Closed Like Real People Do

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb felt good about the ball this year. For once he didn't feel the need to watch for Louis out of the corner of his eye. He was with Manaia and while it was a date it felt, casual, and fun for once. It wasn't a bet, it wasn't a dare, they were just here together because they wanted to be. It was maybe a little sad it had taken him this long to have this kind of experience and he didn't want to waste it. He looped his arm through Manaia's as they walked into the great hall and he took in the sights. He always loved the winter theme since it reminded him of home even though he had was quickly approaching the point of living in New Zealand longer than he had lived in England. He nudged the Hufflepuff. "They have skating again. Want to give it a go?" he asked. "Or would you like to dance?" Caleb suggested as the music turned to something a bit slower.

 

[Manaia Te Rangi]

Manaia was of two minds about tonight. On the one hand he was fairly sure he knew exactly who Louis had been talking about when he said he had fallen in love, and it felt a little like a betrayal. On the other hand, he had had an on and off thing with Caleb for longer than Louis - the Slytherin had been his first kiss four Yule Balls ago, and if Caleb wanted to come to the dance with him, whatever had been going on with Louis either hadn't happened yet, or had fizzled out. One way or another, he tried to just put Louis out of his mind for the moment and enjoy his last Yule Ball, with a cute guy he liked. He wrinkled his nose slightly at the ice skating, shaking his head. "Nah, not really the time of year for it." He said idly, resisting the urge to rant about the decorations. It always crawled on his skin, the fake winter Christmases. It was all wrong, making him feel like a foreigner in his own country. It was a relief when Caleb proposed a dance and he nodded quickly, leading the Slytherin onto the floor. "Come on, then." He smiled, winding his arms around Caleb's back and pulling him closer. "Remember third year?" He asked, the thought lingering in his mind as he began to sway.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb was a little relieved that Manaia didn't seem to like that idea of skating. It was probably for the best. He had tried to look good and the last thing he needed was to fall flat on his face. He had turned his attention to the large Christmas tree when his date swept him off to the dance floor and left him laughing as he tried to find his feet. "Woah there, warn a guy." he teased but quickly found his rhythm. When Manaia asked about third year Caleb gave him a confused look. That felt like a life time ago, he hardly felt like the same person but eventually he remembered what the other boy was hinting at. "Oh right." he laughed and was grateful for the dim light that hopefully hid the warmth in his face. "Why, do you want to repeat history?"