makes your head spin around [ainsley]

[Addie Beaumont]

Addie coughed Floo powder from her lungs as she oriented herself to the Ricketts' living room, shaking away the green dust and adjusting the sleeping bag under her arm. Why couldn't wizards come up with a less irritating way to travel? She sighed deeply and looked around to see if she could find Ainsley anywhere nearby.

Normally, sleepovers with her best friend had her excited, but tonight was different. Tonight, she had to figure out a way to tell Ainsley that the guy she'd been crushing on for months, if not longer, had slept with another girl from their year. Truth be told, she wasn't entirely sure how Ainsley would react, but she was hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, nevertheless. This wasn't going to be easy, but now that she knew, she couldn't exactly keep it secret from her best friend.

"Ainsley!" she called upon noticing her best friend at last. "Oh, thank goodness, I was afraid your father or one of your sisters was going to come in and find me first. How are you?"

First things first, after all. The secrets could come when they were both settled in Ainsley's room like proper teenage girls.

[Ainsley Rickett]

Ainsley walked into her living room just moments after Addie stepped out of the Floo, and she found herself smiling at her best friend’s appearance, though admittedly it wasn’t all she had to smile about. Addie had written to her first, but if she hadn’t, Ainsley would’ve certainly written to her and asked her to come over so she could talk to her about how her day had been - her day which included being over at Julian’s for the afternoon, which had been overwhelming on several different levels, and she really couldn’t wait to confide in Addie about it.

“Hey,” she greeted, the excitement evident in her voice, “I’m so glad you’re here! Nothing to worry about, my sisters are both holed up in their rooms and my father isn’t home. So we’re good,” she went on, tugging Addie along by the hand and up the stairs to her room, glancing over her shoulder and adding, “You didn’t have to bring a sleeping bag if you didn’t want to, you know. You could’ve just slept in my bed with me, since there's enough space.” When they reached her bedroom, she flopped down onto her bed, leaving plenty of room so Addie could sit down next to her after she set her stuff down. “I’m great, honestly,” she said lightly, shooting Addie a smile, “How’re you?”

[Addie Beaumont]

Ainsley seemed exceedingly cheerful tonight, which admittedly worried Addie a little bit. How was she ever going to drop this bombshell when her best friend was so happy? She wasn't at all looking forward to it, but she was determined not to leave without telling her. Still, maybe they could have fun talking before she told her the truth of why she wanted to visit.

"Oh, no, my mum makes me bringing a sleeping bag, she considers it rude to impose," Addie laughed, setting her stuff down in Ainsley's room and perching on the bed alongside her. "I'm pretty good, mostly. But you seem super happy," she said with a grin, tamping down on the thought of the news of Julian's nighttime misadventures. "Spill. What happened to make you so smiley and peppy?"

Whatever it was that had made Ainsley so happy, it was hopefully enough to temper Addie's own news. Hopefully.

[Ainsley Rickett]

Ainsley scoffed, shaking her head at Addie. "You wouldn't be imposing, don't be silly." She shrugged at Addie's comment about her seeming happy, not even trying to act casual about it. Addie was her best friend and she was planning on telling her everything anyway, so she might as well just get right into it. "Well, yeah, I'm happy," she replied, "I mean, it's weird. It's a weird happy?" She realized she probably wasn't making much sense, sighing and falling back until she was lying on her bed instead of sitting, her legs slightly dangling off the edge.

"So I told you I hung out with Julian earlier today," she began as neutrally as possible, staring up at the ceiling, "And it was... interesting. We might have almost kissed, like three times? And held hands. And hugged. But not in that particular order," she added, glancing over at Addie to see her reaction. She left out the part about how he'd smoked into her mouth and then they'd smoked together individually, not because she wanted to hide it, but because she figured she'd work it into her explanation later somehow. "He really... I don't know," she went on, still sounding rather cheerful even though it was a confusing topic, "It was so hard not to kiss him."

[Addie Beaumont]

"Yeah, well, tell that to my mother," Addie said, rolling her eyes at the thought. "You try being raised in muggle Britain's upper class. Let me tell you, purebloods are one thing, muggles are a whole different playing field." With a laugh, she let herself relax on the bed so she was facing Ainsley as she lay down. "I don't think being happy should be weird," she remarked, her head landing on the bed with a thump, red curls splayed out around her face. She always forgot how much hair she had until something like this happened. Except she refused to cut it, so she was going to have to live with it.

It struck her lying down that Ainsley was telling her that she and Julian had almost kissed. Three times. And this was all after he had sex with Astraia. Addie had to work very hard to conceal the emotions running through her. What the hell was that boy thinking? "Oh," she said slowly, trying to formulate her thoughts into a coherent response. "But you didn't kiss?"

Very forcefully, she stopped herself from thinking about Julian and Astraia and how much it might crush her best friend, instead lightening her voice and saying, "Ainsley, that would have been your first kiss! Were you ready? Oh my gosh, did you at least check your breath? Wait, how did he almost kiss you three times? Ainsley," she was laughing now, "you have to give me the details. You know I can't live on morsels of gossip!"

[Ainsley Rickett]

“I will certainly tell her that the next time I see her,” Ainsley promised, sounding jokingly disapproving. She was aware that she was more likely than not considered a part of the wizarding upper class, despite not being a pureblood herself, simply because her father was rather well-off from his lifetime career as a head professional Quidditch coach, not to mention that she was somehow related to a few pureblood families and that automatically gave her family certain status in society, which she considered utterly ridiculous and laughable. She’d never lacked for anything material wise, and despite being thankful, didn’t consider it significant because it would never make up for other things that she lacked in her life.

She remained lying down, but turned on her side so she could face Addie instead of stare up at the ceiling, unable to stop the smile that had almost permanently been on her face since she’d Flooed home from Julian’s from forming again. “No, we didn’t kiss,” she replied, missing Addie’s slow reaction as she contemplated what had happened in chronological order. She had to stifle a laugh as Addie went on gushingly, feeling her cheeks growing slightly warm just at the thought of explaining what had happened between her and Julian.

“I know, I know,” she let out a small laugh, “I wasn’t ready, really, because it was all so unexpected, but of course I would’ve kissed him back if he’d kissed me…” She coughed, realizing what she’d just said, and with a great deal of effort managed to add, “I mean. I might have kissed him back. You know, because we’re friends, and he’s not that bad looking. It would’ve been an alright first kiss.”

She ran a hand through her hair so it wasn’t falling all over her face, unable to predict exactly what Addie would think when she told her the truth. “Well,” she informed her, words spilling out quickly now, “I didn’t have time to check my breath, because we were standing in his garden talking at one point and he was smoking and I asked him what it’s like, okay, because I always see Caleb smoking and I don’t know why they both do it, and then he said that I could try it and he just leaned over and blew smoke straight into my mouth and we shared the smoke and his mouth was so close to mine, but he didn’t kiss me. And that happened twice.”

[Addie Beaumont]

"You should," Addie agreed solemnly before breaking down in giggles at the thought of Ainsley reproaching her mother. Her poor mum would have no idea what to do if her daughter's best friend from witch school (her parents always wrinkled their noses at the name Hogwarts) admonished her for making Addie bring a sleeping bag to her friend's house.

She didn't miss that Ainsley couldn't stop smiling as she talked about Julian. She wanted very badly to just be happy for her friend, finally finding a guy she wanted to kiss at last, but she also couldn't ignore what Caleb had told her. Still, she pushed that away from the forefront of her mind so she could gush properly at everything Ainsley was telling her.

"Friends?" she repeated teasingly. "This doesn't sound like friends to me, Ainsley," she paused here, considering. It was true, Julian wasn't terribly bad-looking, though hardly her type, with all the brooding and scowling he did at school. But he was different around Ainsley, somehow. "Sounds like you wanted to kiss him," she giggled. Her eyes widened as Ainsley continued with the story, simultaneously bemused and impressed at everything she was being told.

"He blew smoke into your mouth?" Addie demanded, eyebrows shooting up. "That's - wow, and he still didn't kiss you? How does that even happen? And, oh my god, Ainsley, you smoked? How was it?" She was practically bubbling over with questions now, not even sure where to begin because wow she had missed a lot in what amounted to maybe a couple of hours. "Wait," she added thoughtfully, "what was the third time he almost kissed you, then?"

[Ainsley Rickett]

“I definitely will,” Ainsley affirmed, “But in the mean time, tell your mum hi from me.” At this thought, she was reminded of how she’d met Julian’s mum, and how she’d seemed to like her from the conversations they’d had, and she paused for a moment, willing herself to stay on topic. “Stop,” she reprimanded, though it was likely ineffective because she was still smiling, “We are friends. Just because I might have kissed him doesn’t mean that he would have kissed me. Which, let me point out, he didn’t, so it doesn’t matter if I wanted to or not...”

She sighed, her smile lessening slightly as she went on, and tried not to let it show that she was a bit upset as to why they hadn’t kissed, because that simply wasn’t acceptable. Like she’d said, Julian was her friend, and a good friend at that - they studied together at Hogwarts and this afternoon was a testament to how they could easily hang out without Caleb there and she’d met his mother and she’d trusted him enough to tell him about her own mother. She didn’t want to lose his friendship over a irrational bout of teenage hormones. That was all it was, she told herself suddenly, a brief attraction that would go away eventually if she kept convincing herself and Addie that it was nothing.

“Yeah, he - yeah. No, he still didn’t kiss me,” she replied, attempting to keep her voice light and indifferent, “The first time it all happened so quickly and I think he was surprised that I didn’t pull away or something, and the second time I thought he was going to but then his mum called us in for lunch - I met his mum, by the way. Oh, and the smoking wasn’t bad, honestly. The taste was weird at first but I got more used to it after the first time. He offered me a cigarette to smoke, like, normally, later on, so I got a better feel for it then, because it wasn’t as intense as when he smoked into my mouth,” she explained, turning her attention back up at the ceiling so she wouldn’t have to meet Addie’s eyes as she continued.

“The third time it was me that almost kissed him, right before I left, because we were holding hands and I nearly - but I didn’t, because - well, I don’t know,” she stammered, frustrated for not being able to come up with a good reason on the spot, “He wouldn’t have kissed me back, probably, and that would've been beyond embarrassing. I never could have looked at him again. Besides, how do you just lean over and kiss someone? I would’ve messed it up somehow. No experience, remember?”

[Addie Beaumont]

"I'll let her know," Addie said, well aware she was mostly speaking to the air because Ainsley's mind was clearly wandering - probably back to Julian - judging by the look on her face. She grinned teasingly and said, "Don't be stupid, of course he must have wanted to kiss you. Does he really seem like the time of guy to share smoke with just any pretty girl?"

She paused, considering. Julian Delaire let so very few people in that it was pretty surprising he'd asked Ainsley to come over in the first place, which must mean that he liked her. However, she still knew that he'd slept with Astraia Yaxley, so where did that fit in? What was he even doing these days? She might have to actually write him again to find out what the hell he was thinking.

"Oh, so he's got you smoking now," Addie giggled, rolling over to face Ainsley who was studiously not looking at her in favor of the ceiling. She couldn't really picture her best friend smoking, so either Julian was a miracle worker or Ainsley really liked him. Probably the latter. "Ainsley," she sighed at her non-explanation of why they hadn't kissed, "if he fucking blew smoke into your mouth, I think it's safe to say he would have kissed you back."

She shrugged, an idea popping into mind. "It's not that hard - I did it with no experience the first time I kissed someone. You just kind of - " To demonstrate, she reached over, pulling herself closer still to Ainsley, and brought her hands to her friend's face. "It's pretty simple," she told her brightly and leaned in to press her lips to Ainsley's for more proof of her statements.

[Ainsley Rickett]

"I mean, no, I guess not," Ainsley replied lightly, glancing over at Addie, "He already said that I'm the only girl who's ever been over to his house. Whatever that means..." She wrinkled her nose, giving her friend a Don't go there sort of look, and went on, "Oh, calm down. It was one cigarette. It's not a big deal." She failed to mention, of course, that smoking had been alright enough that she could easily see herself doing it in the future. She hadn't believed Julian at first, but he had been right about it being a form of stress relief, and she could definitely use some of that.

"Okay, but that's you talking and saying that he would've kissed me back, and you're loads more confident than I am, so there's that," she informed her matter-of-factly. She did have her confident moments, she knew, but Addie obviously had a lot more experience than her with boys, so there was really no comparison between them. Slightly taken aback when Addie pulled herself closer and brought her hands to the sides of her face, she began to say, "What are you -" before being cut off by Addie's lips pressing against hers.

For a brief moment, she was taken aback - Addie was her best friend, and she'd never expected that she would just lean over and kiss her, not to mention that she'd never been kissed at all, so the feel of someone else's lips against hers was new. New in a good way, she quickly realized, as she pushed away any remaining doubtful thoughts and eased into the kiss, one hand making its way to rest on Addie's neck as her eyes fluttered shut. It was Addie that pulled away first, and Ainsley slowly opened her eyes, still a little dumbfounded as she met her friend's gaze. "Wow, okay," she let out a small laugh, and though she wasn't disappointed in the least, added, "Thanks for the warning."

[Addie Beaumont]

Addie smiled innocently as she broke apart from the kiss. It hadn't been much, just touching their lips together, but she figured it was enough for her best friend's first kiss, even though she was used to a lot more. "You just need to get used to the idea of kissing," she explained, pulling back a little so she could give Ainsley a look of solemn wisdom. "Trust me, my first kiss wasn't amazing, but it really helps get you confident around boys. And girls," she added as an afterthought with a giggle.

"Now, next time you're casually hanging out with Julian at his house," she teased, "you can find a moment and just reach up and kiss him. Preferably without smoke in between." She made a face, at the thought, never having been much for smoking. Both her older siblings did it, and she had grown to hate the smell in her house, even though she couldn't deny being curious about actually smoking herself.

"I can give you a warning if you want to do it again," she suggested with a smile. "For practice, I mean. I can't claim to be equivalant to kissing Julian, but you know. You should try kissing me this time around, if you want to." Come to think of it, she still had to find a way to tell Ainsley about Julian and Astraia, damn it.

[Ainsley Rickett]

"No, no, that was nice," Ainsley told her, two fingers reaching up to touch her lips where Addie's had just been moments prior, "It's actually kind of great that that was my first kiss and it was you, because well, you know I love you. It's good experience." She tilted her head to the side, wondering how many girls Addie had kissed and gone further with before, as she couldn't really recall the last time Addie had told a detailed story about snogging a girl.

"Hey, I don't plan on being over at Julian's house all the time," she pointed out, rolling her eyes but simultaneously smiling at her best friend, "But okay, whatever you say." In all honesty, Ainsley didn't know if even this was enough to get her confidence up enough to kiss Julian the next time she had a chance, because kissing him and kissing Addie were two entirely different things. She was extremely comfortable with Addie, and they always knew where they stood with one another, but it seemed like there was a lot more to lose with Julian if she kissed him and he didn't kiss her back...

"A warning isn't necessary," she said casually, moving forward to press her lips against Addie's without a second thought. She found herself rolling over, pushing Addie down lightly on the bed so that she was now leaning over her, one leg on each side of Addie's hips. She pulled away after a short moment, taking a deep breath, and this time leant down to initiate another kiss before Addie could reply. She parted her lips slightly, allowing herself to deepen the kiss even though she wasn't exactly sure how to go about it, hoping that Addie would guide her through it.

[Addie Beaumont]

"Good," Addie smiled and pulled one of her hands back from Ainsley's face to run through her curls. She had, a bit belatedly, been a little worried about five seconds into the kiss that Ainsley may not have wanted it, but she was glad her best friend understood what she'd been trying to do. "I'm glad. Though, I'll tell you right now, girls tend to be better kissers than boys."

She opened her mouth to tease her more about Julian, but Ainsley took her somewhat by surprise when she leaned over on top of her and kissed her soundly. This one was a much less gentle than the last, less of a first kiss, and much more experimental. It reminded Addie a lot of her own first time kissing another girl. Ainsley was clearly not entirely certain what to do, but she was also more than willing to try, so Addie took the hint and deepened the kiss for her, sliding both hands up Ainsley's side to hold her in place as she let her friend explore her mouth.

Carefully, not wanting to unnerve Ainsley, she slid one hand up Ainsley's shirt, in the nice, gentle kind of way that maybe half the boys and girls she'd snogged had done. She let her fingers rest on Ainsley's bare skin, absently rubbing circles with her thumb as they kissed. "Feel better about it now?" she asked with a smile, a little out of breath when they finally parted.

[Ainsley Rickett]

Ainsley sighed at Addie's remark about girls being better at kissing than boys, especially because that was a statement about girls in general and Ainsley already had a feeling that Addie was a better kisser than most girls. "Really?" she asked, not wanting to raise her expectations too high after this, "But it depends on the boy, right?"

Focusing on Addie's hands on her sides, she kissed her back, growing a bit more confused about what to do when their tongues touched in their mouths. Letting instinct take over, she eased into their kiss further, following along with whatever Addie was doing, though she was again taken by surprise when she felt one of Addie's hands go gently up her shirt. It felt really good, actually, and she found herself shivering, thus slightly disappointed when her friend pulled away.

"Yeah," she managed breathily, smiling down at Addie, "Lots better. Thanks." She wasn't sure whether she should move or not, currently stuck in place still straddling her best friend on her bed. "Uhm, do you want to -" she began, not realizing where she was going with this, and shut her mouth promptly. So this was why everyone her age was so obsessed with snogging, she realized, as even though they hadn't even done much, she wanted to do more, and Addie's fingers on the bare skin of her abdomen certainly weren't helping matters much.

[Addie Beaumont]

Addie laughed, thinking back to all the boys she'd kissed over the years. Some were good, some were...not so good. "Yeah, there are boys out there who are really good at kissing," she admitted. "I can't say for certain if Julian Delaire is one of them though," she teased. Which reminded her - she'd gotten caught up in kissing Ainsley but now that they were talking about Julian and kissing again, well.

"Listen," she said with a sigh, moving her hands back to the bed underneath her and starting to straighten up. "I came here to tell you something, not teach you how to kiss." She lifted her head to look Ainsley in the eye, tossing her curls back over her shoulder from where they'd gotten messed up on the bed. "Not that it wasn't nice kissing you," she added quickly, giggling a little, but her face fell just as quickly at the thought of what she was about to say.

"Truth is," she began slowly, "Caleb wrote to me yesterday and...he wanted to tell me, because he didn't have the heart to tell you, but apparently, he found out that Julian -- " Addie paused, trying to figure out how to best phrase it and failing to come up with anything other than bluntness. "Julian had sex with Astraia Yaxley," she blurted out, cringing a little as the words resounded in the room.