I'll Make You Fall in Love

“Elsie,” I hummed, opening the copy of Wuthering Heights I held firmly in my hands. Scanning the pages carefully to determine whether or not it was a good read, my fingers brushed up on the spine of the hardback. There was nothing better than holding physical copies of books - none of that kindle stuff. There was something refreshing about the smell of the pages, and the words typed out carefully against the paper. It was satisfying, to say the least. I held the book firmly to my chest, frowning slightly as Elsie didn’t respond to me. I turned around, to see she had gone her own way, sat at a vacant table, her nose stuck in a copy of one of the books I had just pulled off the shelf. I chuckled to myself and turned around to face the shelf again, putting Wuthering Heights back in it’s rightful place. I ran my index finger along the spines of multiple books as I walked down the aisle, taking in the serenity of the quiet library. This was the place I could get away from Liam, a place where he wouldn’t cloud my mind as much. But if Harry was here with Amber, then that means that I shouldn’t be ruling out the possibility that Liam would come here with Sophia. I grabbed a random book, approaching the table Elsie was sat by, sitting opposite my friend. I slammed the book against the table, snapping Elsie out of her dream world. “Nice of you to join us.” I teased, making Elsie blush.

“Sorry Rosie.” She apologised swiftly. “This book is just too good, I couldn’t resist.” I laughed and nodded. It was easy to get lost in something as mesmerising as a book. To create a world where you could just get lost - it was a wonderful feeling. “So, that thing I need your help with…” Elsie spoke again, lowering her voice into a whisper. My attention was caught by that sentence alone. I raised my eyebrows, indicating for her to continue. “I’ve been thinking a lot, Rosie.” She admitted. “And, well, what if we did try this love potion thing?” She whispered even quieter, if possible. I frowned slightly. Was she serious? I opened my mouth to speak but she cut across me just before I could let my sentence out. “I know it sounds dumb, but we could try?”

Well, it didn’t sound that stupid. In fact, it sounded quite possible. I sat back in my chair, negotiating with myself, weighing out the pros and cons of actually trying something as absurd as a love potion. What if it didn’t work? How would we even get the boys to try it? I pursed my lips into a thin line before nodding, agreeing with Elsie’s plan. Elsie’s face broke out into the widest smile as she jumped up from her chair, dramatically throwing her arms around my neck in a cute embrace. I laughed and hugged her back across the table, although it was awkward as the edge of the table was digging into my stomach. “Alright, alright.” I laughed as the final bell of the day rung. “Let’s get to yours and we can talk about it further, yeah?” Elsie nodded in agreement and stood up, lifting up her school bag, throwing it over her shoulder carefully. Side by side, we walked out of the library together. Walking out of the stuffy building into the hot summer air was a relief. I didn’t know how long I could last in that library without air conditioning, but the light breeze was enough to keep me cool. I looked up from my feet to see Liam stood at the bus shelter with Sophia by his side, his arm draped around her shoulders. I felt a twinge of jealousy, but shrugged it off.

We walked in silence as we exited the school grounds through the gates. I walked ahead slightly, turning to face Elsie with a smirk. “So, how much research did you do for this?” I asked. “Do you have whatever we need to make it?” I asked again. The coast was clear, there were no other students on this street apart from us. We were lucky that Elsie lived about two minutes from the school by foot. Elsie looked over her shoulder before looking at me again.

“I did quite a bit of research. I’m pretty sure I’ve got everything needed.” She concluded. “Apart from a cauldron, I don’t have that.” She joked. I snorted with laughter and shook my head, walking up Elsie’s elegant garden path. Elsie’s house was beautiful, large and Victorian styled. It was everyone’s dream.

“Are your parents home?” I asked. Elsie shook her head and handed me her house key. I unlocked the door and pushed it open, dumping my bag by the front door, releasing the weight from my shoulders. I shrugged my shoulders in circles to untense and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a medium sized pot the Sullivan’s owned. “Okay Els, what do we need?” I asked.

Elsie smirked and pulled the library book from her bag. I grinned as she opened it, setting it out on the counter. She scanned the page with her eyes and she looked up at me as she found the answer to my question. “First of all, we need cinnamon.” She said, moving past me in a swift movement, reaching on her tiptoes to reach the top of one of the cupboards. She grabbed a small jar, containing what I assumed was cinnamon. Unscrewing the lid carefully, she tipped about half of the jar into the pot. I inhaled the smell and coughed slightly, the scent was strong. Elsie laughed. “It’s meant to be strong.” She said, as if she had read my mind.

I nodded and watched as she bustled around the kitchen, grabbing some vanilla extract, a few petals from the roses that were sat neatly on the window sill, sugar, honey and a jug of warm water. I raised my eyebrows at her as she handed me the vanilla extract. I undid the top and poured the contents of the small bottle into the pot. Pouring in some sugar and honey to follow, the pot had began to release a sweet smelling odour that was appealing. I poured in the warm water as Elsie pulled apart the rose petals, throwing them carelessly into the pot.

“And…” She shrugged with a laugh. “I guess you stir.”