Cherry Skies

Louis simply hated suits.

Yet there he was, in dark grey suit, the one he was forced to buy for Victoire's wedding, white buttoned up shirt and black tie his mother bought him for his last birthday. He wore that tie only once since then when Fleur organised a party with dress code for Bill's birthday, he felt like a penguin back then. That didn't change – he still felt like a penguin in a suit.

He stubbed out his cigarette, smoking was a bad habit he collected during his stay in France, fixed his tie looking in a mirror and exited the bathroom, discreetly throwing away the cigarette. Smoking wasn't actually allowed here but he didn't care. Louis was here only because he felt an obligation to help those in need so he had to attend this event.

"Weasley…. Louis." He added his name, uncertain if any of his relatives was coming. Maybe he'd knew that if he wasn't avoiding them even before he left to spend a month in France without telling any of them. They were probably pissed at him, anyways. At least he would be if he was any of them.

The man on the entrance of the ballroom glanced at the paper, checking the list. Louis' eyes followed his pen moving down the list until it finally stopped and the man wrote something next to, Louis' name. "Mr Weasley, you've got the number 31. I'll take you to your table." The man entered the ballroom with Louis following close behind and admiring the decorations they set all around the room, but did it so perfect they looked like a real work of art.

They stopped near a table in the corner, which indeed had a number 31 written in calligraphy on a vase filled with one red rose in the middle of the table.

"Thank you, Sir. Could I know who am I dining with?" Louis asked politely, although he knew he won't get any satisfying answer.

"I'm sorry, Sir, that information is classified. The only thing I can tell you is that that person announced she'll arrive any second now, so I must excuse myself. I'll send the waiter to take your order. Have a great night, Sir." With that, the man excused himself and Louis took a seat, using the time before the arrival of his companion to check surroundings more carefully. All the tables in the ballroom were already occupied, only two people sitting at each table.

The band was warming up on the stage and Louis already decided he doesn't like them.

This is going to be a long evening.

Why couldn't he just send a check?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

"I still don't understand why I need to go on that dinner alone." Corrine was murmuring angrily while putting mascara.
She was really angry and because of that, she wore the sexiest dress she was able to find. Just to make that idiot of her fiance jealous, but it obviously didn't mean anything to him.
"Honey, you know I need to work. And please, we don't need to argue. Jasper's nanny is downstairs." Kevin hugged Corrine and kissed her briefly.
"Have a nice time, see you later. You look really great" he said and then left the room.

Corrine rolled her eyes and then, find silver high heels and matching the small bag.
She looked once again at her reflection in the mirror.
Her black dress was provocative, but not vulgar. She out her hair into the bun to show her naked back, but still few strands of hair were falling around her face.
She went downstairs and kissed her son before she left the house and apparated herself when she was sure no one was watching.

Corrine came in front of the restaurant and came in.
Someone came to take her coat and she looked at the man on the reception.
"Good evening. Corrine Ross. I'm hope I didn't late." she smiled politely and looked around herself.
"Good evening Mrs. Corrine. You come in time. Your table is one with number 31. I'll show you."

She followed him to the table in the corner and put her best smile, but it escaped from her face when she saw... that back, hair... That Is Louis.

"I'll leave you now madam, have a nice time." the man went and leave her on her dinner in hell.

"Hello, Louis," she said calmly and smiled before she sat.
She can do this. They can be polite.
They just need to remember why they are here.
But she couldn't believe she see him... After two long years. And he looked as always, except suit, he hated them in the past.

If someone told him Corrine Ross was his dining partner he'd think about skipping the dinner. Louis would probably turn on his heel, leave and never come back without second thought. However, that wasn't an option now, no matter how hard he wished it could be, so, instead of getting the hell out of here Louis brought the glass of wine a waiter brought him only a couple of moments before and took a sip.

It was bitter, he could feel the taste of cinnamon and another fruit, an apple, maybe, in dark red liquid. Despite the bitterness, it was the perfect choice for the situation he found himself in.

"Good evening Corrine, would you like a glass of wine?" Louis stood up and took the bottle from the dish filled with ice at the end of the table. Wrapping it in a white cloth he poured a glass of wine like a professional waiter. It was another thing he learned in France – he used to work in a coffee shop so he could meet new people on daily basis.

He returned on his place, proud how unaffected he looked to anyone who might watch (or so he hoped) and sat down, taking his glas in his hand but not bringing it towards his lips just yet. "How have you been? It's been some time since I saw you, we never quite managed to say goodbye." The darkhaired man shuggred, feigning nonchalance.

It was a low kick, yet he hoped she'll see a point.

While she was sitting in front of her ex-lover Corrine started calculating how much someone needs to have the bad luck to get in the situation like this.
There are about 6 billion people on this bloody planet, and still, Louis Weasley is her partner for this bloody dinner. She knew it is a bad idea to come alone but still, if she came with Kevin and Louis is her partner for tonight, it would be even worse.

Louis sipped some wine in her glass and she couldn't but notice that he did it as a professional. It's not like you need much effort to put some liquid in the glass but he did it with elegance and like he did it much time in the past. Maybe for his new girlfriend? Just the thought of it caused bad feeling in her stomach and she realized that is jealousy. Even if she didn't any rights to feel that she just couldn't help herself.
"Thank you, Louis," Corrine said politely and tried to smile but it looked more like the grimace than the smile.

"I have been okay, thank you for asking" she tried to say it nonchalantly, bu redness that appeared on her cheeks showed how much that words affected her. It was really rude and she bit her lips trying not to answer anything else, even if she would sell her soul to the devil just to see him embarrassed by the same way he did to her right now. But she won't, she won't let him win this.

"How have you been? You look really great, is there a girl responsible for that?" she tried to change subject to prove him she doesn't care, or at least to try to fool him to think she doesn't care.

He should have passed his invitation to Kace or Augusta, or any other person, for the matter. That way he wouldn't get himself in this situation. If someone had asked him if he wanted to see Corrine again he would have said yes without thinking. If nothing else he wanted to know why she left him the way she did, how could she do that, but after seeing her here, after finally being able to ask those questions and maybe even get answers, Weasley realised none of that questions really mattered.

After he spent months justifying her actions. Firstly to himself, then to his family and to everyone who wanted to listen. Louis has already created too many scenarios, too many lies to cover what she had done that he wasn't sure if there's enough place for the truth left. Nor if he would be able to hear it, to accept her point of view. This way, he was living in lies, but those were lies he created and he was familiar with them. The truth might better be left untold.

"You're welcome, Corrine." His eyes bore into her, looking at a person he once thought he knew so well, but probably knew nothing about was horrible. The fact that he couldn't tell what was on her mind anymore filled his chest with unease. Louis forced a smile, the same one he used at work when speaking with people he didn't want to speak with, and retreated on his chair.

Louis suddenly wished he paid more attention during his Auror training course, maybe if he had, he would have been able to make his face blank of any emotion. Ever since the young age, his face was like an open book, so he assumed Corrine would be able to see the betrayal and distrust written all over his face.

Why did everyone always thought if someone looked good there must have been a woman responsible for that? His jaw tightened but he made no move to look away from her. "Maybe." His response was enigmatic, it was the only way he could avoid a flat-out lie and she'd see right through it, she was always able to do that. Or truth. Louis didn't want for her to know the truth either. "I've moved on a long time ago," he stopped speaking, trying to find the right words, "and I hope you did the same."

"That you're happy with someone new." Those words burned his insides like acid but he smiled.

Corrine was almost begging all gods and even the demons, in hope they meal would come soon.
She needed something to do so she doesn't need to look at him. But the problem was the fact she probably wouldn't be able to eat anything at the moment.
He was so calm and she was jealous because of that. While he was so calm and nice Corrine felt like she was falling in the deep hole without any way to escape.
But maybe he was acting.

She decided to try to look at him in order to find out what he was thinking at the moment, and what she found surprised a lot.
She could see anger, betrayal... And that made her feel really bad.
The fact was, she is the bad person. And he deserved better than her, better than she would ever be able to give him.
It's not like she didn't suffer, but she suffers because of her own choices. And on the other hand, he couldn't doany<thing to change what happened to him.

but still, she couldn't hate him, and more than anything she couldn't hate herself because to be honest, she should. If he never met her, he would e happy all the time, probably.
But she was way too selfish to think about the scenario where she didn't meet him. And he was the same as always, open book, nervous without any chance to hide it, and handsome more than anything.
She just wanted to jump and kiss him and hug him and if it was necessary to beg him on her knees to take her back, but that wasn't possible. She made decisions and now she needed to learn how to live with it. She could not hurt him once again, even without that there was probably the special place in hell for her.

'Maybe.'

One word. Five letters. And too many ways to hurt her. Corrine Ross felt like someone took all air from her lungs. She was drawing and there was no one who could save her.
Her cheeks became dark red and she looked at him trying to force herself to stop making tears which were treating to finally left her eyes.

"I am really glad to hear that you are happy" but I would love to see you happy with me. She finished in her head knowing that was the only true. Hell, she can't be glad if he was happy with someone else.
She started imagining him with someone and wondered if the girl was prettier than her. That pictures stayed in her head for a long time after he asked something, even if she wasn't sure what he was talking about. She was obviously masochist since she decided to keep hurting herself mentally.

"I am, I mean, I am glad. I mean... Nothing." Finally, their meal was there and she frowned again.
Meat.
She hates meat.
That was the reason why she was vegetarian since she turned 8.
"I am glad if you are happy, you deserve that Louis" she tried to hide the pain in her voice but she wasn't sure if she fooled anyone.

"Everyone deserves happiness, Corrine," his voice was dead serious, so un-Louis like, or unlike Louis she knew. Louis sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and glanced away, scared that if he keeps looking at her that his eyes might reveal something he didn't want for her to know. Funny thing, once he never needed to second thought if he wanted to tell her something or not, once, he believed her enough to write her down as his emergency contact, as the one who'd make decisions for him if he was unable to do so.

Today, he couldn't bear to look her in the eyes for longer than a few moments.

"I guess it was a good thing that you left me. That you left when you left, I would have almost made the greatest mistake of my life, but you left before I was able to do so, and in some way, you stopped me from doing that. I never had the chance to thank you for that, until now, so thank you. Although I hated you back then, I now realise that you leaving me was the best scenario."

Despite his words, he still didn't believe what he said. He wouldn't believe it. Maybe he was a bit too young to make that decision, yet deciding to ask her to become his wife felt right. Not a mistake like he said it was. However, it wasn't like he ever actually had the chance to propose her as she disappeared a day before he planned to do so.

If he believed it was a mistake he wouldn't wear that ring on a chain ever since.

"But let's move on other topics, when did you come back?"

She squeezed lips and reminded herself that she deserves this. She deserves this pain and he had any right to say whatever he wanted to her. Because she broke his heart. He was the cherefull and friendly guy once upon a time, but now she was able to see the only shadow of that man. And it made her feel sick to know that she is the reason for this. She was the one who left him and made him look like this.
She started playing with the food in her plate so she has the excuse to not look at him. She was coward, and she definitely wasn't ready to face with this she had done in the past.

Hearing his words, made her leave without air. That stupid air just wasn't able to find its way to her lungs.
She looked at him shocked. To be honest, Corrine wasn't able to imagine this scenario, where he would be this cruel and actually say thank you because she left him.
And the thing that hurt her the most was the fact he really hated her, that was the thing she was always afraid of.
But she felt really angry. He didn't have any right to do this to her now. True, she made a mistake back then, but she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to hear him offending her.
"You know, I must agree with you. While leaving you, I was sure that our son would have the happy life. We were too young to be parents, but yet, I made it" she shrugged knowing this was the low punch but she just didn't care anymore.

She was more than happy to change the subject but still, this won't be comforted talk. Now it will come even first part if that was even possible.
"A few months ago. My fiancee decided to find a job here so we moved back to London with him so we wouldn't be apart." Corrine shrugged but she felt really bad while saying 'fiancee'. She made it sound almost like dirty word, curse or something like that.

Louis threw his head backwards and laughed. This time it wasn't half hearted chuckle it was full belly laugh that was loud enough to make both of people who were dining at the table next to them to turn in his direction but Louis Weasley wasn't aware of that.

He expected to hear a lot of things from her, a lot of lies to cover her disappearance. What he didn't expect was her making up a whole another person. A child. Louis wanted children with her once, he was raised in a big family and he couldn't imagine living without any of them, although he spent a lot of time actively ignoring them, but only because he couldn't stomach lying into their faces anymore. One day, he wanted to have a big family too, maybe not as big as his grandparents had but still big, and he used to picture Corrine as their mother although the pair never really discussed it.

"Oh, but Corrine, I don't have any children." He gazed at her, his eyes void of any humour, he was dead-serious and he wanted her to know it. If she wanted to shock him she would have to try better, a small smile curved one end of Louis' lips as he thought about that.

Well, if something could wipe off a smug look on his face it was Corrine's next statement. "You have a fiancee?" It was wrong, it felt wrong. It also wasn't his business and he should stop asking questions but… "Since when? I mean it's great news. Congratulations. I'm so happy for you." Louis placed a smile on his face, it was big, overly enthusiastic and as fake as he could muster but he hoped his expression was believable enough.

While he was waiting he looked down at his meal, it looked like a masterpiece and usually, he couldn't have waited to start eating, but this time he couldn't force himself to start. Raising his hand in the air he called the bartender since both of them got the same meal, he felt obligated to do so knowing Corrine never eats meat and he indeed saw meat on their plate. "Could you please bring us one vegetarian meal? My date here," it was weird to hear that word rolling from his tongue, but that was what Corrine was - his dinner date, "is a vegetarian and the server accidentally brought her a non-vegetarian meal, so we'd be grateful if you could fix that, please?" Louis glanced at Corrine waiting for her to agree with him.

Was she still a vegetarian, though? Maybe she started eating meat and he just made a fool of himself, he bit his lip, a lot of time has passed and he didn't know her anymore, she was a stranger.

Just somebody that he used to know.

And it hurt.

Corrine was only able to stare at Louis while he was laughing. Was this conversation really funny for him? She expected a lot from him, but even in her worst nightmare, she didn't think that he will laugh at her.
She looked at him without amused in her eyes, she was really serious and she hoped that Louis will understand that she wasn't joking.
"We have a son, Louis. Look" she opened her purse and took a small picture from her wallet. The boy looked like Louis and there is no suspicious.
Maybe she was making one big mistake for telling him this.
But she wanted him to know. If nothing else, she wanted to see the pain in his eyes. The same pain that was visible in her eyes since she came to this dinner.

"His name is Jasper" she looked at Louis again.
"He is 2 years old" if this doesn't convince him, nothing will.
For two years she was raising their son alone. For one year she was pretending that Louis is dead. She was lying to everyone and maybe, just maybe now it's time to stop.
She knew this time will come, but for now, she wasn't ready. She had a million scenarios in her head how she will tell Louis that they have the son once, but this scenario was never in her head.

"But I can't force you to believe me" she shrugged and took the picture and put it back in her wallet, next to Kevin's photo. Once upon a time, there was Louis's picture in her wallet, but she threw it away one year ago when she finally decided to stop living in the past. Because Louis was the past. Kevin is her future.

"I have" she stopped and looked at Louis. His reaction was weird. It seemed that he didn't expect something like that and for the moment, she regretted telling him. He didn't deserve to know that, he didn't deserve to suffer once again.
But then he put the smile on his face and that hurt. He just didn't care.
"I know him one year now. He proposed me before two months. We want to get married in the winter." She smiled, just to hide the pain while she was talking about this. In normal condition, she would be happy to talk about Kevin because the truth was that she was happy with him. But while she was telling about this to Louis, it felt just wrong.
"Thank you. He is the really great man. He accepted and loves Jasper even if he isn't his father."

Louis raised his hand and Corrine felt fear. Was he living? She wasn't ready to let him go. Maybe this was the last time she sees him. She wasn't ready for it to end even if this dinner was everything but good. While she sat next to him they brought to each other only the pain, but just being able to see him next to her was enough.
Anyway, when he complained about her meal, Corrine started breathing again.
It made her smile to realize that he still remember such an ordinary things about her such as her being vegetarian. It was nice and it almost made her cry.
"Thank you, Louis" she was able to say only that three words.
"But if you don't have vegetarian meal it's okay, I can eat salad" she smiled when she saw that bartneder was confused.