Closed The Direct Approach

[Aubrey Blackwood]

Aubrey remembered her deal with Nikko very well. And their conversation. She had been dancing around with Salem for a while now. Aubrey thought Salem was interested. She wasn't positive, but she was certainly ready to try and make a bolder move. Aubrey had sent the younger Gyrffindor a note to meet, and she'd been waiting out by the lake for Salem to come out. Aubrey was leaning against the tree, comfortable. The breeze was nice, the weather decent. Aubrey had a small pink rose bud in her hands, and was twirling it unthinkingly between two fingers as she waited.

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem had never been summoned anywhere by note like this before. Except maybe for Wild Patch meetings. Though she didn't think this was a Wild Patch thing. Or rather she really hoped it wasn't. Salem really liked hanging out with Aubrey, she was happy to do it again, especially after the long Winter break, but the note had still made her nervous, the anticipation knowing Aubrey was expecting something making her palms sweat as she walked out across the lawn towards the lake.

She wiped her palms on her pants a few times as she reached the lake, smiling when she spotted Aubrey, the wild tangling her hair as she played with a flower. Salem's stomach stuttered at the sight and she nearly stumbled on the uneven, rocky shore as she approached, quickly regaining her balance with a burst of laughter. "Whoops, uh, hey Aubrey. I got your note, what's up? It's not a Wild Patch thing, is it?" She said, glancing back down at the flower in Aubrey's hand uncertainly.

 

[Aubrey Blackwood]

-godmods approved-

Aubrey smiled as Salem appeared. Not wasting any time, Aubrey pushed off of the tree and walked over to the younger student. "Absolutely not," She replied with a coy smile. She tucked the rose bud behind Salems' ear, before catching Salems' face in her hands, leaning in quickly and pressing a tender kiss to Salems lips.

Aubrey pulled back just a bit, smiling warmly and keeping Salems face in her hands. "You, my sweet, are absolutely horrible at taking hints." Aubrey chuckled, biting her lip and blushing a bit. "I... don't think I've misread this. I think you like me." She smiled. "And I like you. Very much. Am I wrong? Is there something here?" She asked. She was tired of dancing around this, whatever it was. She wanted answers.

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem was distracted with Aubrey suddenly so close, not quite able to process what she'd said as Aubrey's fingers brushed the shell of her ear as she tucked the flower behind it, making her face heat up. It was nothing compared to the swooping feeling when Aubrey suddenly kissed her, Salem only able to blink dumbly for a few moments, heart beating loudly in her chest as she processed what had just happened.

"Hints?" She said blankly, licking her lips and feeling her face flush again at just the memory of Aubrey's against hers. But Salem tried to focus on what Aubrey was actually saying, pushing past the nervous, giddy feeling in her gut and nodding, first hesitantly and then rather enthusiastically. "Uh yeah, I mean. You're cool, and nice, and your hair does this little swooping thing when you run your hand through it while you're working in the Patch and uh. Yeah, I. Like you. Like, like you like you," Salem said, tapping her fingers together and giving Aubrey a shy smile. It seemed silly to feel nervous when Aubrey had all but said she liked Salem and kissed her to boot, but she couldn't help it. "So.. Cool. I guess?" She offered, rocking her weight on her feet in a little happy shift.

 

[Aubrey Blackwood]

Aubrey gave Salem a moment to speak, chuckling to herself. "Yes, hints, silly," She teased the younger Gryffindor. "I've been hinting at liking you since the dance," Aubrey reached up, meaning to brush a hand over Salem's cheek, but she was careful to keep watch of Salem's boundaries. "I think we should date. You definitely need me to be your girlfriend," She winked. "And we should definitely kiss some more." She smiled, hoping that the next time around Salem might kiss her back.

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem could only blink when Aubrey said she'd been dropping hints since the dance, trying to wrap her mind around the concept. She thought Aubrey had just been being nice to her, trying to work out the difference and mostly just looking puzzled. At least things were fairly obvious now, and Salem felt her face heat up as Aubrey touched her cheek. "Oh. Oh okay. Sorry?" She said, biting her lip to contain the giddy smile she could feel forming, fumbling when Aubrey winked at her. Salem had no idea what she'd done to convince Aubrey she was a person who got kissed by the lake and winked at, but she wasn't going to complain. "Wait, like, right now?" Salem asked, giggling nervously. This whole kissing and dating idea was still pretty new and as exciting as the prospect was, Salem wasn't quite sure the rules here, leaning in speculatively, eyes on Aubrey's face to be sure she wasn't missing another 'hint' here.

 

[Aubrey Blackwood]

Aubrey chuckled, running her fingers through Salems hair. "Well, you know... kissing now. Kissing later. I can see lots of kissing happening." She murmured. "If that's what you want, anyway." She bit her lip. "You haven't answered my question. Do you want to date? Like, date me?" Aubrey asked shyly. She had been trying to act more confident, but she couldn't help but feel a bit shy now that they were really being emotionally vulnerable with each other.

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem felt her face heat up at the mention of a lot of kissing, nodding dumbly, aware there was probably a stupid smile on her face though she couldn't quite bring herself to care. It was daunting too, no doubt; Salem had never tried the whole dating thing, and as much as she wanted to roll with it, the idea made her nervous still. Aubrey didn't seem to have the same reservations and apparently she'd been trying to get Salem's attention for awhile, so Salem figured there was no reason to keep her waiting. She could figure it all out as they went. "Well, yes, obviously," she said, hesitating for just a moment before stretching up to press another quick kiss to Aubrey's cheek. It was brief, only a brush of lips, Salem had considered kissing her properly but had chickened off not wanting to scare Aubrey or worse and bump noses or bite or by mistake. "Cool," she said as she settled back on her heels, giving Aubrey a shy grin.

 

[Aubrey Blackwood]

Aubrey smiled widely as Salem agreed to date, shutting her eyes and savoring the kiss that followed. "You are so adorable," Aubrey cooed, reaching out for Salems hands. "I'd like to take this chance to reserve my spot as your date to all the events. Halloween, valentines, yule ball. I would very much like to spend as much time with you as I can," She smiled playfully. "Is that alright?"

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem tried not to fidget too obviously when Aubrey took her hands, hoping they weren't too sweaty. "Yeah, I think so," Salem said with a nod. It sorta seemed like the whole point to her to go to those events together if they were dating, but then again, Salem had never had a proper girlfriend before so it probably didn't hurt. "I mean, I'd like that," she added, grinning brightly at Aubrey and swinging their hands a little. She wasn't sure she was allowed to hold onto them before it got too weird (or too sweaty), but it was good for now.

 

[Aubrey Blackwood]

Aubrey smiled warmly, releasing one hand but keeping the other, shifting to lace their fingers together. "Come on, my sweet, I'll walk with you back to the castle. Maybe we can go cuddle in the student lounge for a bit?" Aubrey offered, motioning vaguely with her free hand back to the castle. It had been a spur of the moment idea, but Aubrey was already liking it. Cuddling by the fire, maybe with some soft kisses, just sounded lovely.