Grown Up

 Nessa Grey, Struggling Writer, Part-Time Bartender

[robert-nash]

                  so goodbye, please don’t cry. 

we both know, i’m not what you n  e  e  d.

[lucecweasley-blog]

Coffee Culture

[lucecweasley-blog]

"Merlin! has it actually been that long?" Lucy was appalled at the thought, thinking back wistfully back to her days at Hogwarts when she, Nessa and Eve stayed attached at the hip, stuck gossiping in the dormitories until the late hours. She knew that they owled and texted as often as they could but two months without that face? That’s an offense near worthy of Azkaban. "We got jobs. We grew up. Wasn’t independence supposed to make life easier?"

Lucy sunk back into her seat, fiddling with her quill, dropping it against the stacks of papers. She quirked a brow, “No title? Of course not. He was never really the boyfriend type, and I was never the type to be his girlfriend. It’s just fun, it’s just sex…” she shrugged, chewing on her lower lip nervously before waving the thought off. “Yes, I’m just outside of SoHo still. And please darling,” she said, “as if you could ever become boring, and you’re nowhere near being dreadfully so.” 

[nessa-grey]

" I think I preferred our school girl days, much more reckless." Nessa grinned at the memories and mischief she had accidentally gotten Lucy and Eve into. However, how long they had been apart was trivial, what mattered was they were reunited once again. She stirred her coffee mindlessly, trailing off into her own thoughts until she was snapped into reality by Lucy's reply.

"Hmm, and is that truly what you want?" She questioned, in their school days Lucy was met my few suitors, all on her own account obviously. However, she had never pinned her as the "just fun type", she always a romantic. Who was she to question anyway, after all she was the notorious one night stand, Nessa Grey. " I've been trying to think of actual work, perhaps teaching at that school in Brazil, I miss travel." Her shoulders sunk at the idea, " But, who knows. 

[nessa-grey]

"You want me to walk you all the way to Bristol?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, sure, I missed you Ness’, but not that much.” He laughed. “Did you apparate in?”

[nessa-grey]

She playfully nudged his shoulder, " And I thought you were a gentleman! Chivalry truly is dead." She grinned at him, " Yes, I apparate almost every day. The pay is much better here." Her nose scrunched up, " I'm looking for something cheaper, and closer however."

[albus-the-potter-blog]

He nodded, smiling a bit. “Yeah, of course.” He sighed and sat up. “So, whereabouts are you staying these days?”

[nessa-grey]

"Now if I tell you that, you're obligated to walk me home." She beamed at him. " I'm staying in Bristol with my abuela."

[nessa-grey]

He looked up, hesitant to get into this conversation with her. He hated the thought of Nessa after Hogwarts. She apparently left the face of the earth, for all the people he asked were concerned. She didn’t contact anyone, that he’d heard of anyway, and the thought of her staying alone somewhere- the way she was- worried him so much that he even looked through a dozen muggle phone books for ‘Grey’.

"I… I was busy." He mumbled. "You know, looking for a job, apartments, shit like that." He shrugged, gently moving his hand away, remembering the pain he felt that first year. 

[nessa-grey]

She acknowledge the look on his face, he looked pained at the thought of that time. It wasn't his fault, really, she was too strung out to remember how to even write. His name had crossed her mind a couple of times, they weren't too serious, but his touch and care for her were so tender. The only man other than Nathan to show her any genuine affection.

"Listen," she smiled warmly, " it's fine. We all get busy now and days, all that matters is that I'm seeing you now."

[queenoftheweasleys-blog]

                             ”Oh don’t you worry, if I were to ever leave                         that hospital I would end up spending all my                             time here because I would be unemployed                                                         AND without any suitors.” She grinned, nodding her head in thanks as she took a big sip of her drink. Ali sighed.

                         ”I’m not even sure where I’d start. I’m stuck                                on the childrens wing this month and no                       matter what I do, it’s wrong. Even if I’m doing               exactly what that whack job Henderson says to do,                                                                                    I’m wrong.”

[nessa-grey]

                             "Without any suitors? Mustache over there can't keep                                his eyes off of you every Thursday from nine to when you                                                       finally leave."

She bit back a laugh, cleaning some glasses and putting them away under the bar. Her eyes running over the other woman.

                                 " I'll tell you what, you go in there and you demand                                         respect from that little bastard. You are Alice                                           Longbottom. I mean if all goes wrong, you could                                                               always kill him."

[lucecweasley-blog]

Coffee Culture

[lucecweasley-blog]

"I’m so glad, love," she said, beaming as her friend told her of her accomplishments. "I’m more than glad, I’m proud. You know that Eve and I were so terrified for you and we were scared we were going to lose you. That’s nearly…" she counted quickly in her head, "two years sober. Two years? How long has it been since I’ve seen you?" Lucy shook her head in disbelief. 

Her hands steadied, fixing the papers into relatively neat piles, closing off the nib of her quill hoping that it looked even remotely orderly. She looked across at her friend, noticing how much healthier, how fuller she looked, despite being a tired. “Work is…” she motioned to the clutter around her, “it’s work. To be honest, I’m a little disarray. I’ve started going out with Adrien again. Do you remember Adrien? We met him on that day trip to London when we were nineteen. He was working as a page for the French wizarding delegate.” Lucy looked at Nessa for a hint of recognition, tucking the loose strand of hair behind her ear again. “We’ve been fighting.” She stirred her tea absentmindedly with her pinky. “But that’s neither here nor there, we’re always fighting. What have you been up to on all your sober days?”

[nessa-grey]

" It's been nearly two months since I've seen you." She frowned at the thought, the two girls use to be nearly inseparable. They hadn't kept from communication all together, but it wasn't nearly as often as she would have liked. Growing up was a loss of a lot of things, time, beauty, fun; but a gaining of responsibilities and knowledge. Her head shook at the thought, " When did we get so busy? Weren't we just sixteen?"

She racked her memory for the name, and nodded her head. He sparked her interest , he was just Lucy's type- tall, handsome; however, Nessa secretly disapproved of any man for her friends. " Adrien, yes. Now are you two still doing that thing where you hold no title?" Her brow quirked, hoping she wasn't being too bold with her questions. Eyes kept running over Lucy, she had seemed more tired than usual, but knowing her she probably hadn't slept in days trying to do work. Her eyes rolled at the thought, " Are you staying at the same place? Mm, well I work, I take care of my gran. I've become dreadfully boring."

[nessa-grey]

[nessa-grey]

"Lucy is marvelous, traveling currently with…Colin I think." She shrugged her shoulders, " eh every once in a while, London is expensive." She smirked at him, she was sober-but still a flirt, " Why didn’t you ever write me?"

[albus-the-potter-blog]

"Ah, yeah, I think my Mum might have mentioned...

[nessa-grey]

" You know how I was," she shrugged her shoulders, " you were more stable." She pouted her bottom lip at him, rubbing her thumb against his hand. "I thought you forgot about me. "

[lucecweasley-blog]

Coffee Culture

[lucecweasley-blog]

At the sound of her name, Lucy’s head shot up. She quickly pulled the quill onto the folder stack, ink still dripping from the nib. Her vision was filled with with the vision of Nessa Grey and Lucy felt a smile spread across her face for the first time that day.

"Nessa!" She shot out of the booth and welcomed her friend with a warm embrace, glad to be shaken from her frustration-induced work stupor. She held her at arms length. "Darling, how are you? You’re well, right? I hope you’re well." She motioned to the booth inviting her to sit before sliding back into her seat hoping Nessa would follow suit and sit across from her.

She adjusted some papers errantly, completely aware that Nessa knew that she was a bit messy, but she still liked to keep up appearances and composure. At that instant she realised how unkpempt she looked, clad in a lazy t-shirt dress and hair knotted carelessly at the top of her head, and blushed, looking over at her friend, “I’m sorry for looking a mess, love, it’s been… a long night.” 

[nessa-grey]

Dropping some coins down, Nessa quickly grabbed her coffee and nearly tripped over her feet walking over to her. She had never been the graceful one in their group. Her arms wrapped so tightly around the taller woman, that she would be surprised if a breathe was let out. A strange feeling of relief and being extremely overwhelmed ran through her, for the first time after being asked that question-she could answer truthfully.

" I'm more than well, I'm 723 days sober as of today." She almost laughed a little, the word sober still felt foreign to her. She sat, taking in the scent, the view, the look of Lucy's paper. Nostalgic was an understatement, she had missed living with the girl, confiding in her every day; even if they still almost spoke on a daily basis. Nessa however, truly hated texting it was so cold, she'd rather feel the warmth of Lucy. 

An eye roll fell as she watched the other woman try to tidy up, could she not see the elegancy she held even when slightly disheveled. " Oh please, I've lived with you, amor." She smiled, bringing the cup to her lips and letting a small moan out of her mouth as the warmth filled her. " How is work? What's new? It feels like ages."

[lucecweasley-blog]

Coffee Culture

Lucy sat in the corner booth of the Witches Brew cafe, hidden behind folders full of articles that needed to be edited and re-edited. Her endless ink quill caught between her lips, red ink dripping dully from the tip, marring the corners of parchment under her fingertips with unseemly red blotches. At this point, the tea in the ruddy porcelain mug at her side had gone cold— twice over, after the last reheating spell she’d cast, but she huffed and took a sip anyways, ignoring the bitter aftertaste the charm always caused. Quickly tucking an errant hair behind her ear, she huffed, annoyed and as bitter as the coffee.

She’d gotten back from Nice early that morning, and was in a terrible mood because of Adrien. Wasn’t it always about Adrien? She called it a lovers quarrel. Molly thought the whole thing was absurd, she thought Lucy ought to date someone she was serious about. Lucy reminded Molly that she and Adrien didn’t date; they kissed and they went out, they were lovers, but they weren’t in love. Who knows what they yelled about this time around? Lucy could hardly remember, but she knew it was enough to cause her to apparate when she couldn’t stand it.

She did as she always did in times of frustration, she indulged herself in work, piled copies of articles about wizarding entertainment and theatre reviews and the new collection of Madame Miroux’s robe atelier. And as usual, she did this all in the saftey of the plush purple velvet of the cafe booths. With another sip of tea, she scratched out a sentence with a flourish of red ink, sinking back to the cushioned seat.

[nessa-grey]

Tired wasn't nearly the word for what Nessa felt, it was she had been working since five in the morning, and was just now getting off. She tugged her jacket closer to her, cursing herself for always choosing the flimsiest clothing in the mornings. There was nothing she wanted more than sleep, her eyelids weighing down so heavily, but she needed to be awake to care for her elderly grandmother when she got home. Coffee, she needed coffee.

It was almost hilarious, she thought at least, how the most careless girl in the world was now clean and handed a slate of responsibilities. She shrugged it off as god's way of getting back at her for the ten years she had spent getting high and living off her trust fund. Now, for the first time, Nessa was a woman, and she lived her life for those she cared about. Being clean was difficult, god some days she lay in her bed just fantasizing about coke, but she knew better than that now. However, it felt amazing not having everyone wonder when something was going to get wrong; or wonder about who would show to your funeral. 

Nessa opened the door to the unfamiliar coffee shop, she usually hadn't taken this street to get home but she was desperate. She surveyed the menu from far, walking up and ordering her usually, black with two sugars. She leaned against the counter, turning her head  to look around- it was big world but she always seemed to be running into the same...

"Lucy Charlotte Weasley," She beamed at the familiar face, the woman responsible for her still breathing today.

[nessa-grey]

Tenderly he 

touched

kissed

caressed

faithfully believed in

love

trust

fairytales

carelessly I 

broke 

pushed 

ran

Left

shattered

bruised

alone

[sebastianegrey-blog]

He chuckled as she squeezed his arms,

"I have to do something on my days off, sitting around waiting for the day to end is just too boring.” He motioned for her to join him before taking his seat again. She looked good, and he was so glad for that. It wasn’t long ago that he  would feel like he was just waiting for something to happen, like she was a ticking time bomb. He didn’t have to worry anymore, they could have an actual conversation now and not end up arguing; he could offer to lend her money, and even though she would decline for the most part, it was different. They were different. "How’s your gran doing?" 

[nessa-grey]

She sat down, examining him. He had always been the one worried about her, but now she could notice the bags growing under his eyes, and how exhausted her looked.

She frowned a little, her poor big brother. 

" This treatment is working, those medical bills are not." She laughed, she had always been an optimist.  "How's work? You look god awful."

[sebastianegrey-blog]

He was delighted to see a familiar face when the door opened, none other 

than his baby sister. Despite their rocky relationship in the past, their relationship was stronger than ever- proving once more than nothing can come between blood.  "Ness," he smiled, standing from his seat to give his sister a hug, "how are you?"

[nessa-grey]

Nessa held him for a couple of seconds, taking in his scent. Growing up she hated him, but now he was her biggest supporter. She pulled away, and squeezed his arms. 

" I'm wonderful," she gave his arm another squeeze, " Have you been working out?"

[sebastianegrey-blog]

Sebastian Grey took a sip of his cappuccino in his usual seat at his favourite cafe, his eyes grazing over the pages of a book he’d read a million times before. A year ago, he would have relished in his days off, but when they did come around (and they were few and far between) he often just got bored. It was snowing outside, heavier than it had for most of the winter season, so he had taken shelter in the mostly empty cafe. The sound of the door opening peaked his interest, his eyes darting up to see if it was someone he knew.

[nessa-grey]

Nessa Grey held tightly onto her jacket, walking into the familiar cafe. She had an hour to kill before she had to go in for her double shift. Why had she chosen to be a writer and no a healer?The few things she was able to sell to columns barely paid for her groceries. She sighed, spotting her brother almost immediately and lighting up. 

"Sebastian!"

[nessa-grey]

[nessa-grey]

" Well when you make it big, remember the little bartender’s like me." She scrunched up her nose, " Oh no! That’s terrible, I still talk to Lucy every day, but she’s busy and all." Nessa frowned a bit, she still longed for her carefree days sometime. But she grinned again, "...

[nessa-grey]

"Lucy is marvelous, traveling currently with...Colin I think." She shrugged her shoulders, " eh every once in a while, London is expensive." She smirked at him, she was sober-but still a flirt, " Why didn't you ever write me?"

[albus-the-potter-blog]

He grinned back. “Thanks- its actually pretty big for me.” He shrugged at her question, sipping his coffee. “No idea, I haven’t seen Lil or James since last year, and all the rest are successful, you know, what did you expect?” He laughed bitterly. “So you said your brother’s still living here?”

[nessa-grey]

" Well when you make it big, remember the little bartender's like me." She scrunched up her nose, " Oh no! That's terrible, I still talk to Lucy every day, but she's busy and all." Nessa frowned a bit, she still longed for her carefree days sometime. But she grinned again, " yeah he lets me crash on his couch when my power goes out." 

[albus-the-potter-blog]

He nodded, smiling. “Good. It’s… good. And you look-” He laughed at how tongue tied he was getting. This was Nessa. “Sorry, this was just really unexpected. I’m actually starting as an intern for the Prophet tomorrow.”

[nessa-grey]

She grinned at him, shoving his shoulder. " No shit! That's amazing, I'm proud of ya." He was still as attractive as she remembered him, still so bashful around her. "And the rest of you Potters?"