Zahara Flume (zjhoneydukes) wrote in vrrpg, @ 2017-01-05 09:15:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, char: ron weasley, char: zj montgomery, location: v-bar, time: 2009 01 |
RP: New Year New Life
Who: ZJ and Ron
What: Drinks
When: January 4th, 2009
Where: V-Bar
Warnings: Language, probably
Ron Weasley had never thought he’d say this but, thank Merlin the holidays were over. He’d noticed the older he got the more awkward it was to be single. It didn’t help of course that everyone on the bloody planet thought he and Hermione Granger were meant for one another. Despite the very glaring issue of her having cheated on him.
No matter what Harry said, Ron recognized what he saw. He recognized that Hermione had finally come out and announced she was definitely with Seamus Fuck-Face Finnigan. Sure, it was a gossip column, but given the history of their breakup almost a year and a half later… he really didn’t understand why people constantly brought her up.
At Christmas, his mum made passive aggressive comments about it, and various family members enjoyed rubbing it in that he had a lack of snoggable options for New Years because he’d botched his chances with Hermione.
Surely there were other options that Hermione Bloody Granger! He was pushing thirty, after all. And well… Harry was right… he needed to get sorted.
Course, drinking alone at VBar was probably not the definition of getting sorted. It was, however, a great numbing mechanism for all the feelings the last few days.
As he downed the last of his 3rd pint, Ron had felt the greeting presence of someone next to him, but before ZJ Flume could offer any verbal acknowledgement he asked, “Can I ask you a question?” He wasn’t particularly tipsy at that point - but we certainly feeling chatty.
Tonight was the first night since the holidays that ZJ had decided to go out after her shift at Honeydukes. As she entered the bar, she saw Ron right away. He sort of stood out but she’d never say that to him, she was sure he’d gotten enough grief over his hair his whole life. She sat down next to him, smiling at the bartender. She had been about to order her drink, before she was going to bother Ron, when he spoke to her first.
“Of course you can, what’s on your mind?” ZJ’s mind was already thinking about the newest candies her father was making for Valentine’s Day already.
“Are you single?” he asked simply.
That was definitely not what ZJ had been expecting, her eyebrows were perked and she quickly gave her drink order to the bartender before finally answering him, “Uh, I am. It’s a rare thing these days, it seems. Why?”
“Are the holidays just rubbish for you too?” Ron asked - adamant about his line of thought, “Or is it just me? Family members and their bully little comments about ‘one day you’ll have someone’ nonsense?”
“Oh, uh… I guess. I don’t have any siblings that are pairing off, only child and all of that.” She gave a slight wave of her hand, “But they do ask often if I’ve met anyone yet. They weren’t too bad this year.. Was this your first holiday single?”
“No!” Ron dramatically raised his shoulders in an exasperated shrug. “I was single last year this time - but everyone wants me to be with Hermione.” He shook his head and scrunched his face, “And I don’t… not after all the nonsense she started with Finnigan. I’m ready to bloody move on. Find a decent woman who won’t treat me or look at me like I’m stupid all of the time. Am I mental?” He genuinely looked to ZJ as the bartender slid him another drink.
There was a lot, he’d at least answered the one question that she thought mattered in the situation, did he want to even be with Hermione? She picked up her glass to take a drink before she opened her mouth to say something stupid. “You’re not mental for wanting to move on.”
“Thank you…” Ron nodded as though she were preaching to the choir.
“School sweethearts don’t always work out, maybe it’s time to part ways?”
“Exactly!”
“I don’t know Hermione really… At all, so I’m not an expert in this but if you don’t want to be with her? That’s not mental, you’ve grown apart.” She felt like she needed to put a disclaimer, that she wasn’t the best with relationships herself.
“If you’re sure that you’d like to move on, maybe try going on a few dates? It can’t hurt anything to put yourself out there. Isn’t the old phrase something about, you get over someone by getting under someone else?” She gave a laugh then, “Sorry, I’m bad with relationships myself. I’m not helping, am I?”
A snort of laughter had left Ron at the old phrase. “No… you’re helping loads. Thank you. What are you having? I’m buying.”
“I think you’re just being nice, I’ll never turn down a drink though. Just a whiskey and coke, please?” She lifted the glass she had already ordered to her lips again, taking another long drink from it so that when he did get her drink, this one would be gone.
While she drank, Ron made a point to tell the bartender to put Zj on his tab.
“Are the holidays why you’re out drinking by yourself?” ZJ wasn’t nosey enough to ask where Harry was, she would however ask why he was alone.
“No,” he answered, “Well… kind of… it’s---” he cut himself short as his phone buzzed with a message. “Oh fuck me…. The devil does know when you’re talking about her!” He willingly held his phone up to ZJ to see.
“What do I say?”
Bright green eyes grew wide when he held out his phone, she leaned closer to read the message. “Oh, that’s trouble… What do you want to say? You don’t really have to respond to her. If you want to be petty though? I can help with that, but a normal adult would tell you that’s a bad idea.”
“Pfft!” Ron declared, “We are not normal adults. Help me.” He prepped his thumbs for typing.
“Well, you need to start by telling her that you’re out with someone else, whatever way you can imply it’s a date? Do it, that’s always a fun way to annoy an ex.” She tapped a nail on the bar, trying to recall all of her favorite ways she’d pissed off her exes after they’d broken up. “Also, try to sound busy, you don’t have time to talk to her. So something along the lines, ‘hey can’t talk right now I’m meeting a date.’ or something. If she’s the type to just show up, I wouldn’t mention where you are.”
A devilish grin crossed his lips at her suggestion. Girls were always so much better at being nasty. “Hermione….” he spoke aloud while he typed. “Is this important? I’m meeting a date.” He offered ZJ a glance for approval. “Is that too much?”
“It’s perfect, you get extra points for putting it in your words. That’s usually how a lot of people screw the pooch with this. I wonder why she’s messaging you… I’m nosey, if you don’t want to share then feel free to tell me to buzz off. Offer stands for the whole night.”
“Oh no,” Ron offered, “We are officially in this together.” Maybe it was the alcohol, but Ron in no way felt ashamed of sharing his conversation with ZJ. In fact, he appreciated the help. He hit send and cheered her glass in thanks.
ZJ let out a laugh, “If you say so, I’ll help as long as you like.”
His phone buzzed back almost immediately and he laughed, “She didn’t like it one bit.” Showing ZJ the phone again.
She had been in the middle of taking a drink when he held his phone out again, “Mm.. You could really piss her off, if you want her to stop bothering you. It might only work for the night though, unless she sends it to Harry, though..” She shook her head, “You could send her a picture of us, I think you’d get extra points if it’s a bit blurred. Tell her your date just arrived, you’ve got to go.”
Ron grinned, “I’m going to send, ‘Great. Thanks for your permission.’ That should throw her into a tizzy long enough for us to get a photo.” He then proceeded to find his camera. “Besides… we could totally be a on date. It’s a bar. I’m buying the drinks. She knows we already know each other…. Even if Harry tries to ruin the fun as usual.”
Leaning closer to her and holding his arm out for a selfie he added.
ZJ shifted in her chair, leaning against Ron for the selfie. He said he didn’t want to be with his ex, she figured there was no harm causing a little trouble. “Does Harry always ruin the fun?” She gave a bright smile then, hamming it up a bit for the camera.
“Not always, only when he thinks he’s helping and he’s not.” A barrage of goofy photos were taken. Hermione’s message blatantly ignored for a few moments.
At the end of all of the pictures, she was laughing and pressed probably closer than she should have been to Ron. He enjoyed the closeness more than he knew he was supposed to - but it wasn’t every day that a pretty girl helped him doop his ex.
She shook her head, moving to sit up a bit. “You know, the next time you find yourself down and needing company? I live just up the road, be sure to come get me. It’s more fun to drink with a friend.”
“I’d like that,” Ron smiled genuinely. He pocketed his phone without another thought of Hermione. “Hey-- what you doing here alone anyway?”
“Just celebrating the holidays being over. I’ve finally had a moment to breathe, so I came in for a drink. I just happened to see a familiar face at the bar.” She lifted her glass to her lips to finish it off, setting the empty glass on the bar.
“I do have to get going soon.”
“Nooo,” Ron pleaded a little in his protest.
“I’ve got to open in the morning. How drunk are you planning to get tonight? I have a couch that you’re more than welcome to, if you don’t think you can make it home safely. I’m in The Quatre, 2A. Just ring my phone and I’ll let you in?” She wanted to be sure he would at least get home safe, he was a few drinks ahead of her already.
Ron laughed, “Well I appreciate it, really. I’ll probably finish this off and head home.” Truth was anytime Ron drank excessively he had no problem walking back to the couch at his own shoppe.
“Alright, then I am going to head out. Have a good night and don't be a stranger.” ZJ hopped from her seat then, grabbed her jacket.
As she left Ron made sure to call out, “Thanks for helping me irresponsibly text, by the way!”
“Glad to help!” she chuckled as she left. She hoped she had helped him out, at least a little bit.