A break with a friend

[Alex Cullen]

Alex sat on the window ledge, breathing in the wet grass smell. It had recently stopped raining and the musty smell was filling up the air nicely. And sitting with his legs outside of the window was the closest he would get without getting himself wet from the soggy grass. Actually, he was in fact waiting for a friend. He didn't want to stress Kiera out nor speak to her to be honest but he needed help with some of the meetings coming up and knew Nina wouldn't mind helping him. A small breeze blew through the window and Alex closed his eyes listening to the wind whistle softly to the world.

 

[Nina Patrokov]

Nina had, to her greatest displeasure, just been caught in the rain. She had been outside at the time, planting for her own pleasure in the Garden, in jeans she had torn long ago from this. Still wet she headed up to the North Tower to meet Cullen. She had of course read the article in the Prophet and assumed this was why he wanted to speak to her. Maybe not about it or Kiera, he probably just was avoiding Kiera and she could understand why he would. Heck if it was her, they would have been over but Alex was a sweet heart, always had been and when they were younger it had drawn her in instantly.

While Nina walked she wrung her wet ringlets out, leaving behind a trail of water and as she approached the tower, she looked down at her outfit. Still agitated and very uncomfortable but she ignored that as she walked in. "Hey Cullen!" she called playfully before quickly walking towards him and hugging him warmly from behind, careful not to make him shaky on the edge of the window. "How do we keep missing each other?" she asked, exasperatedly as she pulled back, only then realizing the she had gotten his shirt wet from behind. "Oops," she said softly, before shrugging her shoulders and pulling herself up onto the ledge beside him.

Nina swung her legs over the edge and carefully curled her fingers, grasping the cobblestone as she beamed warmly. The fresh rain brought colour to her cheeks and illuminated her eyes and features quite nicely, anyone could see this, even as soaked as the seventeen year old was.

 

[Alex Cullen]

Alex jumped slightly as someone called his name but he felt a smile spread over his face as he recognized the voice as Nina's. 'Hey Patrokov,' he called back playfully, laughter in his voice. He gasped slightly as she hugged him, the wetness seeping through his shirt. It was cold compared to his warm body temperature.
Turning his head to see his friend, he laughed. 'I don't know. Maybe because 7 years are ghosts,' he joked back smiling. She still looked as good as ever, maybe even better. 'Get caught in the rain I guessed?' he asked her though he expected no answer. It was obvious the answer was a yes.

 

[Nina Patrokov]

Nina smiled at Alex as he jokingly responded to her question, she missed him a lot and even though they were in the same house and year they still managed to not bump into each other but she didn't show just how hard it was for her to be away from her best friend. As he rhetorically asked if she had got caught in the rain and she cheekily responded, "No, I just took a shower with my clothes on." She nudged him playfully with her elbow before smiling warmly at him. "How are you doing Alex?" she asked curiously.

 

[Alex Cullen]

Alex laughed as Nina joked back with him. 'Hmm, maybe next time you think of doing that, could always invite me,' he cheekily responded, smirking his crooked smile at her. He didn't mean it of course. It was harmless flirting, something he hadn't done for a while with her to be honest.
He let his shoulders shrug as she asked him how he was. 'I'm managing.' he simply replied, not feeling comfortable talking about Kiera. When he was finally away from her, he planned to keep her out his mind, no matter how hard that was. 'How about you?' he returned the question. He didn't know anything of what was happening in his best friend's life and it sometimes pained him that Kiera had kept him away from his friend's quite a lot.

 

[Nina Patrokov]

Nina quickly became flustered at Alex's suggestion, she had never been good with flirting, it was something that always caused her cheeks to redden and her heart beat to quicken in pace. "Don't get too excited Cullen. I had my clothes on remember," she winked, trying very hard to play his little game but feared she wasn't doing very well, not that it mattered, that part of their relationship was long done with and now were best friends.

As Alex said he was managing, Nina knew that it was because of the Gryffindor. She was slowly breaking her friend and although they had settled their differences, Nina hated her for it. She wanted her to feel the boy's pain but karma would get her, it had to. "Me? Hmm, I'm alright. A little bored with myself mind you but I've got planting and reading to help with that don't I?" she asked rhetorically, before groaning at herself, realizing just how sad and pathetic she was. "We need to see each other more often Alex," she said, knowing he was basically her only way to have friends at this school.

 

[Alex Cullen]

Alex shook his head at her comment back. He decided he wouldn't make another comment on how she would be in a shirt at the time as he noticed her cheeks had coloured at that.
He couldn't help but laugh at her answered though. It sounded like a perfect nerd though he would never tell that to her face. That would be mean. 'Hmm, was there herbology this term then?' he asked starting to panic slightly. Maybe he should of had 4 classes this term instead of 3. He hoped not for his grades sake. 'Yeah, for your sanity's sake especially,' he agreed, giving her a wink. 'Or are we too late already?' he added for that extra humour.

 

[Nina Patrokov]

Nina blushed once more as Alex laughed at her, knowing exactly what he was thinking. He didn't have to say it for her to know what he was thinking of her. "No there wasn't. I have just been planting for my own sake," she answered peacefully. As he mocked her, she glared at him playfully. "Alex, I've been crazy for.. well since I was a tot. You can't say you haven't known that for seven years," she said with a small smile as she thought back to how they met. They hadn't gotten along, he thought she was nerdy and she thought he was a little stupid and she teased him about his flying but in second year that had changed, after they had constantly bumped into each other.

 

[Alex Cullen]

Alex trying very hard to stop himself laughing as Nina made the situation even worse for herself in the issues of planting. But it seemed she was managing her life much better than his with it. A lot better, though Alex had to admit. His essays were being handed in on time, he wasn't doing that badly and to be honest, he had actually taken up very well to the responsibility of being Head Boy extremly well for him...eventually.
Smiling at Nina, he imitated a bomb dropping. 'Now that you mention it, nope, never noticed ever,' he replied back playfully. It was true, Nina worried way to much but that was it. She wasn't crazy like everyone he knew nowadays. She was normal. Just normal.

 

[Nina Patrokov]

Nina rolled her eyes at Alex as he joked with her, she would miss this, she had missed this and until the end of school she wanted to embrace her best friend and all his facets and quirks. She wrapped her arms around him again as the looming loneliness plagued her. She smiled at her friend warmly before asking curiously, "So, Cullen, why did you want to see me?" She pulled away and waited for her friends response.

 

[Alex Cullen]

Alex let Nina hug him as he placed his arm round her back. He felt no feeling in whatsoever. They were friends, that was it. He smiled as Nina finally asked why he had wanted to meet her here. 'Well, I thought you could help me with some stupid Prefect stuff. we've got this meeting coming up with the Head's and nothing has really happened in the meetings so I sort of need something to point out to be honest and I have no idea what to do.' he explained to her all in one go.
The real reason was that he just didn't want to discuss this stuff with Kiera but he wasn't exactly going to say that now was he. Looking at Nina, he smiled widely. 'So will you help me or was all this a waste of rain catching you?' he joked with her, sticking his tongue out at her playfully.

 

[Nina Patrokov]

Nina's eyebrows arched as Alex asked if she wanted to help him with Prefect things. "I'd love yo help you Cullen," she grinned. "So what exactly do you need help with?" she asked with curiousity flooding into her brown eyes, she grinned brightly at her friend.

bleh lame

 

[Alex Cullen]

Alex smiled as she offered her help. 'What is wrong with the school that the prefects could actually improve. I think the lesson last year has really stuck but to be honest, leaves a sticky to us,' he replied, chuckling slightly at the fact they were in a mind blank state at the moment. Well, maybe it was just him as he was used to being part of the troublemakers crowd and hence didn't really see the bad stuff as bad the same. But perhaps Nina would know.