Gorgeous
Chapter 2 : Gorgeous
“You're so gorgeous
I can't say anything to your face
'Cause look at your face (gorgeous)
And I'm so furious
At you for making me feel this way
But what can I say?
You're gorgeous”
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“What if we pretend to date?”
Regulus’s brain short-circuited, and his mouth gaped open, staring at his best friend who had clearly lost his mind.
“I’m sorry, what?”
Remus gave him a look, “I said, what if we pretend to date?”
“And why in the fuck would we do that?”
“Because, then James would get super jealous and totally want to date you. Then we can stage a big breakup, and you can go date the man of your dreams.”
Regulus opened his mouth to retort but paused as he realized it wasn’t a terrible idea.
“I mean, it’s not your worst idea ever.”
Remus grinned triumphantly.
“What would you be getting from this arrangement?”
Remus, looked down as if the bedspread was suddenly of great interest to him, “Nothing, I just want to help you out-”
But Regulus could tell this was not the real reason, “Oh my god! You have a crush! Who do you want to make jealous?”
“I do not have a crush,” protested Remus.
“Remus, you’re a terrible liar, and- are you blushing right now?”
Remus only blushed harder.
“You have to tell me who it is now, or there’s no chance I’ll agree to your crazy scheme.”
Remus glared, and it was clear he had no intention of telling Regulus who he liked.
Regulus decided to tease him a little more, “Aw, I’ve never seen you blush Rem, it’s so cute.”
Remus threw a pillow at him and stood up. “I’m going out to study,” he announced, “think about my plan Reg!”
Regulus was intrigued by his friend's crush but decided Remus would tell him when he was ready. He moved back to his own bed and began sketching, contemplating Remus’s crazy, but admittedly exciting, idea.
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Remus left his dorm, wondering what he was going to tell Regulus. How do you tell someone you’re in love with their brother, with whom they had a very strained relationship? There was no world in which Remus could see that conversation going well. Regulus was basically his only friend, and there was no way he could sabotage that.
He sighed and shook his head, heading towards his favorite cafe.
The Leaky Cauldron is an eclectic, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop tucked into a corner of campus, It was Remus’s favorite, though, for these very reasons. He stepped inside and breathed in the comforting scent of freshly brewed coffee. He placed his items down at his favorite corner table and then went to order.
He spotted Dorcas, the barista, behind the bar polishing glasses. She saw him and quickly moved toward the register.
“Hi Remus, how are you doing?”
“I’m good Dorcas, what about you?”
“I’m good as well. Just a small black coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
He paid then took his coffee to his table to sip as he studied. Placing his earbuds inside his ears, he sighed contentedly as the music filled them.
Remus got lost in his studies, and when he glanced up again, he was surprised to see how low the sun hung in the sky. Staring out the window, he saw a familiar lather jacket approaching the Leaky Cauldron. He panicked a bit inside, not wanting to converse with Sirius. Historically, their interactions were awkward at best, and explosive at worst. He began to gather his things hurriedly, planning on slipping out a side door. However, just as he stood up, the bell above the door let out a quiet chime, announcing that Sirius had arrived. Remus looked up to see Sirius. He was a vision in a tight black crop top and baggy jeans, topped with his signature jacket and eyeliner. Remus as if the air had been stolen from his lungs, his heart rate quickening.
Sirius strolled over to the counter and began talking excitedly with Dorcas, something about Marlene, who was Dorcas’s girlfriend.
Remus contemplated leaving for a second, but he knew Sirius had seen him, and he didn’t want to seem like a coward. He set his things back down and cracked open his history textbook once more, content to focus on Taylor Swift’s lyrics and ignore the looming presence from across the cafe.
Of course, because the universe hated him, Sirius received his coffee and decided to walk toward Remus, sitting at the table right next to his, despite them being the only two patrons.
Sirius glanced over from where he was sitting, then slid his eyes back to his phone screen. He repeated this motion a few times before Remus sighed and looked back at him.
“Can I help you, Black?”
“Who, me? No, I just wanted to have a coffee, and this table seemed the best of the bunch, so I thought-”
“Sirius.”
“Okay, yes, I need your help.”
This caught Remus by surprise. Sure, he started with that question, but he hadn’t actually believed that Sirius had sought him out for something.
“Well, I live to serve,” he said sarcastically
Sirius huffed a quiet laugh, then said, “ I want to get closer to Regulus.”
Remus was caught off guard. “What?”
Sirius dropped his head into his hands, “I don’t know how much Reggie has told you, but our childhood was, well, pretty rough. My freshman year, I left, and I don;t think he’s ever forgiven me. You’re his best friend, and I thought maybe you would put in a good word, maybe push him to meet with me?”
A few months ago, after almost two years of friendship, Regulus had finally opened up about his past to Remus. He knew how difficult it had been for Reguuls when Sirius left, and how hurt he had been that he chose a whole new family. Sure, he had tried to get Regulus to come with him, but when Reg wouldn’t budge, Sirius left anyway, leaving Regulus heartbroken and alone.
Remus knew how hard it had been for Regulus to share this with him, and he didn’t take the gesture lightly.
“I’m sure that if he wanted a closer relationship with you, he would reach out,” he told Sirius.
Sirius looked crushed, and it pulled at something inside Remus. “Okay, I’m sorry for bothering you,” he said, as he pushed back his chair and stood.
The look of utter defeat on his face was enough to have Remus second guessing, “Wait, Sirius I- I suppose I could mention it to him.”
Sirius’s face lit up, and Remus basked in the warmth of his smile. “Thank you, Remus, so soo much, you won’t regret it, thank you!”
He started to move to the door of the cafe, an excited bound in his step. He turned around, and once more said, “Thank you, Remus,” before exiting the cafe.
Remus smiled to himself.
He didn’t realize until later that they hadn’t fought or argued at all during that interaction.
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Regulus sat on the bleachers next to the soccer field, his foot tapping anxiously. As he watched the players run up and down the field, he thought about just leaving, but this assignment was a big part of his grade, so he couldn’t just not do it.
The coach standing on the sidelines blew a whistle, signaling the end of practice.
Regulus’s foot tapped faster.
James jogged over towards the bleachers and sat down next to Regulus, sweaty but still beautiful.
“Hey, Reg, how are you?” he asked with a wide smile.
“Fine.”
“I’m so excited I got paired with you for this project, I was worried I would get someone who didn’t know what their doing or it would be awkward or something. But I know you’re super talented, so you’ll do a great job!”
Regulus just nodded.
James was undeterred, “Where are we working on this? Do you want to go to my dorm?”
Regulus shook his head immediately, not wanting to see Sirius at James’s dorm. “No, the courtyard.”
“Okay!” said James, his enthusiasm not waning in the slightest, “So what is this documentary bout? What kind of questions should I expect? You’re not going to ask me anything supper personal right? Like, I don’t mind, but I just want to be prepared you know?”
“No, nothing too personal.” Was Regulus’s clipped response.
“You know you have to talk to me to make a documentary about me right?” asked James.
Regulus just glared, yet James was unfettered. He continued to chatter and ramble for the entirety of their walk to the courtyard. Regulus tried not to be entranced by the ease he felt around this boy. His carefree personality was like a siren song to Regulus, but he reminded himself constantly that nothing would ever happen between them, and that he had to get over this crush.
Still, his proximity wasn’t helping the situation. As they walked, their hands never touched, but Regulus could feel the warmth of James’s hand. It was enough to have him envisioning how easy it would be to intertwine their fingers-
No, he wasn’t thinking about it. This was just a stupid project nothing more.
They arrived in the courtyard and Regulus felt like he could breathe easier with James across the table, rather than right next to him.
He got straight to business, “Okay, so I’m going to set up the camera and record all this, as long as that’s okay with you?”
James nodded in agreement, and Regulus set the camera up and started the recording.
“Okay, basic stuff first. What’s your name?”
“James Potter.” he says with his signature grin.
“Age?”
“18, I’m a senior this year.”
“What sport do you play?”
“Soccer.”
“And what position are you?”
“I’m the centre-back.”
“And you are the team captain.”
“Yes, I am,”
James doesn’t elaborate, so Regulus guides him.
“How is being the captain different than just being a player? How has it affected you?”
“Really, soccer is a team sport. But it is important to have a leader. I’m thankful to be able to provide that for the Hogwarts team. It really made me gain a new appreciation for the sport. However, winning is a team achievement, and I couldn’t do it on my own.”
Regulus notes how he turns it back on the team, in an incredibly humble way.
“Why did you start playing soccer?”
James smiles, his eyes unfocusing slightly as he looks back on a happy memory, “My dad got me into it. We used to go the park and kick the ball for hours, and it’s something that’s brought us together over the years. He came to all my games, from little league to now. He and my mom have always been my biggest fans. I would never have gotten this far without them.”
Regulus’s heart squeezes, hearing about how loving James’s parents are. It’s hard to hear about something he could’ve had. Yet, he doesn’t think James has ever looked as beautiful as he does while recounting his happiest childhood memories.
He realizes he’s been simply staring for a moment too long, and James is looking at him with a expectant look. He quickly looks back at his questions and clears his throat. “Good, okay, so next question…”
They continue for a while longer, and when they part ways, Regulus feels warmer than he has in a while.
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The next day, Regulus has made up his mind. After classes, he is going to tell Remus no to his ridiculous plan. It just feels wrong, and there’s no chance it will work, because James has no romantic feelings toward him whatsoever. It honestly feels cruel to do.
But as he rounds the corner of the library, he can see James talking to Lily Evans, in a deserted corner amongst the shelves. He know Lily is James’s ex, and they’ve been broken up for a while. But they seem awfully close for exes.
As Regulus watches, James puts a comforting hand on Lily’s arm, and she smiles up at him.
Regulus feels a searing pain in his chest and abruptly turns and leaves the library, speeding towards his dorm.
He knows he has no right to be jealous, but he can’t help it. Nothing about the interaction was distinctly romantic, but Regulus is filled with the sudden urge to reciprocate.
So, he bursts into the dorm room, slightly out of breath, and tells Remus, “Let’s do it.”