It's a fantasy, probably, but honestly... [Wini]

It had been pretty awkward to start with, honestly, but things were starting to look better. He was being careful, despite really wanting to reach out and hold her hand or but his hand on her knee, to be respectful of the fact that they had broken up. This didn’t mean they were back together or anything. This wasn’t an invitation for him to try again. They were being friends. It didn’t mean he wasn’t thinking about it, though. He was thinking of kissing her so much his lips twitched every few minutes without him even consciously thinking about it. He wanted her. He wanted another shot. Still, that wasn’t what they agreed to and Ezra tried to be respectful about stuff like this. He had liked Circe for years, yet when she told him she only like him as a friend, he had never hit on her again. He tried hard to make things comfortable for his female friends. He tried not to oversexualize them and stuff, but it was hard. Wini had grown up so gorgeous, and he really wanted to just… kiss her mouth, her nose, her eyelids. He wanted to make her giggle and moan and feel safe and secure in his arms. He sighed, turning up the music a little, and peeking at her.

There was something wrong, but he couldn’t quite place it. He didn’t know if it was him, Circe, Jet, or something else. He thought it might be best to ignore it. She was trying to, he knew. “You know, I made this mixtape just for you.” He admitted. “All songs that reminded me of you and me, and you by yourself. Stuff I thought you might like. You can keep it if you want.” He cleared his throat. They had been driving for a while, not really going anywhere. Soon, though, he spotted a small fair coming up. “Oooh, a fair!” He grinned, trying to fill the silence. “You want to go? I think it’s a muggle one. I love muggle things, you know. Maybe we can see how some of the rides work without magic? Or just pig out on fair food. I’m starving.” He laughed. They had been driving for at least an hour if not longer.

He pulled into the lot and parked, offering WIni a hand after opening her door for her. “M’lady?”

@Winifred Gwartney

Wini was lost and in a way that she really didn't know how to get out of.

She had gotten her NEWT results back and it was everything she had been worried about. Despite all of the help she had gotten from Ben and Marin and her friends, despite the extra time she had spent in the Potions classroom, she had not gotten the mark she needed to apply for healing school. And she had been crushed. So crushed that she hadn't known how to react. William who had been watching from behind his Daily Prophet newspaper as they sat together at breakfast in his London flat, slowly lowered it to the table, and she wasn't sure what he had seen in her expression, but he gave her a smile. "You got it, didn't you?" he asked and she could see his hopeful expression. "You passed?" Before she could answer, he was already rounding the table in an uncommon show of affection and hugging her.

She hadn't had the heart to tell him that he was wrong, that she hadn't passed, and that everything she had worked for was now just a waste. Wini had still been trying to figure out how to correct him (he had seemed so proud of her for something she hadn't even achieved and it felt so nice in the midst of everything happening with her mother and (step?)father in Wales) that when Marin came over and William told him that she had passed so it was soon a snowball that was out of control rolling down a hill she knew could only end in disaster. Marin had asked to see her letter, but she had distracted them with questions and plans for dinner until he had forgotten and she was able to bring it back to her room and spell it hidden.

So with everything piling up in the worst way possible, Wini had decided to deep clean her room (for perhaps for the first time ever) with a zeal that even she didn't know she had. And that's where she had found Ezra's letter, tucked between two jumpers from her trunk. She found herself replying immediately.

She wasn't sure what she was looking for from Ezra and she didn't know what he wanted either, but it was really, really nice to not have all of that hanging over her as she sat beside him in his car, the window down, and her blonde hair blowing over her face. The air was warm, the summer sun making his dark eyes look golden, and she could blissfully ignore everything about her life falling about around her and just be. She had never learned how to drive a car since she had gone off to Hogwarts, but she felt somehow like she had missed out on that experience. She was just glad he had a car at all and that he had offered this little escape.

"Really, for me?" she asked as the next song came on, rock and roll reverberating up through her sneakers as she looked over at him. The outline of his face both familiar and not. She didn't know if she missed him or just the idea of him, but it wasn't something she was going to question right now. She liked being able to get in a car and drive away from all of her problems and Ezra was good at distracting her. "This song reminds you of me?" she asked as she listened, trying to find herself in the lyrics or the melody. She gave him a little shrug, clueless.

But the beat wove through her and she stuck her head out of the window a little more to feel the wind on her face, her blonde hair snapping behind her in the wind. She barely heard him, but followed his gaze to the fair as she came back in and nodded immediately. That seemed like fun, good, simple fun with no worries. "Yeah, sure," she agreed easily. "Let's just be muggles today," Wini suggested with a bright look in her eye. She didn't mind forgetting everything about being a witch today, especially about that little piece of paper that told her quantitatively just how bad of one she was.

She took his hand as she got out of the car and kept hers in his grasp as they walked toward the fair entrance. It almost felt like the first part of their Valentine's date. "Eat first or rides?"

It really did feel a bit like the first part of their Valentine ’s Day date, and Ezra didn’t mind it too much. That date had been really, really nice up until it wasn’t. He had been happy, enjoying her company, and giving her snuggles and chaste kisses. He missed the innocence of the whole thing. Despite being a terrible horn dog, whose playlist for her had quite a few songs that seemed sweet on the surface but were really about sex, Ezra really wanted more than just to make her a notch on his bedpost. If he wanted a night with some random stranger, he’d have that. He didn’t want that. He wanted a lover, not a one night stand. He wanted a girlfriend that he could spend time with and care about. He knew they were out as just friends, but he did still feel a spark of butterflies when he thought of her, which was a nice touch. He loved even just feeling this way, even if it was unrequited. He loved feeling something for someone, butterflies and an eager crush. 
 
He could tell there was something a bit off with Wini, though she was playing a good sport. She had been very sudden with her owl mail response. It had been late, but then she wanted to hang out very soon after. Something was on her mind, but he was okay with helping her forget. He didn’t mind being a crutch when she needed it, if she needed that from him. If she wanted a friend, he would provide. If she wanted a distraction, he could be that too. If she just wanted to feel something… well, he felt it, too. 
 
He smiled at her, giving her hand a subtle squeeze. He really hadn’t planned this drive to be a date. He had been quite conscientious about not giving her affectionate touches, despite this being a normal part of his personality and interaction with others. He was very, very affectionate. He and Jam, his best friend, had often snuggled up in each other’s arms (no homo) for hours. Ezra would just lay casually with his head on Jam’s chest, smoking a joint and sharing it with him, and just being. He would hug his friends, touch their back and shoulders and knees. Still, he didn’t want her to think he was being… what’s the word… pervy on her? At least not if she didn’t want it. 
 
Still, she hadn’t dropped his hand and suddenly it did feel like a date. He wouldn’t mind it, though, if it was. “Hmmm…..” He considered, wetting his lips before biting them a bit in thought. “Maybe let’s eat. I’ll get you all hyped up on sugar, then we can play a few games and ride a few rides. Fair games were notorious for unfair shenanigans, but Ezra was a wizard and decent enough at wandless incantations that he wasn’t above cheating in order to get her a small stuffed animal or cartoon character (that she would likely not recognize). 
 
He kept her hand as long as she’d let him, taking her up to the first of many food kiosks and looking them over. What was traditional fair food again? Popcorn? Cotton Candy? French fries? Yeah, that sounded great. Funnel cake, too. And a frozen lemonade. He’d take the lot. 
 
“Wanna split some chips?” He asked, thinking back to one of the first times he met up with her post-Circe, where they had split some chips with gravy. He had a favorite. “We can get frozen lemonade and cotton candy, too. I wasn’t kidding when I said I was going to sugar you out. You’ll probably fall asleep on the drive home, and it’ll be adorable.” He gave her hand a little squeeze again. He looked into her eyes for a moment, smiling, then let them trail over to a throw-a-ring-on-a-rubber-duck game to their left. He considered, looking at the prizes.  
 
“Wanna bet I could win something for you at that ring toss, too?” He had enough muggle money on him, right? He often went into muggle London (even as a pureblood wizard) and usually carried a bit of cash on him just in case. Exchanging wizarding money for muggle money was awkward at the best of times, and he had once tried to pay for a muggle bus fare with sickles and they laughed at him and thought it was pretend money. He had been too drunk to apparate, and had needed to walk home. He was so happy to have a car, now. 

Wini wasn't exactly sure what this was or why she was leaning into it, but she was just happy Ezra hadn't dropped her hand or pulled away. She didn't think she could stand another rejection right now. "Alright, but I am not doing the one that spins you round and round and gets you to puke," she agreed with a stipulation as she craned her neck and rose up on her tiptoes to see around the group in front of her, trying to see what delicious food the fair had to offer. Hot dogs sizzled on silver rollers, the smell of popcorn wafted toward them mixed in with the sweetness of cotton candy. She could feel the heat coming off the drum as someone made kettle corn right in front of them and ooh! was that funnel cake?

"Yeah, chips sound good," she agreed easily, determined to go with the flow. And bonus: she wouldn't even have to order them plain since Marin wasn't here. She could get it topped with ketchup or gravy or anything she wanted. Mmm. She smiled at him, catching his eye as she rolled hers. She wasn't sure she wanted to be called 'adorable' anymore, but she did nod. "Can we split a funnel cake too? Or cotton candy. The pink one is the best." She wasn't positive that the pink versus blue were different flavors but the pink just hit bette. "Chips first?" she asked as she walked toward that booth, slowing as they passed by the toss game.

Wini glanced between the game and Ezra and gave him a nod. "I bet you could," she said. Then a thought occurred to her. "Oh wait, do you have--" she whispered the next word, leaning in closer to him. "--muggle money?" All she had was sickles in her purse. It wasn't like she had been planning on denying her whole magical existence today, but she was desperately trying to do so even as the thought came up that it would be easy to magic the ring onto the ducky. Oh great, now she was a bald-faced liar to her closest friends and family as well as a cheat. Her inner critic was having a field day.

She sighed and glanced toward the funnel cake. "Can we get one of those first?" she asked, glancing at him. She needed something sweet.

Ezra smiled at her, giving her hand yet another squeeze. “Deal. I get motion sickness anyway.” He admitted. “We can just do… maybe the swings. Ferris wheel. Maybe a roller coaster if you’re not scared.” He smiled wider. He thought the idea of them sitting romantically on the ferris wheel, his hand gripping her knee comfortably, was too cute for words. He had not expected this to be a date, but it was starting to feel like one, and he didn’t mind. 
 
“Oh, yeah.” He replied, in repose to her question about muggle money. “I never get lost without it anymore. Once I tried to pay for a bus fare when I was trashed and they laughed in my face and I had to walk home. I totally wiped out at least twice. I had a giant bruise on my face the next day.” He admitted. “Ever since then… I just keep a little bit, you know? Besides, I go into muggle London a lot.” He smiled. 
 
He eyed up the funnel cake while she was looking at it, and smiled. “Sure, whatever you want.” He was hungry. He ordered the food and paid for it. Chips, pink cotton candy, a tub of popcorn, funnel cake, and two frozen lemonades. He waited for the food, then loaded up his arms as he made the way towards a picnic table. It was hard to carry it all. 
 
“Voila, a feast for you.” He smiled. “I could probably eat this all by myself, so you better hurry.” He teased. He had hated to let go of her hand. She seemed, despite his best efforts, still a bit in the dumps. He eyed her up with a smile, and reached out for her hand across the table. 
 
“Hey, chin up, Wini.” He smiled. “We’re gonna have a great time here. I’m gonna win you the biggest stuffed animal and you’re going to make me carry it for you. We’ll ride the swings and feel queasy in the best way, and then I’ll take you on the ferris wheel.” And try not to feel her up. “It’ll be fun.”