An Evening To Remember PV Closed

Adonis was sort of excited about all of this. To see Kat again after felt like a long to him but it hadn't been that long. Or had it? Nothing like a year obviously but a month or two? Three maybe? Don honestly had no idea. He just knew that she was on his mind often, save for when he was getting caught up in familial matters. That was something completely different and was about the only time he was too busy to think about her. It was unfortunate though that they couldn't spend more time together at the ball as he had planned on doing with her, especially after asking her to go to the dance with him. That was his fault though too for not going after when she ran off. He hadn't tried hard enough then he seemed to think whenever he looked back on it.

There was a decent amount to think about when looking back on all of his and Katrina's past interactions and the times they had come across each other. The library. The first time they were both here at the ballroom. The popcorn party. The ball last school year. After the ball to check up on her. The stargazing. The Quidditch match. The weeks he spent with her over the summer since she had stayed with him. The ball this school year. At first she was just a friend to him, of course. Still was. But over time he began to slowly express his thoughts verbally, especially on her beauty. Not that he didn't always think she was because he certainly did the moment he met her. Adonis didn't know better either! He was only thirteen after all but he was aware of the fact that he had grown to have a crush on her during the summer.

Seeing that the month of love and all that other gross stuff was coming up, Adonis figured now was a better time than any to possibly express that more openly in an outright way. However one his age would that is. He was most definitely nervous about it all. Don couldn't stop cringing at himself when he wrote the letter, taking almost thirty minutes to finally come to a decision on whether he should send it to her or not. Which he obviously did.

He seemed to be more on edge and easily irritable than usual for reasons unknown to everyone but himself. Except he knew with Kat's presence that would nullify such frustrations to the other current ongoings in his life outside of school. It had to be tested but he just knew. Adonis stood in the middle of the ballroom, pacing back and forth as he awaited Katrina's arrival. A bouquet of flowers were in his grasp. He wasn't wearing anything he would've worn to a ball, just nice-looking clothes that made him look presentable.

Upon hearing footsteps at the entrance, he immediately stopped his pacing and turned to face it with the bouquet of flowers behind his back. Were small droplets of sweat rolling down his face? Maybe. Adonis hoped not. That would be embarrassing. He took in a deep breath to calm himself. He was never like this. Always so confident and friendly. One of the first to speak. Eventually, Adonis took a single step forward before continuing onwards to Katrina until reaching her in which he would've revealed the flowers he had picked for her. Just right before he did though, the boy had suddenly tripped and fell forward in front of her. Great. Just great. As he got up, it was revealed that he had smashed most of the flowers underneath him. Well, that was definitely embarrassing if the sweating wasn't. He was a pre-teenaged mess. They were red and pink colored carnations. Smashed ones at that. "Heya, Kat. I... umm- got these for you. Yup. I hope you don't mind that they're... yeah. I'll get new ones for you another time." The young Thorn managed to get out as a red tint to his cheeks immediately made itself apparent when holding out the not-so ideal bouquet of flowers to her.

Katrina’s first clue was the fact that Adonis was dressed pretty nicely. Katrina remembered pulling on a Gryffindor sweatshirt and leggings, her normal everyday wear. Something you’d wear around friends, or just another day. Katrina ignored the pinch of regret. Certainly, how she dressed wouldn’t have a crazy effect on how Adonis saw her? Hopefully?

Adonis approached Katrina and she took a few steps forward to meet him. There was a beat of silence, a bit odd considering Don usually had some quick-witted joke or something to start the conversation. Just as he got to the point where Katrina expected he’d reveal whatever was behind his back, Don tripped. Katrina yet out a little yelp and leaned over, making sure he hadn’t broken a bone or anything when she saw the flowers. A smile widened across her face, they were pretty shades of pink and red. The flowers, although she didn’t know their name, were really pretty. A bit smashed, but still pretty.

Adonis seemed to stumble over his words, only widening Katrina’s smile. “It’s fine, they’re beautiful,” Katrina took the bouquet from his hands and gingerly ran her fingers up one of the stems of the flower. Definitely more than friends. Instead of being awkward as Katrina had assumed she’d be, Katrina realized that she actually wasn’t. Oh yeah, Adonis falling, “Are you okay? The fall I mean, you hit the ground pretty hard. Here,” Katrina offered her hand to help him get up.

Katrina took a moment looking back. She now was pretty sure that he had a crush on her. Between the letter invite to the ballroom and the red and pink flowers and the dressing nicely. She was now unsure if she had a crush on him too? That’s usually how it worked, right? Katrina knew that she was always brighter and happier with him. Adonis had a way to make her laugh and smile. He definitely cared about her, evident from saving her at the Ball and checking back on her. And Katrina… she cared about Adonis too. That revelation swirled in her mind for a while. What’s next? Sure, Katrina had read books where characters had relationships or seen the few couples around the castle. But once both people had admitted they liked each other they instantly became in a relationship…

Katrina cut her thinking short. No point overthinking it. She was here. Katrina wanted to be in the moment, just enjoy what was going on. She found herself looking at Adonis, she realized the entire time she’d been thinking, she’d been looking directly at Adonis. A shade of a blush reddened her cheeks. Whoops.

It would not! Adonis cared not for what she wore or how she looked at the moment. It wouldn't change how he viewed her or the feelings that he had for Katrina. He himself just felt he needed to be presentable for this at least, it was instilled into him in fact. Being that he was a pure-blood and all, dressing nice often wasn't all that new to him with all the balls and other formal events he attended with his family. Except he wasn't dressed like he would've been for something like that at the moment. That would be embarrassing. His grandmother came up with some absurd outfits for him at times and his mother would agree with them.

That was beside the point though! None of that mattered. What mattered now was just him managing not to embarrass himself anymore than he had done already while in front of Kat. It was time to get serious, not that he wasn't already but focus. Be composed. He had taken her hand when he stood up, managing to put a smile onto his face finally once he made eye contact with her. Don was glad to hear that she still found them beautiful and a bit of pride swelled up in him at the thought of him picking out the right flowers. "I'm fine. Don't worry. Nothing I couldn't handle. I'm just glad you think the flowers are beautiful." He spoke to her with a bright smile now.

Adonis hadn't noticed it at first but he was still holding her hand even after she had helped him up. It made his heart flutter quite a bit, unsure of what to do or say to Katrina next. For now, he just turned on his heels and guided her over to one of the empty tables. He pulled out two chairs from the set up on the side of the table and facing each other, then taking her flowers to set down on it. Don directed her to the chair across from him to sit down as he did the same, reaching forward to grasp ahold of her hands to hold again. "I... I don't know how else to come about this, so I'm just going to be straightforward with it. I like you. I've liked you ever since the start of this past summer. To be honest I think I found out during the stargazing event, just from talking to you like I normally do. Except it was just the two of us to me at the time and for whatever reason I saw you differently in that moment while under the stars. Then the Quidditch match came, which I was with you again and I took note of how much I cared for you then. Then there was the few weeks that you stood with me for the summer and being able to see you every day for that duration just solidified it." He confessed to Katrina, releasing a sigh after spilling that out.

"I wanted to make it known at the ball but complications suddenly occurred and I couldn't at the time because of that. Then we suddenly stopped talking and coming across each other a bit after that and I couldn't help but realize that I missed being with you. Around you. Talking to you. Adonis combed a hand through his hair, trying to figure out what he would say next. "I'm aware that we're only thirteen. Young. I don't know much else aside from what I've read in books and seeing my parents but I know that I have these feelings that I can't get rid of. I don't want to get rid of them. It makes me happy. You make me happy." If he was older he probably would've been more suave about it but it was the best he could do for now. He didn't know all that much about stuff like this. He just knew that he was a passionate person and wanted to be outright with it. Adonis managed to look at Kat for the most part while speaking with the occasional glance in other directions. The blush hadn't left his face either.

Katrina’s hand was met with Adonis’. He used the hand to get back off the floor, but that’s not what Katrina was focusing on. She was feeling a spark of electricity run from her hand, up her wrist, arm, shoulder, right to her head. She was holding a boy’s hand. His hand was warm, pleasant. She knew she always ran cold, but the warmth was comforting, she hardly realized as she warmed up physically. A tell-tale sign that her brother always teased her for. She might be catching feelings.

Katrina felt a breath of relief escape her. He was alright. Not that he necessarily wouldn’t be, simply have tripped on his own feet, but she didn’t want him to be hurt. But this was more than her usual protective self. It was somehow more. Katrina slowly felt the shell of awkwardness melt away, letting her inner self reveal itself. In the moment. Not planning. Just being present.

Katrina took a seat, letting herself somewhat be guided by Adonis. As he spilled out his heart Katrina tried to keep from shutting down. How could anyone actually like her? She was quiet and abrasive and closed off. But, somehow, not around Adonis. He hadn’t really seen the worse parts of her. But she had this feeling that, that wouldn’t change the way he felt. Because this was the real her, despite the blushing and stuttering.

Katrina knew this was the point at which she should say something, but words wouldn’t come. They jumbled around in her head, forming and reforming sentences. Should she be witty or funny? No, that didn’t fit the situation. She didn’t want to be incredibly emotional seeing as that wasn’t really her. But she couldn’t be super closed off either, that would push Don away, or at least be awkward.

“I missed you too,” The confession spilled out before Katrina could help herself. “You make me happy. In a way that… that I don’t really know how to describe,” Katrina paused. “It’s like I can actually be myself when I’m around you. I guess life has gotten so hectic that there are- somehow- different parts of me that I show other people and I’m sort of closed off. But around you I can joke and smile and actually be myself,”

In a perfect world, Katrina would have likely said something witty or really passionate or said something different, but this was what she was really feeling and she didn’t really want anything to be different. She felt a full smile make it’s way onto her face, the blush fading a bit. She was actually happy. Really, truly happy.