Cutest Little Distraction (Riley)

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Kinsey fell asleep early in the evening, going to bed around 9:00 even, but her dreams had been anything but peaceful this early December night. Earlier in the day, she saw Priscilla hanging on Riley's arm and she couldn't seem to stop thinking about it, about the fact that the guy she loved was engaged to another. She thought about it often, but normally she could find something to distract her from her thoughts. Tonight, not even the adorable black kitten sleeping with her in the bed was a distraction.

She ended up dreaming about the two of them- Priscilla and Riley- about a day that was inevitably coming. The day where Riley would actually want to be with Priscilla, the day when he would move on past his feelings for Kinsey. In her dream, Riley and Kinsey were about to get married. Somehow, she ran into Riley before the wedding and he stopped her in a corridor somewhere. He told Kinsey that he was sorry, but that he was glad his parents introduced him to Priscilla, that he didn't want her around anymore and that he didn't love her. Then somehow they were at the ceremony and Kinsey was forced to sit there and watch the two of them, grinning sappily at one another as they said their vows. Kinsey woke in a sweat, shaking with tears running down her face and her body twisted up in the sheets of her bed. She didn't remember moving at all in her sleep, normally she woke up in the same position as when she fell asleep.

Luckily enough for Kinsey, no one else in the dorm heard her wake up. She felt something warm beside her and sighed with relief when she remembered the kitten. She and Toby were taking turns taking care of the little creature and tonight was her night. Maybe she could use it as a distraction, but not in here. As quietly as she could, Kinsey picked up the kitten and crept out of the dorm room and into the common room. She carried the kitten to the fireplace, where the fire was still going. Sighing, she sat down in front of it and placed the kitten on the floor. She summoned a ball of yarn from her things, dangling one little string in front of it and laughing softly as the small animal scurried after the yarn. This was good. It could make her think of something else. Other than ... her nightmare.

@riley

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Riley hadn’t really been sleeping for the longest time. The last few months had been rough on his psyche and he hadn’t been able to turn off his mind well enough to get a good amount of sleep. He’d close the curtains around his bed and stay up reading late into the night with his wand lit up to provide a bit of light. It was quiet, and he had come to really love the quiet, but he usually would fall asleep eventually and get 4 or 5 hours of sleep before he would hear his roommates begin to wake up and he would get up with them to get his day started.

However, this night was different than the rest. He just felt so awake, he couldn’t shut his brain off. It was a bit later than he usually would be able to drift off, be he still felt so awake and alert that he wasn’t sure he would be able to tonight. He pushed the curtains aside and stood up, he decided to get out of the dorm, maybe even out of the common room. Some fresh air and a little walk could help him realize how tired he was.

When he made it down to the common room, he stopped on the stairs when he saw the figure on the couch below. Kinsey. He thought about quietly making his way back to his dorm so he didn’t have to see her, or, more so that she wouldn’t have to see him. He knew, even though they were trying to be friends, that it was hard on both of them to see each other. He didn’t want to her hurt her. But his desire to see her overcame his desire to take the easy road. He walked down the stairs and quietly over to the fireplace. It was then that he saw that she wasn’t alone, but was accompanied by a small creature. “Whatcha got there?” he asked her, hoping he hadn’t startled her.

@kinsey

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Kinsey honestly had no idea what time it was. All she knew was that it was very dark outside and her eyes were burning. Then again, that probably had something to do with the crying, but she was trying not to think about that. She hated when she had bad dreams. They didn't come all too often, but when they did it was bad. Instead, she tried to focus on the fact that she was on her own in the common room with the kitten that she adored. She giggled as it jumped after the yarn, trying to swipe at it with its paws. 

"Oooh, careful Shadow!" she told it softly as the kitten jumped off of the couch. Kinsey caught it, moving it back to where it had been before, though this time she pulled the yarn further from the edge. While catching it wasn't hard at all, she'd rather not have to dive after it. 

She was so focused on Shadow that she didn't notice anyone approaching- or even their intentions, which said something about how tired she was- until she heard a familiar voice. Kinsey spun around, wondering for a second if she was just imagining it. Riley couldn't be here right now, could he? He was. An instant smile crossed her face and she glanced back to Shadow, wanting to make sure he was okay. "A kitten! Toby found him in Hogsmeade last trip and brought him back. I'm supposed to be watching him tonight, but I couldn't sleep so I came out here." Her expression darkened ever so slightly as she thought back to her dream. Then she widened her smile at Riley. "Do you want to join me?" Please say yes, please say yes, she hoped. She shouldn't want to spend more time with Riley, since he was engaged, but she couldn't help it. Kinsey would take any chance she could get to be alone with him.

@riley

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As he approached her, she spoke to the kitten. Hearing her voice nearly stopped him in his tracks once more and sent him back to his dorm. It didn’t appear that he had been spotted yet. He wasn’t sure why his heart stopped when she spoke, she just seemed to peaceful sitting there playing with the kitten and he didn’t want to disturb her. Her voice soothed him. Her voice was like butter and hit him right in his heart. He felt it pound. Alas, he continued and when he finally approached her, she explained that Toby, a boy a year younger than the two of them whom he knew Kinsey was friends with, had found the kitten and gave it to Kinsey? Or at least she said she was watching it for the night. Maybe she was just giving him a break. Riley could imagine how much energy a kitten had. “Cool.” he said simply with a nod when she explained the situation. A kitten seemed like it would do her well, Riley thought. She then asked if he would like to join her and once again he thought about just going back to his bed, but he didn’t want to. “Yes, I would. If I’m not interrupting of course.” He agreed and sat down next to her on the couch, leaving only a bit of room between them. “So you couldn’t sleep?” he asked her.

@kinsey

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Sitting here, with Riley only feet away, Kinsey wondered if maybe she was still dreaming. If she'd never actually woken up, but her mind decided to stop torturing her and give her something happy for a change. She was fairly certain that wasn't the case. She could feel the heat emanating from the fire, feel Shadow's soft fur when she reached to touch him. Besides that, she could sense Riley, now that she knew he was there. She didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, but she was pretty sure that she couldn't sense people's intentions in her dreams. At least, she'd never noticed that before. Huh. She'd have to start paying a little bit more attention. 

Riley seemed pretty serious, which wasn't out of the ordinary. He wasn't normally angry by any means, but he definitely wasn't as cheerful as he used to be, didn't smile half as much. Kinsey wasn't super surprised by that, but it did make her want to try and help whenever she could. She wanted to give him reasons to smile. She rolled her eyes when he said that he'd like to join her, if he wasn't interrupting her. "Riley, even if you were interrupting, it would be a welcome interruption. You know I like having you around," she smiled, aching for him to stop treating her like a stranger. Yes, things were different between them and it was undeniably awkward, but they were trying to be friends for a reason so if they were going to go for it, they might as well really try. She blushed a little, looking down at Shadow as he asked if she couldn't sleep, her dream flashing back to the forefront of her mind. "No, I got to sleep all right," Kinsey's voice was soft. She looked up at him, offering a small smile as she continued, "I just wasn't having very good dreams, so when I woke up I decided it was time to take a break and relax a bit." She hoped she wasn't telling him too much. Honestly she could have bad dreams about a number of things besides him. Dom and Dustin, to name a few. Hopefully Riley wouldn't assume anything. "What about you? Can't sleep?"

@riley

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She tried to make him feel better about interrupting, saying that even if he had been interrupting he was always welcome because she always wanted him around. He smiled. He couldn’t help himself. She was so sweet, and she was still the cutest thing in the world to him. Maybe even more do with a kitten nearby. He loved watching her interact with it. “Okay. thank you for that.” he said, and he meant it. He liked knowing that. He did know that. But he didn’t want to assume that it still stood now even though they weren’t dating anymore. He didn’t want to interrupt if she had been waiting for a friend… or perhaps a new boyfriend. Riley didn’t expect a girl like Kinsey to stay single long. She was too perfect. She explained that she got to sleep fine but then was awoken by bad dreams. He felt sorry for her, he felt helpless. He wanted to be there for her and to help her have better dreams, but he wasn’t sure how he could be. “Do you have bad dreams often?” he asked her. The thought crossed into his head that he was the cause of them. He knew that she used to have bad dreams, that was why he gave her the sweater. He knew it helped her sleep. “Yeah I can’t seem to shut my mind off.” he admitted with a sigh and reached over to stroke the kittens head, a smile softly on his face.

@kinsey

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Success! Riley was smiling and Kinsey felt on top of the world. She caused that. She might not always, since she knew that things were still a bit awkward between them, but at the same time, she knew that she was the one to make him happy right now. He thanked her and she nodded, unable to stop herself from smiling. She looked back down to the kitten, teasing it by pulling the string just out of its reach, then lowering it and letting Shadow play with it for a moment while she patted his back. "Don't forget it. I don't want you apologizing every time you find me alone," she teased, looking over at him and smirking a little bit. It was the most interesting thing, her mood at this moment. Riley finding her out here in the middle of the night changed things. It didn't really, of course. He was still engaged, and not to her, but Kinsey found herself behaving more like she used to, feeling comfortable teasing him and saying things just to make him smile.  

Of course, their conversation couldn't stay positive for long. She shrugged at his question, "It's not .... uncommon," she admitted slowly, wishing she could say the opposite. "My mind just likes to mess with me," Kinsey added, giving a weak smile as she tried to lift the mood. Then again, when Riley admitted that he couldn't sleep, she realized that she wasn't alone in that. Once again, the two of them were connected with yet another similarity. She wasn't going to point it out though. Surely Riley already noticed. "Does that happen a lot?" Kinsey knew she was echoing his question, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to know the answer. 

Riley reached for the kitten, smiling as he petted its head and Kinsey got a sudden idea. Once Riley pulled away, she leaned over, moving the yarn so it was floating just above his leg. Shadow instantly started jumping and, when he realized he couldn't reach it that way, climbed up Riley's leg. Kinsey smiled as she scooted a little closer to Riley so it wouldn't take so much energy to hold the yarn up. She hoped that interacting with the kitten more would help lift Riley's mood again. She dangled the yarn above Shadow's head, teasing him a little more before glancing up to Riley, not entirely expecting how close he was. Dang, even after a few months he still took her breath away. 

@riley

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He also didn’t want to be apologizing everytime that he caught her alone and wanted to sit with her. He wanted them to be able to be friends, and you didn’t apologize everytime that you saw your friend sitting alone and went to sit with them. If his presence wasn’t welcome, he knew that Kinsey would say something… well, he wasn’t sure that Kinsey would actually say anything, she was too sweet to say something like that, but he wanted to believe that she would tell him if she ever didn’t want him around. “Okay. I’ll remember, I swear.” he nodded easily, a smile on his face after being lectured by her. He liked that she still wanted to be friends with her. He very much wanted that too, but he wanted to make sure she was comfortable with it and he wouldn’t hurt her any more.

She confirmed his suspicion that it wasn’t uncommon that she had nightmares and he felt bad about that, but he could also tell that she didn’t really want to talk about it. He didn’t want to push her about it, and he didn’t really want to talk about it much himself. “Yeah, just about every night.” he admitted with a nod to her again, it seemed, once again, they were in the same situation. They were still connected, in an unfortunate way. He didn’t want her to think that she was the cause of his sleeplessness though. She wasn’t. The entire situation was. What he should do about it was. The fact that he missed Kinsey and their old life, was.

Riley watched as Kinsey scooted over after he reached over to pet the kitten. He wasn’t sure what she was doing at first, but he didn’t mind, he liked being close to her. It felt so natural. She dangled the yarn over his leg and the kitten climbed up to play with the string. While he should have been watching the fall of fluff on his lap, he watched the woman next to him instead, smiling and playing, her eyes glistened...she was happy. He felt his heart melt and he reached over to her, cupping her chin lightly in his hand and drawing it up to his own before pressing his lips softly to hers.

@kinsey

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Kinsey grinned and nodded when Riley said he would remember. "Good," she answered, still smiling. She wanted Riley to stay around, to feel comfortable around her. She wanted so much more than that, actually, but Kinsey would definitely take what she could get. She'd take whatever Riley felt comfortable giving her, in all honesty. While his engagement affected both of them, from her point of view, the relationship they had now depended on him. She wasn't promised to anyone, he was. So he could be the one to decide what was and wasn't appropriate and Kinsey would follow his lead. That way she wasn't pushing him to do anything he didn't want to. She had a feeling that Riley still cared for her enough that it would be hard for him to say no to her, so she didn't want to put him in that kind of a situation. 

Riley didn't question her about her nightmares and Kinsey couldn't help but feel relieved. She knew that if Riley asked her a question, she would tell him the answer as honestly as she could. She didn't want to keep secrets from him. Despite the fact that they weren't dating anymore, he still knew her better than almost anyone else. She frowned when he said that he had a hard time sleeping almost every night. "I'm so sorry Riley," Kinsey muttered softly. She knew he probably wasn't looking for an apology, but she couldn't just say nothing about it, especially since she figured she was partly to blame. She wouldn't take full responsibility since she was sure it also had to do with his family and Priscilla too, but she was a part of it. She was the one he had to give up, after all. 

When she moved closer to Riley, Kinsey tried to focus on the kitten instead of how comforting it was to be so close to Riley again. Sure, she sat beside him a while ago, the day that Joe had interrupted their conversation and she found him later, but this was different. That other time there was a tension there and they still didn't sit right beside one another. This time ... well, there was still a bit of tension, but it was a different kind, which was exactly why she was focusing on the kitten, smiling and laughing as it jumped and climbed to try and catch the yarn. Then she looked to Riley and she couldn't look away. He was looking at her, not the kitten, and smiling so sweetly that she didn't want to look away. It almost felt the way it used to. Before Kinsey could really think about that, he cupped her chin and pulled her closer, kissing her gently. Kinsey couldn't breathe. She wanted- so much- to embrace him. She wanted to wrap her arms around Riley and never let him go. She didn't want to leave him to be with Priscilla, but even more than all that, she didn't want to make him pull away right now. She leaned in to him, returning the gentle kiss and dropping the yarn as she forgot all about Shadow. Her world was sitting beside her, kissing her, and Kinsey never wanted it to stop.

@riley

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Riley wasn’t sure what came over him. He knew that he was engaged, he knew that Kinsey and he had broken up and that it definitely wasn’t in good manners to kiss your ex when you barely even kissed your fiancee. What was he doing? He knew what he was doing. And he didn’t want it to stop. Especially once she realized what he was doing and leaned into him, kissing him back. His heart felt so full, his mind raced and all he could think about was her. And suddenly, all of that terrified him. He pulled away, dropping his hand back to his own lap and looking down at the floor rather than at her. “I’m sorry Kinsey I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know what came over me… that wasn’t fair of me.” he shouldn’t have stolen a kiss. He didn’t want to hurt her any more than he already had and this undoubtedly would, wouldn’t it?

@riley

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Kinsey knew this wouldn't last forever. As much as she wanted to be this close to Riley and for him to choose her, he hadn't. Sooner or later he would remember and pull away. Maybe it was unfair of her to kiss him back when she knew that once it ended he was going to feel so guilty, but she couldn't help herself. She couldn't pull away from him now, especially since she knew this was likely the last time he'd ever kiss her. It didn't take long before he pulled away and dropped his hand from her, not meeting her eyes as he began to apologize. Kinsey reached forward to touch his hand, still forgetting about Shadow entirely because she was so focused on the guy in front of her. "Riley, stop. I-It wasn't just you, you know. I kissed you back, even though I shouldn't have."Kinsey watched his face, hoping that he would look up and meet her eyes. "Besides, we ... never really got a last kiss. Maybe this can count?" She'd say anything to make it so he wouldn't feel bad, even if saying it hurt her, which this did. She didn't want that to be her last kiss with Riley. She didn't want to label it at all, didn't want to promise to stay away from him, but how else was she supposed to try and stop him from beating himself up over it?

Suddenly she heard a soft thump and a barely audible meow. Kinsey turned instantly as she remembered Shadow. "Oh, you poor thing," she crooned as she leaned forward and picked him up off the floor. "Come here." Kinsey pulled the kitten close, cuddling with it for a moment before turning to Riley. She still hadn't scooted away from him. Maybe she wouldn't. "Do you want to hold him? I've heard cuddling with baby animals is guaranteed to lift the spirits," Kinsey told him with a small smile, offering the cat and hoping Riley wouldn't leave now. 

@riley

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She touched his hand and he wanted to look back to her, but he kept his gaze on the floor as she spoke, up until the point where she brought up that they never got a last kiss, then he lifted his eyes to meet hers. No, they didn’t. He had broken up with her seemingly out of nowhere and by the time he had, he was already engaged to Priscilla, so he hadn’t kissed Kinsey. He hadn’t wanted it to hurt more when he told her the news when she still had the feeling of him on her lips. “Sure. Yeah. This can count for that.” he agreed after clearing his throat. He didn’t want to make things more awkward between them. Everytime they seemed to be getting better at being friends, something seemed to get in the way, Joe, the kiss, there was always going to be a barrier. But Riley still wanted to try.

She looked down and Riley’s gaze followed hers. He wasn’t sure if the kitten had fallen onto the floor or had jumped off his lap, but he did feel a little bad. He couldn’t imagine the floor was very warm. Kinsey leaned down to pick him up Kinsey cuddled it for a moment before looking over to Riley and asking if he wanted to hold him. Riley shrugged, “yeah, okay.” he gave in and took the small ball of fluff into his hands. He was very soft. “What’s his name?” Riley asked, his voice a little uneasy, he was trying to get back into normal conversation and try to shake off the reason that his heart was still going a mile a minute.

@kinsey

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Kinsey almost knew that Riley wouldn't argue with her about this counting as their last kiss, but it still hurt when he agreed. There it was, spoken out loud, the agreement that they wouldn't kiss anymore. Sure, she knew they shouldn't beforehand, but it felt more real now, more like a rule. She shouldn't even hope for it anymore, though Kinsey knew that it wouldn't stop her from hoping. She would probably hope for something to change with Riley until he and Priscilla actually got married. Maybe by then she would be used to the idea, but she doubted it. 

Her smile grew the tiniest bit when Riley agreed to take the kitten. At least he wasn't trying to get away from her as fast as he could. That would hurt more. She carefully lifted it over to him, smiling as she watched him looking at the small creature. "Shadow," she answered, then decided to go on. Maybe filling the silence would stave off the awkwardness ad make things more normal. "Toby found him in the Shrieking Shack." Kinsey chuckled as she continued, "I kind of wish I could have seen him in there, I bet he was freaked out." She thought about that for a moment, then went on, "Apparently he only went inside to save him, which isn't a surprise to me at all, but now we're sharing him. Joint custody of the kitten," she smiled, reaching over to pet Shadow for a second, even though Riley was the one holding him. She wanted to say something else, to keep talking so things wouldn't get awkward, but Kinsey didn't know what else to say, so she went for a question, "What do you think of him?"

@riley

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Riley was choosing to ignore the awkwardness left over from the kiss and instead was focusing on the cat, which was what kinsey seemed to be doing as well. They were both trying so hard to be friends and to not let their relationship be awkward and he knew and appreciated that. He knew that it wasn’t easy but it really was something that he wanted to do, something that was meaningful to him. She told him that the cats name was Shadow and explained how Toby found him. “How did he knew that the cat was in there?” Riley asked. It wouldn’t be uncommon to hear that he had been sneaking near the shrieking shack, but it was roped off and people weren’t usually allowed inside. She added that they were sharing the kitten and had joint custody. Riley gave a little laugh at that. “Well i’m sure he’s a great person to co-parent a kitten with.” Riley couldn’t help but let his mind wander to how wonderful of a mother Kinsey would be in the future. She was so gentle and kind. He felt sorry he wouldn’t experience it with her one day. “I think he’s precious.” Riley admitted. “And he seems to be really good for you. He makes you smile.” even if it was a distraction. A smile was a smile. And a smile was a great start.

@kinsey

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Riley was asking questions about how Toby found the cat and Kinsey couldn't help but be relieved. If he was asking questions, that probably meant he wasn't trying to leave soon. Maybe ... maybe he was looking for an excuse to stay and talk with her, similar to what she'd done the other day. She laughed again, "Apparently some young American kid somehow convinced him they should sneak around and find a way to look in the windows. When Toby looked inside, he got spooked by something inside. Shadow." Kinsey paused a moment as she smiled at the tiny creature. "I'm glad Toby found him and brought him back here." Glad probably wasn't a strong enough word for her feelings, but it would do. She was happy to have something that she could pet and cuddle with, especially when she was sad. She nodded, "Yeah, Toby takes care of all the important stuff and I get to have all the fun." Kinsey laughed. That wasn't true. She was just as dedicated to taking care of Shadow as Toby was, but she did have a feeling that her friend let her take the kitten more often just so it could lift her spirits and it did. She was grateful for that. She grinned when Riley said he thought Shadow was precious and good for her. Kinsey smiled, "I agree, and he definitely does." Kinsey nudged Riley lightly with her shoulder, "Don't look now, but he seems to be doing the same for you." Of course, Kinsey couldn't know exactly why Riley was smiling again, but she could pretend like she knew it was because of Shadow. It sounded reasonable enough.

@riley