It had been more than a week since Theodore Nott discovered that Rosalie Hearst was the girl from his past, his childhood crush and the girl he was currently in love with.

   He had been craving to reveal her the whole truth but he never got the chance as she never stepped outside her dorm. Upon asking several gryffindor who sneered at him mostly, he got to know Rosalie was sick. She had a high fever and was forced to bed rest. She didnt go to the infirmary as she wanted to stay in her dorm and read all day, if possible there.

    Hermione too had been a bit surprising in the recent days as she frequently skipped classes for her best friend to look after her, which again left no chance for Theo to even convey his message to Rosalie through Hermione. The only choice he had left was to wait.

     If only he could express how much drowned in guilt and remorse he was for what he had done. He hurt the one person he could never imagine to. Ofcourse he knew what he was doing but now at this stage he felt the extremely awful considering the fact that Rosalie must think of him as a playboy, which he was probably an year ago and gradually grew distant from all of it out of boredom.

    And now when he had actually felt attracted to a girl which felt like ages after, only to discover she was his childhood crush whom he had now hurt very badly which might grant him no forgiveness from her side but still he was going to try.

    Ever since the age of seven when he had first met Rosalie, he knew he would do anything to find her again and remain with her. His fondness of her never ended. Even when he hadnt waited for her now almost everyday while growing up, her place in his heart remained the same.

     It would be better to say he moved on from that blissful in incident from his childhood but she still remained as special to him. Confusing, it might be but that was his condition.

    And now when he had found her after all those years, he was not letting her go, not again.

   But even if, Rosalie hadnt been the girl from his childhood, he would still have apologised to her truly for what he did. Hundred galleons meant nothing to him when he accepted the bet, all he wanted was to have some fun which turned out to be one of the best days of his life for some reasons and he knew he would definitely be truthful to her despite her response.

    He wouldnt mind if Rosalie decided she wont see his face ever again, he knew he kind of deserved that, all he wanted was to tell her everything he felt no matter how much shame it might bring him down on account of his acts. Seemingly, her feelings mattered more to him now.

    That heavy feeling within him was making his heart sink. It had been an excruciatingly long wait without having seen her. Every wise cell remaining in his head forced him to let it go, the year was to end soon and he might not get the chance to actually apologizes to her and never see her again but a tiny yet violent part of him beheld on to facing her for one last time if it were possible.

    Sighing, he let his feet drag him to the quidditch pitch with only her occupying his mind. He could now recall every single moment passed between them to which he never paid no heed but now it all felt so special.

    How she would squint her eyes at him when aiming, how in third year when she shyly asked him if he had an extra quill and he mocked her for it, how she constantly kept sneezing when Hagrid once led all the students to a nice flowery garden, oh, now he knew she was allergic to flowers. He smiled on remembering every small glimpse of her over the years which for some reasons was well savoured in his memory and he never noticed.

    His attention was grabbed by the clouds which thundered, he exhaled heavily knowing it'd rain soon and yet again his mind traveled to the last rain he experienced which was with her. They almost kissed. He shook his head at his own disappointment of that day. Only if the clouds could have waited for a few seconds...

   He chuckled distracting his thoughts by the crowd stands of the pitch which were completely deserted except for one seat which was occupied. It was a girl. And he instantly recognised who it was, they were the same basic brown hair which had somehow captured his heart and he was well binded in them.

   There she was. Rosalie Hearst.

    Facing the empty pitch while he stood behind her at a distance, he didnt know if she was actually there or he was just imagining it because his mind did no other job than think about her lately.

    He was only confirmed when his steps led him further and yeah, she was real. Holding a small diary and pen. He knew she had a journal, he had seen her many times with that russet jacketed diary. Maybe he had been praying too hard that she was right now in front of him finally.

    His heart beat dramatically now as he neared her, he didnt know how he'll say or what he'll say, he just wanted to talk to her, tell her that he regretted hurting her. 

     "Rose?" The way her shoulders perked up a bit at the sound of his voice which she clearly recognised as she took longer to turn and face him. 

    He saw how she slowly stood up and turned to face him and just at the sight of her face, his heart leaped. How come he never paid attention to those majestic hazel eyes?

    She stared at him with a longing blank look, it was clear to him that she already hated him but he had to speak up, if not now then never.

     "Are you well?" He asked in a nervous voice worriedly soft. She blinked as if letting him come up with the answer on his own. Soon it was starting to ache a bit, the longer she stood there.

    If it werent the same guy whom she had a crush on since years and who broke her heart already on their 'first date' which too was fake. She didnt know what to feel anymore, a part of her felt like she was being dramatic because expecting anything good from him was a bad idea already and still she did to hurt herself.

    It was her fault as she believed. She should have never trusted him since the beginning despite her foolish crush on him. She saw how he waited for an answer, nervousness glinting in his eyes. She held a blank look, "Why do you care?"

    She knew she sounded pathetic and didnt want it to get any worse now and decided she should just leave. As she turned around to leave his voice from behind again stopped her, "I am sorry Rose."

    Firstly it absolutely burned her when he took her name. She felt even more infuriated until he continued, "I know I dont deserve to be forgiven for that stupid prank I played on you and its completely alright if you dont want to forgive me and never look at me ever again but just hear me out for this once..."

    Her brows furrowed lightly when heard the ever so faintest crack in his voice at the end. Why was he sad? She heard a soft sigh released from him while her back still faced her before she heard his voice again, this time gentler, "When I agreed to the bet to go on a date with you I thought it'd be just a casual, boring hangout until I realised that I was actually enjoying your company, your presence by my side for the whole day. Everytime I was able to make you laugh, I found the greatest joy. Everytime you held my hand and led me anywhere with you, I followed blindly because I was loving it. Every moment passed, every joke cracked, every time we looked at each other, I wanted nothing but the day to never end."

    She felt a deep clenching at her heart as he went on, she was glad she was not facing him or her face might have reflected how confused and suddenly overwhelmed she was feeling right now. She couldnt believe if he was actually saying all of that or again it was a lie.

    Her face contoured into fury again, she was reminded to the promise she had made to herself after everything went down the hill ever since the date, that she would not let him fool again, no boy ever. She decided it was best to leave at that moment and forget she ever had a foolish crush on a boy called Theodore Nott, life was much greater than that.

     Theo watched as slowly but steadily she started moving away. She didnt forgive him, ofcourse. And maybe still wasnt finished, he needed to tell her the most important thing. A part of him feared if she even remembered that incident from years ago or that it meant anything to her at all. But he needed to tell her, it meant a great deal to him.

    As he watched her go away, his gaze fell on the diary she forgot at the stands. His breath hitched as something popped up in his mind.

    Rosalie, while walking away was truly determined to never look back at that boy ever again. She wanted to erase whatever sort of feelings she ever had for him. And if it meant she was going to be stuck over her a silly childhood fantasy from years ago, she was fine with it.

    Suddenly she halted as something flew past her in a swift motion. She blinked, a paper plane.

    "You know Rose, in my childhood I loved a quote very much," She heard Theo call from a distance, "Fold all your worries into paper planes and fly them away from you."

    Rosalie felt frozen on the spot on hearing that, that quote— it sounded familiar. She knew it by heart. She turned around abruptly to face him and found him standing there at a distance with a little sad smile.

    "You—?" Thats all she could force out staring at him in disbelief and saw how he nodded slowly, his eyes surfacing with tears as he started moving towards her holding that smile, "Yes Rose, it was me."

    She blinked, feeling her heart getting heavier as he added, "From all those years ago, that park, those paper planes, that rainy day and that little girl who ran away from her home."

    She stared at him unbelieving to what he was saying. Everything in her stirred remembering that day from ten years ago with that little boy, who now claimed to be standing in front of her. It was him, from all those years ago, him...

    "Y-You—" She whimpered, her voice dying down, she barely whispered with tears forming in her eyes, "It was really you?"

 
   He nodded vigorously, trying to blink those tears away. Stepping towards her he spoke admittedly, "I know I have hurt you, Rose. I really did, I shouldnt have, not with you neither with any other girl and I am sorry, I truly am. And you dont know how much I regret it knowing that I did that to you, my first and only love."

    She gasped inaudibly, her lips quivering. Did he just admit he loved her? He shook his head, tearing his gaze from her, "I might sound weird but I am sorry Rose. I've never truly felt anything for any girl other than you, be it now or ten years ago. It had always been you and I can never imagine it to be anybody else. Its only you for me, Rose."

     "Ever since that date," He added after a short while, his voice quietening and becoming firmer, his eyes bore into hers passionately, "I wanted to tell you the truth of that bet, apologise or do whatever it takes so that we can start over, if you allow."

    He took a final step towards her, close enough that there were only inches left between them now. She could see sheer genuinity in those oceanic blue eyes. He whispered softly, utter hope in his eyes that physically weakened her, "Whatever you decide, Rose."

    It took everything in her to not burst into tears right then and there. He was the boy she had been waiting ever since, he was her first ever definition of love, the only one she had always searched for in everyone.

    "You have been the biggest asshole to me in these seven years I have know you, everything about you always tried to compel me into hating you, everything— just everything and yet I couldnt bring myself to hate you," She said, her words shaking, while teary eyes boring into his, "Because I dont want to Theo."

     She took a step further closing the gap between them getting on her tip toes, her hand reaching up to his face cupping it from side, her face nearing his, only a few centimeters away now, she whispered at his lips while staring into his eyes, "I want this."

   With that she connected their lips and he was evidently shook, as if all the walls around him broke with that soft brush of her lips against his. The clouds rumbled loudly causing her to flinch and detach staring into his eyes, brows furrowed as she was overwhelmed.

    A small yet lovable smile pulled at his lip as he shook his head merely, cupping her face and pulling her back into him. This tine everything in her sparked at the way he reconnected their lips. A tear slipped out of her closed eyes, as she felt blissfully trapped at his lips not wanting it to end.

    Only a second later, both were greeted by the tiny raindrops falling over them. Again. But this time none of them detached unlike before. Both of them wanted it.

     Breathless, Rosalie was the first one to break it while both of them were now completely drenched, foreheads pressed together and they chuckled, eyes still closed. She felt him plant his lips on her forehead and suddenly she felt even better than it already was.

    Her eyes opened as she looked past him, the paper plane he made dissolving in rain. Her lips perked up as she looked up at him and remarked, "You make better paper planes now.

     "Practice," He shrugged smilingly and grinned, "By the way I have revised my quote as well, — fold all your worries into paper planes and turn them into flying fucks."

    She laughed, "So romantic!"

THE END

~Author's Note~

This short book ends here with gratitude, thankyou all those who have been a part of this short yet amazing journey and supported me! I am glad to have you all💓

Thankyou

08/05/23

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