Closed Nothing Awkward Here!

[Nell Night]

Going to the Yule Ball had filled Nell with nervous excitement, hope that the date would be the beginning of something new. Now, though... she had never felt quite so much doubt before. All of her previous relationships and flings had been easy... she had been interested, so had someone else, it had all come together. Even a year earlier with Jasper, it had come so naturally. Dancing, kissing, everything had been easy. But this year... the Yule Ball had been fun, certainly, but it had felt more like... hanging out with a friend, than anything romantic. All of the thrill she had felt when Jasper asked her had dissolved into nothing, and she was left wondering if she had misread the entire interaction.

But then there were times like now. Holed up in a quiet corner of the library, the two of them working on preparing for NEWTs together, and every time Nell glanced up she felt like Jasper was looking at her, and something was different. This wasn't anything like spending time together as friends, but she didn't know what it was. It was near-impossible to focus on her notes as her attention kept drifting, and she glanced up at Jasper for what felt like the hundredth time, this time catching his eye directly. "Hi..." She said with a hesitant smile. "You... need help with that?"

 

[Jasper Night]

Being at the Yule Ball with Nell had been wonderful, but it had been a bit disappointing too. They had mostly just stayed themselves, just... the way they were. But Jasper liked her, and he sometimes felt like Nell might like him too. There had been a moment at the ball when he had nearly kissed her, but he had chickened out at the last minute. He didn't want to ruin their friendship by making things too complicated.

But ever since that night, there seemed to be a tension in the air between them. The two of them were studying in the library, but it was impossible to focus on his studies with Nell right there. Jasper's gaze kept drifting over to her, focusing on small details. Like the way she was doing her hair now, or what color earrings she was wearing. It all seemed vitally important to take in. He flushed when she caught him staring, and quickly looked down at his book. "Help with what?" He asked her without looking at her, hoping he wasn't blushing as hard as he feared he was.

 

[Nell Night]

The flush on Jasper's face was as clear as day when she caught his glance, and it only made things more confusing. How was she supposed to just.... carry on when everything felt this unsure? She shrugged slightly, trying to keep her tone cheerful and light despite her inner turmoil. "I dunno, whatever you're revising?" She smiled slightly. "What subject is it?"

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper couldn't quite bring himself to look at Nell anymore, so he kept staring at his book, knowing that his cheeks were still pink. "Uh, I'm good." He mumbled. "You might be surprised but I didn't get into the NEWT year with just luck." He added, trying for their usual teasing banter. But something about it felt off. "Its Charms." He admitted then. "I can't wait to be done with that subject, it's awesome bu Professor Haden ruins it." He had a long-standing grudge against the professor ever since his first year. Made all the worse by how obvious it was that Professor Haden had absolutely no idea.

 

[Nell Night]

Nell laughed slightly at Jasper's teasing, though there was none fo the feeling of their usual sparring. Everything was... different, and she didn't like it. "You know, I was fairly sure it was bribery..." She teased, though the retort didn't feel any more natural. It was actually a relief when he started talking about school stuff, as much as his grudge perplexed her. "What's wrong with Professor Haden? He's cool." Nell gave a small shrug, glancing at his notes upside down. "I can help if you like."

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper huffed. "Right, because that's the only way I can get decent grades." He muttered, feeling oddly irritated by her comment. He knew she was just joking, but sometimes it felt like that was all they did, and it was getting them nowhere. Jasper ran a hand over his face. "He's not cool, he's a total try-hard who thinks he's cool." He corrected her. Jasper shrugged. "I'm doing okay." He mumbled.

 

[Nell Night]

Nell's face fell immediately at Jasper's reaction to her teasing, shaking her head quickly. "I was just teasing, it was a joke." She said quickly. "I know you're smart..." Her face twisted as she tried to understand his grudge against Professor Haden, giving Jasper a small shrug. "I like his classes..." She said hesitantly, withdrawing a bit further to her own side of the table.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper sighed, more frustrated with himself than with Nell. "Sorry, I know." He said. "I guess I'm just stressed, you know... NEWTs and all that." He admitted though it was only part of the truth. "Still worry I'll mess up somehow and have to wave goodbye to my chances of being an auror." He added. He sighed. "I mean, he's... fine in his lessons. But I've never liked him since he blamed me for that prank in first year." He admitted, though he knew it was a bit silly to hold onto the grudge for seven years.

 

[Nell Night]

Nell relaxed as Jasper apologised, nodding quietly. She did completely understand stressing about NEWTs, though she was trying her best not to think about them too hard yet. "You'll do great." She said firmly, reaching out and taking Jasper's hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "You're smart, you've always had better grades than me. You're going to do fine." She said sincerely, meeting his eyes. The contact felt too close for the unspoken thing between them though and she released his hand quickly, laughing slightly at his comment about Professor Haden. "Fair..."

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper flushed when Nell took his hand, glancing at her in surprise when she said he was smart. He supposed he did get better grades than Nell, which wasn't something he had ever really thought about before. "I suck at exams, though." He said quietly. He was both disappointed and relieved when Nell let go of his hand. "But thanks."