Winter Dream | Riley & Kinsey

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December 28th 2024

Riley had asked Kinsey if she wanted to go to the Hogsmeade festival with him and here they were, a few days after Christmas. They could have come before, but they had decided to come today. So Riley waited for her in the common room that morning. He was excited to walk with her to the village, it had been a while since they made the walk together. And he was excited to experience the festival with her. He hadn’t known her yet during the festival last year. This was their first Christmas as… friends. That’s all they were, just friends. But that was okay. Friends was good enough.

@kinsey

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Kinsey was excited. She loved spending time with Riley and today they were going to the festival together. A year ago she'd never dreamed of going to the festival. There were so many people there that it definitely would have overwhelmed her, but now? Now things were different. Not only would she be going with Riley, which meant that things would definitely be better, but she'd also been working with her ability for the last several months. She had a tolerance now that she hadn't even dreamed of having a year ago. 

The two decided to meet right at the entrance hall before breakfast. Maybe there was food there that they could eat a little of? Kinsey was certain there was, since lots of people spent all day at the place when they were in the mood to. She saw Riley and walked up, a smile already on her face. "Riley! Are you ready for our day of fun?" she asked playfully, in more than a good mood. She was finally going to the festival!

@riley

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Riley was instantly distracted by her smile. He saw her approach and she was in good spirits, asking if he was ready for their day of fun. Of course he was. He was over the moon at being able to spend a day with her in public again, even if he had to watch himself more than usual. He couldn’t slip up and kiss her here. That would cause way too many problems for the both of them, as there would be way too many people around. He knew also, that she might have a hard time with the crowds, but he was glad that she still felt comfortable enough with him to agree to come anyway, maybe he would still be able to help her like he used to. “Yeah, I’m more than ready.” he said with a smile of his own plastered across his lips. “Do you want to go there now? I’m sure we can find something to eat in the village.” the festival should be open by now and the carts would likely be out offering hot chocolate and pastries, he thought.

@kinsey

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Riley was smiling back at her and Kinsey couldn't help but feel happy about that. Lately, it seemed like she and Riley only saw one another when one of them was stressed or upset ... well, lately before winter break that is. Ever since everyone else left and the two of them got to really spend time with one another, Riley seemed a lot happier. Kinsey wanted to say it was because they were finally able to spend more time together, but it probably had to do with other things as well, like not having to deal with his sister or spend so much time with his fiance. She couldn't be sure though. He said that he was ready, asking if she wanted to go straight there and Kinsey nodded immediately. "Oh, that sounds great! I wasn't sure if they would have food out this early or not," Of course, she assumed that they did, but she couldn't know for sure without actually going. 

As they started walking, she turned to Riley with an easygoing smile. "So, how many times have you been to the festival? Do you know your way around or is it pretty different every year?" She had so many questions about the event, but figured she should only ask a few questions at a time so Riley could remember all the answers. She chuckled, her steps definitely a little more bouncy than normal. She was so excited!

@riley

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Riley fought the urge to take kinsey’s hand or present his arm for her as they walked out of the castle and down the path towards the village. The path was covered in snow and it was brisk outside, but he was glad that they were going out anyway, he felt a little surge of cabin fever having been cooped up in the castle so often over the break. Sure, he had met with Dom earlier in the break, but that seemed like ages ago now. “I think they should. If not, we can go into one of the shops and get something, at the tea shop or somewhere.” he suggested. But he was pretty sure the vendors wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to sell breakfast to the customers, who flocked to the village for the spectacle. As they got closer to the village, she asked if he knew his way around and how often he had been to the festival. “Well I went last year, and my third year too. And I was here a few days ago meeting Dom. I actually…” he took a pause and let out a small, breathy laugh, “I told her that we kissed.” he admitted.

@kinsey

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They started walking down to the village and it was a little strange. The last time they went to the village together, she and Riley had been dating. She held on to him, and he helped her make it through the place, even though he didn't know what he was doing. That was before he figured out her secret. She smiled a little bit as she remembered. Riley started answering her question and Kinsey turned to look at him as he spoke. "That sounds good to me," she agreed, grinning. She squealed a little, her excitement rising as they got closer. "I'm so excited!" Then she turned to Riley as he started explaining things. He started mentioning that he'd gone a few other years and Kinsey nodded, relieved. At least Riley knew what he was doing. Her eyes widened when he told her that he told Dom about their kiss. "You did?" Kinsey couldn't help but smile just a little. "What did she say?" she felt a little embarrassed, but mostly a little proud that it obviously meant something to Riley. If only it changed things ...

@riley

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Riley wasn’t sure why he felt so compelled to tell Kinsey that he had told Dom about their kiss. Not just one of them, both of them. Maybe it was for the same reason that he felt compelled to tell Dom about the kiss in the first place. “Um, she was confused, I think.” he didn’t think, he knew that his best friend likely thought that he was a mental case, and that he was being a jerk by giving Kinsey these little glimpses of hope. He thought that he was jerk even if she didn’t. And he knew that Kinsey didn’t. He didn’t want to be leading her on, but at the same time he liked their new relationship and he liked being friends with her. “She asked if I was going to leave Priscilla…” he added. He began to regret bringing it up, knowing now that he was going to have to tell Kinsey that he couldn’t do that.

@kinsey

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Kinsey's excitement fell just the tiniest bit as Riley said that Dom was confused. She could see the slight worry on his face and she knew what was coming. Well, she didn't really know what was going on, but she knew it wasn't going to be something she liked. Her stomach started twisting, but she tried to not let it show. He continued, mentioning that Dom asked if Riley was going to leave Priscilla, trailing off afterward and Kinsey started blushing, shaking her head. "No, no Riley." She waved a hand at him, looking away. She couldn't meet his eyes. She knew where this was going, and by the tone of his voice she knew what the answer was. "I- don't worry. I know you-" she coughed, "I know you're getting married." She bit her lip before forcing a smile and looking back over at him. "No worries," she felt sick, but she didn't want him to know that. She needed to change the subject or she was going to have to leave, and that was the last thing Kinsey wanted. Sometime during the awkwardness of the conversation they entered the village. She patted his arm with fake excitement. "Ooooh, look! There's a booth with pastries right over there!" She didn't know if it would work, but at least Kinsey was trying. 

@riley

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Her words to him were nearly as heartbreaking as the thoughts running through his own head. He shook his head, he didn’t want her to have the wrong idea. There was so much that he couldn’t tell her, that he couldn’t say, partly because he wasn’t sure what the repercussions would be, but there was something that he wanted to make clear to her: “I want you to know that I want to leave her, I don’t want to marry her.” He knew that he had told Kinsey that he loved her before, but he couldn’t remember if he had ever said that out loud before. “But I also need you to know that it’s not that easy… I can’t just break up with her.” he added. And then took a deep breath and was glad for her change of subject. “Let’s take a look, they probably have a chocolate one for you.” he said with a laugh, nudging her shoulder playfully as they walked over.

@kinsey

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Riley was shaking his head and Kinsey just wished that they'd never talked about this. Why did she care what he and Dom talked about? Why would she need to know, even more than she already suspected, that Riley wasn't going to leave Priscilla for her? She met his eyes when he said that he wanted to leave Priscilla, that he didn't want to marry her. Kinsey's eyes searched his for a second, but she couldn't stand it. She couldn't handle this conversation. If it lasted much longer, she wasn't sure she could talk to Riley any more. She loved him. Every time she spent time with him she loved him a little more and every time that happened she died a little inside. He wasn't hers. He would never be hers, no matter what she told Priscilla when they fought. She looked away, turning her back to him when he said that it wasn't easy, that he couldn't just break up with Priscilla. "I ... I know you can't," she answered softly. "and I'm not asking you to." Her voice broke and Kinsey stopped. She couldn't. She just couldn't think about this anymore. This break was her one last chance to be with Riley, her one last opportunity to make memories that she could keep with her when everything went to hell. She didn't want to even think about that before it happened. She knew his wedding would come too soon for her. Kinsey would never be prepared for it. 

He teased her about the vendors possibly having a chocolate pastry for her. Kinsey made a face and pushed his shoulder back. "Any chocolate we get is going straight to you, Mister. I'll have none of it." Kinsey flashed a forced smile. She was trying to make jokes, but she also felt like they were falling flat. She needed to get out of this, pretend like their previous conversation never happened or she wouldn't be able to enjoy anything. 

@riley

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Riley wasn’t going to say anything more about it. It was so hard for him because there were so many things that he wanted to tell her, but, he knew that he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell her that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life and that he was trying to figure out a way to make that happen. He had no idea if there even was a way to make it happen and to keep the both of them safe. Or even just to keep her save. He didn’t care about himself and his own safety nearly as much as he cared about hers.

“I’ll take it.” he teased, regarding the chocolate pastries that he knew the cart would inevitably have, though he was sure that they would have other things that Kinsey would like to eat too. They got to the cart and there was only one person in line ahead of them, it wasn’t too full yet this early in the day. He ordered himself a croissant and a hot chocolate and then stepped aside and let her order what she wanted, once she had done so, he handed the attendant payment for the both of him, not even giving her any time to protest if she were going to. He liked paying for her. Once they had their food, he turned to her, “Do you want to find a spot to sit and eat for a little bit, and then we can walk around? Maybe a bench or something?” he suggested.

@kinsey

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Though she'd never tell him so, Kinsey couldn't help but feel relieved when Riley let the subject drop. She didn't want to talk about his engagement with Priscilla. She didn't want to think about the fact that the guy she loved was engaged to and about to marry someone else. It just hurt too badly. So when he didn't say anything else about it, her smile grew just a little bit more sincere. At least they could enjoy the day together, that was definitely something she could look forward to. 

He teased her back, saying he would take the chocolate pastries and Kinsey rolled her eyes as they approached the cart. Riley ordered for himself, stepping back once he was done. "I'll have a croissant as well and ... some wassail," she said, glad that this place had the wonderful hot drink. She hated it when she could only find hot chocolate around. She moved to reach for her coin purse before she realized that Riley was already paying. Kinsey put the small purse away, not making a big deal about it. If Riley wanted to pay for her, she wasn't going to stop him. She nodded when he suggested they sit down for a little to eat and then started looking. "There's a bench right over there," Kinsey suggested, pointing as she started making her way there. She sat down, taking a sip of her drink before she started to eat. "Soooo do you have any specific plans for today? Is there anything here that I need to see?" Kinsey wasn't worried about that sort of thing. She felt confident that Riley would make sure she enjoyed herself today. He seemed to have a good habit of doing that. 

@riley

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Kinsey found them a place to sit and he followed her over there, it was nice that they were able to find a free bench. He was pretty sure as it got later into the day, it would be hard to find a place to stand, let alone a place to sit, among the crowd. As they ate, she asked if there was anything that he had planned for the day, or anything that she just needed to see. He smiled at the way that she spoke, a tad dramatically, as was the way. “Well let me think, there’s an ice rink, and a ferris wheel…” he said, his mind briefly flashing back to the summer when they had gone on the London Eye. “And there are carriage rides and a few pop up shops. We can do whatever you want.” he told her. He hadn’t had anything specific in mind to do with her, he just wanted to be spending time with her. "what sounds good?"

@kinsey

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As the two of them sat on the bench, Kinsey couldn't help but look around herself with interest. It was early and she was almost sure that not everything was out yet, but this place looked fabulous! A part of her felt sad that she'd never been able to come before, but she was sure Riley would be able to help make today worth it. She looked back to him, extremely interested as he started explaining the things that he could remember about the place. When he mentioned the ferris wheel she blushed as memories of their summer trip to the London Eye flashed in her mind, with more than a little bit of a longing feel. If only things were different. She pushed those thoughts of the back of her mind as he continued, finishing by saying they could do whatever she wanted. Kinsey thought for a moment, trying to make up her mind. "Well ... do you have any other plans today?" she asked Riley, smiling over at him. She didn't have any and all that stuff sounded great! "Would you ... maybe want to see how much of it we can do in a day?" her voice was a little hesitant, since she didn't know whether or not he'd agree, but it all sounded like fun, especially if it gave her more of an excuse to be with him. If they didn't get to it all, they could always come back tomorrow ... if he wanted to, of course. Kinsey didn't have many plans this break.

@riley

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Riley noticed the little blush on her cheeks when he mentioned the ferris wheel and her blushing caused him to blush a bit as well, but he tried to hide it by stuffing his face with his breakfast. She looked around as he explained what all was around, of course, there was more than what he told her about, but he didn’t want to go down the list of every little thing. “No, I don’t have any plans for today, it’s just us.” he told her, wishing that it could always be just them. She suggested that they try to see what all they could do in one day and he nodded, it sounded like a perfect idea and something that was definitely ‘them’ to try to accomplish. “I like that challenge.” he agreed. “Let’s do it.” he finished his pastry but still had half a cup of hot chocolate left as he waited for her to finish her breakfast too.

@kinsey