Braeden could only shake his head in disagreement as Caroline contradicted him, trying to blame his obliviousness on herself. She was silly. None of this was her fault.
Her last words did leave him wondering, though.
"I should have told you sooner."
What would have happened
then? What would things be like if she had really told him sooner? Would they have… dated? And then he would've never met Charlie, or dated Emma… Huh.
Thoughtfully, the lion boy's bushy eyebrows furrowed.
And then, next thing the gryffindork knew, Caroline was kissing him.
O______________O
Caroline.
Kissing.
HIM.
OHMYGOSH.
Poor Braeden was completely startled - GAH! Had that really happened?! Or had he imagined it? His first reaction was to look around for any signs of Emma - surely the whole scenario from the feast last term wasn't about to repeat itself, was it?!
Cheeks pink now, Brae cleared his throat awkwardly and looked down at the floor for a moment. His ears had gone bright red now. Caroline had just
kissed him. He looked back up at the girl and was surprised to find she was still sitting there, as if daring him to say something. But what could he possibly say?!
Nice kiss, love.
"Uh… I--I--Wha'… that…" He cleared his throat once more, just to buy himself a couple extra seconds. "That was… unexpected." He chuckled a bit in embarrassment, brown eyes now fixed on his empty goblet. Absentmindedly, the boy rotated the goblet around in his hands, thinking about what had just happened - what Caroline had just said, the kiss they'd just shared. This was all so... well, confusing. But Brae couldn't keep leading her on. He was completely willing to be her friend, to be there for her always, to hear her out when she needed to vent. He'd do anything for the girl. She was his first real friend at the school, and even though they grew apart during the past couple terms, she'd always held a very special place in his heart. It sounded corny, but it was true. He could never forget Caroline or the friend she'd been to him, the smiles and laughs she was responsible for, the many many good times.
But he had to be honest.
"Caroline, I... despite the fact that your cousin hates me right now..." he started slowly, choosing his words carefully, "I still love her."