[hampstead] clumsy heart. [harlan]

For March, it was an unseasonably warm day. The sun was sitting high in the sky and not a cloud to be seen, warming up the capital to almost summer heights. It was the perfect day for a garden party, which was bloody lucky as it stood. It was a little after midday and Erika had been perusing the snack tables, just to see if they were fresh (they were),having her hand continually slapped away by the mum-to-be's mother.  She'd also had one of Kevin's homemade cocktails and she was regretting it, so her excuse was that she needed to soak it up with something.

Kitty looked the picture of serenity, though, dressed in bright blue and cradling her visible baby bump. Erika didn't really understand a baby shower. To her, it all seemed rather Americanised. But whatever Kitty wanted, Kitty got. She'd also found out that baby showers and gender reveals weren't necessarily the same thing.

People weren't due for another hour or so but Erika decided to step outside, her arms full of bunting, banners and previously blown up balloons - she needed some fresh air because Kevin's cocktail had been 95% pure gin. With her blonde hair in a low bun at the base of her neck and sunglasses on, Erika's dress swished around her as she navigated the cobblestones with ease. It was a very pretty place and she used to come here all the time as a child. She still had trouble wrapping her head around the fact that her best friend was actually with child. The mind did boggle.

With her balloons bumping along after her, Erika entered the walled garden and was pleased to see that Mr. Sharpe was still able to get out and about and tend to the heady-scented lavender and bluebells. There must be some magic involved and she couldn't help but smile at all the effort Kitty's dad had put into things. This was her favourite spot, a lone bench tucked away and so, she decided to decorate it - it would make for cutesy photos.

Erika delicately placed the balloons either side of the bench and frowned momentarily, wondering if it was overkill but then she remembered that Kevin was the father, so he needed to be involved as well. She hopped up onto the bench with ease as she stood on her tiptoes, attaching the flowery bunting to the low hanging branches in the little alcove and smiled - cute. The decorations had been Kev's idea and she'd also gotten wind that he was responsible for the games to be played that afternoon. Unluckily for him, Erika was frightfully competitive. 

Behind her, the gravel crunched and she turned quickly, catching herself just in time before she fell off. "Hello?" Erika called out, still balancing on the bench as she squinted from behind the lenses of her sunglasses. A familiar head of blonde hair loomed into view as he climbed the steps from the walled garden and she froze. It must have been a couple of months since she'd seen him, ever since that night. It was never a big deal ti begin with but the more she avoided him, the easier it became. A lot of baby-related things Kitty needed to do hadn't involved the godfather, so she was quite surprised to see him. In a suit, no less.  She clutched a balloon so hard, it popped, showering her with confetti.

"Er, hi."

[setting: Fenton House]

@Gage

Harlan adjusted the collar of his newly opened — just a few buttons—French linen shirt.

Fuck, it was bloody hot for March.

Either that, or he had gotten entirely too comfortable to in the London winter.

"Cheers, thanks," He nodded appreciatively to the bartender before swiveling toward the outdoors where solitude was more likely. The role of Godfather hadn't suited him just yet, he thought, it was inherently different to being an Uncle. There was an air of comfortability about him even being there, holding the title.

Harlan had seen Erika float (as usual) out the door before he could fully comprehend it. They hadn't seen each other since— well since they hadn't seen each other. It had to have been three months, he figured, doing the mental math as he found himself following after her.

They were the Godparents, after all.

"Better not pop them all before the party starts..." Harlan said, inclining a nod to where she'd popped a balloon, his grin growing.

Harlan cracked a joke and it took Erika a second to realise before she laughed. Distracted, she brushed the glitter off the skirt of her dress and delicately stepped off the bench to look up at him. "Excellent point," she conceded with a nod as she scratched the tip of her nose like she often did when she became agitated. "Kitty would pitch an absolute fit," she joked - kind of - Harlan knew neither of them would dare mess with a heavily pregnant woman.

Avoiding him had not been difficult. Erika had been busy working, both in the UK and further afield. The Quidditch season was in full swing for him, too. "I'm a bit shocked to see you," the tall blonde admitted as she took a large sip of the awful cocktail his best mate had made and swallowed.

"I didn't think guys came to baby showers," she admitted as she removed her sunglasses and held them in her left hand, her eyes flicking across his face quickly. Harlan was nowhere near as inebriated as he needed to be to get through this party unscathed. "Unless you're contractually obliged," she jested with an easy smile.

"How have you been?" Erika asked brightly, perhaps pressing too much force on casual conversation. If they were stuck here all afternoon, they might as well play nice. "I think they are party games later," she warned Harlan, her eyes wide in faux-terror. "I've yet to find a willing partner."

There was a stiffness between them and Harlan couldn't ascertain if it was coming from him or Erika— he suspected the former. "Are you?" He wondered, genuinely curious as to how she hadn't been privy to the planning process. Kitty and Kevin had decided (Kitty, more accurately) to include men and women at the shower. Something to do with an article Kitty had read in Witches Weekly, Kevin mentioned as he was breaking the bad news to his friend.

"I thought the whole," Harlan paused to gesture around them, albeit vaguely, at the full setup. "Group thing was always the plan," He shrugged. In truth, Madeline had handled most of the details of his schedule as far as events such as the one he was currently at were concerned. It was without a doubt outside of her remit but she seemed to enjoy it. Particularly the input on gifts.

"I've been well," He said with more of a smile in his eye as the conversation seemed to lighten— just.

"Have you got a bad reputation for baby shower games, then?" He smiled more easily and with his whole face. Harlan didn't immediately jump at the opportunity to throw his name in the hat, more because he wasn't sure how Erika would receive it. She seemed to be avoiding him, and more so than her usual jaunts around the world (even then, she wrote) and he was not naive enough to not know why that was.

"Have you been alright?" Harlan countered, shifting his weight slightly so that his shoes crunched the rocks of the well-manicured pathway.

"Yeah," Erika answered swiftly, caught in her lie as she cleared her throat. "I just didn't think that --" you'd be here. She didn't need to finish her sentence. She used to joke about how Harlan loathed anything "fun" - birthdays, parties, the pub, gatherings, even the occasional game of bowling. Forced merriment, he was never a fan. It was easy to forget that he had people to manage his schedule and it felt like, as the impending godfather, he was contractually obliged to attend. Erika was a moron.

Was she disappointed that he was here? Not exactly. Had she wanted to avoid him for a little bit longer? Absolutely.

Erika met his eye briefly before she looked away. She had absolutely no doubt that he'd been well and she was pleased. It had been a few months since they'd last met and while she didn't think she was bothered by it, she did find herself taking up jobs further and further afield. After all, the chances of bumping into Harlan in South America were slim to none.

The blonde laughed without meaning to. "You have no idea," she joked. If Harlan thought she was competitive, he clearly hadn't seen her once she'd had a few drinks at the local pub quiz. "You'd better keep me away from anything where I can win points," she smiled wryly. Her desire to win had done her many favours in her career thus far but she had the penchant for going a teeny bit too far.

"Busy," Erika answered quickly with a nod of her head as though to enforce the point. "I've not been home much," she told Harlan, glancing at him again. "There was some goblin gold found in Peru," she went on. "Just a bit. So I've been ducking in and out of caves. Got a new scar. It's pretty cool," she blabbered as she held out the underside of her left wrist to show a pale pink mark in the shape of a lopsided star. She smiled before she stopped. It wasn't like he'd be bothered. There was an awkward pause.

"I'm sorry," Erika blurted out. "For not writing. And not saying goodbye," she admitted as she anxiously scratched the mark on her arm. "It just got easier not to."

"Oh, don't tell me that," Harlan began with a click of his tongue, thankful that they seemed to slip back into a familiar banter— though, different. "You know how good I am at avoiding a party, "He was exceptionally adept at finding the way, miraculously, to fly under the radar. Harlan's eyes narrowed for half of a breath before flicking over her shoulder to where a gardener shuffled by.

Kitty was nothing if not obsessive-compulsive as far as the decor was concerned.

"Fascinating," Harlan hadn't meant it to come across as sarcastic but his tone always steered in that direction without his consent. It was fascinating, really. Erika lived such a different life from the one that he knew. He couldn't even begin to fathom that level of spontaneity. She held out her wrist and Harlan took it in his palm out of instinct— though, markedly more gently than he would have before.

She was sorry. And it took a moment for him to determine what for, but his gut had steered him to that night. The last he had seen her. "Don't be sorry," Harlan let go of her wrist after a moment of distracted studying. His voice wasn't insistent, more a steadied calm. Erika had nothing to be sorry for. They both didn't, he thought. They were adults. And it hadn't been the first time.

"I'll be alright," He smiled subtly, more easily, obviously kidding. "But— did something happen?" He wondered.

The question had been lingering; what changed? Casual sex between them was never so problematic.

"No shit," Erika teased with an easy smile. Harlan was a serial fun-dodger but she forgot that not everyone liked a party. He preferred a pub to a club, so what? She did often worry that he was in the wrong sort of job, he was often faced with press and events. It must be a lot to handle. There was a moment of silence as a gardener passed by and she offered him a polite smile. Did she think Kitty had sent out a spy? Absolutely.

Her smile didn't drop at Harlan's lacklustre response to her travels. She couldn't really blame him. She wasn't much of a friend - always out of the country and often untraceable - but even more so when he was clearly going through something but didn't feel like he could tell her. "I've got pictures," she offered in a blind attempt to gee him up but his touch was soft and that did make her frown.

The tall blonde nodded as she wrapped a hand over the wrist Harlan had just been holding. She supposed he was right. It was just sex, they'd done it before and it didn't mean anything. She didn't fancy him (though she did think he was handsome) and she definitely didn't want to be with him but they shouldn't have done it.

"No," Erika blurted out, a little too eagerly, as her head jerked upwards in shock. "No," she said again, softer this time as she cleared her throat and scratched her nose. She watched him for a second as she tried to proceed with caution. "It's just --" trailing off, she was quickly becoming frustrated by her lack of articulation and so, she sighed heavily.

"That night," she went on as she looked at him. "When you didn't meet me for drinks," Erika continued, as though Harlan had forgotten. "Something was wrong with you," she chewed her lip. "And you didn't tell me what. We've never kept secrets from each other before," Erika offered quietly, sounding sad. "I should have tried harder to find out what happened but I didn't. I can't help but feel like I took advantage."

Harlan hadn't been himself. He'd been withdrawn and quiet. He hadn't even touched his burrito, which should have been a warning sign in and of itself. "So, I can't help but feel a bit --" trailing off, she contorted her pretty face as she struggled to find the right word. "Guilty?" She settled on with an uncomfortable laugh. "And like a crappy friend," she sighed. "It's all a bit messy in here," Erika explained vaguely, tapping her left temple. "So yeah," she smiled quickly. "That's what's happened."