Closed Stealing a Moment

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer sighed as he'd stepped out into the courtyard, enjoying the faint breeze and dramatic decrease in volume as he stepped further away from the Great Hall. He was sort of regretting coming down for Valentine's, the dance turning out to be more overwhelming than he'd expecting when all his friends either had dates or hated his guts right now. Or possibly both, in some cases.

Sawyer sighed again, leaning against a pillar and enjoying the cold seeping through the back of his shirt. He could probably could back upstairs now that he'd put in an appearance and attempted to be social though he couldn't shake the feeling that if he just stuck it out a bit longer he could still turn the night around somehow. It was a laughable idea, considering his current romantic track record and Sawyer shook his head at himself with a huff of amusement, tilting his head when he saw someone else stepping out into the night air from the Hall.

 

[Estella Fuentes]

Essie had quite a busy day that Valentine's Day delivering roses, but she was very relieved that it was all over. She was admittedly tired, and for once, even though she had a date, she wasn't really enjoying the dance as much as she had hoped. It was all too similar to the Yule Ball, especially since she hadn't been spending any time with her friends and it was mostly just her and Nikko dancing to the same songs. She had looked around for her friends a few times over Nikko's shoulder, wondering what they were up to and who they were with. When she spotted Sawyer walking through the crowd, her eyes immediately followed him. He didn't look happy or like he was enjoying the night either and Essie wanted to follow him. She didn't like seeing her friend look so lonely. The teen quickly excused herself from Nikko, telling him that she would be right back, when really she didn't know if she would. It was the most boring dance ever, and she just wanted to spend some time with her friends.

Essie followed Sawyer to the courtyard, treading carefully in her high heels. She was quite good at walking in them now. They made her feel taller and more confident, and honestly she didn't know why she wasn't allowed to wear them with her school robes. It would be better than having to bring them up every time she bought new ones. As the girl saw her friend, she smiled at him. "Came out here to get some fresh air, or are you just not feeling it tonight?" she asked, wondering if he was planning on going back in any time soon.

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer let out a huff of relief when he recognized Essie stepping out of the hall, straightening up from where he'd slouched against the pillar as she spoke. "Lil column A, lil column B," he said with a shrug, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "What about you? You look nice all uh, dressed up. Not that you don't normally look nice or anything- You get it," Sawyer offered, deciding it was best to just stop while he was ahead. Or at least before he could dig himself any further. He figured Estella probably had a date she was all dressed up for, but he wasn't about to complain about the company.

 

[Estella Fuentes]

Essie nodded at Sawyer's response. She would never admit it, but the celebrations happened to get a little repetitive and boring the older she got. She was tired of things always being the same. At Sawyer's compliment, Essie chuckled, unable to stop herself from blushing. There was always something cute about the way he stumbled over his words. "You don't look too bad yourself." she told him with a small smile, gesturing to the nice shirt he put on for the event. "Did you attend the dance with anyone? Or are you by yourself tonight?" Essie had to be sure that no one was waiting inside the Great Hall for him. She didn't want to keep him for too long if so.

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer let out an amused huff when Essie returned his compliment, giving her a little bow in acknowledgement and hoping she couldn't see the flush he could feel creeping up his neck. "You know me, pinnacle of fashion and all," he said sheepishly, forcing his hands into his pockets so he wouldn't be tempted to fuss with his shirt collar or tie. "Nah, just me tonight. Not exactly got people lining up, aye," he said with a shrug. Hopefully that didn't sound too bitter, Sawyer quickly shaking his head to knock the thought away. "Hope you're enjoying the dance for both of us then, yeah?" He was sure Estella probably had to go back inside eventually, but a selfish part of him hoped she'd stick around out here instead.

 

[Estella Fuentes]

As Sawyer said he didn't have anyone lining up for him, it made Essie frown a little. How could he think so poorly of himself? Essie wasn't too sure if it was a joke or not, but she wanted to make him feel better. "Well, I'm here." she said reassuringly, taking a step towards him. "And, honestly, I don't really feel like going back in." She took off her heels, figuring she didn't need them anymore anyway, and threw them on the ground next to her. She sat down against the pillar behind Sawyer, patting the ground next to her and gesturing for him to join. "Here, sit. Let's talk." Essie hoped that Sawyer didn't mind. After all, it didn't seem like he wanted to go back in either. "Between you and me, don't you think the Valentine's Dance is getting a little boring? A Dance competition or something would make it a little better, don't you think? Then you can show off your moves." She elbowed him playfully, giving him a small smile.

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer felt the flush deepen, creepy up his neck as Essie announced she was here and wasn't planning on going back inside, nodding dumbly as she made herself comfortable, belatedly moving to sit down against the pillar next to her, their shoulders brushing. "I'm of the mind that a dance battle brightens up any event. School events, Quidditch games, OWL exams. There's a lot of potential there," he said with a quirked smile. "I dunno if the school is ready for my moves though," he added, giving Essie a quick flash of jazz hands before hurriedly lowering them. He wanted to ask her why she was bothering to sit out here with him on the cold ground when she could be inside, boring or not, but part of him was convinced if he mentioned it, she'd come to her senses and leave. "I only really go to the Valentine's dance for the obscene amount of chocolate anyway. My only love who'll never betray me," he said with mock seriousness, placing a hand over his heart.

 

[Estella Fuentes]

At Sawyer's response, Estella gasped, placing a hand over her heart. "Oh my goodness, me too!" she exclaimed, happy that someone agreed that dance battles were important in order to have fun. "We definitely need to start a petition now. That would surely get the professor's convinced." Essie wasn't sure how much power two fifth years held, but the idea of a dance competition organised by herself was really appealing. As Sawyer spoke about chocolate, Essie chuckled, just as she always did whenever he said something stupid. She slowly moved her hand towards his, placing her fingers gently over the top of it. "I'll never betray you." Essie said softly, giving him a reassuring smile. She knew how tough he had it lately and just wanted him to know that she'd always be there for him.

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer let out a huff of amusement as Essie played along. It felt like so many of his friends were taking themselves far too seriously this year and it was a relief to have her joke around with him. "Well, I'm convinced, where do I sign," he said, lips quirked as he watched her in the low light of the courtyard. He nearly flinched when she rested her hand over his, fingers brushing light enough Sawyer would have let her play it off it she wanted to take it back, but it seemed intentional, and he couldn't help but glance back down at where they were touching before looking back at Estella's face. "Uh.. Oh yeah?" He said, train of thought derailed as he quietly hoped she couldn't tell his hands were starting to sweat just from the minor contact. "I mean good. That's.. Good," he said, clearing his throat, the small smile from earlier slowly but surely coming back with force this time.

 

[Estella Fuentes]

Essie chuckled again at Sawyer's words, unable to help herself. She wanted to make a petition there and then, just for the fun of it, because at least she had one person already on her side. And it would be a good excuse to spend more time away from Nikko. She tensed up at the thought of it, feeling a little guilty but knowing it was true and unable to shake the feeling. She wouldn't want to admit it to anyone but she was rather enjoying the time away from him. Things just weren't as fun as they used to be.

It didn't take long for Essie to figure out that Sawyer was being awkward again and was probably a bit taken aback by her reassurance. It saddened Essie to know he wasn't used to hearing words like these. He deserved more than that, and truthfully she thought she deserved more too. Without much more of a thought, Essie leaned in, quickly connecting her lips with his. They were soft, and it felt right. She held a hand up to his cheek, holding him there, unsure if he was going to pull away. Everything in that moment just felt good and like nothing else really mattered.

 

[Nikko Blackwood]

Nikko had been having a good Valentine’s Day as far as he was concerned. He had hoped he’d get to spend more time with Estella but she had arrived at the great hall after him and seemed a little distracted. He tried not to take it personally. She had helped organize the rose giving this year and he knew how important it was to her. When she had excused herself he had gone to the snack table to get them some drinks. He had expected her to only be a few minutes but the longer she was gone, he started to worry. He wasn’t sure what he was worrying about. It wasn’t like there was any real danger around and he laughed at himself. But he was also getting a bit bored standing one the sidelines so he decided to try and find her. Nikko did a few laps around the great hall and even tried to find some of Estella’s friends but she wasn’t with them. Had she left completely? Was she feeling alright? He checked the entrance hall first and slowly made his way out to the courtyard, still caring two cups of punch that were starting to drip with condensation.

It was dark in the courtyard and Nikko had to squint to really make out anything. He took a few more steps and realized there was already some couple kissing out here. Mortified, he was about to laugh and excuse himself when suddenly he recognized them since he had talked to both of them earlier that evening. It was Sawyer and Estella, and they were kissing. He let out an involuntary choking sound as he froze not sure what to do. Without meaning to he dropped the cups in his hand and he swore as it splashed all over his legs. There was no way they didn't notice him now. His head was spinning and his legs were still stuck in place.

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer had a brief, self-conscious thought that he must have something on his face, catching Estella watching him closely before she started to leaning in. Her hand was still warm on his and Sawyer wondered if she could feel his pulse through her fingers, his heart hammering as he realized she wasn't about to point out he had chocolate or an eyelash stuck on his face. She was kissing him. Actually kissing him. Sawyer made an appreciative noise, leaning into the kiss as she brought a hand up to his face, trying not to go cross-eyed before deciding it was better to just close them. It felt a little awkward, Sawyer was worried he was supposed to be doing something more than just pressing his lips back to hers, but the awkwardness was overridden by a giddy, excited bubble in his chest.

The moment didn't last long though, the sound of someone swearing as something hit the ground nearby causing Sawyer to jump back, blinking owlishly. "Ah, sorry, that-" He started, hoping maybe if they could deal with the disturbance quickly maybe he could get Essie to kiss him again, until he turned to see who exactly was standing in the courtyard, his stomach sinking. He hadn't really been thinking about who Essie was at the ball yet, but of course it would be Nikko. Her boyfriend Nikko. "...Uh oh," Sawyer said quickly, glancing between Estella and the stricken look on Nikko's face. Essie definitely wasn't going to be kissing him again now.

 

[Estella Fuentes]

Estella felt like there was nothing else in the world for her to worry about until she heard the sudden noise. She jumped, moving away from Sawyer as she turned around to see what happened. Nikko stood there looking the most stricken she'd ever seen him. He had drinks, presumably for the both of them, that he had spilt all over himself, and suddenly Essie felt her stomach sink with guilt. What had she done? There would be no way of fixing this. "I-I'm sorry." she stammered, her eyes darting back and forth between the boys. "I'm sorry Sawyer. I didn't mean t-to do this to you." She could feel her face burning and her eyes beginning to water. There was nothing she could do now except run away. Grabbing her shoes, Essie quickly ran past Nikko and back into the castle, unsure if she could ever show her face again.

 

[Nikko Blackwood]

Nikko felt so stupid. He knew his face must have been some mixture of shock and horror. He had never been good with big feelings and now he was drowning in them. The hurt and the anger threatened to drag him down as a million questions swam through his head and of course he jumped to the worst conclusions. How long had this been going on? Days? Weeks? The entire time? Had Sawyer only talked to him earlier that night as some kind of joke. Nikko clenched his jaw as the Ravenclaw’s sound of dismay and glared at him just as he noticed Estella grab her shoes. “Where are you going?” he asked dumbly. "You're going to sorry to him?" he choked out as she nearly ran past him. His chest suddenly felt like there was something stabbing into it and he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Nikko turned to Sawyer again and glared. "Don't talk to me. Ever. Again." he said in a low voice before turning on his heels and going straight to his dorm. There was no way he was about to go back to the dance now.