I LOVE YOU
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Charlotte didn't have a driver's license. But she's driven before, always with her father in the passenger seat, and taking quiet roads where they were unlikely to be stopped by police. If they did stumble across an officer, Richard would flash them a charming smile and say he was teaching her. It wasn't necessarily a lie, persay, but it wasn't completely the truth.

Now, her father's bad influence had come in handy. She'd begged him to let her borrow the car that night, promising that if she was caught, she'd tell the police that she snuck it of his sight and it was entirely her fault. Richard didn't look convinced, but she'd asked whilst Harry was on the phone, knowing he wouldn't want to cause a scene if the boy could hear.

So he'd given her the keys, and she'd squealed happily, driving to Zara's place and honking the car horn as she pulled up outside. Harry Potter was out of the house in seconds, jogging around to the passenger seat of the car and hopping in, before he pecked her cheek and fastened his seatbelt as she drove off once more.

"You've changed your hair," Harry observed and she grinned, keeping her eyes on the road but running a hand through her newly-dyed auburn locks.

"Thanks for noticing, babe," she said and he laughed.

"It's hard not to," he said. "It's gorgeous- not that the blonde isn't."

"Thanks, but it's temporary is what is," Charlotte told him. "Stole some henna from Zara a while back, never really used it on my hands."

"I'm sure you told me your dad didn't want you changing it," Harry reminded her.

"You've got your mother's hair," She cackled, imitating her father. "Well, apparently, I've got a new mother now so I ought to look like she does, huh?"

"Gretel still in the picture then?" He asked and she groaned, telling him yes. They sat in comfortable quiet as she stopped at a red light, the ticking of the indicator the only sound. "Where are we even going?"

"Funfair," Charlotte told him with a shrug as she pushed up her round sunglasses, which she wore regardless of the dark night. It was a full moon, and the sky was illuminated to the point where you could see the clouds, the streets would likely be navigable without the orange streetlamps.

"Oh," Harry said, slightly surprised. "I didn't know there was one in town."

"There isn't," she told him, as the light turned green. "We're going to the next town over. It's gorgeous, the fair's by the beach and they have the prettiest ferris wheel- ooh, and the tide doesn't even come in that far so there's still tons of sand to walk on, and the fair's open twenty four hours- even at this time of night- and there's this burger place, so cheap but so good- it's gonna be great!"

"Spontaneous," Harry laughed, after she had finished her monologue. She never felt like she was talking too much when she was around him.

"Hardly."

"Are you forgetting that time you forced me into breaking into your school gym?"

"Hey! You wanted to come!"

"Only because it was you asking!" Harry was laughing and it was a beautiful sound. "And what about that time you turned up on our doorstep with treacle tart- or kissed me on the train platform?"

"Well, A- that was Zara's fault, she's the one who told me it was your favourite. And B- both of those things were planned," she said, simply. "So it wasn't, it wasn't spontaneous after all."

"You're mad."

"No, I just love an adventure," Charlotte told him, as she pulled onto the motorway and switched speed to sixty miles per hour, keeping in the slow lane due to her inexperience.

One hand on the wheel, she pressed the button to open her window. Harry wheeled his down, turning on the stereo which blasted Nirvana, and soon one of her arms was dangling dangerously out of the window, and so was his and the cold spring air whipped their faces and the stars were bright against the country side sky and Charlotte let out a delighted yell whilst Harry gave a laughing cheer and it was the best car ride Charlotte had ever been a part of.

~

The night had been a long one. They'd ridden bumper-cars, and carousels, and Ferris Wheels. Charlotte had won Harry a stuffed lion and he'd won her a doughnut pillow, and they'd ridden ghost trains on which the strong girl Harry admired so much had cowered away from the endless jump scares, burying her head in his lap so as to hide.

Harry Potter had fallen for Charlotte Cardleman the summer he'd first met her. And he'd been falling ever since. When his descent had first began, he was unsure of what to call it. Now, they lay on the cool wet sand of the night time beach, shallow waves passing around them as their clothes soaked up the water, gazing at the stars above- they'd been standing earlier as they'd taken a barefoot walk along the beach, but Lottie had tripped and dragged him down with her, and they were already sopping wet and covered in sand so they thought they'd make the most of it.

At that moment, Harry knew exactly what he'd call his fall.

"Bravery."

"Humour."

"Sass."

"To be honest, you're clingy as hell," he grinned, and she slapped his thigh playfully. Tonight was a night to be a mushy couple. So they were listing words they associate with each other. It was the sort of thing Harry would've called gross a year ago. "But I love it."

"To be honest, you're dramatic as hell," she shot back, and he slapped her thigh. She then mimicked his voice: "But I love it."

They both laughed loudly. "Creative."

"You really think I'm creative?" Charlotte laughed, shaking her head. "I don't make anything."

"You don't have to make things to be creative."

"You should see me when I'm off my meds," she joked after a moment, but he didn't understand, so he asked her what she meant. "My doctor described it really well when I was diagnosed. She said people's brains are like rooms. Most people's rooms are clean, and organised, and it's easy to travel through them. If you have ADHD, yours is just filled with junk and you can't distinguish what is and isn't junk. My meds take the junk out of the room, but it makes it smaller too. Takes away the windows, the doors. I can't really... think outside the box when I'm on them."

"Well, you wouldn't think it," he told her, intertwining his hand with hers.

"You wouldn't notice it," Lottie said simply. "But thanks. What other words... I think you're really admirable."

I think I'm in love with you, Harry tried to say, but it sounded like: "I think you're really fascinating."

I think I love you too, Harry hoped she'd say, but she had nothing to say it in reply to, so she just said: "I'd say you're spellbinding, but I feel that's a tad bit too literal."

He laughed hard at this, as he did whenever she cracked a joke, sitting up with sand stuck to his flannel shirt, coating his hair as he gasped for breath. Charlotte sat up too, grinning widely as she looked at him whilst he calmed himself.

"You found that far too funny," she smiled, beautifully, and she truly was exceptionally beautiful when she smiled. Her blue eyes were brighter than the moon above them, the colour of the sea before them and heavens-

He wrapped his arms around her waist, and quickly pulled her closer as her hands found their way to his hair and he joined his lips to her rosy painted ones and- ah. There it was.

Bliss.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

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Hi everyone!

Lowkey feel like my fluff sucks but yknow- what can you do??? I just gotta keep practising, but either way this story will be laying off the fluff for a while anyways- if you know (which you kinda should), you know.

How is everyone? Well, I hope. I've been pretty good lately, writing game for Caecus is at it's peak, this book's a little slower but still consistent I think, and my new Remus Lupin fic is slow, but fun to write so yeah!! Fun times!!

QOTD: last song you listened to?
AOTD: Dream- Tessa Violet, I've been listening to her Halloway EP on repeat whilst writing this hahahaha!

-Amber.