"Why are you pushing me away? I don't get it. We were fine over the Holiday and now it's as if you don't want anything to do with me. What's going on?" He stayed a safe distance away, not touching you, like he normally would. The clock chimed Midnight somewhere in the distance. You leaned against the railing of the astronomy towers, so many old memories surfacing.
He took a step forward, setting his hand on your back. You flinched and he quickly withdrew, scowling. You sighed. What the hell was wrong with you?
"Fine. If you don't want to talk to me, I'm going back to bed. I don't understand why you're pushing me away. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong." You heard his footsteps retreating towards the steps.
"Wait! Please don't leave! Not yet!" He stopped, but didn't come rushing back over, like you expected him to. Instead he seemed frozen in place. You let out an exasperated sigh, clutching your head, trying to drown out the war inside of it. You turned around, holding out your hand. "Come here, Ced. Please! Baby, can we talk about this?"
He stepped forward cautiously, stopping a few feet in front of you. But he didn't take your hand. "That's what I wanted to do but you pushed me away," he whispered. You stood there, staring at each other. You took a step forward, kissing him lightly. He tensed and pulled away. Your heart broke.
"What's going on? Is this some kind of joke? Because if it is, it's not very funny (Y/N). Do you have any idea how upset I've been? You don't want me to touch you, but then you go and kiss me? What the hell is going on?" You averted your eyes. You didn't know what to say. It was very rare that Cedric snapped at you, but today was an exception. And you couldn't blame him. Tears blurred your vision. This was all your fault. Cedric shook his head, obviously guilt stricken. He grabbed your hand and held on tightly, rubbing circles into your skin. "Baby? I'm not saying this to hurt you. I just want to understand. I just want to help."
You sank to the ground, tears pouring out of your eyes. The war of thoughts inside your head was getting stronger with each passing second. Cedric sat down next to you, still keeping his distance. Your heart longed for him. You shifted, wrapping your arms around his neck. He sighed as his arm moved to cradle your waist. He pulled you up, into his lap and let you cry into his shoulder. He rested his own head on your shoulder, kissing your neck.
"I just want to understand. Don't you get it? I would do anything for you. Just tell me what's wrong and I promise we'll get through it." You shook your head.
"I don't know how to tell you without causing you to hate me." Worry lines etched themselves into his skin. But his grip on you only tightened.
"I could never hate you. Your my baby girl. My best friend. My other half. And I'm your Ced. We're always honest with each other. We love each other. Forever and always. Remember?" You nodded, clutching his back harder. He sighed as he rubbed circles into your own back. You sucked in a breath, nervously, before replying.
"Smothered. I feel like I'm being smothered. I hate to say that because I love you, but I just feel like we're spending too much time together," you replied. You bit your lip anxiously. hoping he wouldn't be angry. But all he did was chuckle. You pulled back, looking at him in utter surprise and confusion. He grinned, dimples indenting his cheeks.
"That's what this is all about, baby? You feel like I'm being clingy?" You averted your eyes but nodded. Cedric let out another laugh. He pushed his long fingers into your (H/C) hair, kissing you softly. You kissed him back, but the befuddled look stayed present on your face. Wasn't he mad? Wasn't he upset? "I know what you're thinking. No. I'm not upset or mad or whatever. I'm actually relieved."
"I'm sorry, Ced. I really do love you. I just need-" He smiled again, snuggling into the crook of your neck, making you shiver.
"Space," he cut you off. You nodded. He always knew exactly what to say. You sighed, holding him a little tighter.
"What should we do? I don't want to be unhappy. I..." You trailed off, not knowing what to say next. Not knowing how he would react. You bit your lip again.
"Do you want to break up?" He had a nervous smile on his face, but his eyes told you it was fake. You let out a barely audible gasp.
"No. I love you. I don't want to lose you. Don't you remember all those promises we made last year?" He nodded. You sucked in another nervous breath. He looked at you, concerned. "Do you want to break up?"
"Of course not. I just thought that, because you wanted space, maybe you'd be happier if we broke up." You let out a laugh, but looked him straight in the eye.
"I'll be happy about us breaking up when hell freezes over," you teased. Cedric smiled as he kissed the tip of your nose.
"That'll ensure I sleep better at night, knowing I won't be losing my baby girl any time soon, but that doesn't solve our problem."
"I don't know what to do, Ced. How do we find enough space away from each other without breaking up?" Cedric grinned.
"Baby, isn't it obvious? You're a Slytherin. I'm a Hufflepuff. Our houses will do the work for us. Not to mention we're both team captains and the Quidditch season will be starting soon. And if I remember correctly, someone said something about kicking Gryffindor's sorry asses this year. We'll hardly have a chance to see each other and that'll create the space we need. Maybe it'll create to much space, because I'll miss you like crazy, but when we do find time to see each other it'll be so much more special."
You shook your head. That was the most obvious answer there was and you had failed to even acknowledge it. You sighed, guilt tearing up your insides. You had been so focused on the space you needed that you hadn't stopped to really think about a possible solution, instead you took it all out on your boyfriend. The same boyfriend who wanted to help. Who would lay down his life for you. Who would do anything for you. Another tear escaped your eyes and Cedric was quick to wipe it away, with a flick of his finger.
"I'm so sorry! I was so distracted with my own problems that I took them out on you. I shouldn't have been so harsh! I should've just talked to you about it. Can you ever forgive me?" He smiled and nodded.
"It's okay, (Y/N/N). It's okay. Everything worked out. I do have to admit you could've handled it a little better, but you weren't wrong. I was being rather clingy. And I know how independent my girl is. I should've given you more space, but I guess I was just caught up in the moment. I love you so much that I just wanted to spend time with you, since we were always being separated. I'm sorry too. But next time we have a problem, come talk to me. I'm always here for you. I'll always listen. I just want to help."
You nodded as he leaned in for another kiss. You met his lips halfway. You smiled. This was so much better than breaking up.