right now i can't feel my heart - hadley

Watson Wolfram gave a quick nod to his doorman and friend, Lecher, who stood under the protective barrier of a spell that dispelled the rain around him in the dark London sky. The tall man's dark eyes lightened if only for only a second at the sight of a familiar face. Watson swore he saw a smile under his stoic countenance, but he couldn't be certain. The doorman knew well enough that Mr. Wolfram of 201 did not leave the building unless he was getting himself into some sort of trouble. The two had an understanding of course, one that included a great deal of secrecy and looking the other direction.

This particular evening, though, trouble was not the first thing on the raven haired man's brain. Instead it was poetry. A poetry slam was the only reason he escaped under the safety of the darkness, his coat pulled up to his chin as he made his way through the relatively empty London streets to his usual location on a Thursday night. Every so often he took a break from his work, travel, and partying - which often times were wrapped into one - to go poetry readings and live out his secret passion for the craft.

It wasn't long before Watson was standing in front of the familiar old oak door that was squeezed between a quaint bar and an apartment building, completely disguised to the outside world. He was greeted by the cozy warmth of a fireplace and small crowd  surrounding a stage decorated with hanging lights and candles. Every Thursday the pub transformed into his beloved poetry evening.

The wizard had arrived between readings and used the spare time to order his regular glass of red wine. A simple look, and the red headed bartender who, over the years he had grown to know.. closely.. had a full glass in front of him and a knowing smile on her face. Watson slid a hefty palm of galleons in her direction before taking his seat in the back of the room, waiting for the next performer to take the stage. As his dark eyes studied the room, he took note of the blonde to his right just as a young man timidly began his prose.

After an unexpectedly anger fueled expression of his emotions, the young man exited the stage to a wave of applause, a few guests even standing to show their praise. It was in the quiet after the storm that Watson leaned over to the blonde next to him, unable to help himself.

"Are you up next then?" His dark brown eyes met her own with purpose before flicking to the stage as he leaned back in his chair. "I don't know if you can top that one," He nodded appreciatively to the performer as he took his seat and the crowd dispersed for another break for food and drink. "Although," Watson studied her intently from behind the glass of his wine. "I'm willing to bet you've got a side that no one knows about," He smiled at the stranger with confidence that only few could feign.

On a night like tonight, Hadley wouldn’t have dreamed she would find herself at a poetry reading.  In fact, if it hadn’t been at a suggestion from one of the customers at work, she wouldn’t have known how to find this out-of-the-way place.  It seemed that impulsiveness, not logic, was ruling her head this evening.  When she had found herself bored at home, attempting to read over her research notes for the thousandth time, she had simply acted and found herself out on the street with an address in mind before she had a chance to think more on the matter.

Hadley walked quickly, dressed in a plain pair of black pants and a green shirt that she had worn earlier in the day.  She wasn’t trying to impress anyone tonight, after all.  A break was what she needed-  at times it felt like her life was just an endless  turntable with work on one side and research on the other.  She couldn’t remember the last time she gone out purely for fun with no other purpose in mind, other than perhaps a few outings with Emma over lunch, which didn’t really count.  She walked past her destination several times before realizing that the wooden door led to where she seeked.

Inside, she found that she was one of the first to arrive.  Casting her eyes across the crowd, Hadley didn’t see any recognizable faces, not that she expected to.  It was much more comfortable than she expected, the stage lit well and the patrons generally smiling.  The stereotype of brooding poet didn’t seem to apply here, although there were a few that might have fit the mold.  She settled in towards the back after ordering some tea- which the bartender had handed her with an odd look.  Everyone else seemed to be ordering alcohol, of course, but Hadley wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to start drinking in a strange place with no one she knew around.

The first few people to take the stage soon had her attention, and she quickly fell in love with their words.  Focused raptly on the performers, she vaguely noted someone sliding into the seat next to her.  Hadley wished she could express herself like that, with the ferocity that fairly oozed from everyone’s voices.  Every time she opened her mouth she wanted to snap it shut again almost immediately.  If she could learn to voice how she felt…

She was startled out of her thoughts by someone speaking to her.  Turning, she felt a sense of recognition, but couldn’t place the man.  “I-“  She started, in a voice much too soft to be heard. Clearing her throat, she began again.  “I couldn’t do that.  It’s my first time.”  Wincing slightly, she knew that that didn’t explain her meaning very well at all.  The man probably wouldn’t be impressed that she was just here to watch, but the thought of going up on the stage filled her with mortification.  “I mean, I’ve never done this before.” She waved, enveloping the room in a gesture.

His next comment had her smirking into her drink as she finished it.  “Some would say that,” she nodded at him.  Flirting was always fun, although she really didn’t have enough experience to know if she was being successful or not.  She could probably count on one hand the number of guys she had talked to that had shown any particular interest in that direction.  His confidence intrigued her, and that drew a bit more bravery from within.  “I’m Hadley.  If you’re so willing to discover that side, why don’t you go next?”  She smirked again, wondering if he would take the challenge.

The deep chocolate colored eyes belonging to Watson Wolfram intensified, if only for a millisecond, before flicking back to the empty stage in thought. Her first time. He smiled inwardly to himself, the stranger's innocent words twisted somewhere within the less than wholesome space between his ears. "No better a time, then," The wizard assured before taking a small sip of his drink, his gaze not yet parting from the stage as his pointer and index finger tapped along the glass, the rhythm perfectly in line with the numbing buzz of conversation in the pub.

"Hadley," Finally, Watson's physical attention shifted back to the blonde, even his legs reflecting the change of pace as they faced her, his voice repeating her name for clarity. "Pleasure to meet you," He took her hand in his own and gave a quick squeeze before speaking up again.

"I will. Only because I'm so willing..." The raven haired man continued, still talking as he placed his drink on the ground and stood up. With one final cursory glance over his shoulder, Watson climbed on stage and made his way with purpose to the center, the crowd quieting significantly as he took the microphone in his hand. There was no challenge he wasn't willing to accept, and no exceptions were made on poetry night.

He hadn't prepared anything formal, but his freestyle proved to suffice. The claps and shouts from the audience, reassurance, were his fuel and Watson continued, emotion escaping with every breath, his speech falling into the pattern of a spoken song. The flow of his words matched the swift and purposeful movement of his limbs, hands traveling through the air with ease until the conclusion in which Watson exited the stage. There was no better feeling than the thrill of captivating a room, and his confidence was not lost on expression.

Watson took his seat next to Hadley, his shoulder pushing into hers gently as the reaction from the small crowd quieted. "So then," He sat back in his seat with a smile. "When exactly will I get to see this side unknown side of you, Had?" He asked as he reached for the drink next to his black boot. "Surely after your second cuppa' tea?" Watson teased, eyeing her empty mug in jest. "Can I get you something else to drink?" He asked after already motioning for the waitress. "Something... stronger," He answered his own question just as the red head arrived behind their chairs in the last row of seats.

Hadley blushed ferociously as the man’s gaze seemed to pierce her.  By the time she had gotten control of her coloring, it promptly flared back up again as he took her hand for a brief moment.  For some reason, her mind flashed back to the last man she had touched in a way that was not overtly friendly.  The wizard in front of her didn’t seem to share the former’s reluctance to make a move, and Hadley found she liked it.  Sometimes being too inhibited had it’s drawbacks.  Frowning slightly, she assessed the man in front of her more thoroughly.  Did she know him?  It would be utterly embarrassing to broach the subject without being certain, but sure was almost positive she had seen his face somewhere before.

She started to ask him his name, but the decision was quickly taken from her as he abruptly got up from his seat and strode towards the stage, accepting her challenge.  Hadley smiled to herself, thoroughly impressed at this point, a feeling that only grew as she heard the beauty of the words he uttered. Applauding loudly with the rest of the crowd, she met his return with a broad smile.  “I have no words… other than amazing.”  Hadley toyed with her empty mug, spinning it in a circle.  “I really don’t know how you’d expect a girl to follow that,” she finished with a jab in his direction.

Faced with a dilemma as he queried her choice of beverage, Hadley glanced at her hands.  The few times she had drank anything remotely alcoholic, she had ended up making a fool of herself.  Then again, she doubted she could muster the courage to follow his performance without a little bit of liquid fortification.  “Surprise me,” she said firmly, placing her mug aside.  “As to my unknown side… I’d think I’d be crazy to pour out all my secrets to a handsome stranger.  And I’d definitely need something a little more potent in order to go share them on stage.” Hadley, winked at this last, although inside she was frantically attempting to stop the words from pouring out.  Her inexperienced attempt at flirting seemed flimsy at best, but one never got any better without practice.  At least I’m not stuttering.

“Then again,” she said coyly, turning her body to face him more fully.  “I think I’ve seen your face around somewhere.”  Brushing her hair off her neck, she suddenly wished she was wearing something a tad less plain, causing another flush to appear faintly on her cheekbones.  “Of course, I work in Diagon, so I see a lot of faces.”  She bit her lip on the next comment before it could come out. Hadley wasn’t about to tell some stranger, no matter how good-looking, her exact work location or address.  “Care to enlighten me?” she queried, hoping she would, at the very least, catch his name.