{ Harley/Jaden } Reunion

[Jaden Aerins]

[ clothes :: www.polyvore.com/untitled/set?id=11111663 ]

Jaden was leaned over the bar at the Leaky Cauldron. After retiring from professional quidditch because of injury, she had nothing to do with herself. She had many aspirations and nothing seemed to be clicking. It was stressful and depressing and of course after an all too cheerful meeting with Aethie about ... things ... it got her thinking about her own life. It was really going to waste. She had gone on a number of dates that either started off horrible or ended that way. They were awkward and made her wish even more that Harley hadn't left.

At that thought she fought back tears she'd held in for two years. She wouldn't cry, she couldn't. Taking another swig from her fourth glass of fire whiskey she leaned back not noticing that her shirt was basically falling off of her. It was low cut as it was and her motions were causing it to be pulled even further down. She did, however spot a rather old wizard glancing at her two or three barstools down. Too far for her to count currently. Shaking her head she leaned forward and giggled into her near empty glass, "Another one please!" She called to the bar tender.

She kicked the wood of the bar with her red converse and stretched before leaning back on the counter as a way to keep herself from falling over.

[Harley Duke]

Harley trudged into the Leaky Cauldron for a drink before setting off home. As he walked through the door, he thought of having to go back to the institute the following evening, and decided that he'd better make this night worth it. He cracked his shoulder, and unzipped his leather jacket, revealing a simple white singlet, tucked into his black washed jeans. Not taking too much notice of the other patrons, he made his way towards the bar, and sat down next to a slender girl whose face he couldn't see. Slapping his hand on the counter, he ordered a Firewhisky, and took his first real look at the girl beside him. There was something about that glossy hair, and her body language was disturbingly familiar, he took his drink from the bartender, and gulped it down in one, if his fears were real, he would need it.

[Jaden Aerins]

It took Jaden a good minute to respond to someone sitting next to her. She jumped up like they had hit her and she pushed her wavy hair over her bare shoulder to get a look at the asshole who ruined her thought process, "What the hell?" She said loudly, her words slightly slurred together and she sent a death glare to the intruder. Again it took a minute for her to take in the face she peered into, "H-" She started before turning back to her drink and shaking her head, "Nuh-uh." She picked up her glass and drained it before taking the new one she order and putting it in front of her without sipping from the top like usual.

'There is no way that is him, I'm hallucinating...' Jaden let out a hiccup, 'No way' After a moment of deliberation she daringly glanced at the male in the seat next to her again, this time looking more closely and trying harder to focus. It took all her will power not to reach a shaky hand up and touch his face just to make sure, "Harley?" She voice sounded surprisingly steady given her current situation.

[Harley Duke]

Harley looked straight at Jaden, and he knew, instinctively that it was her, even after the years of separation, even with her in her current state, he still remembered those eyes, the way her hair framed her face. This realisation yanked him back from his blissful ignorance, and made his mind reel off into memories long pushed aside. It was like opening a previously healed wound, and pouring Bourbon on it.

Harley opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, this was the first time he had ever had difficulty talking to people before. He didn't know what there was to say, so by a way of greeting he reached out and placed a momentary hand on her shoulder, before going back to his drink, which he downed at once. Perhaps a little hit of vitamin booze would loosen his tongue.

[Jaden Aerins]

The warmth Jaden felt through the hand she felt on her shoulder proved to her that he wasn't an illusion. She felt her eyes well up in tears that she turned to brush away as if to hide them before turning back and smiling at Harley thinking she had to make it seem like she had moved on, which she had ... kind of. She hadn't seen him drain his glass, having been wiping her eyes in the process, so she had no idea what he was thinking and didn't see any sort of reaction to her presence that showed he may be going through the same thing as her. Holding in a heavy sigh, Jaden turned back to her lass and took a small sip before pushing it away and ordering some sweet tea. It always helped her sober up a little.

"So how have you been?" She asked in a forced voice. It took all her effort just to keep the words from sticking in the throat and making the atmosphere even more awkward than it was, "I hear that you've been doing well as an auror trainee?" Jaden asked bringing up a subject she hoped he would get excited to talk about. When her sweet tea was delivered she asked for a straw and sucked the pungent liquid into her mouth quickly in order to try and speed up her sobering. It was suddenly vitally important she wasn't drunk. Too late for that, she thought.

[Harley Duke]

Harley let out a noise, close to "Eugh" at the mention of the institute, before looking at her and elaborating. "Yeah, I've been good, I'm just out for this weekend though, I have to go back for a couple of months tomorrow night, so I thought I'd come down and get a drink. What about you? You're looking good." He quickly added, in an attempt at his old bravado. He found it was easier to talk when he was directly asked something, as if he already had the answer there, and all he was doing was saying it. He continued. "I think I'll pass good, I mean there's nothing that I've had a huge amount of trouble with."

His brain, all the time was flooded with memories, which he tried to keep out of his mind. He had been taught how to close his mind from distraction, how to put on a mask, essentially, how to lie. Sadly, he was good at lying, so he kept his face level, his voice controlled, all the while his heart was protesting his lack of outward affection.

[Jaden Aerins]

Jaden forced a laugh and since she had been in the public eye for the past two and a half years she knew how to put on a good front no matter what you were feeling. No one wanted career-breaking photos in the Daily Prophet. She reached up a hand that was much steadier than she would have thought, and place it on Harley's arm, "I knew you'd be great." She said in a voice full of serious compassion, "I knew it." Her smile wasn't as forced and in a result Jaden felt a new sense of control over herself. She knew it was likely to break at any given moment but she took the moment and ran with it, "I played Quidditch with Ireland for a few years but I don't know if they would show that to you as an Auror Trainee?" She giggled, "But recently my arm got re-injured and that was the end of that!" Jaden leaned back but made sure it wasn't far enough to fall off the bar stool. She had a few more sips of her sweet tea before actually turning in her stoll to face Harley. Suddenly she realized how close to one another they were actually sitting and she felt her face turn bright red as her knee brushed against the side of his leg.

[Harley Duke]

Harley listened to her, again some of the tightness in his throat melting away, whether because he was starting to feel the alcohol slightly, or because she just made him feel that way, he didn't know. He listened as she spoke, and shook his head as she inquired about his ability to keep up to date with Quidditch news. Strangely he felt a pang of annoyance when she mentioned her arm, shortly followed by an unstoppable surge of guilt for leaving her here. As she leaned back, he instinctively leaned forward to catch her, as he knew her tenancy fall off chairs, walls, desks..........beds.

As she brushed her leg against his, he looked down, not know what to do, and feeling akin to a small boy on a first date. He couldn't speak, he just sat there, like a stunned mullet, waiting for her to take the lead, after all, he had to be a gentleman, no matter what.

[Jaden Aerins]

It was silent for what felt to Jaden like forever. She wondered why he didn't make some smart ass comment about something or say something clever to break the silence. Instead he just starred off into space as if he was trying to think of something to say but she couldn't really tell if that was the case. In response, she remain silent as well, not sure exactly what to say next. Should she get his attention? Should she stay quiet? Was taking the initiative the right course here or should she let him? She felt an overwhelming stab of pain somewhere in her heart, taking the initiative was definitely a bad idea. He left her here which means he probabl didn't care about her anymore.

"..." Jaden opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. After her epiphany a moment ago all the words she had wanted to say for two year stuck in her throat. It was suffocating her as she lowered her head and starred at her tan legs trying to hide the pain on her face. She sucked in a heavy breath trying to get it down without sounding winded.

[Harley Duke]

Harley realised soon enough that she wasn't going to break the awkward silence, so the task would have to fall upon him. He looked back at her, calculating, deciding which approach to take, and deciding on the guilty one. He took one of her hands in his, still not knowing what to say, but as he opened his mouth, it came naturally, the one thing he could say to attempt to amend his mistake. "Sorry" Was all that he could manage, but he felt that it would serve to get the conversation out of it's hole.

His face was stone, and his eyes dry, but what was missing on the surface, was certainly there inside. His heart ached, and he longed for the old days to return, when he was happy, but he seriously doubted that he would ever get the chance to hold her the way he used to.

[Jaden Aerins]

The word echoed in her head like some cheesy scene in a bad movie. She could almost see the camera zoom in on her eyes as if waiting for the lead actress to start crying in happiness but it didn't come, she had had far too much to drink for tears to come of this situation. Instead, a smile graced Jaden's glossed lips as she giggled. She still didn't know what to say but she knew how hard it was for Harley to say the word 'sorry' to anyone. He doesn't show weakness well. So rather than speaking she stood up quickly, still facing Harley. This meant that their faces were about an inch from each other. Jaden laughed again, her eyes finally filling with the tears the imaginary camera had been waiting for as she flung her arms bravely around Harley's neck and pulled herself close to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

She stood like that in a euphoric state f mind for a moment before giggled again and rubbing the tears from her eyes, "Harley," She said his name between sobs of joy, "Harley," The words were coming, she knew she need to stop but she couldn't. There was a great lack of self control going on here and she knew she'd regret every moment of this in the morning, "Harley," She started again, this time finishing it with an "I love you."

[Harley Duke]

Harley internally rolled his eyes as Jaden let out a few giggles, he should have expected as much from her in this state, but it served to dampen the immensely cheesy atmosphere. He swallowed, and exhaled as she grasped him, and decided that the best course of action was to go with the flow. He whispered back in her ear "I love you too" could pure luck save his ass? He knew he would have been is a heel of a lot of trouble if Jaden could see straight, as it was, however, she was being positively co-operative. He wrapped one arm around her back, (half to stop her falling down) and the other stroked her gleaming dark hair.

He was ahead, and he knew it, so he had to get back in the good books while he was still in the lead. He smiled, and said cheekily. "So does that mean you forgive me?" He was surprised how easy it was to talk all of a sudden, and his inner pimp was sneering triumphantly.

'Yeeeeeaahh, you still got it!!'

((Sorry, I had to put the whole "inner pimp" thing in.))

[Jaden Aerins]

It took Jaden a moment to even realize what he was talking about. She pushed away from him a glowered, her face dangerously close to his, "Never." She said in a voice that rung with finality. She let out a heavy breathe as if trying to release all her anger but it didn't help much. Instead, it ended up as sort of a sigh and she continued, "But I don't care right now..." She leaned her forehead into his shoulder and sighed again, "I don't care..."

Jaden smiled into his shoulder as she felt his warmth around her. It was a feeling she never got since he left. She had been hugged, of course, and had even dated a few guys but she always felt like she was ultimately cheating on Harley and it always ended quickly. Jaden moved her head slightly so she could kiss his shoulder and turned her head so she was looking at his neck, "But I do want to know why...?" She whispered almost hoping, despite the close proximity of his ear, that he had not caught her selfish little comment

[Harley Duke]

Harley, who had long since learned to listen to everything that was said to him, no matter how quiet, answered. "I guess.........I couldn't bring myself to say good bye, you know how I am. It's not an excuse, I know by all means you should be beating me right now, but that's my reasoning." This, at least was the truth, the only reason he had left without a word was because he couldn't bring himself to say good bye. He knew Jaden had most likely been with other people, which made it's own incision on his heart, but right now, he was just relishing the feeling of her hair in his fingers. He didn't look at her, but stayed facing front and center, he could feel her eyes on his neck, and moved his face so that he could plant a kiss on her forehead.

[Jaden Aerins]

"Pfft..." Jaden laughed bitterly and couldn't hold in the glare that formed on her face, "I wouldn't have let you leave without a fight, you know?" Her voice was still quiet but louder than her nearly inaudible whisper from before. She felt his lips on her forehead and smiled, biting her lips and pulling away to sit properly in her bar stool again. At this point she noticed that over half of the bar's residents were starring obviously and the rest of them were trying to glance at the casually over their menus.

"We put on quite a show, don't we?" She asked quickly changing the subject from a depressing mood to a joking manner. She laughed awkwardly and pulled at a strand of hair that had found its way out of hey pony tail.