It's Better If You Do
Vinqt-Six.
Bellamy let out another yawn, placing her book on her lap as she rubbed her tired eyes. She was exhausted, despite her short afternoon nap, but wasn’t quite sure when it was going to be ‘light’s out’ for the room. Rather than have to force conversation, she would continue to read until one of them decided it was time to sleep. George, from his spot on the floor, glanced up to the worn book, unable to read the title on the spine. Curiously, he turned back to Bellamy, preparing to ask her what she reading. Instead, his words died in his throat. He finally noticed that she wasn’t wearing any makeup, since before all he could focus on was her legs and “sleepwear“. She looked so young without it, perhaps even younger that Rose. A small band of faint freckles had made itself known across the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheekbones. Her lips were a dusty pink color and her eyes were wide, almost childlike in appearance.
“What are you looking at?” Bellamy hissed and George drew in a sharp breath of air, staring at her with wide eyes. He stammered over excuses in his head but nothing was coming out of his mouth.
“Your bruise…it’s all healed up,” he murmured. The brunette gave him a scrutinizing stare before turning back to her book, brushing her wet bangs to the side. He glanced over to Fred and Rose and saw them steeped in quiet conversation, probably talking about all they were going to see the next day. He turned back to Bellamy and asked, “What’re you reading?” Bellamy let the smallest bit of a taunting smile curl the corners of her lips
“The Karma Sutra,” she said loftily and Rose, who had been partially listening into the conversation, tittered with giggles as a blush painted her cheeks, leaving Fred and George to glance between the two sisters.
“What’s it about?” George asked, placing a hand on the edge of the bed as he tried to lift himself and look at the pages of the book. Bellamy glanced to Rose before looking over at George, holding the book just out of view. She placed a hand over his and grinned widely, managing to hide the mirth bubbling with in her well.
“Why don’t you go ask the assistant at Flourish and Blotts when you’re out running errands tomorrow? I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to tell you about it,” she said softly, letting her hand slip away from his and turn a page in her book. He made a mental note to figure out what this book was as he pulled his hand away from the bed. Sighing heavily, he looked down at the pastel stains on his fingertips that seemed to be even brighter and more vivid in color than he remembered.
“When are the stains going to fade from my fingers?” George asked and Bellamy snapped her book shut, her happiness quickly fading with the mention of the only evidence she had that he had gone through her things. She stared down at him for a moment with a stoic expression.
“Not for another week, I’m afraid,” she said without a hint of apology in her tone. “Perhaps it’ll teach you a lesson to not stick your hand where it ought not to be.” George stared up at her for a moment and Bellamy tilted her head ever-so-slightly to the side as she stared back. He quickly looked down to his fingertips, as if he were inspecting them. He didn’t want her to find out that he knew about Julian and the way she was looking at him made him feel like she was aware of this knowledge.
“If I may ask, how was such a thing accomplished?” Fred asked from across the room. Bellamy looked over to him and cut her eyes a bit, giving a short hum as she placed her book to the side and crossed her arms over her chest.
“It’s an invention of my own,” she said shortly, shrugging a bit. “If I manage to stay here long enough, perhaps I’ll allow you to add it in with your extensive amount of products.” She sighed heavily and quickly undid the knot of her robe, placing it within arm’s length on the top of her trunk. Quickly, she pulled the covers up to her chin as she lay on her side, pressing her head into the pillow.
“Well…I think Bellamy’s got the right idea. Besides, we’ve got a lot to see tomorrow,” Fred said softly as he stood from his spot on the red blanketed bed and began to extinguish the lamps in the room and pull the curtains shut on the windows of the room. Both Bellamy and Rose doubted anyone would be able to peek into the second floor of the building, then again, the twins had already had their possible encounter with a second-floor, peeping tom.
Once the final lamp had been extinguished, Fred and George tried their hardest to get comfortable on the floor. With the single, thin blankets they had and the folded towels under their head as pillows, it was going to be a rough night of sleeping on the cool, wooden floor. However, they wouldn’t complain about it, since they knew it would only make the girls feel bad.
“Night all,” Fred murmured from his spot beside Rose’s bed. In turn, both Rose and George replied with their “goodnight” and Bellamy with a hum. In the darkness of the room, her eyes were slowly becoming adjusted to the lack of light. She could see the shapes around her and suddenly felt very awake. She pressed her head further into the fluffy, goose down pillow and caught a whiff of a particular smell. Her heart gave an uneasy clench, as she realized that George smelled exactly like he did. However, instead of throwing a tantrum and refusing to sleep in the bed, she merely closed her eyes, wiping away the tears that had formed in her eyes, and eventually fell asleep.
“What are you looking at?” Bellamy hissed and George drew in a sharp breath of air, staring at her with wide eyes. He stammered over excuses in his head but nothing was coming out of his mouth.
“Your bruise…it’s all healed up,” he murmured. The brunette gave him a scrutinizing stare before turning back to her book, brushing her wet bangs to the side. He glanced over to Fred and Rose and saw them steeped in quiet conversation, probably talking about all they were going to see the next day. He turned back to Bellamy and asked, “What’re you reading?” Bellamy let the smallest bit of a taunting smile curl the corners of her lips
“The Karma Sutra,” she said loftily and Rose, who had been partially listening into the conversation, tittered with giggles as a blush painted her cheeks, leaving Fred and George to glance between the two sisters.
“What’s it about?” George asked, placing a hand on the edge of the bed as he tried to lift himself and look at the pages of the book. Bellamy glanced to Rose before looking over at George, holding the book just out of view. She placed a hand over his and grinned widely, managing to hide the mirth bubbling with in her well.
“Why don’t you go ask the assistant at Flourish and Blotts when you’re out running errands tomorrow? I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to tell you about it,” she said softly, letting her hand slip away from his and turn a page in her book. He made a mental note to figure out what this book was as he pulled his hand away from the bed. Sighing heavily, he looked down at the pastel stains on his fingertips that seemed to be even brighter and more vivid in color than he remembered.
“When are the stains going to fade from my fingers?” George asked and Bellamy snapped her book shut, her happiness quickly fading with the mention of the only evidence she had that he had gone through her things. She stared down at him for a moment with a stoic expression.
“Not for another week, I’m afraid,” she said without a hint of apology in her tone. “Perhaps it’ll teach you a lesson to not stick your hand where it ought not to be.” George stared up at her for a moment and Bellamy tilted her head ever-so-slightly to the side as she stared back. He quickly looked down to his fingertips, as if he were inspecting them. He didn’t want her to find out that he knew about Julian and the way she was looking at him made him feel like she was aware of this knowledge.
“If I may ask, how was such a thing accomplished?” Fred asked from across the room. Bellamy looked over to him and cut her eyes a bit, giving a short hum as she placed her book to the side and crossed her arms over her chest.
“It’s an invention of my own,” she said shortly, shrugging a bit. “If I manage to stay here long enough, perhaps I’ll allow you to add it in with your extensive amount of products.” She sighed heavily and quickly undid the knot of her robe, placing it within arm’s length on the top of her trunk. Quickly, she pulled the covers up to her chin as she lay on her side, pressing her head into the pillow.
“Well…I think Bellamy’s got the right idea. Besides, we’ve got a lot to see tomorrow,” Fred said softly as he stood from his spot on the red blanketed bed and began to extinguish the lamps in the room and pull the curtains shut on the windows of the room. Both Bellamy and Rose doubted anyone would be able to peek into the second floor of the building, then again, the twins had already had their possible encounter with a second-floor, peeping tom.
Once the final lamp had been extinguished, Fred and George tried their hardest to get comfortable on the floor. With the single, thin blankets they had and the folded towels under their head as pillows, it was going to be a rough night of sleeping on the cool, wooden floor. However, they wouldn’t complain about it, since they knew it would only make the girls feel bad.
“Night all,” Fred murmured from his spot beside Rose’s bed. In turn, both Rose and George replied with their “goodnight” and Bellamy with a hum. In the darkness of the room, her eyes were slowly becoming adjusted to the lack of light. She could see the shapes around her and suddenly felt very awake. She pressed her head further into the fluffy, goose down pillow and caught a whiff of a particular smell. Her heart gave an uneasy clench, as she realized that George smelled exactly like he did. However, instead of throwing a tantrum and refusing to sleep in the bed, she merely closed her eyes, wiping away the tears that had formed in her eyes, and eventually fell asleep.