Time for some forgiving

[Cyndi Kingsley]

With a contented sigh, Cyndi finished putting the last touches on the gifts she had just wrapped. As she looked around the floor of her living room, she couldn't believe how many gifts lay about. Nearly half of them would be sent out today just as soon as she finished filling out the cards. They were for Estrella and her babies, all four of them. She knew this Christmas would be especially difficult on her friend's family this year. There was also Lowan's gift but she planned on giving that one to Riley to give to Lowan. Riley's gift was already under the tree in her apartment with a charm on it to prevent Riley from peeking. The other gifts were for her family. Originally, she thought she'd be mailing those as well, but with the recent changes in her life, she was going to be spending the holiday with them.

With a wave of her wand, Cyndi piled up the gifts according to what part of the world they'd be going to. The piles looked as if they were about to fall over and anyone with OCD would surely have gone over to organize them more. To Cyndi, they looked as neat as could be and she smiled before leaving her apartment to get some fresh air. She decided to walk, loving that at this time of year in New Zealand, the weather was warm enough that she not only didn't need a puffy jacket, but she didn't need a coat at all. It was amazing. As she turned into the Harbour, Cyndi strolled past several of the stores, looking at the window displays. One particular one fascinated her. Someone had charmed a Santa and some reindeer to fly around the window dropping tiny gifts out of the carriage where they floated down on little parachutes. It was too cute.

 

[Cameron Kingsley]

Cameron Kingsley's ice blue eyes glanced down the street of the Harbour. He had come to help Kiera get home from working at Ollivanders. It annoyed him that she insisted on working in her condition. The little woman didn't need anymore stress on herself. They all wanted this pregnancy to be successful and it was stupid to take these chances. Yet, here he was, ready to help his little sister. The Harbour really was festive, all decked out for the Holidays. Almost every shop window had a charming little scene displayed to it. Cameron frowned, seeing a figure ahead in the distance, standing in front of Ollivanders. He hoped it wasn't a costumer. Cam wasn't really in the mood to wait for Kiera to deal with a costumer.

The man put his hands in his pockets, kicking the dirt as he walked. He wouldn't be spending the Christmas days with the one girl he really wanted to be with. He was too proud to apologize to Cyndi, to tell her that he was miserable without her. He had never imagined that someone would be in his thoughts more than Marleigh had once been. Cyndi was an everpresent figure in his mind. She was always in his thoughts, no matter what he diid to try and kick her out of them. As he neared Ollivanders, he recognized the slender figure out front. He frowned. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? The dark hair blew in the wind. "Hey..Cyndi." he said, wondering if this was Kiera who organized this meeting.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi watched the next set of packages begin to float down and smiled again. This time of year it was hard to be too depressed and she was grateful for that. Over the past few months, she'd run the gamut of emotions about her breakup with Cameron, from sad to angry to sad again. At first, she had been angry at Caysi, thinking that the girl was trying to get Cameron back for herself, but when she'd realized that wasn't the case, all of the anger had been directed at herself. She'd allowed her own jealousy and insecurities to mess up the first relationship she'd been in where she truly loved the guy. Because now that they weren't together, Cyndi could easily admit that she had been deeply in love with her best friend Kiera's older brother.

A smile full of regret crossed her face as the thought flickered through her head. She wondered for a moment whether she should enter the shop she was standing in front of. Kiera owned it after all and it had been some time since she'd spoken to the her friend. As she contemplated whether or not to enter, an all too familiar voice broke through her thoughts. It sounded exactly like...Cameron. No way Cyndi thought to herself as her head slowly turned to face the person, her eyes widening when she realized that it was in fact Cameron standing before her. Her hands went to her hair instantly, trying to brush it back in vain. With the wind though, there seemed to be no point. Her brown eyes drank him in as she took all of the features of her ex-boyfriend that she had missed during the long few months that they'd been broken up. "Hey...Cameron" she said slowly, licking her lips nervously once she'd finished. There were too many things she wanted to say, but none of which she was ready or willing to speak. "What are you doing here?" she asked, only realizing after she'd spoken what a silly question it was. Of course, he was probably coming to see Kiera. They were siblings after all and she was standing in front of her friend's shop.

 

[Cameron Kingsley]

Cameron had to admit that Cyndi looked good. He had missed this dark haired girl with her big brown eyes. He smirked slightly as he saw her hands running nervously through her hair. He wondered if she found the situation as awkward as he did or if she was long over him. Her voice brought back all the happy memories the couple had shared over the span of their relationship. Cameron had loved this woman, heck, he still did love her. She had been able to warm his heart in a way that made the rest of life seem insignificant.

Cam smiled back at Cyndi, not laughing at the question she asked for his answer would be followed by a similiar question. His hands went to his pockets, staying safely there instead of reaching for the girl who had been haunting his dreams. "Well, I came to help Kiera home. She's been nervous about this pregnancy and of course, we all will do anything to help her." he said with a shrug. Kiera just looked so small and vunerable that it triggered the instinct to protect her, not that he would ever mention that to her. Kiera didn't like being seen as weak or helpless. Naturally, Cam loved his younger sister and would do anything for her. "James wanted her to quit working and just stay at home. I imagine you can guess what she said about that." he said with a throaty chuckle. "So instead we take turns walking her home." he told his ex. "Are you here to see her?" he asked.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

A small smile crossed her face as she listened to Cameron speak. She'd always found his voice with its slight southern accent completely adorable and it took her a moment to register what he was actually saying. Kiera was pregnant?! "That's great!" she exclaimed and then she lapsed into silence again, upset with herself for being away from her friend and not knowing. She knew her friend had to be a jumble of emotions, especially considering what had occurred last time.

She smiled again as he mentioned being in front of the store to escort Kiera home. Cyndi knew the girl well enough to know that she was probably not happy about the baby-sitting at all, but she found it extremely sweet that Cameron would do that. He was such a good brother...and boyfriend. There was no doubt about it. "I was just thinking about stopping by to say hi to her. I'm heading to England in a few days to spend the holidays with my parents, but I needed to pick up a few things" she remarked, knowing that this couldn't have been a plan of Kiera's. Since the girl hadn't really been expecting her, there was no way that she could have told Cameron to show up at this precise moment. It had just happened. "How've you been?" she asked softly. Her answer to that question would be simple: better now but still miserable. Being in his presence now only confirmed that fact because she could feel her heartbeat racing and the butterflies in her stomach growing, just like they had when she'd first begun dating Cameron. It was nice to be in his presence again even though it pained her greatly and Cyndi wondered whether she should or whether he would mention anything about what had happened between them. If there was ever a time to do it, now was that time.

 

[Cameron Kingsley]

Cameron frowned at Cyndi. He knew his ex to be best friends with Kiera. He didn't understand why she didn't already know that Kiera was pregnant. He figured his younger sister would tell her friends before she even told him. Had they not been speaking? "Yeah it is." he responded with a crooked smile. "Did Kiera not tell you?" he asked slightly confused.

Cameron nodded his head as she said that she was thinking about stopping to say hello to his sister. Of course that made sense. Kiera didn't plan this after all. Maybe Cyndi had been busy lately. He wondered if she was seeing someone. That turned his mood angry really quickly. That idea certainly didn't thrill him. Cameron forced himself to smile. "Oh, um I've been okay." he lied lightly. "Just working all the time." he said, that answer was at least true. "How are you?" The blue eyed man asked with concern.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

The conversation wasn't going anywhere nearly as bad as Cyndi expected it to be going, but she quickly realized that it was probably because they were avoiding any discussion of them as a couple or ex-couple. When Cameron expressed his surprise that Kiera hadn't told her, Cyndi looked down, shame filling her. "I've been busy..." she explained, which was true, but it had never been enough to stop her from speaking with her best friend before. Even at her busiest, Cyndi made time for Kiera whenever she needed her and sometimes even when she didn't need her but just wanted to hang out with her best friend.

"I'm ok. The Gryffindors have been keeping me busy, trying to figure out how much they can get away with" she added, wanting Cameron to think that it was work that had kept him from hearing such important news from Kiera. With a sigh, she looked up. "I haven't really spoken to Kiera since...well since we...y'know broke up" she finally let out. "I didn't want her to feel like she had to get involved" she shrugged, embarassed at her admission. Kiera had been so happy about the relationship that Cyndi had almost felt like she was letting Kiera down with the break-up. By avoiding her friend, she'd hoped to avoid having to answer any questions about it. But, she'd really, really been missing her friend lately which was why she'd wandered here today.

 

[Cameron Kingsley]

Cameron looked at Cyndi with surprise. She hadn't seen Kiera since the break up? That was a heck of a long time. Of course it did make him slightly uncomfortable that she mentioned the break up. He shifted his weight. "I'm surprised that she's let you go that long without talking to her." he said, making an attempt at a joke. He wasn't really sure what to say about the break up. He couldn't just come right out and say he missed her could he?

Sorry its lame

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi crossed her arms as she looked at Cameron's surprised face especially when he began to look like her mention of their breakup made him uncomfortable. It made her uncomfortable too and she figured that anyone walking down the street would be able to tell that they were exes. When he spoke, she cracked a smile. "You and me both. I keep expecting Kiera to bang my door down one of these days" she joked back. It was much easier to joke around and pretend that nothing happened than to actually talk about the million things that she needed to get off her chest with Cameron.

The smile remained and Cyndi turned her attention back to the display window, watching the little presents falling to their destination. It was easier to do than to continue looking at Cameron. He looked like he was long over her, and she couldn't blame him. She'd been a b**** that day and now that he knew she was capable of behaving that way, why would he want to get back with her. Blowing out a breath, Cyndi finally decided to say something she knew was a long time coming. He better appreciate this, she thought to herself since it wasn't everyday that the Gryffindor would admit to any wrongdoing. She knew it wouldn't change anything, but Cameron probably deserved it anyway. "Look, Cameron. I probably owe you a bit of an apology. I spoke to Caysi after and um I think I probably blew things a little out of proportion" she admitted slowly, the wind blowing her hair into her face and as she struggled to push it away, she took a peek at him to see how he was reacting.

 

[Cameron Kingsley]

Cameron chuckled at her response. He was sure if Kiera wasn't so preoccupied with that pregnancy that she would have done just that. It rarely surprised him when it came to what Kiera would do for her friends. He shook his head, still chuckling. Cam didn't have time to reply to her joking comment before he noticed how uncomfortable Cyndi was. She apologized for her behavior. Cam raised an eyebrow at her as he thought about what she said. Yes, she had jumped to conclusions, refusing to listen. Her behavior had been bad but his hadn't been much better.

Cameron ran his fingers through his shaggy brunette hair and sighed. He needed to come clean as well. "You know Cyndi, its okay. I know it looked bad but you should have trusted me." he said, shaking his head. "But you aren't the only one who should have been more understanding." he said, taking a deep breath. Cam didn't exactly like apologies. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten so angry or thought that about you and Riley." he told her, pausing to see what she would say.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Say something...please, Cyndi thought to herself when Cameron at first did nothing but raise his eyebrow at her. She wasn't sure what the eyebrow meant. Was he surprised that he apologized? Did he not believe she was actually apologizing? Did he accept her apology? The sigh that followed did nothing to get rid of her anxiety and Cyndi found herself biting her lip. When she realized she was doing that, she stopped and looked down at the ground, thinking that she had just made an utter fool of herself.

Looking up when she finally heard Cameron's voice, Cyndi listened as he spoke. He hadn't interrupted her at all as she apologized so she didn't interrupt him. She couldn't help but nod though when he mentioned that she should have trusted him. It was true, she should have. It seemed that Cyndi wasn't the only one who didn't enjoy apologizing but when those three words had escaped him, Cyndi felt like throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Instead, she frowned. She'd gotten the worst over with and she thought it would get rid of every feeling she had towards Cameron or at least help her deal with them better. All the sadness, guilt and her love for him were there though, strong as ever. "Now what?" she mumbled aloud, unable to stop the words from leaking out. She'd never been in a situation like this before. "Friends?" she asked rather awkwardly, holding out her hand for him to shake if he chose. She wasn't entirely sure she could be friends with Cameron, but if it was what he wanted, she would try.

 

[Cameron Kingsley]

Cameron looked down at the ground at her questions. Now what? Friends? Was that what he wanted with this dark brunette beauty? His heart gave a pang at the sight of her. She was everything he loved. Beautiful, smart, funny, brave; all qualities that he admired and loved in this true Gryffindor woman. He didn't want to be just friends but he didn't want to lose her completely either. These past few months had been torture with her absense in his life. He sighed and shrugged. "Friends....Yeah. I guess we could try that." he said dubiously.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

When she heard his reply, it was all she could do to not pull back her hand and leave. Was being friends with her really that hard? She knew it was going to be difficult for her because she loved him, but did he also feel that way? Or was his doubts about their ability to be friends simply because he didn't think he could trust her after what she'd done. Forcing a smile, Cyndi decided that she was going to be the best friend a girl could be for her ex-boyfriend...even if she was still madly in love with him.

"So..." she let out as she pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I should probably get back. I'm packing to head to England in a few days to hang out with my family. Tell your family I said hello and um...tell Kiera that I said hey. No, I probably should myself. She'll kill me if she finds out I was here and didn't stop in" she rambled. It was a bad nervous habit of hers. "Do you want to grab dinner together one night and maybe catch up or something?" she added nervously, hoping he'd be into the idea.

 

[Cameron Kingsley]

Cameron didn't notice Cyndi's outstretched hand until it was too late. He could see the pain his accidental slight had caused her. He felt like he could kick himself for being so stupid. A soft smile graced Cameron's lips as he heard Cyndi's nervous rambling. He still found that adorable. It was all he could do not to pull her into a kiss. That wouldn't do though if they were going to attempt a friendship. He would have to try and squash these romantic feelings he still posessed for her.

The man chuckled lightly. "I would say you should tell her yourself. She's going to be beating down your door I'm sure if she doesn't see you soon." he said, amused. Kiera always though she was a tiger when she was really more like a kitten. Cameron was taken back when he heard Cyndi's offer. He nodded his head, a crooked smile on his face. "I would enjoy that. Next Friday maybe?" he asked, uncertain of her plans.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi chuckled, an amused expression on her face as she pictured her friend doing just that. It had been far too long since she'd seen Kiera last so she couldn't blame her if she did. She moved a bit closer to the door, her hand on the knob of the shop's door when she heard Cameron's answer.

"Next Friday sounds great" she said with a smile. Spending any time with Cam was better than nothing and friends or not, she'd still get to enjoy those baby blues and that southern accent for a bit. She didn't have any plans anyway and if they were going to be friends they might as well put it to the test and see if it was possible sooner rather than later. She pushed the door of the shop open and stepped inside, holding it as she called to him. "Coming Cam?"