Confusion in the Mind

[Indiana Night]

Indiana moved through the castle as if she didn't know where she was headed. But she knew full well that she was going to the North Tower to meet her friend Preston Paine there. She didn't go very fast but she also didn't move at a snail's pace to get there. The girl was lost in thought however as she moved through the castle. She was recalling the words from her siblings of their lives as Professional Quidditch players, while she was stuck being an alternate. The girl held a slight grudge against the Captain for making her an alternate chaser while a second year got the position. Even Kyle made the team, though she wondered if the Captain thought his father would donate the newest model of brooms to the entire team with Kyle being on it. But those were just sour thoughts in her mind and she reminded herself how her sister hadn't made the team during her seventh year but passed the auditions and made it onto the Stonewall Stormers team. She was proud of both her siblings. Kayden even had a wonderful girlfriend who said once she graduated Beauxbatons she would join the same team. Things were looking up for her siblings and she was happy for them. It made her happy knowing her older sister was finally happy, truly happy once more. She knew about her sister's heartache over her once boyfriend and how everything had gone downhill for her. The one thing that made her sister get better was the responsibility of being a Prefect. Indiana had loved seeing her sister with the badge her first year, she thought her sister had done well in her position. Kayden had a similar student leader position at Salem as well as Captain of one of their teams.

Taking the steps up the outside of the North Tower she silently wondered if Preston had meant the Owlery or the top of the tower. She wasn't quite sure but she decided to head up to the top of the tower anyways. He was probably already waiting for her being such a punctual person. It made her smile thinking about him. Her night at the Yule Ball had been lovely because of him. Of course, she had run off after Tybalt when she saw him running from the Great Hall. But that had turned out fine and she had returned to Preston. She still wasn't fully sure what she thought of Preston, if he was only a friend or not. She had felt her stomach twirl many times as they danced at the Yule Ball. It had been a magical moment for sure. He was such a wonderful person she couldn't even imagine why he had been placed in Slytherin. When she had first met him in the bookstore before sorting he hadn't any idea what the houses were but she told him she hoped for Gryffindor like her sister Georgiana. He had wanted to share the house with her but at the sorting the hat called out Slytherin for him. She had been saddened but she knew it didn't mean they couldn't still see each other. And she made a best friend in her house the next morning anyways. Tybalt was also someone she was confused about and probably the reason why she did not know if she liked Preston more than friends. Finally getting to the top of the Tower Indiana was met with a wonderful view, as well as the rear-view of her friend, Preston. "Hey there."

ooc: I hope that is acceptable for you and you agree with him owling her and such to meet

 

[Preston Paine]

As Preston waited for Indiana to show up, he passed the time moving from window to window. For some reason, he was antsy this evening, unable to sit on any of the sills for an extended period of time. Finally, the young Slytherin gave up and paced the towers, glancing every now and then to the steps where he hoped to see Indiana soon. Each time he heard some steps on the stairs, the boy’s head instantly turned. So far, it had only been a first year looking for the owlery and his imagination. Sending her a message had been a spur of the moment thing, one that he was sort of coming to regret, especially since he wasn’t exactly sure what he planned to do once she arrived. The boy had no doubt that he had a wonderful time at the Yule Ball, at least up until the moment when Indiana had run off after her friend. Thinking about it now still caused an involuntarily eye roll on the Slytherin’s part. He sighed, running a hand through his hair before gripping the sill of a window and looking out at the view. When she’d gone, Preston had been sad. She had returned though, and the two had passed the night dancing and eating and joking around. It had been fun, and by the end of the night Preston hardly remembered that she had left for those few brief moments. Anyone who had seen them that night probably wouldn’t understand why Preston’s thoughts were so jumbled. He couldn’t remember ever having felt so…off, but off he was. Get a grip he thought to himself, forcing himself to focus on the stars in the sky. As he began to name the constellations that he recognized, Preston’s mind was able to slow down a bit.

Although he had been waiting to hear her arrival, Preston was caught completely unawares as he heard Indiana’s all-too-familiar voice. He jumped slightly, jolted out of his search for Sagittarius in the sky. His stomach did the same, the same tug he'd felt during the Yule Ball making a brief appearance. The Slytherin was quick to recover and turned to see his Gryffindor friend. “Hello Indiana” he returned the greeting along with his usual cheerful grin. Preston was glad that Indiana was dressed more like her normal self. She’d looked great amazing at the Yule Ball, but he’d been intimidated by it. In her dress, Indiana had seemed more sophisticated and mature. It wasn’t a bad thing at all, but it had taken some time for Preston to be able to talk to her like she was Indiana, his Gryffindor friend. “Did you have a good holiday?” he asked, his usual slightly formal self. Preston settled on the window sill and patted the space beside him.

OOC: Sure. I'm a-ok with it.

 

[Indiana Night]

Indiana smiled as her friend turned around, it looked like she had surprised him and she was pleased with herself. It was great fun surprising people when they weren't paying attention. She half skipped over to her friend to greet him with her usual hug. She blamed the butterflies in her stomach mostly from the skipping she had done to get over to him. While she did wonder why he asked her to come here her mind was also thinking of other things. Like quidditch and classes. So much was going on she was glad to have a break from everything and see her friend. A smile was bright on her face seeing Preston. She had had a wonderful time with him at the Yule Ball with him, despite having to run off to make sure Tybalt was okay. But he had been fine and she was glad to introduce Tybalt and Bituin, have them be friends as well. But since coming back from break Tybalt seemed different, he had a new camera, a new brighter attitude. "Holidays were good. I spent most of my time with my siblings in Brightstone," she shared with her good friend.

He hopped up on the window sill and Indiana followed his lead once he patted the spot next to him. Pulling up her legs with her she put her head on her knees, the side of her head so she could see Preston. She wanted to be polite and ask him about his break but she was also one to get straight to the point. What was the reason behind meeting here in the North Tower. She didn't want to press Preston for answers either. Glancing behind Preston she gazed out the window for a second before returning her eyes to his face. "How was your break? I didn't see you around the castle, I assume you went home then?" Indiana asked her friend with a light inquisitive voice. Looking at him now she wished she had spent more time with him during first year and semester one this year. Most of her time was with Tybalt but now he seemed to be disappearing more and more, like he had secrets that he wouldn't share with her. But here was Preston, someone always eager to see her and she felt likewise now. Though he wasn't dressed up she still felt the butterflies in her tummy as she had seeing him dressed fancily.

 

[Preston Paine]

" That's nice" Preston replied. He knew how much Indiana enjoyed spending time with her siblings. If he remembered correctly, they were both busy being on different quidditch teams. He was sure that meant that they weren't always able to visit with Indiana and likely not at the same time. As Indiana settled herself in beside him, Preston couldn't help but noticing how petite she was. He nodded, " Yea. My parents and I went to Paris to visit some family." The idea of staying in the castle seemed sort of sad to him. He knew that most of the school went home and the idea of being one of the few remaining in his house was kind of weird to think about. "Do you usually stay?" he asked, suddenly thinking that maybe staying one year wouldn't be such a bad thing. It would be an interesting experience, for sure.

Preston knew that he was just making small talk with Indiana, but he hoped she wouldn't notice. He would eventually make his way to what he wanted to speak with her about, but if she called him out on it, he wasn't sure if he would be able to go through with it. The Slytherin knew that he was being silly, but this was a serious matter to him. Preston knew that he wouldn't be able to pull off the position that Indiana was seated in, so he didn't even try. Instead, he settled for leaning his back against the windows. He took a long look at the Gryffindor before he realized what he was doing and ducked his head, a tiny blush coming across his cheeks. "I never thanked you for being my date to the Yule Ball" he said, the blush still on his cheeks as he looked up again. Preston had told her that he'd had a great time, but according to his dad it wasn't the same thing. His father had been appalled at his son when he'd heard about his son's lapse and made Preston promise him that he would do it first thing upon returning back to the school. " So, thank you."

 

[Indiana Night]

Indiana smiled at her friend as she watched him tell her that he'd gone to Paris. She was jealous that he had gotten to go somewhere out of country, somewhere new. But she had a wonderful time with her siblings, glad she had gotten to see them. She also received advice from both which was something she was always grateful for. She looked up to her older sister very much as a role model. Her brother had done things just as important as Georgiana and had a wonderful girlfriend who Indiana hoped one day would be her sister. "The city of lights," she said kind of looking off as she was dreaming about the other city. But he hadn't seemed to want to talk much about the trip as he turned it back to her. She thought of the question and she didn't really know the answer, she wasn't sure if she had been there during second if she would've stayed or not. It had just sort of worked out that she'd stay there and her siblings would come on vacation. She enjoyed the summer life here in New Zealand very much. She'd probably stay on a few more times. It did mean free food which she was sure helped her father out a bit not having to worry about entertaining her all break and feeding her things she liked. "I think I enjoyed myself, not seeing snow for one winter back home was quite nice and it felt like vacation in a beautiful place. I really got to see how beautiful this place is," Indiana said with a smile on her face. She was happy with her decision to stay at the castle. She had gotten a lot of training done and she hoped in the next year she'd be able to take her rightful spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Preston leaned back against the windows and she took the cue from him. Leaning back she left her arms holding onto her legs. She found this new position quite comfortable and it was easier to see Preston if she turned her head. Indiana didn't have to crane her neck any more to see him. And to be honest she did like looking at him, here he was in normal clothing but still handsome in a way that threatened to take her breathe away if she wasn't so good at keeping her emotions in check. A smile grew on her face at his words. The blush on his cheeks was something she was very familiar with, at the Yule Ball she had compared him to the Gryffindor flag, or something like that. She had to fight the urge to call him adorable out loud, she didn't think he'd quite enjoy that. Letting go of her legs Indiana moved her arms and put them around his torso twisting herself so that it wouldn't be so uncomfortable. Though it meant that her legs were slightly resting on his. But she never felt awkward when she was touching others. Indiana was really and genuinely happy whenever she was around Preston. It was like an ease that he gave her and despite sometimes feeling nerves she knew they were the good kind. "Aw, Preston thank you for asking me. You know I enjoyed the ball so much!" Indiana already knew that he had been grateful for her going with him and she felt the same. It was jut an added touch to how nice he was that he took the time to pull her aside from her normal routine to thank her. Holding onto him she leaned in closer to give him a kiss on the cheek after finishing talking.

 

[Preston Paine]

“Oui” he replied with a smile on her face as she called Paris by its other name. Preston was nearly fluent in French, a fact that he didn’t ever mention to others. There wasn’t much need to speak French in New Zealand, especially not when he was at school. At home was another story. His father would suddenly switch to French at times. It was as if he wanted to make sure his son never forgot the language. How could he though. He’d been speaking it for as long as he could remember. Preston was glad that Indiana had gotten the chance to explore New Zealand. He loved his country and was happy to hear that other people did too. As Indiana made herself more comfortable, Preston was trying very hard to not notice how close their legs were to each other. It was something he probably wouldn’t have ever noticed before, but since the Yule Ball he had been coming to all sorts of realizations. That wasn’t exactly true. He had been coming to all sorts of realizations since the beginning of the school year. They were just more frequent these days. The boy ducked his head as Indiana thanked him, looking up as she drew closer and placed a kiss on his cheek. He didn’t think she would notice that he was blushing even harder now. How could she when he was already red as a tomato.

“I did too” he stammered out. She was now even closer to him than she had been before, and if he wanted to he could probably see how the blues of her eyes merged into each other. He was too nervous to do so, and was beginning to realize that he wouldn’t be able to go through with his original plan. He hadn’t really sent an owl just so he could thank her for being his date. The Slytherin sat back, putting some space between him and Indiana, though their legs still touched. His mind was rushing, a war going on in his head as he tried to figure out what to do. He could easily pick up a new topic of conversation. It wouldn’t be a difficult thing to do. Or, he could stop being a chicken. The sudden image of Indiana sitting away from Tybalt in Arithmancy ran through his head and his managing to snag the seat right behind her caused a smile to drift onto his face. “So…what did you think of Arithmancy?” he asked casually, his face slowly returning to its natural shade.

 

[Indiana Night]

Indiana thought it sounded amazing to go with family to a city like Paris. She wondered if his family often traveled, or even what his heritage was. He knew hers, but all she really knew was he was from here. But his family had to of started out else where she thought. She enjoyed the redness of his cheeks and was sure hers matched. She hadn't ever properly kissed a boy before, she didn't think she ever kissed anyone outside the family before. Maybe Tybalt if he had ever done something nice for her, but she couldn't remember, it would of been over a year and a half ago when she was a first year. She knew she was friendly but she did not think that friendly. She liked Preston she was happy to think that he liked her as well. Indiana wasn't very sure how much she did like him, but she always felt butterflies in her stomach whenever she first saw him, and she didn't for other people. There wasn't anything about him that seemed cruel and hurtful, unlike his fellow Slytherin Josefina. Indiana pushed thoughts of her out of her own mind. It was time to be with Preston and enjoying his company for once. She frowned when he pulled away a bit and she herself straightened up once more.

Looking at the floor of the tower Indiana was lost in thought. She felt slightly rejecting by him even after doing something she had to muster her Gryffindor courage for. They sat in silence for awhile before he brought up a different topic from the Yule Ball. She wondered why he had brought up their class. It was the one where he had sat behind her, she had noticed his feet on the bar under her seat. She was sure the Professor noticed the red cheeks when he had done so. "Is that why you asked me here? To chat about Arithmancy, Preston? Doesn't seem very like you," she said in a teasing tone not answering his question. She actually wasn't sure how she felt about the class. It didn't seem like it'd be the most interesting but she did have friends in the class to help her out, like Bituin.

 

[Preston Paine]

The frown on Indiana’s face as he sat back wasn’t lost on Preston. His eyebrows lifted slightly, though he was quick to force his face back to an impassive expression. Preston glanced down at his trainers, looking for something to distract him. His left hand moved down, tracing the design on the sole as he wondered about the frown. Preston knew that he was pretty clueless when it came to girls even though many of them seemed interested in him. He didn’t seem too unique in this regard as the other third year guys that he spoke to had little more knowledge than he did. It seemed that Indiana was doing some thinking of her own because the tower was silent for a few moments. It was pretty uncommon for them, and made Preston feel slightly awkward. They weren’t ever really silent when they were around each other. Instead, they talked or they played games or Indiana tried to convince Preston to get on a broom. They were always doing something though.

Indiana’s next words made Preston look up once more. He chuckled instead, a nervous chuckle, as he shook his head, his eyes moving back down to his shoes as he spoke. “Not exactly. I was kind of just wondering if everything was ok?” Preston stopped and then pressed on, feeling the need to explain further. “You weren’t sitting where you normally sit in classes in Arithmancy, which was cool because I got to sit near you for once” he rolled his eyes, hoping that since he was looking down that she wouldn’t catch it, “but, it was weird to see you there, you know? Is everything alright between you and Tybalt?” Preston finished, hoping the question came off as one of genuine concern for a friend and not what it really was – Preston’s attempt at casually trying to find out what level of involvement there was between the two Gryffindors. There was no way he was going to do anything if the two were involved. Preston did not think he could put himself out there if that was the case. If he was going to say anything at all, he wanted to be as sure as possible about the outcome. Preston looked up at his friend and gave her a small smile, hoping she didn’t now think he was crazy. That would be pretty embarrassing.

 

[Indiana Night]

As they sat in silence Indiana had the thought to grab her friend's hand and go off and do something fun. It wasn't very often they were both lost for words. She found the silence odd but she was also lost in thought a bit. It confused her why he brought her all the way up here, where barely anyone would come and disturb them. They were alone up there, and all he had done was to thank her for going to ball, which was unneeded. But it was still nice to hear that he liked going with her. It was weird for her to be so awkward around another person, she usually was fine around Preston. But since he asked her to the Yule Ball things in her sort of changed. It confused her and her sister was no help telling her in messages that Indiana was probably having her first crush on him and just unable to admit it. The girl had gotten so red in the face and upset her sister would say such things, but mostly she was upset cause she figured that her sister's words might be true.

She turned her head a bit so it was facing more towards Preston as he spoke. She wondered if it had really looked like her and Tybalt were fighting. She hadn't meant anything bad about it, she just felt bad that Bituin was always alone, or sitting with someone she wasn't good friends with. She had thought after introducing Tybalt and the two becoming friends that he would take the effort to invite the Ravenclaw to sit with them. But he didn't, but it did not mean Indiana didn't notice the smiles and touches passed between the two. She wondered what it meant. "Oh no, we're fine. I just wanted to sit next to Bituin, she's my friend and I noticed how she's always alone or with someone like you who isn't her friend. I don't think Tybalt was offended, I should apologize to him for that later in the Common Room I suppose. But I'm sure he understands without me saying anything, he's just my best friend for a reason," she said to Preston. Now she did feel bad about sitting where she had during the lesson. She hadn't the time afterwards to talk to Tybalt and hoped he didn't feel very bad. She loved him very much in a way that she loved him as a best friend. Indiana didn't think now she'd ever get the same butterflies from Tybalt that she did Preston.

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston listened to Indiana explain exactly why she had been sitting in the front of the room. It hadn't had anything to do with Tybalt at all, just Indiana being her normal, friendly self and trying to help the quiet Ravenclaw. To say that he was a bit crestfallen by the news would be an understatement. He knew it was mean of him to have hoped that she and Tybalt were fighting, but he didn't care. Preston was regretting that he'd said anything at all. Now, he had probably gone and put an idea in Indiana's head that hadn't been there, making her think about Tybalt's feelings on the matter. Preston felt like slapping himself on the forehead. He sat, stewing in his own thoughts for a few moments. Things were not going as planned, not that he had planned much in the first place. That had probably been his first mistake.

Not wanting Indiana to think he was going to continue to brood, Preston looked at her and gave her a brief smile. "You're probably right, Indiana. If he knows you, he'll know that you were just trying to be nice and not that you were purposely ignoring him." Preston tried his best to not mention Tybalt by name. It was only in the moments of this conversation that Preston was able to identify his feelings towards Tybalt. In the past, Preston had just always thought that the guy rubbed him the wrong way because he was a typical Gryffindor, off thinking he was better than everyone else and only hanging out with other Gryffindors. He was those things, but Preston now realized that he was a bit jealous of the guy. Tybalt was lucky enough to get to hang out with Indiana for most of the day. She even considered him a best friend. Both were things that Preston didn't have, but now realized that he wanted. He cleared his throat. Indiana was here, had come to meet him when he'd asked. That had to mean that she cared about him too. "Can I ask you a question, Indiana?" Preston asked hesitantly, his eyes back down, his voice much less sure than it usually was.

 

[Indiana Night]

Indiana bit her lip at his words, she hadn't spoken to Tybalt since the class, she had been busy. Then she came here. There hadn't been a chance and now the girl felt bad. Of course, she did want to run back to the Common Room and search all over for her friend and explain. But she couldn't be rude to Preston. She knew she had neglected him during the first term of the school year more than she should've. She was surprised when he had asked her to the Yule Ball but pleased nevertheless. Tybalt hadn't planned at asking her at all. But Tybalt wasn't the one who made her feel funny but in a good way inside, that was Preston. Looking over at the boy she wondered how he felt about her. They did not share many friends, and she couldn't help but notice her often chose to sit next to Josefina, the evil sister. Of course, the girl could be much nicer to those in her own house, but that meant nothing to Indiana.

In her moments of thinking on what Preston had said Indiana found herself looking at the floor. There was nothing special about it, her gaze wasn't even focused on it. Her mind was lost between wanting to explain herself to her best friend and wanting to stay with Preston. She knew if Tybalt had waited this long he could wait another half hour or so. However long she'd stay with Preston that is. His next question brought her back into the realm of the living. She was about to reply that he just did ask her a question, as was her way of breaking tension when she sensed it. Joking about. But then she thought he might not ask what he really wanted to ask if she broke the tension. That's how it seemed earlier. Though it had been more of her hug that caused him to change to their classes. It had been a strange subject change for Indiana. She would have been happy enough to discuss the Ball more, it was a fond memory after all. Glancing over at the darker boy her mind couldn't help but flash the differences between his looks and Tybalt's. Tybalt made her smile as it was his style to think of everyone else first and then himself, everyone had to be happy before him it seemed. Preston made her smile because he was usually too nervous to even think at all, and stumbled over his words. Such a difference between the two, but she liked them both just the same. "You can," Indiana finally said to her friend, a careful tone on her voice.

 

[Preston Paine]

The seconds that followed before Indiana’s reply were teemed with tension, at least on Preston’s part. Although he had chosen this specific spot because of how isolated it normally was during this time of the day, right now he was kicking himself. A distraction would have been very nice. A quick memory of fire drills at his old school wafted into the boy’s head and a funny thought passed through his head. Where were fire drills when you needed them? The thought did nothing to ease Preston’s nervousness though. Preston felt like his whole body had stiffened, his shoulders still as he willed her to say something. Finally, after what felt like years, she did. Her tone wasn’t lost on Preston who couldn’t blame her. He was totally being weird. Opening his mouth, Preston spoke in a strange voice, one that he probably wouldn’t recognize as his own if he was the one having to listen to it. His eyes were everywhere but on the Gryffindor before him. “I was just wondering if you might want to do it again sometime.” He paused for a moment and then continued on hastily, figuring that now that he was coming out with it all that he might as well make sure he was being clear about he wanted. “I really enjoyed our date, Indiana, and I’d like to do it again…like for our birthdays or something.” Preston could feel his cheeks reddening as he spoke, making it look as if he’d just gotten slapped on both cheeks. It wasn’t a good look for him.

Breathing through his nose, Preston finally sat back, his back against the cool wall. His eyes darted over to Indiana and then quickly away to the window. They drifted back to her slowly and Preston shrugged his shoulders. “It’s ok if you don’t want to. No pressure” he added, hoping that at worst they might be able to somehow, with time, salvage their friendship. Preston hoped that she’d say yes though. He had to believe that she had agreed to be the date for the Yule Ball at least partially because she found him attractive. The Slytherin wasn’t sure he liked being in this position. Was this what all guys had to go through? Putting themselves out there, with no guarantee of the outcome, was easily the most difficult thing the boy had ever done in his young life. This was harder than trying to change a beetle into a teacup by miles.

 

[Indiana Night]

Confusion laced her eyebrows, do it again? Indiana wasn't sure what he meant and was glad when he continued on. Her face was sure to display signs of shock, she hadn't thought he'd ask her for a date. She'd thought they'd gone to the Yule Ball as friends, because they hadn't seen each other much, not that he had wanted to make a thing of it. She was surprised, she knew the way she felt about Preston but didn't think he thought the same. Indiana thought that the Slytherin boy was just shy, the reason he always turned red in the face whenever he tried to compliment her or had to receive one from her. Indiana recovered quickly a grin growing on her face. She wasn't sure when she had realized it but she did like Preston, much more than she would any other friend. Now he was asking if they could purposely spend time together, just them together. She wasn't sure why he would suggest for their birthdays, though she wondered if he knew hers was just around the corner. She'd be turning fourteen on the 19th.

The grin on her face was a playful, she wasn't sure why but she enjoyed teasing him. It usually made him relax she had noted in her head from previous occasions. Bringing him from whatever thoughts that made him turn beat red. "Are you asking me to spend more time with you or is that you're asking me to be your girlfriend?" The girl asked as she looked over at her friend. In her gut she knew what she wanted the answer to be. Either of course would be decent answers and she was sure that if his answer was the first she could play off her feelings and say the same. Despite the fact she'd be beyond upset inside. Probably end up leaving and running off to find her best friend to apologize too and be consoled for her shattered heart. Indiana hadn't ever dealt with a crush before, though the more she thought on it she knew she had been crushing on Preston since the moment she had first saw him in the bookstore. As she watched him for an answer her grin had turned to a smile, as her nerves grew waiting for whatever his answer would be.

 

[Preston Paine]

Sitting back allowed Preston to see Indiana’s reaction to his words much more readily than looking at his sneakers had. He tried to keep his face impassive, but was sure that he was failing pretty badly. The redness in his cheeks was likely enough to let Indiana know how he was feeling. Embarrassed, Nervous, Excited. Yup, he had those three emotions in spades at the moment. As a grin bloomed across her face, Preston relaxed ever so slightly, a smile growing on his face as well, at first hesitant and then more sure. Could they really be on the same page when it came to this? Preston wasn’t sure if he could believe it. She spent so much time with Tybalt that it was hard to believe that she might actually think of him, the Slytherin, not her best friend, in that way. Preston had only expected to hear a yes, no or an I’ll think about it, so when she turned it around on him, the boy remained mum for a moment.

He was pretty sure that he’d been clear with his question. His eyebrows furrowed and the smile left his face as he wondered why she’d asked it that way. Weren’t they the same thing? If Indiana was his girlfriend, they would obviously be able to then spend more time together. The opposite isn’t true, he thought to himself and then he realized why she had asked. A shy smile replaced the serious expression on his face. “Both, but the second one is the one I’d like to hear the answer for.” His voice was low as he spoke and it was likely that someone coming up the steps would be unable to hear what he was saying. That was fine by him. The words were meant for Indiana’s ears only. He thought about it and then asked casually, “Soooo….what do you say?” The suspense was killing him. At this point, Preston wasn’t sure what he’d do if Indiana said no. He was going to be embarrassed beyond anything he’d ever experienced before. He wasn’t even sure he would be able to remain friends with Indiana. It might prove to be too awkward.

 

[Indiana Night]

Indiana wasn't sure why she was so nervous. Waiting for Preston to answer her question as she was, she couldn't help but notice how tense she had gotten. She was already fearful of his rejection, he had moved away from her touch before. Glancing over at him she couldn't help but be struck by his looks. She wondered why she had let him hide away in her mind for so long. But it came to her that she was always having this crush on him she it made her feel nervous whenever she was around him. Maybe that was why she had always chosen to hang around with Tybalt and her Gryffindor friends instead of hanging with Preston. She felt bad, she had given up on him during first year trying to get him to do well on the broom even though he hadn't been that bad at all, just a bit scared. Then during second year, she hoped he knew that she hadn't written any friends while she had been gone. Not even Tybalt, he had only written her once, or so he told her. But she never got the letter.

Indiana let out a breath as he answered her question, it still wasn't perfectly clear what he had meant by the dates but he did want to know the answer to the girlfriend part. She smiled to herself looking at her shoes glancing up at Preston through her eyelashes. "Preston, I." She paused fulling looking up at his face. Indiana knew her answer, and she felt like she knew his. He was always the nervous one, the one of the two of them unsure of what to do. "I'd love to be your girlfriend," she said with a smile on her face. One that was large and pushed her cheeks bigger. Looking up at his brown eyes he was the only thing that was on her mind now. "Sooo, what do you say?" Indiana said back to him, mocking how he had been acting while waiting for her answer. She wasn't sure what to do if she should move or if there was anything that she should do now. She just had to wait for his answer and then she was sure that they'd be dating. That she would be his girlfriend and he would be her boyfriend. She wasn't sure what that really meant for her, or him. She was sure to spend more of her free time searching the castle for him now. She hoped she wouldn't disappear from Tybalt's life however. But she knew she wouldn't be spending so much time with him anymore. But she was okay with that, she wanted to be with Preston.

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston waited with bated breath for Indiana’s reply. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that she was rather enjoying making him wait. Her answer was exactly what he’d been looking for, and as she finished a huge grin came over the young Slytherin’s face. He had a girlfriend now, whatever that meant. His eyebrows lifted as Indiana turned his question around. He was pretty certain he’d been obvious about what his response would be. At least, he thought that was the case. “Of course. Why else would I have asked you?” he stated, shaking his head at her silliness. His face grew solemn, though his eyes twinkled mischievously as he teased his friend. “Indiana Night…I would be very happy to be your boyfriend. Thank you for accepting. ” His lips twitched with a smile as he finished. The words were true, of course, and he was sure his father would be proud to hear his son be so polite and formal about this. The Slytherin hoped that she wouldn’t want to keep their relationship a secret. Preston had no plans to do so, though he wasn’t exactly sure how he would tell some of his Slytherin friends. He was pretty ok with befriending Gryffindors, obviously, but some of the Slytherins were not. Some of them did have animosity towards anyone who donned the scarlet and gold of Gryffindor house.

Sitting up, Preston felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt as if someone had cast a levitation charm on him and a cheering charm on him all at once. It was a pretty good feeling to have, and he hoped that it wouldn’t go away any time soon. Preston glanced over at Indiana, a shy smile crossing his face. This was pretty cool. “I was planning on going to the library now. Do you want to come with? Or I can walk you back to Gryffindor Tower.” Preston had only been to that part of the seventh floor once or twice. He had never really had much reason to go to Gryffindor Tower in the past. It wasn’t like he could gain access to the common room. Now, he realized he would probably be spending much more time there since walking to class together seemed like a boyfriend – girlfriend type thing to do. That might prove to be difficult since Preston was barely able to get himself to class on time, let alone getting out of bed with enough time to dress, run up to Gryffindor Tower, and then to whatever class he had. That sounded like it could be tricky. Shrugging to himself, Preston realized he would just have to figure this out as he went along. He stood, his brown eyes meeting with her blue ones.

 

[Indiana Night]

Indiana smiled as he responded to her. She didn't have a reason after all to feel nervous about his answer. Though she felt like his assumption of him asking her was a bit wrong. She did push it out of him, and it made her hope that he really did mean it after all. She grew still as his face changed unsure of what was going on his brain. But hearing his words a shy smile on her face she laughed at the end. So formal and polite, she had a feeling that was very much Preston. He had always been that sort of way even when they first met. She leaned over a left a kiss on his cheek. Something she had always wanted to do secretly whenever he was nice to her. But now that didn't matter she could kiss his cheek whenever, as he was sure to do nice things for her all the time. "Of course I would accept. But you need to work on phrasing things better, silly goose," she said to her boyfriend. Indiana hadn't a clue what it really meant for them, being in a relationship. But she knew it would mean she'd probably would have to leave Tybalt, or Preston could join them in the back of the class. Then she would have her two best guys on her either side. She hoped they would become friends.

To the library? Indiana looked around for a second before realizing she hadn't brought anything with her. She'd have to go back to the tower even if she wanted to go to the library with Preston. When she left earlier to meet him she hadn't a clue how long they'd be or what she would want to do after. Now she wasn't sure if trying to do work while Preston was around would be a good idea. He'd be more of a distraction, just wanting to look at him with thoughts of how he was her boyfriend stuck in her head. She did figure it would be nice however to spend more time with him even if it was in the library. "I didn't bring anything with me. I guess I have to go back to the tower. To get my stuff," she replied. The butterflies she thought would of disappeared but every time she knew he was looking at her they came back. He was standing while she was still on the window sill. She didn't really want to leave the tower now, though it wasn't a place she really ever came too. But she hopped off the window sill anyways. They couldn't very well stay there all night. Reaching out Indiana took a hold of Preston's hand with her. She linked her fingers and was surprised by how nice it felt to hold someone's hand. She smiled up at him ready to follow his lead out of the tower.

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston blushed once more as Indiana's lips found his cheeks. He figured that he could get used to this sort of thing. He listened to her speak, having enough sense to look embarrassed. He hadn't known that what he had said was confusing, but he was glad that she'd gotten his drift in the end. That was what was important. Feeling lighthearted, Preston waited to see if Indiana meant to join him. He hoped that she would. As she mentioned that she would need to go back to her common room to pick up her books, Preston chuckled. "Now who's the silly goose?" he teased. He didn't have any books with him either, but he did need to pick one up from the library. "I just need to pick up a book for Astronomy and then we can do whatever you want. I mean, I guess, if you really want to do work, we can. I'd rather we didn't though" he smirked. Preston would do whatever he could to avoid doing work.

When Indiana slipped her hand into Preston's hand, he was surprised at how cool her hand was. As they linked fingers, Preston found it to be surprisingly comfortable. He looked to his girlfriend and smiled before leading her to the stairs so that they could head down. A part of Preston hoped that they wouldn't run into anyone. He wanted to continue to enjoy this time, just the two of them. The other part of him hoped they would run into some other third years so that they could see him holding onto Indiana's hand. Either way, he'd be good so long as she didn't let go of his hand.

 

[Indiana Night]

Indiana just shook her head at him, she wasn't sure if it was a phrase he was used too being from New Zealand, but she was sure that she wasn't a silly goose, unlike him. But she meant more as a term an endearment. "You," she said in a teasing tone back to her now boyfriend. She was sure that it was going to take time to think of him with that term, it was something new and she was sure to be struck with shock each time she remembered. His handsome face was sure to on her mind all the time. "Well, you said Library, I thought you meant....never mind we can just figure it out on our way out," she said shaking her head realizing she was going to have to work on understanding him and he would need to speak his thoughts out better. She blamed her lack of being able to understand on the circumstances, having been before nervous about what he was saying.

Indiana liked holding his hand, she could already tell. He was also the perfect height above her now so she could lean against him and her head would be on his shoulder without her having to stretch her neck very much. She knew she wouldn't want to let him go even if it was just to run up to her room and to return in a few minutes. She would have to ask him while they went down the tower what he had meant by going to the library. Whatever they did, she wouldn't mind as long as she got to stay with him. She was sure that she would begin to devote more time for Preston and not just her friends in Gryffindor.