What the Heck I Gotta Do

[Joel Gilligan]

set after the valentine's dance

Joel grinned as he led Layla away from the Great Hall when the dance had ended and opened the doors leading towards the Courtyard. He did not expect to have this much fun at the dance at the beginning of the night so was grateful that the girl he liked showed up without a date, as he was pretty sure that it would have been a very boring night otherwise. The sixth year did not want to go back to the Gryffindor common room just yet and had a feeling that the girl wouldn't mind being in his company for a little bit longer. ''Thank you for tonight,'' Joel said with broad smile on his face when he stopped walking and turned around to look at his date.

 

[Layla Reyes]

Joel Gilligan had managed to turn a lackluster evening into a night to remember for Layla Reyes. She had thought that she would come to the dance for maybe thirty minutes and then grow bored and leave. The Hufflepuff girl had only decided to come because she couldn't resist a chance to wear the pretty dress she had bought for the occasion. Instead, Layla had ended up staying the entire night, laughing and dancing, with Joel. The Hufflepuff girl already liked Joel as a friend, but her feelings for him were growing past friendship. She smiled at Joel as he looked at her. "I really enjoyed it." she said sincerely.

 

[Joel Gilligan]

Joel smiled at Layla's words. He'd been doing that a lot this night but stopped thinking about it after a while as it just happened everytime she talked to him. He was happy to hear that she had been enjoying the night as well. It would definitely be a night Joel would never forget. He simply nodded his head to let the Hufflepuff girl know that he felt the same way about the dance and the night in general. For the second time tonight he found himself lost for words and just stared into the girl's eyes. He wanted to tell Layla that he liked her badly but did not want to screw up their friendship, as it had been the best thing that happened to him in the last couple of years.

 

[Layla Reyes]

The look that Joel was giving Layla gave her goosebumps. He was close to her, but not as close as they had been on the dance floor. Over the course of the night, Layla had developed feelings for the Gryffindor boy as the night continued on. The Hufflepuff girl had a moment of uncharacteristic boldness as she stepped closer to Joel. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. At some point during the kiss, Layla realized what she was doing. She broke away from him, horrified that her actions might ruin their friendship. "I'm sorry. I should probably go now. You can forget I did that." she said, turning to leave.

 

[Joel Gilligan]

When Layla wrapped his arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him, Joel's eyes spread wide. The Gryffindor had definitely not expected her to kiss him since he thought that he'd be the one that would do it first. Joel's turned red the moment her lips were pressed onto his and carefully pulled the girl a little closer to him, his lips still locked onto hers while his eyes were now closed. It felt great kissing her. When Layla pulled away from the kiss he opened them again, trying to say something to her but completely lost for words once more. ''Never,'' Joel said and quickly grabbed the girl's hand before she could leave. He pulled her back to him and kissed her on the mouth, hoping that she wouldn't break away this time.

 

[Layla Reyes]

Layla's hazel eyes widened slightly in surprise as her lips were parted by Joel's. She had been concerned that her momentary boldness would make continuing their friendship, but it seems she didn't have to worry as Joel pulled her back into his arms. Layla didn't break away this time. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning against him so there was no space between their bodies. When the kiss finally ended, Layla opened her eyes. She stayed in his arms, making no motions to move. "Wow." she said, at a loss for words.

 

[Joel Gilligan]

Joel slowly opened his eyes when the kiss ended and smiled at Layla as it was her turn to be lost for words. He stayed quiet for a second to stare into her eyes and enjoy the moment. ''I like you, Layla,'' he admitted after some time. ''A lot,'' Joel did not care about what it would do to their friendship, she had kissed him, so thought that it meant that she liked him too.