Timeless

James

When Reggie made the split-second decision of allowing me a chance, or well, technically himself a chance (you know, at life) then I grabbed the chance faster than a tiger strikes at its prey. 

India was the first place that came to mind. It's where I rediscovered myself and my will to live after my parents' deaths. I came here chasing for their roots, my roots, any tangible connection to them I would still be able to grab onto. What I discovered here instead, however, was so much more. The people, the culture, all of it, it was full of taste and colour and hope, vibrant and illuminating even the darkest of days. Here the dead were never dead and suddenly I would walk a street looking for my mum and dad in every bird flying by, every cat slipping through a crack in the wall. The absence that had been filled with grief was now full of hope, full of belief that somewhere they had been reborn and somehow their routes would cross with mine again. 

And now I hoped that India would work its wonderful magic on Reggie and he could find the hope to fill any emptiness he held within himself, however deep he may have hidden it. 

Not gonna lie, the timing of it all was as if written in the stars – as soon as we made it here, in the entry hall of a small house (once my grandparents' then my parents' and now mine) I knew what the event was we were about to barge in on. Today India celebrated the beginning of spring and said it's see-ya-s to winter, welcoming the new season with what it would bring - colours and joy. 

“Go on,” I whispered in Reggie's ear, “let's live a little, shall we?”

When he didn't move I slipped past him and into the crowd, standing there, amid all these cheerful folk, looking at Regulus on the sidelines, standing there, unsure. I reached my hand towards him, “You promised not to refuse just 'cause you're afraid,” 

“I'm not,”

“Come on then, let's get us some colours to throw around,” my hand was still waiting. He pushed himself into the crowd, doors closing behind him as they'd been magicked to do. He didn't take my hand, so I let it drop, but he was here, in the middle of the most cheerful celebration I'd ever attended. 

I watched him.

He was completely mesmerized, stains of every colour already embellished on his white button-up. He'd left his blazer behind and as I realised I was still wearing mine I quickly shed it, hanging it on a pole nearby. If it was still there as we returned, well great, if it wasn't then someone needed it more than I did, either way I didn't care. What I did care about was Reggie's face, a bit of green dye spread across his cheek already, pinks and purples sitting on the tips of his wavy hair. His eyes still a blueish grey and yet full of every colour like a kaleidoscope that's plain on the outside. 

I slipped a seller some money and grabbed a few bags of coloured powders. 

“Regulus!” I called out, catching his attention right before tossing him one. He looked at the bag, confused. I took the chance to scoop up a handful of pink dye out of my own bag and tossed it right at him.

The dye landed in the middle of his chest, colouring the still-white fabric there a bright pink shade. I watched his breath catch, his eyes lower to his chest and the fiery rose stain there. He placed a hand on it, swiped his as-white glove across it, spreading the dye and staring at it. For a moment I wasn't sure if he'd walk away, blame me for ruining his clothes. But then, a smile tugged at his lips, a spark of mischief glittering in his eyes. He scooped up a handful of his own dye and threw it at me, covering my glasses in green. I couldn't see anything, but in the midst of all the cheering and yelling and singing, I thought I heard him laugh. Really laugh, not from sarcasm or mischief or anything else I'd found in his chuckles or scoffs, but instead from happiness. Unless someone else had a laugh that was more perfect than any other sound this planet would ever be able to produce. 

“Sorry,” I heard him say and a moment later something swiped across the lenses of my glasses, swiping away the powder. 

My stomach flipped, my breath caught, the world stopped spinning as Reguluses thin-gloved hands rested on my face for a moment even after the powder had been brushed from my lenses. He stared at me and I looked right back down. 

His cheeks were pink even beneath the dye covering them. His eyes glittered. I wanted more than anything in this world to just be able to bend down the tiny bit of the way still separating us and kiss him senseless (he was on his tiptoes so it would be meeting him halfway. He was right there and it was killing me.).

I wasn't though. I was not to touch him, and while based on the hands on my face it'd be fine with the fabric, however thin, separating us, skin on skin would be unheard of.

I needed to do something else so I wouldn't just lower my face. Swiftly, I pulled my half-empty bag of pink powder and emptied it on top of his head, laughing at the sight of it. 

“Potter!!!” he pulled away yelling at me, but a smile covered his entire handsome face, “you're gonna pay for this,” 

“You will have to catch me first,” I slipped between the people, letting him chase me down the crowded street, both of us getting drenched in every shade of the rainbow in the process. 

Before reaching the circus I knew to be at the end of the street I let him catch up to me in a lesser crowded alley and as soon as he did he drenched me over with a whole entire bag of red he must've acquired somewhere on the way. I had not bought him red shades, though the temptation was heavy – red is India's shade for love and passion, always used at weddings and during Holi people like to smear the faces of lovers with red paste. I didn't want to have Reggie do that without him knowing what he was signing up for, but guess he found a way anyway. 

I smirked at him as he grinned, happy to have caught me and poured me over with dye.

“Where'd you get the red?”

“This woman handed it to me with a wink, pointed at you slipping here, why?”

“Oh it's,” I chuckled, couldn't stop myself. I didn't want to tell him though, I don't think he was ready for that obvious a flirtation yet, “nevermind,” I grabbed his hand and dragged him back out and towards the squareful of people at the end of the street, pouring another handful of green dye over him in the process, “come on.” 

He didn't pull his hand from mine.