The Other Real World (open)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

For most people that would have been a straight forward answer, but Annabelle wasn't that lucky. Thats a bit complicated.... She began, then tried to sum it up as best she could. I just came back here this summer to start the fall term. Last year I was in London, took a year holiday from school, but before that I was here. There. That sounded good enough. She hit send before she could change her mind and delete the words.

[Indigo Noble]

Your parents let you take a vacation? Indigo asked. He couldn't imagine his doing that. As easygoing as they usually were, they were also sticklers about education. They insisted he was going to wizards' college no matter how many times he told them that wizards didn't have college.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Bloody Hell![/b] Annabelle swore to herself for walking into that. Why had she phrased it like that? She reread what she'd written and couldn't blame him for her poor explanation. But she wasn't about to tell someone she'd just met that her parents didn't know, which would just open herself up for more questions. She thought about her reply and focused carefully on her wording this time, avoiding his direct question. See, I told you it was complicated. It wasn't exactly a vacation. Time off from school, yes, but visiting St. Mungo's Hospital for family issues isn't on most people's list of top travel destinations. I probably could have stayed but I would have missed classes all the time and I would have done horrible on my NEWTS.

[Indigo Noble]

Sorry, Indigo sent back. He wasn't about to push about something like that. If she'd wanted him to know, she'd have told him. He closed the IM window and opened up the comments from his status update, scrolling through to read them. Some made his lips quirk, but he remained silent, finally stopping at the bottom with the perfect comment and knowing the likelihood that he'd have a good night if he wrote it. He opened the IM again.

can i take some literary license with this to freak my friends out?

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle stared at the words on her screen. There'd been a long enough pause that she was fairly certain he wasn't talking about their current conversation. Bit of a topic jump, completely boggled my mind what you were talking about for a min.

She tilted her head to the side slightly as she considered her answer, not that she had any control over what he said, but it was really nice of him to consider her reaction to post that might freak her out otherwise. Sure....it's your page after all. Thanks for the warning

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo's lips curved broadly, and he minimized the IM, his fingers quickly typing out a comment to his friends. Down, ladies. This scenester stud is cozied up for the night with a fabulous brunette. Check the weather here in Scotland, we're not going anywhere til the snow eases up. Eat your hearts out. Most of his online friends would believe it. His friends back home would be split pretty evenly. Didn't matter, though. There was nothing to prove him wrong.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle refreshed when she was pretty sure he'd stopped typing and couldn't hold back a light laugh. She immediately IMed him a reply, Wow I'm fabulous even. I should have you write things about me all the time. It was dangerous to flirt, she was horrible at it in real life, but over the computer it was completely different. It's not like he was even into her like that anyways, so it was harmless fun. His page did say he was single, not that she'd admit to having a personal interest in his status, but she'd looked regardless.

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo gave just the slightest smile down at the screen, and heat spread up the back of his neck. He really hadn't considered that she'd be reading his comment. You are pretty fab, he typed, and sat there staring at the words. He backspaced, then tried again. It's only the truth. He backspaced. That part wasn't the literary license. He hit send before he could change his mind again.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle commanded herself to breath after reading his comment. She knew she'd started it, but Indigo sure had a way with words that make her feel all giddy inside. She didn't have a clue how on Earth she was supposed to respond. Did she dare continue, or should she chicken out with a mere Thanks, and move on to typing up her latest literary review blog? Things like this didn't happen to her every day, and it was probably a hasty and foolish decision, but someone once had told her to live a little.

I'm sure you say that to all the girls.

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo had begun to wonder if he'd gone too far, and was on the verge of thinking up a way to backpedal when he got her message. He blinked down at it. Then he sent a return, hoping that she'd get it. Nah, i just invite them back to the im room to make out. He paused, wondering if it was really a good idea to send that, then did it anyway.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

lol. So the truth comes out. You really are a player. Anna typed then paused before sending. Her finger was hovering above the enter key, but she just didn't know if she should. She was fully aware that Indigo wasn't some random internet person, not that she would do anything crazy with a random person on the internet, but he was sitting right next to her. She should be able to look at him, speak to him. Instead her eyes were glued to her screen and neither of them had spoken since she'd come back with the tea that was probably ice cold by now. She erased the last part, added a few words, then hit send before she could second-guess herself.

lol. So the truth comes out...I'd be jealous, but you just told them all that you were busy with me

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo's smile returned, and the heat in his neck spread toward his face. He shifted slightly to get more comfortable, or maybe to get out a bit of excess energy, before typing his reply. What can I say? They all want me, but only one can have me. He hit send before he could even begin to think about changing what he'd written. Yes, they were in the same room, but he was trying to keep himself from remembering that. She was a very pretty icon, and curiosity finally got the better of him. He opened her page in another tab.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle didn't think she could get any redder than she was having this conversation with him, via IM. Did he really just say that? To her? She wondered if he was just making fun of her, mocking her and going along seeing how far he could take it. She didn't want to believe that of him though, she didn't know him, but he hadn't given her any indication that he would ever be so cruel. Plus, he'd said he was in Gryffindor, not Slytherin, and everyone knew that Gryffinfors were a little bolder than average.

Having talked herself out of the need to run and hide in a bedroom from shame, she tried to figure out what to respond with. You're just saying that because there's a snow storm outside. Annabelle erased that nearly as fast as she wrote it. And I happen to be the winner, tonight? No, that was so lame she couldn't even believe she'd typed it. She was taking way too long to respond and was afraid she'd offend him or something, so she quickly typed the next thing that came to her mind and hit send before she could erase it too. Wow is it getting hot in here, or is it just you?

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo knew he had to be red by now, but luckily she wasn't looking at him. He kept up the thin pretense that he was alone, that he was flirting with a gorgeous girl online who couldn't see what a dork he really was. A flame can't start without a spark, he replied, and hit send before he could think. He looked at her pictures instead, as though it would calm him rather than excite him even more.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna was kicking herself after she'd hit send, of all the horrible pickup lines she'd read about, why would she use one, and especially that one. But when a moment later he responded, and it wasn't with laughter, she felt like she might swoon like one of those girls in the novels. She had no real experience to draw from. Only that one night, at the masquerade had she been daring enough to flirt, but she was running low on ammunition and just couldn't think fast enough. She was about to tell him so when an idea popped into her head. Your adulation leaves me speechless.