-1Chapter Four: The One With The Kiss

"Katie, don't you think that that dress is a little…inappropriate?" Oliver asked me, taking my arm in his.

"Nope," I replied miserably, pushing my sunglasses up over my eyes.

"Black? To a picnic…for your sister's wedding?"

"I think black is appropriate," I said stubbornly, grimacing as the clubhouse came into view. Day two of hell. Still had a headache. Still wanted to choke somebody. Still wanted to go home. Or disappear. Or anything, really.

"How so?"

"I'm in mourning," I said, frowning some more. Damn right I'm in mourning. I'm at my younger sister's wedding in Australia with my family.

"Mourning what, exactly?" Oliver asked curiously. I snorted, gripping his arm tighter.

"The loss of my dignity," I said flatly, leading Oliver around through the gate and into the pretty field by the river, where my mother was throwing a picnic for my sister. Sorry, not a picnic. A "Luncheon".

"Katie! You're late!" said my mother, hurrying over to me. I shrugged, looking around for the food. That's all I wanted, was something to eat. "Looking at little heavy, darling. I mean, honeymoon's over, got to lose those extra pounds--you did have a honeymoon, right?"

My face grew warm, and I almost gave my mother a piece of my mind.

"Costa Rica," Oliver said politely, smiling and putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Good heavens! The Jungle? Oh dear. You could be carrying disease!"

Leave it to my mother to turn a honeymoon into a trek through malaria infested Amazonian rainforests…

"Of course not, Mrs. Bell. I'd never put Katie in that kind of danger. She's my everything. Only the best. And that's what a give her. How could anyone expect less?"

Oliver Wood is a god, I swear. He's perfect. Absolutely wonderful.

"I see," my mother said, sounding disappointed. I smiled pleasantly to her retreating back.

"Honest to God, I do not understand your family," Oliver said, leading me to the refreshment table.

"I'd be concerned if you did," I said back. I'd be concerned if anyone understood my family.

"Afternoon, Katie! And Oliver," said my step father Bill as we approached the group.

"Hello Bill," I greeted, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Poor, poor Bill. Sometimes I wonder if he ever feels as though he made a mistake marrying my mom. And then I remember that he's not allowed to have opinions.

"Beautiful ring!"

"Thank you," I blushed, remembering the ring on my finger. It really was beautiful. Probably more expensive than Sam's ring…Not to be rude to Thomas. Because I like Thomas, I do. He's a nice guy.

"Lovely dress, as well," Bill laughed, examining my short black "only-for-funerals-oh,-and-my-sister's-wedding" dress.

"Just wanted to make sure I looked appropriate for the occasion," I said, winking. Bill laughed, patting my shoulder and moving along to mingle with some friends of his. I looked to Oliver to ask if he'd like a drink, only to find that my friend had disappeared.

"Oliver?" I called out, turning in a full circle. Where'd he go?

"You like punch, right?"

I jumped, turning to Oliver, surprised.

"You scared me," I breathed.

"Sorry," Oliver said, putting a drink in my hand.

"It's fine."

I glanced around, noticing that everyone but my sister and Thomas seemed to be present. Great. Family bonding. Woohoo.

"You look ill," Oliver said quietly.

"Do I?" I asked, emotionless.

"Fake it, if you have to. But come on, Katie. Show your family a little respect. Even if they are how they are."

"Fine," I agreed, unfolding my arms and forcing a smile onto my face. I hated this. Hated. This was stupid. And dumb. And stupid.

"Just have a drink, and relax, okay?"

"Okay."

I allowed Oliver to steer me to a seat, and we sat down beside one another. And I sipped at my drink, and he watched me, waiting for me to regain my composure.

"I don't want to be here," I grumbled. I ignored Oliver's agitated sigh. Was it my fault that my family was awful? Nope.

"You look haggard."

I groaned. You know why I looked haggard? Because my family made me haggard, that's why. Didn't he get it? I sat in silence, sipping at my drink. Sip. Yep.

The "Luncheon" was being hosted at the country club beside the river, and it was a lovely location. The grass was as green as grass gets, and well kept. And the water was clear and blue. And the day was lovely. Not a cloud in sight. There were flowers and trees and bees humming.

I hated it. I hated it all simply because I was being forced to be there. Forced to enjoy it. Or else maybe I would have.

I remembered when I was little me and my brother Blake used to go to the country club on Sundays with my mom and we'd go to the restaurant and order a ton of food. And put it all on my mother's tab, just because we could. And he'd always take the blame even though I usually ordered most of the food.

Blake is two years older than me, and really freakishly good looking. He's tall, and well built, with brown hair kept short and green eyes. He's got dimples, and the perfect smile. And a nice laugh. He was the musician in the family, really admirable. Blake's just great in general. The only person I ever felt I could really be myself around, besides the Quidditch team. He was my big brother. My best friend. My only friend, when I was around my family. My mother always seemed to find something to pick at, and my sister's were bitches. But my brother, he was a good guy. The type of brother any average, boring, boyish girl would want.

"Hey k-mart!"

I looked up at Thomas, grinning.

"Hey Tommy," I said enthusiastically, looking around for my sister. Nowhere in sight.

"Where's Sammy?" I asked, sounding much too alarmed.

"She's back at the car. She had to call our travel agent and I guess there was a mix up with flight times, or something."

Or something. My sister Samantha is absolutely impossible to please. I feel sorry for Thomas, I really do. Poor kid doesn't know what he's getting himself into.

"Oi! Tom! Have you seen Meg?"

"Nah, haven't seen her since this morning, Rog!" Thomas yelled back to a quickly approaching Roger Davies. I gagged to myself, instinctively grabbing Oliver's hand. Showtime. I put on my most satisfied face and turned to Oliver as though he'd just said something equivalent to a Shakespearean Sonnet.

"Damn. I need to tell her---Oh, hi Katie."

"Hmm? Oh, hey Roger."

"How are you?" Roger asked awkwardly. I smirked.

"Swell. And yourself?"

"I'm alright. So…have you tried the potato salad? It's delicious."

Weak. So weak.

"Mmm..nope."

"Oh. Well. You should."

"I'll keep that in mind," I sighed impatiently, leaning against Oliver. Roger cleared his throat and turned curtly, stalking off, followed by Thomas, who grinned back at me. I waved and then began to giggle madly.

"Did you see his face?" I asked Oliver. And when I turned to look at him, he wasn't laughing. He was smiling softly at me, and I was about to ask why. But I didn't get the chance, because right then he leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss on my mouth. I have to admit, I was caught completely off guard. I gasped, pulling away.

"Sorry," Oliver said, clearly embarrassed. I touched my mouth in disbelief.

"It's fine," I mumbled.

Oliver blushed and hung his head, and I would've said something, but unfortunately, my sister chose to appear at this time.

"Hey Katie! You know the food table is right over there, in case you were still looking for it!" Samantha said loudly, giggling at herself. I smiled back.

"Hey Samantha, you know Roger's right over there, if you're still asking for it," I replied coolly. I heard Oliver sputter over his drink beside me.

Samantha smiled icily, and I waved at her. Yeah. Buh-bye.

"So about that kiss…"

Oliver frowned.

"Do you want to try that again?"

"Try what?"

I giggled, closing me eyes and placing a soft kiss on Oliver's lips.

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Hey Guys! Sorry, I know its been a really long time! I just got all your reviews yesterday (lost the password to my old email), but just to let you know, this story will now be updated regularly! I LOVE YOU ALL.