16. Wary
Since when did she need to be set up on a date?
Caitlin couldn't stop this thought from running around her mind. Running around like a chicken without its head, but still managing to squawk madly; that was how crazy this bloody blind date was driving her. What did Bree think? Just because she'd failed her healer exams a few months ago (okay, six months ago) and just because she hadn't been out of the house except for necessities and being forced and---okay, fine. Fine. She was in a bloody funk and maybe appreciated the effort her sister had gone to into getting her a date.
At least she was still pretty. Being an absolute failure in life couldn't take that from her.
She crossed and uncrossed her arms, barely containing a fidget as she waited in the front lobby of the restaurant. Caitlin knew she was early, but she wanted to get a look at her date (he was supposed to be wearing a blue tie?) before he got a good look at her. What if he was some troll? Bree's taste in men had always been questionable, she never had been able to shake off that Dingle bloke. What if he was old? Older was good in Hogwarts, not here, not when you were barely setting off on your life, when you had no idea what you were going to do with yourself and---
---Fucking great. What was he doing here?
Caitlin immediately turned up her nose and looked away, but not really away, as Ioan Llewellyn came through the front door. She hadn't seen him in nearly--what, a year and a half? Yes, she'd wasted a year of her life attempting to become a healer, failed, and then refused to do anything else with her life because what else was there to do? So, yes, she hadn't seen his that smirk of his in a year and a half, or caught sight of that annoyingly perfect hair, or heard his stupidly contagious laugh. He just had to show up now, when she was looking like a desperate...desperate...failure!
"Jugson!" his Welsh accent broke through the noise of the lobby, and Caitlin's snapped her head toward him, feigning surprise. This faked surprise turned into slight disgust, a natural reaction to seeing Ioan's face, but she couldn't stop the small, tiny smile slipped onto her face as he accosted her with a hug. Well. Apparently he had forgotten the years of bickering and torture. She certainly hadn't, of course, but that didn't mean she couldn't return the hug--with just one hand, of course. "I heard you failed your healer exam, how much did you want to kill yourself?
Okay. Apparently he hadn't forgotten.
"N-now, you listen," Caitlin stuttered, the very familiar anger she'd reserved only for Ioan for seven years roaring back to life. "It is a hard line of work, and instead of sitting at a desk I was--saving lives."
"Mmm, I don't think that's what they call poisoning people--accidentally, of course."
She hated getting ridiculous in public, but she couldn't stop the high-pitched shriek that escaped her throat. "Will you just go and drive your date absolutely insane? I'm sure she'll have enough empty space in her head to keep up all your hot air."
"Aww, Caitlin. I don't think you've got an empty head." Ioan blinked innocently as the gears in her very not-empty head (at least he was right about something) began to furiously turn. Bree had been very secretive about all of this, refusing to even give her a name, or mention was department he worked in, or---Caitlin's eyes dropped down to the bright blue tie around Ioan's neck, and she forced her twitching hand not to reach up and strangle him with it.
"Well. Have fun eating by yourself," she snipped, turning on her very sharp heel to hightail it out of the restaurant. What was Bree thinking? Why would she want to deal with this fool for an entire night, hadn't she ranted about Ioan enough in all of her years of knowing him? This was ridiculous, all he did was rile her up and get her crazy, so why, "Let go!"
Ioan had grabbed onto her wrist as he pulled her back, nearly knocking her over with the change of directions. "Come on. Your life is already going down the drain, what's the worse that could happen?"
Was he kidding? He actually wanted to have dinner with her? Ioan Llewellyn couldn't stand Caitlin Jugson, that was the lore of Hogwarts, it was just fact. Was he looking to make a joke out of her? She looked down at their joined hands (well. His hand around her wrist, her fingers in a fist). While she was finding herself ridiculously nervous and wary about going through with this...he was right. What was the worse that could happen?
"Fine. I hope you know you're paying."
"Oh, of course."
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