until we say hello [tag; maddie]

It wasn't a date, right?

His green eyes scanned the crowded area as he looked for a familiar shade of blonde hair. They had been pulled apart by adoring aunts and nosy relatives that just had to know how they knew the bride or groom. There was an anxiousness that he felt knowing that she was so close and yet he couldn't put his eyes on her.  His gaze drifted along as he gave a nod to the elderly woman he was dancing with, the fifth in a row, but he wasn't counting much. Aeric only wanted the song to end so that he could find her. It was a strange feeling, but he had come to realize that their time in Italy had changed him. It had opened his eyes to a lot of his own feelings and hinted at the ones she held close to her own chest.

The black tailored suit hung on his lean frame just right and the dash of blue added by his vest was just enough. He had taken special care in getting dressed, even if it wasn't a date. It was Maddie. He took a deep breath as he forced himself to look down into the still beautiful face of the once vibrant redhead and gave her a gentle dip he was sure made her feel young again. As his gaze shifted and the song finally came to an end it took most of the former Slytherin's willpower not to laugh as the woman's husband moved forward to claim the next dance. "It was a pleasure, Celeste." He gave a nod of his head his gaze followed a familiar shade of blonde. He was drawn moving forward without much thought as a hand rose to fix his tie, swallowing the last bits of his apprehension he approached her.

"I do hope there is an open bar."

It was all he had, well, all he could muster as the smell of her perfume invaded his senses. Was it the flowers or her? No, it was her with the faint smell of vanilla he was sure. He could smell the bakery on her and it reminded him of one of the many reasons she had always been on his mind. The thought that time and distance would pull them apart had crossed his mind several times and so when he received word she wanted him to accompany her it was shocking. Not because it was something unheard of but because they hadn't spoken since their trip. This had been of his own doing, his realization making the choice for him rather than proper thought. He needed the space because what he felt it ran deep, deeper than he felt it had in years. He could always think back to that New Year’s night that his world changed but realistically it was the small moments.  The way she lit up when she talked about work or how she was always open with him. It was these things that made him see her.

His lips curved up into a smile as emerald eyes locked with the honey of hers and his jaw clenched just slightly. "I don't mind paying but honestly an open bar would do this whole a bit of justice." He had felt like the ceremony had been drawn out and the few pauses, in the beginning, hadn't helped. The decorations had been well placed and the colors complemented each other so well it was hard for him to find fault. "I lost you there. The group of elderly women seemed determined to each have a dance." He gave a heavy breath as if he was exhausted, but the edges of his lips twitched as he fought the smile just there at the corners. His gaze ran along her frame once more, "I have to say it again, you look amazing." She always did. Aeric realized how hard it was to define the lines of their friendship as everything seemed so blurred now.

"Did you..." He looked back towards the dancefloor and his own heart gave a few missteps before it took flight, "...want to dance?" Now the question was if he could handle it and if so for how long.

@Madeline Fletcher 

Aeric was a lifesaver.

There was no bones about it. Turning up to a family wedding without a date was a fate worse than death. Madeline had wracked her brains as various men drifted across them. She could have asked Brita if she could borrow one of her various cousins for the evening, but that verged on desperation. In her darkest hour, Hefin crossed her mind but she shot that idea down in flames. French men, she'd noticed, had a remarkable aversion to dating so the idea of asking one to a wedding sent them screaming in the opposite direction.

Then there was Aeric. He was a friend, a confidante and an all-round good guy. He'd never let her down before. That didn't mean that things weren't strange. Their little jaunt to Portofino had been really nice at first. They reminisced, they chatted, they took walks along the coast and cooked dinner together most nights. Then she'd opened Pandora's box. A gateway to their shared past and accidentally dug up long forgotten memories and unanswered questions. Though they were older, they were no less entangled in one another. She'd slammed the brakes on and limped through the remainder of the holiday but things weren't the same.

It had been a last ditch effort and when he said he'd come with her, she almost cried in relief. Aeric had no idea how much he'd saved her arse by agreeing and she massively owed him a favour.

The wedding was a quiet affair, held in a country house in an affluent suburb of London. The bride was her cousin, Rosie. She looked gorgeous in a timeless silhouette of the purest white. Madeline hadn't missed the pitying looks as she'd entered. Of course, everyone knew about her dumb ass idea to get married and divorced in the same year. It was ages ago, forgotten by most but there was always someone there to offer her an insincere smile, a pat on the back or a condescending "how are you doing?". It wasn't as though Ernie had died, he'd just been a bit of a moron.

"Yeah, he's great," Maddie replied breezily to one of Rosie's friends as she nodded towards Aeric. "Great" was a lazy word and it didn't encompass how lovely he really was. He didn't have to be there and she wouldn't have been offended had he not answered her plea. And he was a great dancer. She gave a wistful sigh as the floaty material of her dress was tugged by the wind. He made her happy. They had long talks into the night and they were honest and open and easy and she'd never lied to him. Well, she'd lied once on New Year's Day many moons ago when he asked her if she was okay. Of course she wasn't okay; she was a complete mess.

How did they know each other? Madeline winced. "Oh we're --" they were what? "Friends." The word tasted foul. If she was going to be honest with her cousin's friend, she would have said they were "never weres". Close but not quite. Right place, wrong time. Just missed the boat. Almost. Madeline could tell that Rosie's friend was itching to ask if he was single and she almost wanted to laugh. Wasn't hitting on someone else's date against the girl code? Oh, right. He wasn't her date. She'd forgot.

"Hello," Madeline replied cheerfully with a smile that soon turned into a laugh. "It's an open bar," she assured Aeric as she jiggled her glass of gin and tonic for effect. This was her second one and she knew she needed to slow down but if wasn't for Dutch courage, she'd have no courage at all. "Stop it, it's lovely," the blonde chided him softly with a smile and a roll of her eyes. She agreed, it must be a lot for him. It wasn't his fault that he looked fantastic in a suit. People were bound to stare.

"Lucky them," Madeline commented with another smile as she crossed her arms over her chest, her glass dangling from her fingers as she mentioned him dancing. It bordered on being considered flirty but at this point, neither of them had bothered to check the rule book. "Thanks," she replied as two spots of colour appeared on her cheeks at his compliment. The neckline was a little low but the skirt was long and her shoulders were covered so she was sort of presentable. "So do you," she told him honestly. When his back was turned earlier, she took the opportunity to really look at him. As nice as his suit was, it didn't disguise the smooth muscles she knew were underneath it.

Did she want to dance? "Yes," Madeline blurted out as she drained her glass and placed it on a passing tray. She slid her fingers into Aeric's smoothly as she squeezed her way on to the dancefloor, shimmying a little to get some room. "And thank you for coming," she told him gently with a thankful smile. She placed her free hand on his shoulder as she kept a polite distance between them both. "You honestly did me a huge favour," she sighed, her shoulders sagging in relief as the anxiety seemed to just ebb out of her as she squeezed his hand affectionately. "I really didn't want to be the only loser here all by myself. Weddings are stressful enough as it is."