Not Really Goodbye

[Nadia Kaster]

Janurary-2035

Nadia Kaster had only one thing to say to Freddie Raska and that was that she had decided to take an assignment that was going to see her all around the world for about a year and a half. She wasn't going to be back in New Zealand until late next year and even that was subject to fluctuate. There were many things that Nadia wanted to say to Freddie, many things she wanted him to say back, but they had been skirting each other for years now, since before she had even graduated. Things didn't seem to be making any difference and so Nadia needed to get away for a while, clear her head a bit. She had decided that the best way to do that, was to get out of the country that was suffocating her. She knew it wasn't actually the whole country, but one person in it.

However what happened next was going to be her deciding factor. She didn't have to be a seer to know how this was going to go down. Adjusting the strap on her bag, Nadia walked up to Freddie's front door and let herself in. The minute she stepped inside the aroma of food settled on her senses and Nadia closed her eyes a bit to take it all in. It had been a long time ago that Freddie had promised to cook for her, now that she was actually leaving the country, he had decided it was a good time to cook for her. Not that he actually knew she was leaving yet, she'd not told him, of course it was conceivable that he had foreseen it. She very much doubted that though, to the best of her knowledge, he'd never had a vision about her, not that she would expect him too though, it would be a little weird.

Deciding it was a little weird to be loitering in the doorway, Nadia closed the door behind her and announced herself. "Freddie! It's Nadia, how you going in there?" She was tempted to go into the kitchen, but she thought better of it as he was likely very busy and she would probably just knock something over if she tried to move things around. It wouldn't be the first time she had done that after all. She was a natural at knocking things down. Instead she headed towards where she assumed the lounge room was. She found it pretty quickly, miraculously and placed her bag on the table, before sitting on the lounge. "You don't mind if I occupy your lounge, do you?" She would just have to move herself if he said yes. It was a nice lounge though. It reminded her of one of the ones from the manor. They were all so lovely and comfortable. She was going to miss New Zealand whilst she was gone, but she knew she had to leave, at least for a little while. After only a couple of minutes, Nadia got bored and decided that she was curious about what Freddie was cooking after all.

Following the aromas towards the kitchen, not that she had very far to walk, Nadia leaned in the doorway and smiled at Freddie. "So what are you cooking, it smells delicious whatever it is." Nadia certainly couldn't wait to taste it. Freddie was doing wonders with the cooking, as far as she could determine with the smells. It made her mouth water just thinking about it.
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[Freddie Raska]

Freddie Raska was excited to have Nadia over. He did not know what it was about the girl that made him so interested in her. However, there was this feeling. It was a gloomy feeling that was taking over the day. Freddie did not like that. It usually meant that he was going to see something that felt like so. He was always so engrossed in himself. He hoped Nadia did not think he was selfish, but it was hard to get out of his head when he was constantly feeling and seeing premonition. It wasn't all bad, but it just did not pertain to him sometimes, which caused him to get jealous very easily.

He sighed and sat down in the kitchen. The food was cooking. It was pasta and chicken. He hadn't started on dessert yet. It had to be something good though. He had bragged so much to Nadia about his skills, but here he was, making something simple. He put his head in his hand. He let his fingers massage his forehead. What was this feeling? It just made him so tired. He wondered if it was a mistake inviting Nadia over or if it was just nerves. He heard Nadia's voice. She was here. He had to get his act together before she saw him. He could show no weakness. The part of him he was showing Nadia, was not genuine, but he did not want to worry her. Freddie had real feelings for the girl, but he could not let her see him at his weakness. He went through the Process. "Smile. Deep breath. Stand straight. Again." he thought. This was becoming ridiculous.

He stood up and leaned against the counter. He chuckled. "Of course you can!" He smiled. Why wouldn't she be able to? He flicked his wand and the food was placed on two plates. He already had the ingredients ready for the cake. It was going to be chocolate cake. He hated chocolate, but it was romantic to have chocolate. He would endure it for her. He flicked his wand, and that was set up. He set his wand on the counter, and he crossed his arms over his chest. Nadia had walked in the kitchen. He gave a small smile when he saw Nadia. She was going to tell him something. That's why he was feeling so gloomy. He did not know what she was going to say, but he'd act normal. He went and gave Nadia a tight hug. No one understood what this girl did to Freddie.
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[Nadia Kaster]

It had been such a long time since Freddie had promised to cook for her, but it had taken them this long to actually make it happen. Nadia had known Freddie since she was still in school. Sometimes she couldn't even remember a time when she didn't know Freddie and yet it was true that they were really no different around each other then when they had first met and to be honest she was kind of annoyed by that. She liked Freddie and she thought that he liked her, but it seemed that neither of them were willing to do anything about it, at least not at this point in time. Nadia smiled as Freddie hugged and she rested her head on his shoulder for a second before pulling away. The food looked delicious, it smelled delicious and she was sure it would taste just as great. She looked over his shoulder slightly to see the food set up and the chocolate cake that was there. Nadia loved chocolate cake, she wondered if she had ever told him that, or if he had guessed. She stepped around him and moved over to where the cake was being made on the counter.

She stood and watched it for a second, giggling slightly at the sight. Living at the manor, she wasn't used to seeing food making itself, Lisa cooked most of the time and as she was a squib, she mostly cooked the muggle way, so any food that Nadia ate was not made by magic. However it was fun to watch her cook because she enjoyed it so much, Nadia wasn't much of a cook to be honest, but she could make the kind of food one could live off, nothing elaborate however. Stepping forward to the counter, Nadia stuck her finger into the bowl quickly and popped the chocolate into her mouth, grinning over at Freddie when she was done. "This tastes amazing, Freddie, why did we ever wait so long to do this?" She wondered, shaking her head at the shame. Honestly she wished they could be doing this under different circumstances, but that was an unfortunate no. Moving back away from the counter, Nadia smiled at Freddie. "I have to say thank you for inviting me over today. I've been so busy, its good to relax."

At some point she was going to have to figure out a way to broach the subject, but at the moment she really wasn't sure what she should say or do, she was just running with it. "So, what are we having? Aside from chocolate cake?" It all really smelt so delicious, so she was curious. The aroma was divine, she couldn't wait to try it.
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[Freddie Raska]

Freddie really wanted to be genuine with Nadia, but he did not have the energy to do so. He never had enough energy for anything anymore. It had gotten to the point where he did not even want to go to work because of this sudden cloud of fatigue. He had gotten like this after graduating. After he started to work, it went away. Now, it was back, and Freddie was not happy about it. The fact that Nadia was still talking to him brought a smile to his face, but he could not do the same due to the thing he called a brain. It was as if he had to have new things constantly happening in order for him to feel happy. There was one thing that Freddie did not like though. He had not been going to church often. The last time he went was two months ago, and that was too long in his books. He was Catholic, and he felt like there was just something missing in his life. His job and this depression was making him want to clam up, and he had never gotten to that point, and he did not want to either.

Freddie chuckled at the how happy Nadia was. She acted like she never had seen magic at work before. He sat down at the table and he waved his hand, and the plates floated and placed themselves in front of the seats. She had asked why he had waited so long. He just did not say anything. Freddie did not even want to be here anymore. He felt like he needed sleep. That was what he really wanted at the moment. He grinned and motioned Nadia to sit before he had the bowl of chocolate mix poured into a pan and put into the oven. "I have been promising to do it for awhile." he said simply. There was no need for her to thank him. All he was doing was keeping a promise. Freddie always tried to keep his promises. Nowadays, everything depended on his emotions, which were very unpredictable.

"Tonight we are having pasta and chicken. I could make better, but I was too tired" he said honestly. He would have went all out for the girl that was with him, but he had no energy when he woke up. Freddie was not speaking much because he had nothing to say. He felt so bad for Nadia. He could not understand how she put up with him. He was being pathetic. He was supposed to be the strong one, no matter how stereotypical it is. He looked down and poked at his food with his fork. "You have something to tell me, don't you." he asked without bothering to look up. He could not look the girl in the eyes because he already knew the answer was yes.
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