle and receiving an enquiry from the Ministry, and so they fell back into the shadows without another word. 

Fred passed the ice cream tub to Aspen, letting his fingertips brush across the back of her hand ever so slightly. Her breath hitched in her throat at the vaguely amorous connection, but he paid it no mind and turned his attention to retrieving his wand from his blazer pocket. She clutched at the ice cream as he pulled his wand out with a flourish.

"Get home safe, yeah?" he said, sounding almost too invested in her safety. "I need my best employee back in work tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes, finding it comical that even his sincerest of messages were tinged with humour. She nodded, thanking him again for the ice cream, and within seconds, he was gone, followed closely by a crack that whipped through the air and signified his exit. Suddenly feeling exposed in the alleyway all alone, she quickly grabbed her wand from her jacket pocket, and made haste in her own departure.

She fell into the living room as she arrived. Looking around, it would have seemed that Alessia had barely left her room had it not been for the crumb-scattered plate that had been abandoned on the coffee table. At least she'd eaten, Aspen supposed, as she carried it through to the kitchen and placed it in the sink, deciding to wash it later rather than now.

She ambled through the living room towards her sister's door, knocking lightly to see if she was still awake. She received a muffled "come in!" and slowly pushed the door open to see her little sister tucked cosily beneath the covers, scanning through that month's edition of Witch Weekly.

"I got you something, as promised," she said, crossing over the carpet to pass the little plastic tub of ice cream to her sister. "Well, I say I did, but it was actually Fred who bought it. He says he's sorry for seeing you in your pyjamas."

Aspen chuckled quietly at the sentiment, but Alessia didn't seem to find the humour in it, and instead, her jaw fell slack as she gripped the box tightly between her emerald-painted fingertips. Before Aspen could prepare herself, a high-pitched squeal penetrated her eardrums, making her wince.

"Fred Weasley bought me ice cream? Oh my God, I need to send letters to my friends! Maybe not Ginny, but Julia is going to freak," she rambled eagerly. "Where's the owl?"

Aspen giggled at her enthusiasm, shaking her head as Alessia abandoned the ice cream on her bedside table and darted over to her desk. She retrieved a roll of parchment and a quill as she hurriedly began to scribble out a message.

"Shall I leave you to it? I'll send Sinatra through to you," Aspen offered, deciding it was rather adorable to see her sister so excited over something as mediocre as a boy. "Don't let the ice cream melt!"

"Okay!" Alessia yelled back as Aspen shut the door behind her, rolling her eyes fondly.

She set off towards the tiny little study in the back of the apartment where they kept Sinatra, their aging tawny owl. He had belonged to their mother once — before she had passed — and was definitely becoming slower with his age, but that was naturally to be expected. Aspen just assured that he received extra treats to make up for longer travels now. He was in the corner of the room, sitting nonchalantly on his perch, yet loyal as ever, he jumped to attention as Aspen entered the room.

"Sinatra," she called out as she walked over to the window, opening it up to prepare him for the flight. "Fly round to Alessia's window, will you? She's got a message to send."

Sinatra swept out to the window ledge, feathers ruffling as he ducked out into the night air and meandered along to the window sill only a few feet away.

"Good boy!" Aspen called out after him, leaving the window cracked open for his return before disappearing back to her own bedroom.

The day's constant social interaction had tired her out, and exhausted, she fell back against her pillow as soon as she'd changed into her pyjamas. The covers were delightfully inviting, and she tucked herself away beneath the vibrant yellow duvet that served as a reminder of her time in Hufflepuff. The lights were off, but the dim orange sheen of the streetlamp outside trickled in through her thin curtains, and she could see the light dancing over her eyelids as she closed her eyes to sleep.

The orange lights reminded her of him. In fact, she hadn't really been able to stop thinking of him since she'd gotten home. Even as she drifted to sleep, letting exhaustion take over, he was there in the back of her mind, niggling away at her with his very existence. She was certain he'd even be in her dreams that night, and somehow, in her sleep-deprived state, she couldn't bring herself to mind.