A crash, followed by the contagious laughter filled Charlie’s ears as he came around the third greenhouse.
Your head poked out of a giant pile of aspen and field maple leaves, so large it consumed your entire body, robes, and the books you had been carrying. You were completely dishevelled, little wisps of hair pointing in all directions, and your smile so bright that Charlie’s heart fluttered for a moment. You were beautiful. You always were. But in moments like this, when you let the simple joys of life lead you, he found you near perfect.
“Come on in,” you shouted in his direction as you fell back with your arms out beside you, allowing the pile to swallow you further. “The water’s fine,” he thought he heard you say through the rustle of leaves and wind rolling over the hills as you began mimicking a backstroke.
Charlie dropped his bag beside the pile and took a seat on the edge, wanting to make sure he didn’t accidentally land on top of you. You popped your head up and upon seeing him tentative you grabbed at the panels of his jacket and pulled him down with you.
“Whoa!” Charlie managed before his world was filled with dark shadows of reds, oranges, and yellows, like stained glass at dusk. He felt your hands upon his chest, your fingers still gripping into the soft wool of his coat. And for a moment, he allowed himself to be overwhelmed by the comfort that came from the bed of fall foliage and the closeness of his crush.
But then he swallowed some dirt and he pulled himself up spitting. You were already up, encompassed in a throne of leaves, giggling up a storm of Charlie’s demise.
“You—“ he began but you cut him off. “Don’t even complain. You love it.”
Charlie felt his cheeks burn at just how close you were, just how happy, just how right.
“Yeah, I do.”
You reached down into the pile and tossed up a ton of leaves. You continued to laugh as they rained down on you both, the wind carrying a few off over your head and against your face.
“You’ve got something in your hair,” Charlie said, reaching up to pull a leaf from your hair. It was a pleasant shade of sunshine yellow, with brown veins and just a hint of green at the stalk. It seemed the most breathtaking things liked to find residence on your face.
When Charlie went to pull it away, your fingers held his palm against your cheek. Charlie could feel the warmth there, so similar to his own blush right then. He watched your chin lift as you let out a shaking breath. You offered him a nervous smile but didn’t move your hand.
Charlie lost control of his body. It was leaning forward for him. His lips were parting. His eyes were closing. His head was tilting. The only thing he did with intention was to run his fingers across your cheekbone as he kissed you. Your lips were just as sweet as he always imagined, probably from the warm cocoa you had decided to bring with you on this walk. They were plump and soft and emotive, eager to feel him too for some reason he’d never fully understand. He felt your hands against his neck, pulling him closer, and all he could do was smile.
It was you who pulled away when the moment finally came. It took Charlie a few seconds to even realize you had gone. Everything had felt eternal.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw you staring at the ground, pulling apart a leaf blade as accurately as you could from the veins. After a moment, you lifted your gaze up to meet his.
“Was that okay?”
Charlie couldn’t even entertain the question.
“The best.”
You laughed nervously at that, but then shuttered as a strong wind came over the hills. Charlie began to pull on his sleeves to give you his jacket, but a better thought crossed his mind.
He leaned over, rummaged through his bag, and pulled out a Weasley sweater. This one was from two Christmases ago, a pleasing shade of butterscotch in a fisherman’s knit with a large blue “C” upon the chest.
“Here,” he said, holding the shirt for your inspection.
With a smile, you took it and pulled it over your head. It fit you well. The colour was ideal for today.
He watched you bring the fabric at the collar up to your nose and take a long sniff. Something about the action made him blush.
You heard the noise of students coming down the path to let you know your classes were about to begin. Charlie stood and offered you a hand, pulling you to your feet. The loud rustle that you had created mustered a giggle from both of you.
“Thanks, Charlie,” you said. You leaned forward once more to kiss him again, this one slow and measured. It wasn’t life-altering like the first, but just as enjoyable, especially given how easily you gave it. He was awoken from his daze again by the feel of you tucking a leaf behind his ear, the same colour as the top he just gifted you.
“Of course. And you can keep the jumper if you’d like,” Charlie said, adding with a slight mumble, “But you don’t have to wear it in class.”
You laughed as you strengthened the link between your fingers.
“Are you kidding, Charlie? I’m never taking it off!”
And with that, Charlie’s smile was plastered on his face as you pulled him out from behind the greenhouses. Were you dating now? It didn’t matter really. For now, you were the girl who kissed him freely and wore his name upon your chest and proudly held his hand for all your friends to see. Everything else was just formalities.