Year/Job
Wizengamot Admin. Services
Steph
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Post by Rosemary Carter on Feb 21, 2024 22:50:57 GMT -8
Everything happened so fast.
One minute, she was in bed with Dane and the next… well…
Romy looked down at the ring on her left hand. It was so exquisitely beautiful; a white gold band with an Akoya pearl in the center, surrounded by diamond accents. It belonged to his mother’s grandmother, an old relic from a pureblood family’s past, kept close and guarded until it found its way to Romy’s ring finger. He had been wearing it on a gold chain around his neck for a while now, claiming that it was a good luck charm. And with the year his family had, it was a much needed lucky charm. She should have been grateful that he was happy to part with it in order to give it to her. He had kept one of the diamonds from the ring and made a smaller charm for his necklace, to always have her close to him, he said.
“You look so beautiful,” his sister’s voice pulled her back to the present. Romy looked into the floor length mirror, giving Vivian a small smile. The brunette finished clasping a diamond earrings on Romy's ear and her hands gently squeezed Romy’s shoulders. They both looked into the reflection of the mirror smiling, but Romy didn’t recognize herself no matter how hard she tried. The black dress clung onto every curve of her body, dipping low on her chest and even lower on her back. Her lipstick a shade too red, her hair too perfectly coiffed. She didn’t look like the carefree girl that had walked into the dreary underbelly of the Ministry’s second level a couple months ago.
But she wasn’t going to complain. This is how they celebrated and she was going to be part of this family. Besides, this was meant to be one of the happiest days of her life. Her father wasn’t ecstatic when he learned the news, but when was Clark Carter ever really happy? There was nothing he could do now that everyone knew. At least it seemed like the whole wizarding world knew as Romy stood with her now fiancé - god, that word felt weird to say or think -, watching the sea of faces in front of them. His arm wrapped around her waist, it almost felt like he was in a hurry to touch her, and his hand gently settled on her hip. He was keeping her close for comfort in the crowded room.
Romy couldn’t remember half the people that came up to congratulate them; Ministry officials, Quidditch players, journalists, family members from both sides. If her father had any reservations about the joining of their families, the positive, free publicity from the engagement was definitely going to melt all of it away. It was all so overwhelming for Romy, despite being someone who enjoyed being around others, and she couldn’t help but down the remainder of her champagne. Everything felt so blurry - faces, names, titles. Truthfully, life had been a blur since he got down on one knee and asked her the question.
Then Vivian swooped in, peeling Romy away from her fiancé.
“Sorry, Mr Caspar, you can’t hog the bride all night. Not yet, at least.” Vivian joked with her brother as she pulled Romy away, throwing him a wink for good measure.
Romy had never been more relieved in her life, she couldn’t take another cheek kiss from a stranger. Vivian’s long, shiny hair swayed with each step she took, she was so animated as she made talk with Romy, linking arms with her. Romy couldn’t help but give her a smile, a real one this time. Vivian was so vibrant when she was away from her husband - a husky man with a personality so dreadfully sour that it made Romy wonder how the two of them even ended up together in the first place.
“There’s a couple more people I want you to meet, real family members,” Vivian added the last part quickly. Romy understood, the other Caspar boys had been missing most of the night and she figured they finally decided to show their faces. Vivian pushed herself up on her heels and scanned the room until she seemed to spot the person she was looking for. They made a beeline toward the corner of the large room where two men were engaged in a conversation. One of them had his back to them, but Romy recognized the other one - he was leaning in whispering in a hurry - he had introduced himself as the family lawyer earlier in the night. It was odd, Romy thought, that Vivian was so keen on introducing them again.
But he wasn't Vivian's target. She released Romy's arm and placed a hand on the other man's shoulder, pulling him around to face them without warning.
"Rosemary, I want you to meet our brother," Vivian said, dropping her hand from his shoulder once she got his attention. Vivian held her hand out, presenting the young man to Romy.
"Dane."
Everything stopped; the world and her heart. The smile she had prepared for their introduction slowly faded and Romy felt paralyzed. He couldn't be here, she shouldn't be here. There was nothing to say or do as she stayed firmly cemented to her spot, but wide eyes searched the familiar shade of green in his eyes for a sign that none of it was real.
Dane Caspar
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Year/Job
Auror In Exile
Break your back to earn your pay, and don't forget to grovel. |
Travis
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Post by Dane Caspar on Feb 22, 2024 21:17:32 GMT -8
Dane hadn’t seen anyone from his family since he’d refused to go to his father’s wake, but this far removed from Marcus’ death and in higher spirits than before, he’d given into his mother’s pressure and agreed to attend his brother’s engagement party. The news that Max of all people was engaged had shocked Dane a bit, but it was hardly more than a passing curiosity. The bigger concern to Dane was Simon.
If it weren’t for Dane’s older brother, he might not have minded being around his family after his father’s death. The Caspar kids had that kind of dad trauma that only each other could understand. He liked Vivian and Max well enough to hold a conversation, but Simon had always been different. With a few screws loose and a wicked chip on his shoulder, his relationship with Dane had never been better than adversarial and occasionally dipped into the waters of homicidal rage. Dane knew that Simon was still reeling from the discovery that their father had left the family business to him despite everything Dane had done to ruin that arrangement for himself. Simon had never been a serious consideration for Marcus, but with Dane on the outside of the family he had expected something to come his way.
When Dane learned about the inheritance, he directed his father’s lawyer to sell the business off to his family’s rivals, effectively guaranteeing no Caspar legacy. When prodding Dane to attend the party, his mother insisted that it was a family event and there would be absolutely no talk of business. But Dane knew that everybody was anxious about his dealings with the family lawyer, and it wasn’t long after he arrived that Dane was cornered by his mother.
“Relax, mother, I’m not gonna put you on the street,” he tried to reassure her. “I’m only selling off the criminal side of the business.”
“Don’t use that word,” his mother said through clinched teeth.
“Dad always wanted the family to be legitimate,” Dane continued. “You’ll keep the store. I’m sure an exclusive endorsement from Quidditch superstar Max Caspar will sell brooms like gangbusters.”
“Sell brooms?” his mother was so mortified that she tipped her martini glass over, spilling her drink on the floor.
Clarence, the family attorney, found Dane next, pulling the young man into Marcus’ old office to discuss business. “You’re not an easy guy to track down,” Clarence huffed.
“That’s by choice,” Dane said, lounging casually behind his father’s desk.
Clarence took the chair in front, propping his briefcase up on the desktop to rifle through papers. “Right, but we have to talk business, Dane. The Gable deal looks done, I just need your signature…”
“My signature?” Dane sat up. “It’s a fucking criminal enterprise, Clarence. I’m not signing anything.”
“Right,” Clarence nodded. “But your father operated several fronts and for it to pass legitimately through to the Gables I need your authorization. The Gables will receive your father’s smuggling operation and the gambling rackets, but the pixie dust…”
“Just get rid of it, Clarence,” Dane said, scooting forward to sign the papers that Clarence had set out for him. “All of it. I don’t care who it goes to, I don’t care how much you sell it for. Hell, I don’t care what percentage you take. I just want it all gone.”
“Dane,” Clarence shook his head. “Are you sure this is what you want? It’s going to make you very unpopular with your family. Your mother and Vivian, they rely on this business to survive. Simon’s already talking about starting up his own operation and, let’s face it, you know he’s not your father. He’s going to get himself killed.”
Dane shrugged. “Let’s hope. Make the deal, Clarence.” Dane was standing up when he remembered one more thing. “Oh,” he said. “But keep the store. Sign it over to mother.”
Yeah, Dane was feeling awfully proud of himself when he exited his father’s office to join the party in the ballroom. He snagged a glass of champagne from a server and was nibbling on finger foods when he found his brother standing among some of his fellow Quidditch players. “Max!” Dane called after him, clapping his little brother on the back. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard it,” he said. “I hope it goes better than my engagement.” He laughed, downing his second glass of champagne. “But seriously, I’m really happy for you. I always thought you were the one who deserved to be happy.”
“Thanks!” Max beamed.
Of all of Dane’s siblings, Max was the one he had the most sympathy for. He had always been a coddled child and Dane wasn’t certain that his little brother had ever completely found out what his father did. The poor kid had come so close to inheriting the business himself that Dane felt bad leaving the family. Who else would the business pass to?
“Well?” Dane laughed before punching his brother lightly on the shoulder. “Tell me about her!”
“Oh, she’s real great,” Max said. “She was like the smartest girl in school, and crazy pretty. And she likes Quidditch!”
“That’s great,” Dane smiled. “I couldn’t have done better myself.”
That was when Dane felt the hand on his shoulder. When he turned around and saw Vivian, at first Dane thought he’d have to dodge a flying glass, but she looked civil enough. It was who Vivian was standing with that made Dane sober up instantly.
“Rosemary, I want you to meet our brother, Dane.”
Dane blinked, still not fully registering why Romy was standing next to Vivian. “Rosemary,” he breathed, the last syllable catching in his throat and fighting its way out.
To hammer the point in, Max perked up behind Dane and bounced over to Romy, sliding his arm around her waist as he pulled her into a kiss. “Baby!” he greeted her.
“Rosemary Carter,” Dane shook his head. “You’re uh…I know her!” he said to Vivian. “We actually work together. She’s uh,” he pointed to Max now. “You’re his, um…wow! This is…it’s definitely not a shock.”
The world was spinning around Dane. He could feel the finger foods weighing his stomach down and suddenly he regretted the champagne.
“Are you okay?” Max smiled.
Dane shook his head yes with a pained expression on his face. “Yes,” he gasped through a tightening chest. “I’m just so…so happy for you two!”
Vivian cocked her head to the side with a curious smile.
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Year/Job
Wizengamot Admin. Services
Steph
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Post by Rosemary Carter on Feb 29, 2024 22:29:08 GMT -8
Rosemary Carter loves Max Caspar.
That was the one unequivocal truth their friend group had lived by for almost a decade.
The first time Romy laid eyes on Max, he was sitting behind her on the dingy boat taking all the first years across the Black Lake. Romy was mesmerized by the glow of the lanterns reflecting off the pitch-black water. Suddenly, one of the other boys sitting behind her had rocked the boat while Romy peered over the edge of the wooden boat. She gasped and jumped back into Max’s arms. When she turned back, instead of being upset, she gave him a big smile and laughed. He stayed close the whole boat ride to the castle and then the whole walk to the Great Hall and then while they waited to be sorted.
One of the boys from the boat was called up before Romy and she watched anxiously, her small hands twisting around each other until she heard, “Carter, Rosemary!”
Not wanting to waste time, Romy scurried up to the stool and the hat fell down over her head, covering the top half of her face. She closed her eyes, completely convinced that she was going to join the long line of Carters in Slytherin. The loud “Hufflepuff!” propelled her off the stool. Her blue eyes searched the crowd of faces until she spotted her brother Clark at the Slytherin table. He offered her a smile and thumbs up, letting her know it was all going to be okay.
Caspar, Max.
He followed her into Hufflepuff.
Romy only had eyes for Max for six years - well, except for the small reprieve with Benjamin Crane in fifth year. Everyone said Romy and Max were perfect for each other.
It was like they were two little suns radiating off eachother, they loved to laugh and have fun and Max made her feel warm in an increasingly cold world. But Max was always oblivious. Romy could outright tell him how she felt and he could still turn around and wonder if Romy liked him as more than a friend. It took a lot of patience, but eventually Max and Romy were basically going out. He never asked her to be his girlfriend, obviously, but they held hands and once even shared a kiss.
After graduation, everything became blurry. They were dating, but not seeing much of each other despite Romy postponing her trip across Europe after his father died. It was completely understandable, Max was busy as his rookie season kicked off. Dates were postponed time after time, letters went unanswered, and the warmth that she had felt from him during their teenage years faded. Their relationship was moving at a glacial pace and Romy knew it was time to end it, no matter how hard it was to let go of all that history.
So, with their relationship dead in the water, Romy felt she should be forgiven for falling into Dane Anderson’s arms and lips and bed.
Dane Caspar.
Dane was staring back at her like he was going to be sick, yet he managed to keep it together long enough. When Max pulled her into a kiss, Romy felt a shiver go down her spine. Her eyes were open while he pressed his lips to hers and his face was blocking most of her view, but she could see half of Dane’s face. She breathed in Max’s scent, he pulled her attention back to him, making her forget that Dane was watching this unfold. There was a little spark in Romy’s chest as Max pulled away, making her think that there was still something there. And why would she doubt that?
When Max’s owl dropped off the letter asking her to meet him, it was the morning after Valentine’s Day, and Dane was sound asleep in her bed. She placed Max’s letter on her nightstand and curled up next to Dane, watching him sleep. Her fingers pushed his curly hair away from his forehead and his face contorted as a reaction to something Romy couldn’t see, something in his dreamland. She wished she could see what he was seeing. Romy always found him so fascinating.
Dane wasn’t like the sun. He was more like the black lake she had been so mesmerized by, pulling her in until she was completely submerged. He was all around her, he took her breath away, he brought her down from the skies and lulled her until she felt at peace. So she slept next to him for the rest of the morning.
That night, she was determined to break it to Max. Of course, she’d find a way to let him down slowly and he didn’t have to know every detail of her decision. And then everything did happen so fast. Max got down on one knee, after interrupting Romy about a dozen times, and asked her to marry him. Romy shook her head no. Max took the ring and placed it on her finger, oblivious to her hesitation. She looked down at the bright pearl surrounded by the glittering diamonds and she felt a wave of warmth wash over her. It looked right. It felt right. Right?
“I’m just so…so happy for you two!” Dane proclaimed but his expression said otherwise.
That was a stab to the heart. She deserved it.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Romy saw Vivian tilt her head to the side. A small smile played across her lips. Was she working something out in her mind? There was no way.
“We do work together!” Romy managed a small laugh and shook her head. “What a small world. When you mentioned your cool older brother worked for the Ministry, you never said he was an Auror, Max.”
He gave her a sheepish smile.
“He’s not,” Vivian was quick to point out. She had that same tone her father had used when he talked about the Caspars in the past, like Dane was poison in her mouth.
“Okay,” Romy said. Vivian was usually nice and easy to get along with, but she wasn’t someone Romy wanted to take head on. She crossed her arms over her chest and faced Dane again, not looking him in the eyes.
“I just mean, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I would have never guessed that you knew Max. Let alone that you’re his, um, his brother. Wow. Is it hot in here?” Romy fanned herself with her hand and looked around the room like she was looking for an out of this hell.
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Year/Job
Auror In Exile
Break your back to earn your pay, and don't forget to grovel. |
Travis
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Post by Dane Caspar on Mar 3, 2024 0:14:12 GMT -8
Dane Caspar hates his family.
That wasn’t exactly something that Dane’s friend group was talking about, but it was definitely what his parents believed. Dane’s whole childhood had been a series of disappointments. First it was falling in love with Quidditch as a boy just to have his dad fire his private instructor when he was ten. When Dane persevered and taught himself to play Quidditch anyway, Marcus forbade him from trying out for the Gryffindor team.
It might have seemed hypocritical that a Quidditch supplies dealer would forbid his son from playing Quidditch, but it was always about Marcus’ plan. Dane’s father was a proud man who had pulled himself up from nothing to build his empire, and he wanted to ensure that the Caspar name would mean something for generations. Dane was the only one of his kids who had the right ingredients to succeed him. The pressure that Marcus applied on his son meant that they butted heads more than any of Marcus’ other children. Dane had preached to his siblings about their father’s evils, but it was easy to ignore everything when they were living comfortably in a mansion.
So it was no distractions for Dane as Marcus threw him into a fate that felt more miserable as Dane grew up. “You’re killing your father!” Vivienne had once screamed at Dane when they discovered that he’d been named the starting keeper for Gryffindor. “This is worse than when you were sorted into that degenerate house!” Again, Dane persevered, leading Gryffindor to the cusp of Quidditch titles in his sixth and seventh year, only for those magical seasons to end in heartbreak. If it wasn’t Quidditch disappointing him, his scholastic career certainly knew how to dish it too. The one thing Dane right in the eyes of his parents was that he never slacked on his studies, but despite having the highest grades of his class he was passed over for Head Boy largely because of his name. Marcus might have actually liked that, but Caspars were poison.
Even though Dane had been a constant disappointment to his father, it would be a while before he was purposely trying to hurt Marcus. As messed up as it was, there was a still a part of Dane governed by a deep desire to make his father proud. So, Dane entered the Ministry after failing to sign with a professional Quidditch team, and he even proposed to Alice, a young pureblood who Marcus aggressively encouraged Dane to pursue. But Dane and Alice failed to find any chemistry, and after a brief engagement they separated, leaving the Ministry as Dane’s last chance to make his father proud. Marcus needed a child in the Ministry, someone close to the heart of the Department of Magical Law enforcement who could keep an eye on their investigations with the goal of one day breaking through the Wizengamot. Dane’s uncle Simon had been so close, and his death still loomed over the Caspars like a curse.
Dane tried to balance his life as an Auror and as Marcus Caspar’s son, but he’d find one last chance to disappoint his father. The last straw was Dane discovering Marcus’ letters to teams in the Gringotts Premier League promising generous donations in exchange for not signing his son. Quidditch was the one thing that Dane had always had for himself, and no matter what Marcus did, he had never be able to take it away from Dane. Not until those long days when Dane waited for owls from his manager that never came. In the end Marcus had won.
That was theme of Dane’s life. He had never had anything for himself, only a plan that had been drafted for him that he couldn’t escape, no matter how desperately he tried.
So yeah, it fucking hurt when Max slipped his arm around Romy. It felt like Marcus getting one final shot at him from below.
Dane struggled to make sense of the conversation around him. Everyone’s voices seemed to blend together, hitting his ears as muffled noise. But when Romy spoke, it all came to him clearly despite his disorientation. The world was spinning so fast that Dane felt like he was going to tip over.
Dane had expected an explanation from Romy, but when her words came out as panicked as his he remembered that they were surrounded by his family and the realization that he was with Romy but couldn’t be themselves hit him. In that moment it felt like they were never going to be themselves again.
“I’m not here,” Dane replied to Romy. If it was a joke, he wasn’t smiling.
“Oh, stop,” Vivienne waived her hand as she approached the group. She slid in next to Romy with a fresh glass of champaign in her hand and leaned in as if she was going to whisper, but spoke for everyone to hear, “Don’t let Dane frighten you away from our family. He’s always thought we have it out for him but honestly, I’ve only ever wanted the best for my children. That’s why his dad worked so hard.”
“Well, I’m gonna go,” Dane interrupted, still trapped in his fugue. He forced himself to look back at Romy and Max and added, “Congratulations, Max.”
Dane didn’t breathe again until he was upstairs in his old room. The walls were papered with old Wimborne players. He sat on his full sized bed and cried while Marion MacGuffin smoldered down at him. Dane’s sobs came out as sharp, painful breaths. None of it made any sense. How was this even possible?
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Year/Job
Wizengamot Admin. Services
Steph
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Post by Rosemary Carter on Mar 3, 2024 21:11:14 GMT -8
Vivienne Caspar had made it her mission to make this engagement work. Maybe it was a mother’s desire to see her child happy, like she had just said about Dane, but she was too invested in this. Everyone in this family was too involved if Romy was being honest. Vivian coddled Max along with their mother and Simon was never around but seemed to be working behind the scenes. Max’s happiness seemed to come before anything else, Romy could feel it and she had just joined them. Dane must have felt that his happiness didn’t matter all his life.
Their whole interaction from start to finish had taken less than five minutes and then Dane fled. Romy stood there a bit dumbfounded by everything. She should go after him, she knew it, but Max’s hand on her waist and Vivienne’s hovering kept her in her place. She looked up at Max’s smiling face and Romy felt that spark in her chest again. This is where she needed to be. She couldn’t think of a reason to go after Dane, not when Max’s bright blue eyes were shining down at her.
It wasn’t until Max’s Quidditch friends pulled him away and Vivienne went to hunt down another glass of champagne that Romy had a chance to think. She excused herself to the powder room, Vivian’s gaze burned into the back of Romy’s head as she made her way out of the crowded ballroom. When she found herself in the empty hallway, Romy felt dizzy. She placed a hand on the wall to steady herself before she started down the corridor, away from the guest restroom. She wasn’t sure where she was going at first and she had absolutely zero luck the first few times she opened a door to find an empty room.
As she ventured down the opposite wing of the house, the music from the ballroom and the laughter of the guests faded. This seemed to be the Caspar’s private rooms, she noted the increasing amount of family pictures along the walls, she’d never been to this side of the mansion. The first door led to an airy, light room with white washed furniture and pink accents - Vivian’s old room, she guessed. The second one had big windows overlooking the mansion’s manicured gardens and Quidditch posters everywhere, along with pictures of Max’s friends on the walls. Romy stared back at her fifteen year old self as the girl in the picture on his nightstand looked up at fifteen year old Max with a look of adoration. She chewed on the inside of her cheek then flipped the frame down and out of view.
The next room was so far removed from the first two that she wondered if she was about to hit a dead end but something stopped her in her tracks. At first it sounded like a moan and Romy almost turned on her heels, not wanting to interrupt whatever was going on. But the sound turned into something else the next time she heard it - it wasn’t a sound of pleasure, it was something deep and painful. Her hand lingered on the doorknob. Should she even go in? The sound of Dane’s sob pushed her forward and she slowly opened the door.
Romy didn’t notice any details about this room like she had with the other Caspar siblings, her focus was solely on Dane. He was curled up on his mattress.
“Dane,” Romy’s voice sounded coarse. She should have gone back, this was the only place in this enormous house that was absolutely his and she was not only intruding, she was hurting him.
Romy took a seat next to him on the bed, but there was no reaction. His sobs stabbed right through her chest, her emotions bubbling up her throat again, until she couldn’t hold it back. She didn’t swallow the lump down, she didn’t fight the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, she just sighed letting it out. Romy laid herself down with Dane, her head coming to a rest next to his and her hand reached out to touch his cheek.
What could she say? That she didn’t know how she ended up here? That would sound like bullshit even though it was true. She had no idea what had possessed her to go along with it after Max forced the ring on her finger. Normally, Romy had a million things to say, but she couldn’t find the words to explain herself this time.
She moved herself closer until her forehead was against his and she said, “I’m sorry.” That was all she could muster up in the moment.
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Year/Job
Auror In Exile
Break your back to earn your pay, and don't forget to grovel. |
Travis
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Post by Dane Caspar on Mar 4, 2024 15:35:09 GMT -8
This couldn’t really be happening, could it? Dane searched his mind for all of the possibilities. If he wanted to, he could even do the math to determine the probability that his brother would be the one Romy was dating. Any way he looked at it, it felt too cruel to be pure chance. Someone was punishing him for something he’d done, if not in this life then in a past one. When the tears came, it was out of frustrating as much as it was heartbreak. No matter what Dane did, it felt like he could never escape his family. The cruelty never stopped surprising him either. That Max, of all people, was at the center of the worst pain he’d felt yet was unthinkable.
Dane didn’t look up when Romy came into the room. He kept his face buried in his forearms crossed over his knees. It was in part because he wanted to curl up and disappear from the world, but also because he didn’t want Romy to see him crying. By this point they both had an understanding of how much they felt for each other, but Dane hadn’t said it directly yet. That would be too vulnerable, not when he knew that she already had someone. He felt even worse knowing that it had been Max all along.
“I’m sorry.”
It was hard to ignore Romy with her forehead pressed against his. It was the most vulnerable moment that he’d felt with her. If anyone had gone looking for Max’s bride to be, they might find this moment of tender sadness more suspect than anything they’d done at the Ministry. Dane was too broken to consider the ramifications right now. It was obviously more complicated than just being heartbroken. His family had just learned that he was taking their source of income away, his psychopathic older brother had lost the business he had hoped to inherit. Something like having an affair with his little brother’s fiancé would be earth shattering. It could spiral into an all-out war. Dane would consider these things in the coming days, but right now the truth was all he cared about was feeling Romy against his skin. As long as she was there, he knew he hadn’t lost her forever.
He couldn’t ask her why, even though that was the one word that continued playing over in his head. He felt that hearing her reasoning would be too painful. Instead he looked up into her eyes, his face swollen from the tears, and he said, “When I saw you with him I just felt the bottom open up beneath me. It was like my life had ended. What does that mean?”
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Year/Job
Wizengamot Admin. Services
Steph
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Post by Rosemary Carter on Mar 4, 2024 23:16:48 GMT -8
What did that mean?
It meant, the word they hadn’t dared say out loud yet. It was always on the tip of her tongue and she could see it in his eyes and hear it in the words he used to express it but never outright stated it. It meant that whatever Romy had done to convince herself that Max was perfect for her was a complete lie.
Max was sweet and he had kind, bright eyes but there was nothing more there. When she looked into his eyes, she couldn’t see any desire or ambition or sadness from the harsh realities of life. He was beautiful to look at and he would do anything to make her happy, but it wasn’t what she felt from Dane.
Romy could feel the champagne bubbling in her stomach and her blood, she felt like she was going to be sick. Every time she was alone and thought of Dane, she had that same feeling. Like she was anxious and nauseous and she couldn’t get enough of it somehow. And that feeling would stay with her until she had Dane in front of her. He was the only thing in the whole world that could make her heart race and somehow calm it down to a steady beat all of the same time. Romy felt absolutely insane. It could only be one thing.
Her hand stayed on his cheek and seeing his swollen eyes fill with tears made her heart ache. She hurt him, maybe more than anyone else had before. It was one thing to be hurt by the people that had tried to control him, he already expected that from them. It was another thing to trust a complete stranger, let them in, show them your most vulnerable and intimate side, and then have them crush you. And Romy accidentally took it to another level by using his brother to cause that pain.
There was another moment of silence as she studied the sad eyes she loved so much. His tears were rolling down onto her fingers and she felt her emotions pushing down on her chest, crushing her until she let out a soft sob and her own tears streamed down her cheek onto his mattress. She hated knowing that he felt like she had killed him on the spot when Max embraced her. But she really did deserve to feel this pain too.
So what she said next shouldn’t have left her lips, not after everything she had put him through, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“I love you, Dane Caspar.”
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Year/Job
Auror In Exile
Break your back to earn your pay, and don't forget to grovel. |
Travis
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Post by Dane Caspar on Mar 5, 2024 12:47:40 GMT -8
There was a time in Dane’s life that he didn’t know if he was even capable of feeling love. How could you grow up so angry at the people who raised you and learn something like love? Truthfully, Dane had never felt it for anyone before in his life. But that feeling of the bottom dropping out had only confirmed what he was starting to realize. Since Romy had entered the Ministry’s basement to drop off some files, Dane had been obsessed with her. There was nothing else that he wanted to think about, no one else he wanted to spend his time with. Even the sweet victory of forcing his family out of their business hadn’t felt as good as her.
“I love you, Dane Caspar.”
And there it was. Five words, and suddenly the bottom was back under Dane. Romy had given him a lifeline. If she loved him, was it so ridiculous that he loved her too? Dane had really thought it was over just a few minutes ago, but Romy’s confession was all he needed to continue on. He knew in that moment that he was going to be with her. He didn’t know how, he didn’t even know when, but there was something here that was greater than just two people passing by on the way to opposite futures.
He sniffled as the tears came to a stop. Between their silence, Dane could hear the chatter of the party downstairs. He could hear Max’s voice, always an octave above everyone else’s, followed by his mother’s fake cackle. He and Romy were spiraling up here while the world continued spinning downstairs. Romy had broken away from her own engagement party and no one had come to find her. Max was entertaining, Vivienne was inserting herself into the middle. It was exactly what Dane would have imagined for his family. Dane cared more about his little brother than any of his other family members, but he didn’t care that much. Nobody was going to love Romy the way he did. Nobody was going to cherish her the way she deserved to be cherished.
He didn’t hesitate to say his part.
“I love you too, Rose Carter.”
Dane leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. When he leaned out, he let his forehead come to rest against hers and he asked, “What are we going to do about this? How are we going to go on?”
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