Chaotic and Unpredictable

"How does it feel to be twenty-four?" she teased, knowing how much Ginny despised that question. Ginny rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth quirked up slightly.

"Now I finally understand why you've been acting like an eighty-year-old this past year," she teased back. Florence scoffed, her jaw-dropping slightly.

"Well, be prepared Gin, in less than a fortnight I'll be whining like a ninety-year-old," Florence said dramatically.

"Bugger. That means we should get married soon so I can inherit all your money when you pass," Ginny said, smirking widely. There was a twinkle in her eyes that didn't only make Florence's heart skip a beat, but that also let her know that Ginny was in a mischievous mood.

"Now I don't want to marry you anymore. I knew it was all about the money," Florence gasped. Ginny stuffed her mouth with sausages and wiggled her eyebrows. "Now I'll have to find me another red-haired goddess. Got any cousins?" Ginny snorted and quickly swallowed her food.

"Don't for one second think that I'm letting you go Florence Zoia Peakes," Ginny said firmly.

-

But that wasn't true, apparently, because only nine days after the break-up, Florence woke up alone on her twenty-fifth birthday. She woke up alone, in her own flat, with an empty bottle of vodka still clutched to her chest. No Ginny in sight.

She was still utterly heartbroken and the 'moving on' part that Padma had continuously mentioned was nowhere near in sight for Florence. She had gone to work, forced a smile until she ran out of energy to do so, then came home, grabbed a bottle and numbed away the pain. It was a bad coping mechanism but that didn't matter to her. She just didn't want to feel the heartbreak anymore.

They were supposed to go away for the weekend to celebrate Florence's birthday and to just have a little getaway. They had planned on going to the coast and had booked a little beach house for two nights.

Florence had cancelled the booking.

She got up from her bed around eleven and took a shower. She stared dumbly at the shower wall as the water clattered down on her cold skin. She felt so numb, so broken, so hurt, so sad. So in love with Ginny Weasley.

She wrapped a towel around her and walked into the kitchen. She fixed herself a cup of coffee and poured some whiskey in there, not caring that it wasn't even noon yet. "Happy birthday, Flo," she whispered to herself.

Padma and Angelina came over around two in the afternoon. Florence was slightly tipsy but she knew how to mask it well. Though she had put on a dress and let her hair down, the two women knew she was feeling horribly lonely, exhausted and just shit. 

"Happy birthday!" Angelina said, trying to be cheerful. Florence hugged her tightly and thanked her before hugging Padma - who had been over every day since the breakup. She couldn't ask for better friends.

"Happy birthday, love," Padma said, giving her a squeeze. Padma gifted her a new golden necklace so she could replace the one Ginny had gotten her for their six month anniversary - though Florence really didn't want to - and Angelina came with the offer to make cornrow braids for her birthday again, this time more than two.

Florence knew that this new hairdo wasn't just a birthday present, it was also what Padma and Angelina believed to be the breakup haircut. This was apparently absolutely necessary. Florence just rolled with it, she didn't mind getting a new hairstyle.

Fifteen minutes later, Florence was sitting on a stool while Angelina started on her hair and Padma was cosied up on the couch with a piece of chocolate pie. There was music playing - though not Weird Sisters because they reminded Florence too much of Ginny and their listening sessions which often ended in make-out sessions and that just hurt too much to think about.

"So, I told Fred, he can go suck my arse, cause there's no way that I'm going with him to his Aunt Muriel. That woman is ghastly. Horrible, really," Angelina complained, finishing her story about Fred begging her to come along to his horrible aunt.

"Why does Fred go anyway?" Padma asked, flipping through a magazine that was on the table. Florence only had it because Ginny was in it. Ginny. Oh, she missed that fiery, strong, funny, loving, beautiful woman so much.

"He doesn't want to either but his mother is forcing him because apparently, Muriel is getting old and well- closer to her last day," Angelina explained again. "Molly just doesn't want them to never get a chance to see her right? I get it but she is a little racist and I don't need that negativity in my life. Fred assumes that if he acts all sweet now, he will inherit some money to use for the shop but I told him not to get his hopes up."

Florence let out a soft chuckle before her face turned to a stone-cold expression again. "And erm... Ginny? Have you seen her? How is she doing?"

Padma looked at Angelina and then at Florence. Angelina stopped braiding for a second. "I did see her. She was at the twins' flat two days ago. She erm..."

"Ange," Padma said, shaking her head. Florence looked at her and squinted her eyes.

"What?" Florence asked, raising an eyebrow. What was going on? Was Ginny already seeing someone else? Had she gotten back together with Harry? Was she now with another woman who had already been introduced to her family? A million thoughts spooked through her mind.

"I just don't think we should talk about her," Padma said, taking a sip of her tea. Florence let out a deep sigh.

"I just want to know how she's doing," Florence shrugged. Angelina started braiding again.

"There was something off, definitely. Fred and George noticed it too but she just said she was feeling a bit lightheaded that day. I wanted to tell Fred but I promised Ginny that I wouldn't say a thing," Angelina sighed.

"Yeah... I remain her dirty secret even after the breakup," Florence sighed, fidgeting with her fingers. She hated feeling like this more than anything. She wished that Ginny would hold her, stroke her hair and tell her everything would be just fine but again, Ginny was nowhere in sight.

"This is why I didn't want to talk about Ginny," Padma sighed, scooting closer to Florence and grabbing her hands. "You deserve so much better, Flo. You will find her, okay? The one who treats you like you deserve."

Florence forced a smile and gave a small nod, wanting to change the subject again but not sure how. She was sure that if she were to speak up, her voice would break and it wouldn't be long before tears would stream down her cheeks again. Padma noticed and leaned back on the couch.

"Parvati was being a total wanker yesterday. I asked her to get me a new set of undies, those lacey ones I've got, because she was going to the shop where I get them from and then she came back, said she didn't buy them because 'they're too expensive'," she started. "Well, so what Parvati? It's my money!"

"How expensive are they though?" Florence asked, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't one to judge on how someone should spend their money but knowing Padma, Parvati was most likely right that they were much, much too expensive. Padma suppressed a grin.

"Let's just say... expensive. But I lied... It's not my money. Sebastian quite likes them too, enough to get them for me," she grinned. Sebastian was her latest lover. He had been around much longer than they were used to. Three months to be exact.

"Gosh, I would almost assume you're about to propose to him," Florence teased, a small smile appearing on her lips. "He's been your 'friend' for three months and he's buying you your favourite knickers?"

"I may have been looking for rings, yes," Padma teased back. Angelina chuckled. "Oh! Speaking off... We have an actually engaged lady here though. How's life as the fiancé of one of the Weasley twins?"

"Same as always; chaotic and unpredictable," Angelina said. Florence forced a small smile. Chaotic and unpredictable. That was definitely a Weasley thing because that's how it felt with Ginny sometimes and Florence had absolutely loved it. She still did.

Her bed had become Ginny's new best friend. The smell of Florence on the pillow on the other side of the bed was fading much to her dismay. She had practically lived in Florence's jumpers and shirts for the past nine days, continuously wishing that she would wake up from this nightmare.

She had fucked up, she knew that. She had kept Florence waiting too long. She had said 'soon' too many times without actually doing it soon. And now she was gone and Ginny couldn't blame her.

She wanted to be out and proud and prance Florence around as she deserved. But Ginny was so fucking scared. Losing her family would absolutely wreck her. She wanted to be like Florence, brave and not giving a damn about what people thought about her and who she loved. But it was hard.

But she didn't just hate how it made Florence feel. She hated that she was hiding it from her family, that she had a secret from the people she felt closest to. She hated that she couldn't talk to her mother about the girl she loved or go on a fun day with her brothers, her parents and Florence.

She wanted to tell them so badly but she simply couldn't get herself to do it. She had been close several times, the words on the tip of her tongue but then she swallowed them just as quickly and moved on.

Deep down, she knew her family would love her nevertheless. They wouldn't treat her differently, they wouldn't dare to. They loved Harry still, they loved Sirius and Remus. They just wanted her to be happy.

And damn was she happy with Florence.

Well, until it all went to shit.

Three months into their relationship Florence had started asking if she was planning on telling her parents because she would like to meet them. Ginny spoke so highly of them and Florence wanted for them to share their lives completely. Florence had shared hers with Ginny and she hoped that Ginny would share hers with Florence.

Soon. She had said. Soon. Always soon. But soon had never come and now Florence was gone. She was so happy with Florence. Florence made her heart flutter, her knees weak, her mouth drool, her stomach tingly and her mind completely mesmerized.

Florence made her feel like she floating, like nothing could ever hurt her. She was so in love. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Florence. Flo and Gin. She groaned and turned on her side.

Everything hurt. No one had warned her that a broken heart didn't just mean emotional pain, but physical pain as well. Her muscles were tight, her head and her stomach hurt. She felt dizzy and sick and all she wanted to do was hide under the covers and continue to sink away into the darkness.

It was Florence's birthday. They were supposed to go to a beach house and have the loveliest weekend away. Ginny had gotten her a promise ring and in her mind, she had already decided that the day she was going to propose, it was going to be in the same spot. But that day would never come anymore.

Ginny got up from the bed and walked into the living area of her flat. The ghost of Florence's laugh lingered inside the flat and made her stomach twist into a knot. She wished that when she walked out of the bedroom she would see Florence lay on the couch, invested in a book or perhaps even drawing.

She put the kettle on and sat down at the kitchen table, leaning her heavy head into the palm of her hand. She knew what she had to do to get her back. She knew what she had to do to be truly happy, not just for Florence but for herself.

The secret of Ginny being a lesbian was gnawing at her. With every day, every week, every month, every year, it became harder to tell them. Would they be mad that she hadn't told them for so long? Would Harry be mad because they had dated in the past?

She got snapped out of her thoughts as the kettle let her knew the water was ready. She poured herself a cup of tea and sat back down. She would give the world to hear Florence's laugh again or to hear her talk about art or whatever she wanted to talk about.

The world, but not coming out to her family. She wiped a tear away that had slipped out of the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. It wasn't necessarily that she hated herself for being a lesbian. She loved women, so what?

So what. She may have thought so what, but not everyone did on the subject and that is what scared and angered her to her core. What if her parents made a problem out of it? What if Charlie, Bill, George, Fred, Ron or Percy did?

And Florence had been so supportive of her for a year and a half, ever since they had met. She knew what it was like, better than anyone really. Ginny had said incredibly mean things to her and she regretted them more than she had ever regretted anything.

She understood why Florence couldn't be her secret anymore. She had been used too many times before and Ginny had treated her just as bad. Florence understood that she was scared to come out, Florence never wanted to push her into coming out and she would never out her. But Ginny understood why she had grown tired of it, why it hurt that Florence had been forced into the closet again too.

She wasn't sure how to make it right again. She wanted to make it right again.

She grabbed the gift she had bought for Florence weeks ago and wrapped it in brown wrapping paper that had small lions on it. A book about Florence's favourite feminist art group The Guerilla Girls, golden hair accessories - rings to put on her braids whenever she got them -, a new bag for work because her current one was falling apart, and of course, the promise ring.

It had a thin, rose gold band. On top were five tiny gemstones. Rose quartz, amethyst, clear quartz, emerald and moonstone. Ginny knew that Florence wouldn't only love how it looked, but she would get excited about the stones and their meanings too.

"Happy birthday, Flo.

I miss you. I'm terribly sorry for how I treated you. I hope that despite it all, you do have a nice birthday. I got this a while ago before we broke up. I'm sorry if me sending this makes you uncomfortable, I just wanted you to have it.

I'll love you forever. I'm sorry I couldn't be honest with my family.

- G."

She added the card to the package and got her owl to deliver it. She hoped that it would arrive safe and sound and she hoped to Merlin that Florence wouldn't throw it out before opening it. She couldn't blame her if she did.

Florence, however, didn't throw it out. Angelina and Padma had already gone home when she received the package. She didn't even need to check who it was from. She slipped the promise ring on her finger, admiring its beauty.

The bag, book and hair accessories remaining on the kitchen table as she crawled into bed, reading the card over and over again. She felt for Ginny. She wished she could give her all the strength and confidence she had to ensure that Ginny would feel secure enough to tell her family.

But that wasn't her job anymore nor had it ever been. They were broken up now and according to her friends, it was best to let Ginny go. It was the hardest thing she would ever have to do and she wasn't sure if she could.

She would take Ginny back in a heartbeat, she would just have to ask.