Here We Go Again (Janum)

Deciding that there was nothing to do at home - and also partially due to the fact that her mother had asked her for some 'quiet time' (not that Janique ever left her room) - she had left the house with her purse and headed for the streets. Shopping had never been something she enjoyed, but it was better than nothing, and so she flittered in and out of numerous boutiques, never actually buying anything other than some writing materials.

The streets were, as expected, crowded, and she tried to push her way through. There wasn't a single direction of traffic, and from every angle, people seemed to be moving, making it even harder for her to navigate. It was a hot day, and, thirsty, Jani tried to make her way to pub for a butterbeer.

Before she realized what was happening, she found herself tripping on an uneven piece of road and slamming into a body. She winced as her knee hit the pavement, immediately looking up to see who she had bumped into. "I'm sor-" she started, the apology dying off as she gazed into the familiar face of her previous game, Callum Hunt.

Callum disliked staying at home, with his parents constantly talking, and complaining about their pureblooded problems. He honestly just needed to get away, it was part of the reason he enjoyed boarding school so much... He was away from the parents. So he had decided to go for a stroll in Greenswitch Village.

The streets were chaotic, with people rushing, and others moving too slowly for Callum's liking. He pushed through impatiently, not caring for the grunts from strangers, he desperately wanted to find somewhere to get a drink on the blistering hot day. That was until someone fell into him. He stumbled back a bit, into another stranger who pushed past, disgruntled, and managed to catch her elbows to stop her from completely face planting.

"I'm sor-"

Recognition dawned on the girl's face just as he recognised her. He looked down to Janique Sandoval, and the witty remark that had popped into his mind, of a pretty girl falling for him, disappeared. She'd hurt him, and hurt him very badly. He had been stupid enough to fall for her pretty face, and her flirty and headstrong attitude, and had truly come to lo-like her.

"It's fine," he replied stiffly as he helped her back to her feet, wondering whether he should just keep walking.

"It's fine,"

Of all the people in Greenswitch Village, of all the boys, it just had to be Callum that she bumped into. As he visibly tensed up, she, too, froze for a split second, losing her air of confidence. She let him help her, hoping for a way out, but also wanting to stay with him.

"I- I'm sorry," she finally said, her heart wanting it to be more than just for crashing into him, but her mind strongly discouraging it; she was not a female who needed a male presence in her life. Just because she had fallen - slightly, she added - to his false charm, doesn't mean she let it show.

Somehow, her heart won the battle, something that she never let happen. Her mind had always been the one in control. Reasoning, logic, not whims and fancies had ruled her, but she let it slide just this one time. Just once, she thought, and never again. Why, she didn't know. Maybe it was because she was feeling just a tad bit lonely, having to spend another summer alone, or maybe it was because she was finally softening up to the idea of being able to trust, not that she realized it.

"Would... Would you maybe like to get a... a drink?" she asked slowly, quite unsure of herself or what she was even thinking! Surely she had gone quite, quite mad, she decided, waiting for him to respond.

"I- I'm sorry,"

"It's alright," he muttered stiffly. He could tell that there was more behind it, but he didn't want to give her the benefit. She'd fooled him before, made him look a complete idiot, and he wasn't about to let her in again. He moved past her, to continue walking through the irritating crowd, and now really just wanted to get away, get some space. Find someone to snog out of spite, or whatever, he didn't know. He just hated how she still made him feel, how she'd played him.

"Would... Would you maybe like to get a... a drink?"

He paused and slowly turned back to her, studying her with a puzzled look "Are you sure you want to?" he asked "Thought I never stood a chance," he remarked bitterly.

"Are you sure you want to?"

Again she froze, torn between two answers. One was rude, gloating about being able to 'fool' him twice, but she knew it wasn't true. In all honestly, Janique thought she was going crazy, because there was no way she would allow herself to voice what she was thi- "I am." Eyes widening slightly at the calm tone in which she had apparently spoken, she forced herself to blink, to continue acting normal, although that was the last thing she felt. Something was most definitely wrong with her today, and she simply could not understand it.

"Thought I never stood a chance,"

She didn't even need to think about it to know what Callum was talking about; she remembered each and every guy she broke, and exactly how she did it. Yet, there was something about the way he said it that made her - instead of the usual sense of pride - feel, well, odd. It was a completely new feeling to her, one that she couldn't seem to place no matter how hard she tried. Of course, it is known that one can never fully understand something that one has never before felt, and guilt was most definitely not something that had even crossed Janique's mind.

"I-" she tried to speak, but there was nothing she knew to say. No sarcastic retort or snappy comeback, only a loss for words. Shaking her head every-so-slightly, she forced herself to look him in the eyes. "Let's talk over a drink," she finished softly, part of her hoping he didn't hear her and walk away, but somehow, a part of her she never knew existed wanted him to accept.

"Let's talk over a drink,"

She had a softer voice, and a softer expression on her face. Her whole attitude seemed to have changed. She was no longer hard-shelled, and Callum could see clearly the change in her. And, most importantly, she was sincere. Callum already had a special place for her, a place he'd tried to harden, like stone, and force her out. But when she spoke this way, when she was so sincere and calm, and not sarcastic, his heart warmed and the stone melted, and dripped painfully down his chest.

"Okay then." he agreed after a slight pause, nodding a little as he began to shuffle through the crowd to the pub that was nearby.

What felt like an eternity passed, seconds each seeming to turn into days, and then years, as Janique stood, doing her best not to fidget or look away. Finally, she saw him give a tiny nod. Above the noise of the crowd - and her own beating heart and thoughts - she did not hear what he said, but, as he moved towards the pubs, she realized that he had actually agreed.

She started to follow him, but paused, glancing at the street behind her. What was she going to say to him? What did she think she was going to achieve by having a drink with him? She didn't know, and her brain was already telling her to run. Never go into a situation where you are not fully in control. That was something she had always gone by; in all her games, she always had the upper hand, in every position she found herself, she made sure that she was the one who held the reins, and if ever she found that there was even a chance that someone would snatch them from her, she left. But this time, she was going in blind, without a plan, without knowing what she was going to do or say, without knowing how he was going to react, and it scared her.

As her mind instructed her to run, to get out, she found her feet moving forward, directly disobeying what her brain was telling them to do, and they led her to the pub. Looking around the place, she searched the crowd for his face, wondering if he had already taken a seat, or if he had done a disappearing act. She wouldn't have blamed him if it was the latter.

He walked into the nearest pub, and luckily enough a couple had left, pushing past them as they entered. Callum walked over to the empty table and took a seat. He wasn't sure why he was giving her the time of day. She had broken his heart, and had been the only one able to get so close to him. She had made him more vulnerable than ever. And, as much as he hated to admit it, vulnerability scared him. It really, really scared him.

He waited for her to sit down, and called a waiter over to order a drink.

"I.. I'm sorry,"

He looked up to her, once he had received his drink and gave a subtle nod to the waiter, as acknowledgement. His eyes scanned her face, for a a trace, or hint that gave away her game. 'As if once wasn't enough', he thought bitterly. She had been the first girl he'd foolishly let his guard down around, the first who had played him. And with her soft voice, she almost sounded ashamed, truly sorry. As he searched her face, he found nothing, no hint of mischief or deceit evident. And he'd never seen her so… Sincere.

He was still wary, of course, he didn't want to fall so heavily again if she was just going to rip his heart out. He took a sip of butterbeer, turning over in his mind what he would say, before replying "Never thought you'd actually say that," he murmured.