Gravity Happens

“Lovely? Oh Max…” Eve murmured to herself, emerging into the glade, eyes wide with wonder, “now there’s an understatement if I’ve ever…”

Moonlight drifted through silvery leaves, illuminating the miniature Eden. A crystalline pool of spring water was ringed with great mossy stones; enormous leafy beeches ringed the clearing, casting shadows on the delicately rippling water. Lupines and larkspurs grew in riotous bunches amongst opulent ferns and secretive lilies-of-the-valley. Winding between the formations of flora was a path of emerald moss so soft underfoot that Eve immediately shed her shoes to slide her toes over the springy carpet. With a small sigh of contentment, the overbearing heat of the night was all but forgotten.

Mesmerized, Eve made her way to the spring. The water bubbled and gurgled playfully, inviting her into its depths. Enchanted, she perched herself on a large rock and dipped her legs into the icy water. The welcome chill worked its way up her body as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to finally be soothed by the peace of the place. For the first time in weeks, she was able to simply be.

*****

Mounting the crest of the hill, Charlie felt a sweet surge of anticipation and mentally thanked Max again. The cold spring was one of his favorite spots in the area and it had been too long since he’d made his way up here to think. Lately, he’d just felt like he was going crazy, his head completely spun by his pretty little blast-from-the-past and it was high time he got away to decompress. He rounded the last curve of path, where the trees broke away to reveal the spring clearing, and stopped short.

Long curls. Sweet hips. That curvy little waist, those freckly little shoulders…Bloody hell? What was she doing—right, Max. That meddlesome sonofabitch. The blast from the past in question was sitting with her back to him only a few yards away. Charlie watched her for a long time, debating whether or not he should go. Who was he kidding? He was never any good at walking away from her, and besides…a wicked grin crossed his face, as he recalled, Eve was really easy to scare when she was deep in thought. And it was really, really funny.

Slowly and silently, Charlie stalked up behind Eve until he was only about a foot away from her. He lurked over her, waiting for some reaction. Had she fallen asleep leaning over the water? He leaned forward, his face next to her ear, and said, “Boo!”

Next thing he knew, Eve was screaming and had lunged forward, pitching herself right into the cold spring with an enormous splash.

*****

When Eve surfaced, frantically brushing her long, soaked hair out of her face and gasping for breath, her mind was desperately trying to connect what the hell had just happened. The what became immediately clear as she got her footing and noticed Charlie standing at the edge of the pool, doubled over and howling with laughter. A small part of her noted appreciatively how yummy he looked bare-chested in the moonlight. The rest of her was pissed.
She splashed her hands in the water furiously, “Charlie Weasley, what the hell do you think you are doing?!”
“Oh come on Evie,” Charlie laughed, “you should have seen yourself. It was just too easy,” he kneeled down next to the water, triumph all over his face, “quite the sitting duck.”

“Well I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Eve said in mock indignance, her anger already dissipated, as she made for the edge of the pool, walking into shallower water, “because this water is frigid,”

“I can see that, it looks quite nice,” he said appreciatively. The thin white material of Eve’s tank was plastered against her skin, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. His eyes devoured the enticing curves of her breasts, the shadowy pinkness of their tips, nipples beaded in the cold. He noted the sharpness of her breath as she registered what he’d implied.

“If it looks so nice to you, why don’t you jump right in?” she teased, unembarrassed.
“Was that an invitation,” he stood up and took a great leap, soaring over her head to crash into the water behind her. His intrusion sent the water into turmoil and Eve was still sputtering when he broke the surface. He reached out a long arm and pulled her against him, “breathe, baby girl,” he cooed, pulling her with him into deeper water.

Eve permitted him to support her, leaning her head back so she could catch her breath. She closed her eyes for a long moment, allowing the water to bear the weight of her hair, privately exulting in the feel of Charlie’s hands. Instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist, securing herself to his protection. Merlin, but she’d missed him. His fingers, splayed against her back, were softly stroking circles over her skin. She thought it was strange, how easily they fell into old patterns, like it was muscle memory. Or nature.

They remained in silence for several long minutes, each lost in their own thoughts as they allowed their bodies to rest entwined together, hyper aware of the other. The sounds of the forest surrounded them, the spring returned to its natural calm as the moonlight played over their bodies. In the stillness, they were able to imagine that it had always been like this; that years of emptiness and pain did not stand as an unfathomable chasm between them; that it was just a dream.

Dreaming, I’m just dreaming, Eve told herself as she opened her eyes. Charlie was staring at her, the emotion in his eyes a mystery to her. Just dreaming, she pulled herself up in her arms, leaned her forehead against his, and held his eyes with her own. She felt her hands slide through his hair, though she didn’t remember telling them to do that, but that’s the sort of thing that happens in dreams, “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, I’ve missed you every moment,” she whispered softly.

*****

Charlie wasn’t sure what forces were at work, compelling him to reach out for her, to hold her, but he wasn’t fighting them either. In the night, next to her, he felt powerless to resist her. All feelings of fury and betrayal washed away as he held her in his arms. Rightness was restored; he was whole again. He more felt than heard the words she murmured against his skin. Her fingers wound through his hair, tickling his scalp. He knew he was lost. He buried his face in her neck, drawing her scent into his lungs, laid his lips against her delicate flesh. She purred breathlessly, the hum travelling down his lips. With deliberate care, he kissed his way down the line of her neck, over her throat, grazing over her shoulder and into the hollow of her collar. He grazed that delicate bone with his teeth and tongue, causing her whole body to shudder, just like he knew it would. She breathed his name against his ear, encouraging him. He ran his hands up and down her arms, down her back, lifting her shirt over her head, casting it aside in the water. Bringing her against him again, he moaned at the pleasure of her naked breasts pressed against his chest, and he rubbed his hips into hers to share with her the evidence of his need. She answered him with a sharp tug on his hair, lowering one hand to score her fingernails over his back, turning her head to pull his earlobe into the heat of her mouth. He slid a hand down over her thigh, tickling the sensitive skin beneath her knee, dragging his fingertips back up the inside of her leg. She
whimpered against his ear. He chuckled against her throat, pushing her shorts to the side as his fingers quested.

“There’s my girl,” he murmured, teasing the folds of her sex with his fingers. She was more wet from her desire than from the spring, the heat of her core providing a sharp contrast to the chill of the water. Her hips bucked against him, “I know, Evie, I know,” he slid one long finger into her depths. Her response was instant, all the tension in her body melting away as she rolled her hips back to allow him access. She sighed, nuzzling against him, his name half-formed on her lips. He moved with torturous slowness, rubbing inside of her, pressing against the spot which left her gasping. Another finger, and she threw her head back, casting her hair over the water. He tormented her endlessly, slowly, even as she writhed under his touch, wordlessly begging for more, “now, now, beautiful. Patience, my love,”

Eve froze. At first Charlie didn’t register it, but he soon became aware of the tension in her stance, “what’s wrong?” Eve slowly disengaged herself from him, leaving him with empty arms in his confusion

“Charlie, we shouldn’t. I mean, wow…but…we just…oh bother. I’m sorry, there’s so much…” She was moving to the edge of the pool. She grabbed her shirt and threw it on the bank, pulling herself out of the water. Charlie watched her, bewildered, and then he saw it. On her ribcage, under her right arm was a tattoo of a dragon, curling around the underside of her breast.

“You still have the tattoo,” he said, a statement.

“So do you,” she whispered, she’d spent hours staring at it since she arrived at the compound. The larger dragon on his left shoulder blade that would, if next to hers, wrap around it protectively. She stood bare-breasted on the bank of the pool, dripping water all around her, looking back at him with profound sorrow in her eyes, “Charlie we have so much between us that I just think…”

“So you’re just going to walk away again?” He shouted, suddenly furious. The sight of her tattoo had completely blindsided him, he didn’t know how to deal with the emotions it roused.

She looked hurt, “why are you so angry with me?”

“Are you joking, Eve, honestly, are you seriously going to play that game with me?” He moved to exit the spring, “after what you did, and all these years later you just show up again, pretending like you never even knew me and this? And then you’re just going to stop and play innocent with me? I don’t think so, Eve. I think you owe me some answers!

Eve looked dumbfounded, “I…I…Charlie, I—“

“Have got nothing to say for yourself? I want to hear it, Eve, I want to hear your excuses!”

Eve glared back at him, “I honestly have no idea what you are talking about, Charles Weasley,” she said cooly, turning on her heel and running for the dark embrace of the forest.

*****

Rare tears rolled down her cheeks as Eve raced barefoot through the trees, the sharp undergrowth going unnoticed through her misery, “stupid, stupid, Eve,” she told herself.

So much for her dreams.