Blurting Out Something Horribly Stupid



You ran your fingers through your hair just like you always would when you were nervous. Yes, I was putting you in an uncomfortable position. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Well actually, I did. You see, it was the only way to see that you actually had emotion under that cold shell (emotion that didn't involve Quidditch). You can’t imagine how many times I wanted to see you genuinely smile. Oh Merlin! It was killing me!

But there you were, shuffling your feet like I was asking you to marry me or something! Your fingers ran through your brown hair. It always looked like every strand was molded by the wind; kind of like a sign that you belonged on that broom rather than on the ground.

And now you were just standing there, hesitant to even look me in the eye. I don’t know if I really wanted you to look up. Every time your chocolate brown eyes looked into mine, I was petrified I’d say or do something stupid! Merlin knows I always did. Babbling, breathing quickly, turning beetroot red! God, I thought, don’t look at me, please don’t look at me!

But then you did! Oh bloody hell! I wanted to see those eyes again. I wanted to read what you were thinking; to get some idea of what you thought of me. But at the same time I wished you wouldn’t look up because maybe you’d see what I was thinking! I was so scared I’d do something stupid like fall or ogle at you or run away. Then you’d think I was mental!

And then... then you blushed! I wasn’t sure at first; maybe it was a trick of the light. The only source of light was after all the dieing fire. Nobody else was there; just the two of us. In a way I wished Alicia or Angelina were there... Hell! Even the Weasley Twins! If anyone was, I’d just crack a joke or talk about Quidditch and just act like nothing was wrong; like everything was just peachy! Like I was Katie Bell, just Katie Bell, and you were the infamous Oliver Wood, Captain of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team, with looks that could kill and a heart full of nothing but the love for Quidditch.

But no, I was in way too deep now. I had asked you. I don’t know what came over me but I blurted it out: “WannagotoHogsmidwime?”

“Sorry, Bell, what was that?” Bloody hell! Don’t make me repeat it! I took a deep breath. Merlin, my face probably matched Fred and George’s hair!

“Erm... Wanna go to Hogsmeade with me?” Of course you just had to stare blankly at me didn’t, you? Blimey! You’re slow at everything but Quidditch! Don’t you understand? I’m asking you out! Hello!

And then you blinked and suddenly looked down at your shoes. It suddenly hit me: you were REALLY uncomfortable. The man of steel, undeterred by ‘silly’ emotions was too embarrassed to even look at me!

I thought I would enjoy making you feel like that; making you feel like anything that was unrelated to Quidditch. But no, I suddenly wanted to just run away and hide under a heap of covers on my bed. You were taking so long! Suddenly I didn’t care if you said ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I just wanted to get out of there. Oh God, what was I thinking? I couldn’t ask my Captain out! That was... that was... You’d hate me! It would be forever awkward! Or at least... that was what I thought.

I was looking so fixedly at my shoelaces, studying the zigzag pattern they made, that I didn’t hear you at first.

“What?” I mumbled, looking up. Oh no... You were looking straight in to my eyes. Oh don’t do that! You’re trying to read my mind! I can tell! Stop it! Please, look somewhere else. I’m going to melt! I’m going to melt! Oh Merlin!

“Sure,” you mumbled, suddenly stopping with the shuffling and fidgeting. Your eyes were locked with mine. I couldn’t look away. Oh God, I was afraid this might happen. I can’t trust myself when it comes to you. But wait... What did you say?

“What?” I said stupidly. You broke eye contact and started shuffling again. You looked annoyed, uncomfortable and desperate at the same time. Desperate... Oh yeah, of course. You wanted this uncomfortable encounter to end too.

“Okay,” you said, trying to sound calm and collected but your voice betrayed you. You looked like you were having some kind of internal battle of whether or not it was safe to look up at me again. Your eyes carefully looked at mine. Carefully.

Oh Merlin, I was melting! How did you do that?! Your chocolate brown eyes searched mine. I was frozen on the spot. I didn’t know what to do. Say ‘good night’ and go to bed or... or take a step forward?

The fire had almost died but I felt like I was on fire! You were leaning against the sofa, watching me intently. I knew you didn’t want to go either. I could tell. You were frozen there in front of me. But then your lean body slowly, cautiously straightened up. Somehow, against my will, my eyes travelled from your handsome face to your strong arms, to your lean chest and abdomen... Oh Merlin! Get a hold of yourself, Katie! Don’t do anything stupid like... like drooling!

My eyes snapped back up as you took a small step forward. You weren’t smiling; you weren’t angry or sad or happy... You just looked transfixed and... hesitant. But hesitation seemed to be pushed aside by something else... I had never seen such emotion in those eyes. It was scary yet exhilarating. My heart was beating so quickly. I wondered if you could hear it. It was suddenly unbearably hot and my mind went blank, or so I thought.

After a moment you took a step closer. Oh no, your nose was just inches away from mine! How did that happen?! For a split second I wondered if I looked stupid, standing there, staring at you. But then you blinked and sighed. I could hear you breathing so quickly I thought you were going to do something wild, something impulsive. And as you leaned ever so slowly closer, I could feel your hot breath on my skin. I didn’t melt yet?!

I was no longer frozen on the spot. My eyes glanced down at your lips, mere inches away now. They were parted, and your chest was heaving. And then I looked up into those intense chocolate brown eyes as the moonlight peered over the clouds, giving everything around us a dreamy glow. Your eyes... Oh Merlin, I saw everything! Everything!

I could feel your heat. It was making my head spin. And your hot breath didn’t help! As if in a trance, my body relaxed and I closed my eyes. I could feel your heart beat. Or was that mine? I didn’t know any more.

Your lips brushed lightly against mine. I held my breath. This was too much... too much... A hundred butterflies fluttered wildly in my stomach while every inch of my skin tingled. Your lips moved away, as if you were afraid. But by then I was done for, I was a goner. There was no turning back and I didn’t want to. Your sporadic breaths were all I needed...

Don’t be afraid, Wood, I thought. At the same time as I let my body lean lightly forward, your lips caught mine and everything else seemed to melt away. Everything but you, Oliver Wood. Your lips were burning with a heat I never knew was hidden in you. They were needy, passionate. Oh Merlin! This was you! This was you and I never noticed! And as one arm took me in to your chest and the other cupped the side of my cheek with a tenderness I never thought you had, I knew I wanted to be nowhere else.

I ran my fingers through that soft brown hair, drowning deeper into something exquisite. I couldn’t believe this was you. I couldn’t believe you were capable of it and I couldn’t believe this was happening.

All I really said was “WannagotoHogsmidwime?” without falling on my face, hyperventilating, drooling or blurting out something horribly stupid. Oh wait...