Closed Words Not Fists

[Noelle Maxwell]

outside L'Astrance​

After countless back and forth of texting, Noelle successfully managed to ask @Sapphire Michaels to dinner. He could not blame her suspicion as to how he got her number though. He debated whether to tell her it was Ava or not and finally decided that he could tell her if she agreed to come out. Thank the lucky stars she said yes. Four hours later and a single line text to the woman with the place and time, the man was already standing outside waiting for her.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire absolutely didn't want to be here. She had no reason to trust Noelle, or want to be around him. But, he was annoying her, and he wouldn't shut up until they 'talked'. If he wanted to talk so badly, fine, she could use a free meal. Maybe it would get him to shut up. She arrived, late, not caring that she was so. "Fine. I'm here." She stopped in front of him, crossing her arms and raising a brow. "What the hell do you want so badly?"

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Sapphire was running late, Noelle shook his head amused. He was sure she took her time but he would be patient. He checked his watch one more time and looked up just in time for the Slytherin to walk up to her. If he could chuckle, he would. She looked amazing and despite her grumpy face, he was glad to see her. "Hello, Noelle. Hi, Sapphire. Thanks for accepting my invitation.", he roleplayed comically. He chuckled, coughing and clearing his throat so he could stop. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He cleared his throat once more. "Shall we?", he asked, holding out his hand.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire raised a brow at his ridiculousness and rolled her eyes. She shoved past him, blatantly ignoring the offered hand and going inside. Once they were seated, she ordered a rum and coke before turning to him. She crossed her legs, folded her hands in front of her, and raised a brow again. "What do you want?" She repeated, not in the mood for any of his games.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle could not help but sigh at her cold treatment. He followed her inside, signalling the waiter for the menu and some wine. He was about to pull the chair out but Sapphire just went ahead and sit, even ordering rum and coke. They hadn't had an entree yet. "Isn't it too early for that?', he asked, ignoring her question. "It'll ruin your appetite.", he added, accepting the menu handed to him. The woman was also handed one as well. "We'll take our time. Thank you.", he told the server politely who left right away. "What do you want to eat?", he asked Sapphire casually, ignoring her act altogether. He opened his menu and read on, controlling himself. Today, he would put up with her until the end of this desert if that would be the only way he could talk to her. He may be controlling but the Puff was not smiling now, he just suddenly looked serious.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire rolled her eyes, blatantly ignoring his comment and sipping her drink. The alcohol helped her relax a bit. She raised a brow and let out a sigh. "Noelle, what are you doing?" She asked. "You and I stopped being friends a long time ago. Why are you being so stubborn?" Her voice was softer now, less combative. "You aren't that desperate to get me in bed again." She commented dryly.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle glanced at Sapphire over the top of the menu as she took a sip of her drink. At her question, he ignored her for a moment, musing over what to order. "I'm hungry. I think I'll have Foie Gras marinated in Verjus. Or maybe The Pork Belly Confit. Or maybe both.", he thought out loud. "To answer your question, I just want to have dinner with you and talk.", he answered as he closed the menu. "We never stopped being friends, at least not to me. You stopped being friends with me. I'm not stubborn though you thought me to be one.", he added nonchalantly before leaning forward lowering his voice. "We may have slept a few times but I'm not that shallow. Unless you thought I am.", he hissed. He tried to be friendly and calm but it was high time she could have a taste of her own medicine, all those times she treated him like it was a crime to be a Maxwell.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire raised a brow, unfazed by his attitude. If he was trying to upset her, it wasn't going to work this time. "No, Noelle, we stopped being friends because you couldn't get over your ex and acted like you had feelings for me. I was fine playing around, but I wasn't going to stay and wait for you to decide which brain to listen to," she countered just as quickly. "We haven't been 'talking', as you put it, because every time I see you, you try to act like you aren't an ass and you pick a fight. You're being a brat because I won't put up with your nonsense." She slammed back the rest of her drink, setting it down, continuing on before he could interrupt her.

"If you really want to be friends, Maxwell, then just be honest for once. Yes, I'm a heartless witch, but I've never bothered pretending to be anything else. I'm not going to just do what you want because you tell me to, Noelle." She raised a brow. She might have been difficult, but it took two to tango, and nothing irritated her more than Noelle constantly acting like he was nothing more than a good guy who'd been wronged.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle had already seen it coming. Apparently, Sapphire was stubborn as hell. She was unfazed by all of it. He just leaned back, arms crossed as he listened to her explode. It was never really his intention to be mean, it was not in his nature. He just barely raised a brow when she slammed the glass, continuing her tirade. When she was done, she matched his raised brow. He took a sip from his water before meeting her eyes again. "I do want to be friends, Michaels.", he started, a sigh came out. Frustration was building inside him, so many things inside his mind making him about to explode as well. She wanted him to be honest. How could he be honest about his deeper hidden feelings when they concerned the woman across from him? But Sapphire wanted him to be honest and he wanted to be friends with the woman who had helped him become who he was now. "You want to me to be honest... you want to be honest with you?!", he stopped himself from raising his voice. "Dang it, why can't you just love me Ava?!", he burst out. It was too late for him to realize what just came out of his mouth. He looked at Sapphire, wide-eyed, his ears starting to turn red.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Of all the things Sapphire had been expecting him to say, that certainly wasn't it. Sapphire sat stunned a moment, before bursting out laughing. She shook her head, motioning for the waiter and ordering dinner and a bottle of wine. Once he was gone, she turned back to Noelle with a smirk. "Well, Noe, I believe you have some explaining to do," She winked playfully, all fire drained out of her. She felt better now, now that she knew Noelle wasn't just trying to get back in her pants with his wounded good boy act.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Bright eared Noelle just barely managed to choke out his order before he almost scrambled for his glass of water and gulped it down. Looking at Sapphire, he was quite relieved to see her amused and entertained by his predicament. "Now, that got you laughing huh?", he blurted out, chuckling as well. He exhaled once he got past his redness. "You're not angry?", he asked. He knew how protective Sapphire was when it came to Avaria.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire crossed her legs, trading her alcohol for a softer drink. She smirked and shook her head. "Nah. Believe it or not, Noelle, I actually like you." She sipped her drink. "I was just pissed off with your good boy victim act," She rolled her eyes. "Besides, just because you like my little Avaria doesn't mean you're going to get anywhere." Sapphire smirked, tapping her fingers on the table. "You have to get on Vader's good side if you hope to stand any chance with her. And you have her aversion to Maxwells to deal with, too. Philip hurt her pretty badly." She sipped her drink.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle felt relieved and smiled at Sapphire. His first real smile at the woman that night, in his opinion. Sapphire was just being Sapphire, that for sure, was one of the main reasons why he held on to their friendship. "Hey, I like you too Sapph.", he replied, a smile lingering on his face. He chuckled, rolling his eyes as she did at what she said. "Believe it or not, we are actually friends.", he said with confidence. "Good friends." His face delighted at the memories of how they first met, their letter correspondence, and the recent visit he paid the blonde. "In fact, I just recently went there to see her.", he added, wondering whether the Slytherin knew of Ava's pregnancy. His expression darkened a little at the mention of Philip. "Yeah, I saw it firsthand. The little git got a head smack from me the moment we arrived home. He did not even know why.", he commented, shaking his head in disbelief.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire sipped her drink, taking a minute to order dinner and a soft drink before turning her attention back to Noelle. "So, you've seen the twins then," Sapphire took her new drink as they brought it and took a sip. "Now, be honest, how are you taking the twins?" She knew it had been a bit unexpected, but sometimes that just happened. She knew none of them had expected it, but Sapphire couldn't say she was surprised. Ava was a really loving person, it didn't surprise her that Ava had wanted to be close to someone.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

So Sapphire knew, of course, she would. At her question, the man nodded. "I've seen them. She showed them to me within the first few minutes I was there.", he answered, a smile on his face. He was brought back to the sight of a pregnant Ava, happily inspecting in the food basket he had brought. He blinked twice to refocus on the woman across from him. "Believe it or not, seeing her happy with her pregnancy makes me happy.", he said truthfully. He knew people would be judging her decision to continue the pregnancy from a drunken night. Not him, a bit disappointed yes, but he supported her. "I'm certain they will bring happiness to Ava.", he added.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire smiled at his words. "Of course she did," She replied easily. Ava had never been one to dance around things. Her smile softened as the boy talked about being happy that Ava was happy. Sapphire sipped her drink. "Careful, there, Noe, you're not sounding like a proper Maxwell," she teased him with a wink. "We both know Ava and Vader will find a way to make things work. The question is, what are you going to do about him?" She asked. "The last Maxwell that tried to overthrow the sleepless sith lord got his foot stomped." Sapphire smirked a bit. She knew Ava had been upset, but it had always amused her.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle chuckled at Sapphire's words. "I can be proper when I want to but I just have to be me when I'm with you.", he simply replied. There may be times when he could be a jerk making Sapphire despise him but the woman definitely brought out the best and worst in him. Sapphire's next question confused him. "Him? Who, Vader? Should I do something?", he asked confusion in his voice. And that's when he realized. Apparently, his jerk of a relative messed things up. "Vader's cool. Talented, kind, and Ava trusts him. Why would I ruin that?", he calmly said. "Vader's her person and who am I to hurt her by removing her person from her life?", he added. He understood friendships like that. For some time, he had Maggie Rosendale, a fellow Hufflepuff as a close friend and their classmates thought they were dating. When he asked Sapphire out and they eventually hung out, people still talked. Even his best friend, Alexis, had Joshua and for a moment, it complicated things but they still came through.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire chuckled. "Good. I like Noelle better than the Maxwell anyway." She told him. She sipped her drink, listening to his reply. She smiled. "Good answer. If you really want to win over Ava, the key to her heart will be Vader." She told him. "And you can't remove him from her life. Phillip tried. You can see how well that went. He also played on Ava's abandonment issues the wrong way," Sapphire finished her drink. She wasn't sure why she was helping Noelle. Maybe because he seemed like a good fit for Ava?

"She's the one who'll have to give you the details. But if you want her to like you, I can give you three points to follow. First," she held up one finger. "Make Vader your best friend." She winked playfully. "Vader and Ava are practically inseparable. She has kissed him, once, and they decided they weren't that way. But he is her heart and soul. The sooner you make him a part of your everyday life, the better off you'll be." She held up a second finger. "Whatever you do, do not leave her alone. Smother her in attention. Write to her every day, little notes, anything, she needs to know she's on your mind. Make your world revolve around her."

Sapphire laughed and held up a third finger. "And finally, Noe, for gods sakes, don't play around. Ava is stubborn, but she is the sweetest woman ever. It's going to take a long while to win her over. Before you do anything, you need to decide. You can't be indecisive like you were with me. If you aren't ready to devote yourself to her, then don't even bother trying." She warned him.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle's brows raised in surprise. He already nailed the Vader part down. He could still remember how easy it was for her to declare her hate for him just because he sort of sided with her father on the case that the man exploded on her best friend. He could not get a word in as Sapphire ratted off points on how to win Ava. Some of them he knew but the last one struck him the most. He cleared his throat and put back his concerns at the back of his head just for that moment. "Is Sapphire Michaels giving me pointers now?", he teased her with a chuckle. Their food arrived which served as some kind of distraction for him to rethink Sapphire's last sentences.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire chuckled at his comment, smiling at the server that brought them their food. She sipped her drink again. "Not at all. She's telling you not to mess with Avaria Lockwood." Sapphire pointed her fork at Noelle. "You and I can fight forever for all I care. But I will end you if you break her heart again. She deserves better than that." She warned him. Ava had always been like a little sister to her and Onyx. "I already have a Quidditch player ready to set a bludger loose in your apartment for upsetting me after that last fight we had. But if you hurt Ava, she'll cry to Onyx. A crying Ava means a crying Onyx. If you make Onyx cry, then my favorite French Quidditch player with probably kill you for me." Sapphire laughed lightly.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle just laughed at what Sapphire said. Now, that's the Sapphire he had known, protective of the people she loved. Especially Onyx. "One, I've been careful when it comes to dealing with Ava. I don't want another Philip Maxwell episode in her life. That boy seriously had it with me the last time he saw Ava.", he said seriously. He was quiet while they were traveling but the moment they got home, he gave the Slytherin another smack to the head and a lengthy scolding, poor Philip did not even know why Noelle went Hulk on him. "Second, I would never do anything to hurt Onyx. Because a crying Onyx means an angry Sapphire," he teased, "And I've already had enough bludger hits from when I play with Joshua and Alexis to know not to get hit with it again.", he grimaced, a bit thankful that all three of them had graduated and the Ravenclaws did not pursue a Quidditch career. He leaned forward, looked at Sapphire in the eyes. "Hey, we've been fighting for as long as we both know and I'm sorry for that. But I would never do anything to hurt Ava, even if I did, I'd do everything so she would forgive me.", a tone of certainty in his voice.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire actually laughed at his comment. "Noelle. If you hurt Onyx, I am no longer your biggest concern. He is engaged to a very professional French Quidditch Player." She winked playfully at him. "Jamie Derouin is a very gentle, kind man. But he is fiercely protective of my brother." She chuckled. "He's gone toe to toe with me a few times for Onyx. I wouldn't cross him." She sipped on her drink. She chuckled as he spoke about Ava. "I've got to admit, Noe, you seem fairly smitten." She tucked her hair behind her ear.