Fulgent

Dazzlingly bright; radiant

"So this is your secret hideaway?"

Rose smiled, turning her head to look back at the handsome boy behind her. "Sometimes," she confessed. "Sometimes it is nice to be alone."

"Yet you took me here?"

Rose didn't say anything. She wasn't accustomed to boys… well boys that weren't related to her. What would James say if he knew his best mate and his favourite cousin had wandered off alone together?

"So now that we're alone, I suppose I can say what I've been meaning to say." Bartley took a seat on a broken stool her grandfather had once used in his workshed. This was where all his failed experiments ended up, and Rose enjoyed playing with them.

Rose's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at him. This was a prank of some sort. It had to be. This was Bartley MacMillan standing in front of her – the muscled, good-looking Gryffindor Beater. He had girls lining up to be with him. Why would he notice someone like her?

"James would murder me in my sleep if he knew, but I rather fancy you, Rose." He said it with such ease. He was so confident, she doubted any girl had ever said no to him (with good reason, of course).

"Oh." What else was she supposed to say?

Bartley chuckled, moving to stand in front of her. To her bewilderment, he took her hands in his and smiled. "You would do me the greatest honour, Rose Wesley, if you were to become my girlfriend."

Rose was speechless. This had to be a dream, right? This had been her dream for a long time.

"Rose?"

"Y-yes," she managed, knowing she was a beetroot red. "Yes, I'd like to a lot."

Bartley beamed, appearing genuinely delighted by her response. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "I have just one other request."

"Yes?"

"Let's not tell James. At least not until the Quidditch season at Hogwarts is over."

Rose nodded, grinning. Yes, she understood his reasoning completely.

…

Rose only had to step away from the hotel door before her toes were covered in the soft, warm sand of the beach. She smiled, peering through the sunglasses at the dazzling, bright sun in the clear, blue sky. What a perfect day it was. Yesterday had been a dud, but today was going to be different, she was sure of it.

There was a shopping area just around the corner that she had been to almost every day as well. There were cafés and ice-cream parlours, as well as clothing stores which offered summer attire all year round. It was never this warm in England, even in summer. Here, it was January, the middle of the Australian summer, and it was scorching hot.

Her stomach was grumbling, eager for breakfast, and she knew of the perfect place to go. The owners of the little shop knew her by name now; they were always delighted to serve her, asking her question after question about England. Rose would happily talk to them – leaving the part out about her being a witch – and they would cook bacon, eggs and toast for her every morning.

She smiled as she entered, and the chef, Miles, waved at her. "Morning, Rose," he said cheerfully. "What are your plans for today?"

Rose shrugged. "The beach, I suppose. What else is there to do around here?"

Miles waved his arms around. "Here? Not much. The city is only a twenty minute train ride, though. You could go to Sydney Harbour, visit the Opera House, jet boating…."

Rose's eyes widened and Miles laughed. "It's not for everyone," he agreed. "But take a look around there. The beach surely gets tiring if you're there every day."

Rose shook her head. "Not at all," she assured him. "The water is lovely."

Miles didn't even bother to ask what she wanted to eat, but put two eggs on the frying pan, along with the bacon. Rose handed over the money and sat down at a table in the corner, the window overlooking the ocean.

She sat in silence for a long time, contemplating the events of yesterday. She had been stupid enough to tell Bartley where she was going, she should have expected it. He was an idiot and had tried on many occasions before to win her back from Scorpius. She should never have mentioned she was going alone.

It wasn't until Miles put the plate in front of her did she remember where she was. "You look distracted today," he observed.

Rose shook her head, smiling. "Just a minor incident yesterday," she told him. "Nothing major."

Miles nodded. "Oh well, can't be all fun and games, can it?"

Rose shook her head. "No, it can't," she agreed.

Miles grinned. "Well, if you ever need a tour guide, you know where to find me," he said. "I have tomorrow off."

Rose nodded, indicating she would consider his offer. Another man in her life was not what she needed right now, but Miles was a good person. She wasn't going to tell him that.

The breakfast was as good as it had been every other day and when she'd finished Rose left for the beach for another morning of the warm water and sun tanning. She was only planning on staying a few hours, considering Miles' suggestion of heading into the city to see what was around. She knew of a few wizarding destinations hidden amongst the Muggle places, but she was curious to explore everywhere. There was no time she had to go home – she could spend a month here if she really wanted to.

The beach was all but deserted when she arrived. There was a couple a little further down who were getting too close for Rose's liking; especially when to her right were a young family. The boy and girl, no older than four, were giggling as the waves covered their toes, sinking their feet into the wet sand.

Rose smiled as the little girl squealed when one wave sprayed water into her face, while her brother laughed at her. She always remembered playing by the water with her brother and cousins on Shell Beach as a child, but it was rare it was this sunny.

She spread her towel on some dry sand and lay down. It wasn't hot enough to burn yet, but warm enough to enjoy the day. She would stay for an hour or so and then catch one of those Muggle trains to the city. She'd had enough experience with them in her life to have a fair idea how to use one; she wasn't confident enough to Apparate to a place she wasn't familiar with.

Putting her sunglasses on she closed her eyes, excited for the day to come. She hoped it would definitely be better than the day before. No one was going to ruin her holiday.

As I am trying to update regularly, chapters will be relatively short. Until I submit this as part of the Long Haul Comp, which has a minimum of 1.5k