Chapter 2
Friday
The Wednesday hiphop lesson was all Regulus could think about. Maybe it was the fact the instructor looked familiar or that he hadn’t seen Evan in years. Or maybe it was that he hadn’t been in close proximity with another man (besides Barty) in weeks.
Regulus grunts and rolls over in his bed.
As he was still relying on money from his most recent ballet production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Barty was still bringing in money from his junk shop, their place was pretty big.
The cold air floats around the open spaces, making Regulus pull his blanket around him tighter.
His thoughts return temporarily from being cold, back to James’ hands, eyes and hair, to whatever he is going to do today.
Hating being and adult and having to get up, he rummages around his wardrobe for a hoodie before walking to the kitchen.
Barty thankfully won’t be up for hours so he gets a bit of peace in the morning.
‘
Do you believe in love at first sight?’ Lily pulls some more glasses out the dishwasher, awaiting James’ answer.
‘I guess,’ James ponders for a minute, thinking about the many men and the most recent one, he’d fallen for at first sight, ‘Yes I do.’
Lily hums and pulls out another glass.
‘Would you like to tell me who you’ve met?’ James moves from his seat on the counter to over to Lily. ‘You know you can tell me anything.’
Lily visibly relaxes and sets down her glass. ‘We have a replacement for Mary and I think I’m in-love.’
Lily works in a soap shop, where they test different colours and scents. Mary was Lily’s experimenting assistant but she had left to help her mother through ill health. They had been waiting for her replacement who has come today.
‘Have you confessed your undying love yet?’ James laughs but not unkindly.
‘Shut up!’ Lily smacks him across the shoulder. ‘But no, I don’t think she likes me back.’
‘Oh um, have you asked her?’ James asks.
‘No it’s her first fucking day, why would I do that?’
‘Okay okay jeez. What’s her name?’
‘Pandora.’
‘That’s a nice name.’
Lily gives him a weird look, ‘Anyway, I’ll just have to create a plan of action.’
‘Safe to say that you’re not leaving your room for a while.’
‘Yeah, bye.’ Then she leaves abruptly to the door that leads to her bedroom, abandoning James to finish the last of putting away from the dishwasher.
‘Bat, I’m driving get in the passenger side.’ Regulus’ voice darkens as Barty wasn’t moving from where he was laying back in the driver’s seat, legs kicked upon the steering wheel.
Barty must have realised Regulus was not playing around and slowly slides out of the seat like a stubborn toddler.
Regulus has leant after yesterdays shenanigans driving to the the hiphop lesson, to not let Barty drive ever. At least not while he’s in the car.
They have to go to the supermarket as all their food has mysteriously disappeared. Regulus blames Barty’s late night cravings and Barty blames Regulus’ sleep walking that he doesn’t even do.
Almost the whole way to the shop, Barty fiddled with the radio, never staying on one station for more than a minute. Usually this would annoy Regulus to no end, but his thoughts were on his mental shopping list.
Once the car has been parked, Barty went and got a trolley.
They ended up loosing each other as soon as they went though the front door. Barty pushes himself up on the back of the trolley handles and glides off down a random aisle.
Regulus on the other hand, calculates which aisle he was going down first. He slips down one, careful to avoid people and looks down the shelf. He moves one of the boxes out the way to get the one he needed when he stops.
Was that James?
He instantly ducks under the gap in the shelf and rubs his eyes. When he thought he was back in his reality he slowly rose and looks the gap again.
No it can’t have been.
Then James walks back into view from the gap. Shit.
He feels Barty thunder behind him with a full trolley.
‘Who are we spying on?’
‘No one,’ Regulus straightens his spine and tried to look nonchalant, accidentally leaving Barty enough room to peek through the gap behind him.
‘Oh,’ Barty’s face contorts into an evil smile, ‘Ja-
He gets interrupted by Regulus’ hand over his mouth, ‘Shut up you little insect.’
Barty’s eyes widen slightly but Regulus can feel him smiling against his hand.
‘I will gut you like a fish,’ Regulus barks but drops his hand.
Barty flashes him a taunting smirk before watching James with a fake love struck expression through the gap.
‘Don’t start mocking me, you’re the one who’s been drooling after Evan for ages.’
‘Actually even longer,’ Barty comments picking his nails and straightening his back. ‘Probably since before he got pulled out of school.’
Regulus shot him a look.
‘And at least I have a plan to get him with me.’ Barty waggles his hands around proudly.
‘Merlin do tell.’
‘No no, you’ll steal my idea.’
‘Mhm okay.’
Neither of them spoke about Evan getting pulled out often as they both felt betrayed in a way. Evan hadn’t told them why he had been removed, and both Barty and Regulus came to a unanimous decision that he probably didn’t know either. Whether that was true or not, it’s what they made themselves believe.
Regular starts walking away from Barty pretending he didn’t know him. However the latter kept following, rolling on his shopping trolley, and subtly exposing Regulus’ crush on James.
They made it around the shop and to the till without even seeing James. However outside they weren’t so lucky.
‘Crouch!’ James calls and waves while Regulus puts their trolley back.
Lady Luck has not shined upon Regulus today, so as he wishes James would just leave it at that and go, he came over to talk to them.
‘Barty, I’m going to wait in the car,’ Regulus avoids eye contact with both men and just simply left.
He could feel Barty’s eyes burning holes in the back of his head as he sat down in the car.
He attempts to lip read both James and Barty, but Barty knew what he was trying to do so positions himself so Regulus couldn’t see either of their faces.
After five minutes, Barty returns silently to the car.
As soon as he was in the and the door was firmly locked, Regulus started driving.
‘So…’ Barty tapped his leg interrupting the silence.
‘What were you both taking about?’ Regulus blurts out but pretending not to care.
‘You don’t do small talk.’ Barty states.
‘I’m just being nice.’ Regulus responds through gritted teeth.
If Barty sees though his facade he didn’t mention it, ‘He was just asking about you, said he hadn’t seen you around and that he never got your name.’
‘And what did you say?’ Regulus keeps his eyes trained on the road.
‘Well, I told him your name, and said if you had any other questions, he has to ask you himself.,
Regulus instantly made an audible sigh of relief, but then Barty took that as his cue.
‘And then I told him about your obsession with him and how you’re dying to get your hands all over his body.’
‘Barty.’ Regulus says angrily and tries his hardest to not smash his head on the steering wheel and kill them both.
‘I understand that you don’t want to confess your feelings, but I’m going to force you to both talk.’
Regulus offers Barty a tight smile, realising Barty was winding him up.
Wait. Fuck.
‘I don’t have any feelings for him.’ His face drops into a scowl.
‘Hmm sure and that wasn’t a blush when he came over.’
‘How dare you!’
The rest of the car journey was silent, Barty didn’t even attempt to play any music, as he was deep in thought and occasionally sniggered to himself.
Regulus didn’t bother to ask why, as this would lead him into the trap of being stuck in a lecture, listening to Barty rant about all the times he looked at James and blushed in his presence.
He knew James for less than a day and already the mere mention of the man was wreaking havoc in his brain.
Regulus really should hate James for this, and maybe a little part of him does.
But it’s up to him whether he hides it away and continues falling for James, or just ignore what he’s confused about and never step foot in that cursed hiphop classroom again.
It’s crazy to think he’s not know him a long time.