“i–” well, this was certainly awkward. clearing her throat, she took the empty seat beside him trying her best to remain civil and certainly trying her best to not look at him which, at this point, was easier said than done. less than a moment later, the carriage started it’s journey, not giving either of them a choice to choose otherwise.
“you can ignore me.” she finally decided to say after some silence, her hands fidgeting on her lap. her throat was becoming dry and her heart was pounding inside of her chest, but whether it was due to the potion or her own conflicted emotions, she couldn’t tell. this was definitely not the way she wanted her night to go, but seeing as there was nothing really she could do about it now, cora just had to bear with it for twenty minutes. she can do that at least, right?
“…just twenty minutes.” well, she definitely didn’t mean to speak those words out loud. but now that they were, cora had no choice but to continue the thought. “nick– can you just sit here with me for twenty minutes?”
go for a carriage ride, they’d said. it’ll be fun, they’d said. they being the professors who’d insisted he’d take a breather from his ‘prefect duties’ (read: ignore at the amount of students crowding each other at the party) and come back later. it’d sounded like a plan at the time, he was in the mood for something spooky.
of course he hadn’t expected his ex to be the one giving him a scare.
of all the carriages in the world… cora had to step into his. “oh.” nick cleared his throat around the same time she did, shifting in his seat — trying to create as much space as possible. an unfamiliar gesture, considering they’d been glued to each other’s side for the past ten years. the instinct to put an arm around her is still there, so he tucked his hands into his pockets. “hey.” shit, he really hadn’t expected her to be the one to climb into the carriage with him, but the universe clearly had different plans.
the carriage rocked forward as it took flight, causing his knee to bump into hers. “okay,” he said it rather dumbly, not sure what else to tell her. why was she fidgeting like that? had she grown so uncomfortable around him that she couldn’t even sit next to him anymore, couldn’t help but feel anxious around him? shit, he really is an asshole. he’d never wanted things between them to be like this, of course not. when he’d broken up with her, a part of him had foolishly hoped she’d still want to be around him somehow, but nothing seemed less true. he can’t, won’t, blame her. it’s his fault.
“yeah. yeah, of course i’ll sit with you. as long as you want me to.” he’ll be patient. he’ll let her become more comfortable first, she should set the pace. if she wanted him to just sit here with her, he’d be fine with that. right?
...but after a minute, he’s sighing. “i don’t want to ignore you though.” alright. so much for being patient. he turns to look at her, almost pleadingly. “look, cora— i know we broke up, and. things happened. things i never meant to… happen.” right, he’s not making any kind of sense. if not for the fact the carriage had already taken off, he’s sure that she would’ve gotten out ages ago. “but i still want you in my life. can we please… talk? about anything.”
