George didn't regret much in life. The idea of dwelling on things that couldn't be changed felt like a waste of time. But there were two things he was completely sure he would take back in an instant if given the chance. The first would be taking his brother's life for granted and the second was pushing Eloise away.

In the two weeks since their fall out, George had written what felt like a million letters to her. All of which were vain attempts at trying to explain himself. But nothing he wrote ever felt good enough.

In every draft he tried to form an apology that he could only hope she would accept. Many times he rambled on for pages about his feelings for her in a jumbled mess that made no sense. Each letter ended crumpled up in frustration and tossed into the bin, never to be sent.

The more days that passed, the less he felt that she would even want to hear from him at all. Every time he gave up on a letter he felt her slip further and further away. All he wanted was to keep her in his life. The idea of never speaking to her again destroyed him, but he knew he'd never be able to take back the things he said to her. While losing her affection hurt, losing her friendship was the hardest thing for him to accept.

Each passing day without her was harder than the last. Every day at work he'd mindlessly walk up and down the aisles hoping that maybe Eloise would drop into the store, even if it was just to see Verity and not him. Any glimpse of curly blonde hair renewed his hope that he'd get her back and destroyed it almost immediately upon realizing it wasn't Eloise.

In the beginning he didn't even realize he was looking for her around every corner, but as time went on he gave up trying to fight it. Each morning he checked for letters from her the second he woke up and the last few times he'd had dinner with his family at the Burrow he secretly hoped Bill or Fleur would bring her up.

But she never visited the shop, the letters never came, and the only thing he got from his sister-in-law was the cold shoulder.

Despite this, he did his best to put on a brave face. Everyone had known how horribly he'd dealt with losing his brother, he didn't want to appear weak over losing his chance with a woman he'd only known for a little over a year. Part of him felt idiotic for falling so hard for Eloise when he knew he didn't really want to be with anyone in the first place. But it was obvious now that that wasn't the truth. He honestly did want to be with Eloise, he just didn't believe it would work out.

The idea of being in a relationship sounded messy and hard. If only things could have been easier. If only they could have seen eye to eye. If only George hadn't been so scared to fall in love again.

But no matter how hard he tried to conceal his pain, there was one particular short platinum blonde witch who could see right through his act. It was nearing the end of October now and George was almost expecting Verity to arrive at his flat at any moment. Not to see Charlie this time, but to drag him out of the house for once.

It was for a good reason, Angelina's birthday party was that evening. But George had foolishly hoped that Verity wouldn't bring up the party again. He'd spent the entire week trying to convince her to go without him, he simply wasn't in the mood to celebrate anything.

As if George had suddenly become a Seer and predicted her arrival, the petite witch, known for her fierce loyalty but not for her subtly, barged right into George's room uninvited. Without warning, she flipped the lights on causing him to groan loudly and throw a pillow over his head.

"Get up, you pathetic sod. It's only half past seven."

"Fuck off." he mumbled into the pillow.

"I'm about two seconds away from casting aguamenti over your head."

"You won't." he challenged.

"Don't test me, Weasley. Why are you the one sulking anyway? It's your fault Eloise hasn't talked to you."

"I don't need another lecture from you, Verity."

"Either I lecture you again, or you get ready to go to Angie's party."

"Not going."

"Like hell you're not." she said, grabbing the end of George's quilt and pulling it off his body.

George took the pillow off his head and chucked at Verity who flinched but caught it and whacked him with it relentlessly until he sat up cursing at her under his breath.

"Alright!" he surrendered, blocking his face with his arm, "I'm not making any promises, but at least leave so I can change out of my pajamas."

Verity tossed the pillow on the end of his bed and narrowed her eyes at him, "I'm giving you ten minutes, and we are going to her party."

"Out." he muttered.

Verity left the room and glued her eyes to the clock in the kitchen as she paced back and forth. Though she loved George dearly, she didn't trust him to not go right back to sulking under the sheets like he'd been doing nearly every day as the clock struck five.

It was a predictable habit Verity had noticed form shortly after his and Eloise's argument. As soon as the door of the shop was locked, he would wipe away the facade of a functioning adult as he tore away the purple tie around his neck and removed the 'W' pin from his lapel. The remainder of his evenings were spent locked away in his room with the curtains drawn closed and sheets pulled over his head. The parallels to his behavior earlier in the year didn't escape Verity and she had become increasingly naggy to keep him from falling back into his destructive ways.

With two minutes to spare, George emerged from his room looking mostly presentable, despite the dark circles that were prominent under his eyes.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Can't you go without me? Take Charlie with you or something." George groaned.

Verity scowled and crossed her arms, "You're going. I'm not letting your mopey arse ruin your best friend's birthday."

"I'm sure Angie doesn't even want my 'mopey arse' at her party." he retorted.

"You already told her you were coming, she'll be upset if I show up without you."

George knew that was the truth, Angelina would be livid if he skipped her party. But the most glaring issue in his mind was the fact that he had replied to her invitation before everything had blown up with Eloise.

When he received the letter about her party he responded almost immediately, asking her if it was alright if he brought Eloise along. Angie of course was thrilled, both to see the girl again and to hear that things between them seemed to be going so well. But everything had quickly gone downhill before George even had the chance to ask Eloise if she was interested in going with him.

At least he didn't have to awkwardly uninvite her.

The problem he faced now was that he didn't have the courage to write Angie another letter explaining the situation. He continued to put it off for the next few weeks, thinking he could just cross that bridge when he got to it. The plan eventually turned into him simply skipping the party all together, but Verity obviously wasn't letting that happen.

The bridge was quickly approaching and there were no more detours George could take.

The idea of walking into Angie's place without Eloise by his side made him feel like a failure. Maybe he could come up with a lie, or maybe Verity could just handle telling Angie what had happened so he didn't have to relive it. But he already knew that he was the antagonist in Verity's eyes, so relying on her to recount the story of him breaking the heart of the woman he loved might not be the best idea.

Although, if he was being honest with himself, he knew was the villain in his own mind as well.

Maybe Verity wouldn't be biased. She would probably retell it exactly as it happened; that George was a complete idiot who let the best thing that had ever happened to him walk out the door.

"When you see Lee and Angie I'm sure it'll put you in a better mood. I just don't want you shutting yourself away again." Verity said, softening her voice.

The girl only reserved her empathy for very specific situations, and this was one of them. She really didn't want to witness George to plummet back into the abyss he'd fallen into shortly after Ron's birthday. She was afraid if there wasn't anyone to hold him accountable, it would have been inevitable.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"Absolutely not." she smiled innocently.

"Fine." he groaned.

Verity rolled her eyes and entered the fireplace without a single snarky remark. As much as she wanted to mouth back to him, she didn't want to risk him changing his mind about going to the party. When she turned around to grab a handful of Floo Powder, George was already trudging into the fireplace to stand beside her.

"I promise it'll be alright." she assured him.

All George did was press his lips into a thin line and nod his head before Verity uttered the name of Angelina's flat as they were consumed with thick green flames.

-

Angelina's birthday party was more crowded than Verity's had been and there were several more familiar faces, many of which George hadn't seen since Fred's funeral.

As the two stepped out of the fireplace he spotted Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan chatting in the kitchen, each giving George a polite wave when they made eye contact with him. Oliver Wood and Katie Bell were catching up by the snack table and discussing Quidditch (or maybe just arguing about which team truly was the best) and Neville Longbottom was chatting with what George assumed to be one of Angelina's Quidditch teammates with a permanent flush painting his cheeks.

"George, Verity, hey!" a familiar warm voice greeted the two, bringing their attention away from the crowd and over to the birthday girl herself.

"Hey, Angie. Happy birthday." George replied, though the girl looked slightly uninterested in his birthday wishes as she glanced behind him and Verity, clearly expecting to see someone else with them.

"Is Eloise not coming?" she frowned.

"Oh, no she couldn't make it." George shrugged off, not really feeling like getting into the details with Angelina in the middle of her party.

"I wish I'd known or I wouldn't have invited-"

A flash of green interrupted Angelina, but George wasn't concerned until he saw her face twist into one of anxiety when she noticed who had just arrived.

"Oh, hey."

A voice George swore he'd almost completely erased from his memory caused him to forget what he had been thinking about. At first he thought he might've been hearing things, but as he turned around he saw a face he'd recognize anywhere but that somehow felt like a stranger staring back up at him.

"Alicia." he greeted flatly, wiping his face of any readable expression.

"It's good to see you." she said kindly.

How cruelly ironic that the very moment the door seemed to close on Eloise, Alicia would somehow walk right back into his life as if she'd never left.

George gave Alicia a quick polite nod before quickly turning back to Angelina, "A word, Ang? Outside?"

Angelina seemed to be expecting this as she quickly nodded without objection and set her drink down on a nearby table as the two made their way to the terrace just outside of her living room.

Though they could be clearly seen through the wide French doors, George hoped that the already setting sun of the mid-autumn evening would hide their expressions and the words leaving their lips. The last thing he wanted was for Alicia or Verity to be able to make out what they were discussing.

"Before you say anything-" Angelina started as the door closed behind them.

"Why did you invite her?" he interrupted, raising his voice slightly.

She let out a sigh, "You know she's still my friend, George. I was hoping if you brought Eloise it wouldn't have been a big deal."

"I don't see how bringing Eloise would have made this situation any better." he replied, furrowing his brows.

"I just thought you'd be so focused on her, you wouldn't even care that Alicia was here."

"I don't care that Allie is here-"

"Allie? You're still calling her that?" she interrupted with a frown.

"Force of habit." he muttered quickly, hoping Angelina wouldn't read into the slip up, "Listen, I don't care. It's just a bit awkward."

"I understand, if you want to leave I won't stop you."

He shook his head, "I'm not going to ditch you on your birthday, Angie."

"Try to keep it civil then." she said sternly.

"What, you think I'm going to cause a dramatic scene in the middle of your party?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm just saying." she shrugged, "I love you both, so please just try to get along. That can be your gift to me."

George rolled his eyes and reached over to hold the door open for Angelina to return to the party, putting an end to their discussion, "I'll do what I can."

Angelina rested her hand on his chest and gave it a gentle pat, "Thank you."

The two of them re-entered the party, though it seemed most of the guests hadn't even noticed their absence. George quickly found Verity scowling, not so subtly, at Alicia who had struck up a conversation with Neville. The boy seemed much more comfortable talking to her than Angelina's teammate but as George noticed Verity's bitter expression, he couldn't help but think maybe he wasn't the one Angelina needed to worry about causing a scene.

"Alright there, Ver?" George asked with an amused smirk.

The blonde flicked her head up to him and her face softened slightly, "Aren't you annoyed that she's here?"

"What can I do about it? If Angie invited her, who am I to say she can't be here?" he shrugged.

Verity's brows furrowed, "You're acting a little too calm for my liking."

"I'm trying to keep how I react to things more under control lately." George replied, thinking back on how his unchecked emotions contributed to the end of his relationship with Eloise.

Before Verity could make a smart remark, Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Hermione all walked through the front door together, greeting Angelina with birthday wishes before scanning over the guests. Almost in unison the four of them seemed to notice Alicia in one corner and George in the other, but it was Ginny who came straight up to her brother immediately.

"What is she doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Gin." George greeted.

"Why aren't you upset?" she asked in confusion.

"That's what I'm saying!" Verity interjected.

George held his hands up to both the girls, "Angelina doesn't want any drama, so I'm not creating any."

"So you don't care that she's over there glancing at you every ten seconds?" Ginny asked, crossing her arms with her face painted in skepticism.

George looked over his shoulder to see Alicia paying very little attention to what Neville was saying to her. When their eyes met her face fell slightly before she brought her attention back to Neville with a bright smile on her face. It almost seemed like the same exact facade George was putting on around everyone lately. He couldn't help but think that maybe she wasn't fine, maybe she was hurting as well.

Something odd was happening in his heart, something he didn't want. There was a longing to talk to Alicia. Not only to get her side of the story and to figure out how she just decided one day that she could act as if they had never happened. It was a painful and confusing longing to be near her and hear her voice.

However, the scariest thought that entered his mind was that he missed her. It was something he had suppressed. All his thoughts and feelings of Alicia had long since been cast aside and he never truly dealt with them. But now as he was standing across the room from her, there was no way he could avoid these feelings any longer.

"George, whatever you're thinking, don't do it." Ginny warned as she read his face and followed his gaze.

He finally broke his eyes away from Alicia and Neville to look back down at his sister, "I'm not going to do anything, and I don't need a babysitter. But I do need a drink."

"Is that a good idea?" Verity asked as George made his way past them and into the kitchen.

The blonde followed closely behind him, knowing the damage a drunk George was capable of creating for himself. Usually she was never one to be the controlling type, especially when it came to George. But she was worried he was about to add to his short list of regrets.

He poured Verity a glass of firewhisky before getting one for himself. She tentatively looked up at him before taking a sip.

"I'm fine, Ver. You don't need to watch over me all night."

"I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I am." he assured her.

Verity parted her lips to say something else to George, but was interrupted when someone called for her across the room.

"Hey Verity, come here!"

Katie Bell beckoned her over, seeming to be rather amused with something. Though the look Oliver's face next to her said otherwise.

If George had to guess, she was about to have Verity help recount the story of the Gryffindor Quidditch team losing to Hufflepuff in 1993; also known to their little friend group as the 'Great Shower Scandal of 93' thanks to Oliver trying to drown himself as a result of the loss. Though Oliver absolutely found no humor in the story, Katie found it incredibly hilarious, especially when Verity was around to give the Hufflepuff side of the story.

The blonde girl looked up at George, not necessarily asking for permission to leave him, more so just checking to see that he would be alright without her.

"Go on." he encouraged and she gave him a quick smile before making her way over to Katie.

Without missing a beat, Alicia seized the opportunity of catching George alone almost as if she'd been waiting all night for her chance to talk to him. The tall girl made her way to the kitchen, taking a seat on a stool at the island across from where he was standing.

He glanced at her for a moment, taking in all of the features he'd tried so hard to forget. Her hair was much shorter than it had been when they dated and she was wearing makeup which she almost never did before. George always found her effortlessly beautiful, and she still was. But now it was different.

It didn't quite feel like he was looking at his love. It felt more like he was looking at a beautiful girl he was meeting for the very first time.

Without a word George turned around to scan the counter full of drinks, his eyes falling on a cheap bottle of Elf-made wine. It was an easy choice since George knew Alicia liked it the most. Or, at least she used to. There's no telling how much had changed since they last spoke.

Alicia gave him a slight smile, confirming that his choice of drink was still correct as he poured a glass and slid it over to her. Part of him felt proud that he still knew that much about her, but another part of him didn't want those silly little details about her to occupy space in his mind anymore.

"I'm sorry." she started, but George just shook his head at her.

"We don't have to do this tonight."

"I thought you might say that."

"Oh?"

She nodded, "You'll probably say we should just get along for Angie's sake and table this discussion for another time."

"Am I that predictable?"

"No, I just know you." she replied, glancing down at her cup, avoiding his eyes.

A brief awkward silence fell between the two as they sipped their drinks in silence.

"How have you been?" Alicia asked after a while, feeling uncomfortable with the lack of discussion.

He raised an eyebrow at her attempt at making small talk, "You're really going to ask me that?"

"I thought we were going to be civil."

"I've been rubbish, but thank you for asking." he replied sarcastically, causing her to frown.

An air of tension surrounded them. While there was still a familiar warmth between them, it was buried beneath layers upon layers of unresolved feelings and bitter resentment. It was like they didn't know how to act around each other anymore. Comfortable familiarity felt wrong but acting as if they had never met before felt even worse.

It was obvious how much they had changed, they weren't innocent kids in love anymore. They were both products of a war that tore them apart and forced them to grow up too quickly.

But that's also what felt like it was pulling him back in. There was too much history for either of them to be erased from the other's mind and while George wanted answers from her, he didn't think Angie's party was the right time.

But when would the timing ever be right?

He didn't think it was likely that he'd ever reach out to her after this evening and knowing her, she wouldn't put forth any effort to see him again either. The worst part about this sudden reunion was that George felt a sudden wave of fear that he'd lose Alicia all over again at the end of the night. But maybe this time he'd at least get a goodbye.

Before George could get his thoughts in order Lee Jordan came sauntering over, clearly already somewhat buzzed as he looked between them with a bright smile.

"Woah, did I just time travel back to 1997?" he slurred slightly with a chuckle.

George rolled his eyes, the lack of amusement was evident on his face, and Alicia was quick to sense this.

"If it was 1997 you'd still be obsessed with getting Angie to hook you up with one of her teammates, and I'm pretty sure they all rejected you. So, are you sure you want to go back?" she asked with a cheeky smile.

"Ah, I've missed you, Spinnet. Let's go play a game." Lee laughed as he wrapped and arm around her shoulder, pulling her away from George against her will.

Whatever games Lee had in mind, George had no interest in. So he did was he knew best, played the role of the wall flower. The objective of the game made little sense to George, all they were doing was bouncing little balls into cups and drinking. It seemed like another silly game he'd learned from his muggle ex-girlfriend. But George couldn't deny he felt quite entertained watching them play.

Alicia and Lee were playing on a team against Ron and Harry. The girl always had fiery competitive side to her and Lee naturally took on the role of trash talker. Their team dynamic was something that clearly got under Ron's skin, causing him and Harry to lose rather tragically. But Harry also became quite competitive when he drank which led to several rematches and four quite intoxicated former Gryffindors.

Although George had never known Alicia to not be able to handle her liquor very well, he noticed she started to stumble slightly and he was struggling to fight his instinct to take care of her.

George set down his own drink and casually made his way over to the table where the four were playing their game, "Doing okay, Alicia?"

"Yes Georgie, we're fine." she smiled up at him after bouncing a ball across the table and missing the cups in front of Harry by a mile.

The use of his old nickname came upon him in a confusing wave of bitterness and nostalgia. Harry tossed the small white ball and it landed perfectly in the cup right in front of Alicia, splashing the amber liquid inside. The brunette picked up the cup as the boys across from her high-fived, but before she could bring it to her lips, George stopped her.

"I think you've had enough to drink." he suggested, pulling the cup from her hand.

"Oi! We scored, so she drinks!" Ron shouted from the other end of the table.

George shot a stern look at his younger brother, "Game's over."

Ron parted his lips as if to argue with George, but all he did was let out a sigh and retreat to find his fiancée.

George brought his eyes back to Alicia, "You're sure you're okay?"

"Of course! Since when do I get too drunk?"

"Um, the Yule Ball comes to mind." he smirked.

"Okay, that was one time!" she stumbled back as she laughed and George grabbed her arm to steady her.

"Georgie, dance with me." Alicia slurred slightly as she came up to where Lee and George were sitting at one of the many tables surrounding the dance floor.

"Are you drunk, Allie?" George laughed.

"Just a little." she giggled, holding up her index finger and thumb close together.

"She'd have to be to want to dance with you. You've got too left feet compared to me." Lee interjected.

George couldn't even bite back at Lee's snarky remark. The boy absolutely hated dancing, especially in front of other people, but he'd do nearly anything for Alicia Spinnet. He'd secretly fancied the girl since the first day they set foot on the Quidditch pitch together. Though over the years he'd accepted the fact that she saw him as nothing more than her teammate.

"One dance, okay?" George conceded, standing from the table.

A bright smile formed on Alicia's face as she interlocked her arm in his and followed him to the dance floor. Her hair had been pinned back neatly at the beginning of the ball, but by the time she'd asked George to dance long brown curls where falling loose messily around her face. But George didn't mind, she still looked like an angel in his eyes.

The two of them danced to the upbeat music, working up a sweat as several other Hogwarts students surrounded them on the dance floor. Alicia's moves were clumsy and off-beat, but George didn't care, he only hoped that her inebriated state would help her not notice his own lack of rhythm.

Once the music died down the two of them made their way back to the table where he'd been sitting with Lee, but the boy had long since left to join Fred and Angelina at the drinks table.

"Why didn't you ask me?" she asked with a giggle, catching her breath as the two sat down next to each other.

"What?" he chuckled slightly in confusion.

"To the ball. If you asked, I would have said yes." she clarified, still maintaining the giddy look in her eyes.

Alicia was usually much more serious, but with liquid courage running through her veins she was acting like a school girl with a crush. The girl he'd pined over for four years had just told him she wanted to be his date to the ball, and yet he couldn't find it in himself to accept it as the truth. Alicia could do much better than him, he believed.

"I think that's the punch talking, Allie." George smiled.

"Maybe, maybe not." she laughed as she rested her hand over his on the table, causing a blush to form over his cheeks.

"I uh- why don't I walk you back up to the common room?" he offered, pulling his hand away.

Alicia looked up at him with a pout, "But I want to stay and dance with you."

"I think the party's winding down anyway. If I promise you a dance party another time will you let me help you upstairs?"

The brunette seemed to mull over his offer before she nodded and jumped up out of her seat, losing her balance slightly as George quickly stood to grab her waist to brace her. When she looked up at him, her dark brown eyes were filled with nothing but adoration for him. But he convinced himself it was just the punch playing with her emotions.

She reached up and brushed his long red hair away from his eyes and for a moment it almost seemed like she wanted him to kiss her, but she quickly pulled away from his grasp and ran out of the Great Hall covering her mouth.

George, filled with concern and confusion, followed quickly behind her and found her throwing up into an old vase in the entrance hall. He approached her and gently pulled the stray curls that had fallen from her updo away from her face and rubbed her back to soothe her.

"This is bloody embarrassing." she muttered hoarsely into the vase after a moment.

George fought back a smirk knowing she'd be mortified in the morning and he couldn't wait to tease the girl mercilessly. But at the same time, he hoped somehow that she still held the same fondness for him when she sobered up.

"At least it'll be memorable." he replied, continuing to rub his hand on her back.

"Did you come here with anyone?" he asked suddenly, breaking himself away from his memories.

"No, why?" she asked in confusion.

All of George's resentment dissolved as he looked down at the girl he once loved. The only thing he cared about was making sure she was safe.

"I'll take you home, alright? I don't want you getting splinched or lost."

"Don't be a party pooper, Georgie." she smiled and stumbled backwards causing him to tighten his grip on her.

"I think you're all partied out, come on." he replied as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leading her to the door.

Honestly, George should have known better than to think no one would notice him leaving with Alicia. Everyone in Angelina's party knew about their history, especially Verity.

As soon as the two walked out the door of Angelina's apartment together, Verity shoved her drink into Katie's hand and chased after them. She knew George would be upset with her intrusion, but she was just being loyal to Eloise and had his best interest at heart. In her mind, if she didn't stop them, nothing would.

The aftermath of his argument with Eloise and the ruins of their relationship was something George was too preoccupied to consider in that moment. All of his focus was making sure that Alicia was safe, but all Verity could see was a broken man falling back into the arms of the woman who broke his heart.

"George!" Verity's voice called as she ran down the stairs after them.

George had one hand on the small of Alicia's back and the other on the front door of the apartment building when Verity's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"What do you want?" he glanced over his shoulder to meet the eyes of the blonde witch.

"What are you doing?" Verity's eyebrows knit into a frown as she pleaded with him, hoping to knock some sense into him before he made any mistakes.

"I'm just taking Alicia home." he replied flatly.

"What about Eloise?"

"What about her?" George asked with a scowl.

He knew what Verity was hinting at, and he didn't appreciate it. There was nothing left between him and Eloise, that door was already closed.

Alicia looked up at George, "Who's Eloise?"

"She's no one." he dismissed, keeping his eyes on Verity.

"No one?" Verity shouted, "You're an absolute arse, George Weasley!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

George turned his back on Verity and pushed the door open only to be stopped in his tracks once more by her voice.

"If you go home with Alicia she'll never forgive you."

Something about those words almost made George second guess everything, but he quickly pushed the thoughts aside as he realized he'd already done too much damage to his relationship with Eloise to be forgiven anyway. There was nothing left to lose.

"She has nothing to forgive, she isn't mine and I can do what I please."

"The fact that she isn't yours is your fault, George! You know how she feels."

"Just go back up to the party for Merlin's sake and leave me be."

Next to him he felt Alicia lightly tug on the sleeve of his jacket to get his attention. When he looked down at the brunette beside him her expression let him know that what was already a complicated situation only became more confusing now that she knew about Eloise.

"I can just ask Katie to take me home." she offered.

"Katie is just as drunk as you are. I'm taking you home, okay?" he dismissed.

Even after everything she'd put him through, after a year of complete silence, he couldn't help but look at her in the same protective way he always did. All the memories they'd made together flooded back into his mind. Of course he wanted her to get home safe, but he wanted to be the one to take care of her. The simple fact was that George didn't know how to let go of Alicia.

He glanced back over his shoulder once more and it almost seemed as if he was waiting for Verity to try and convince him once more that he was making a mistake. Maybe deep down he wanted her to stop him.

But it felt like no use, the blonde remained silent as George looked back at her. All she did was shake her head disapprovingly, but that wasn't enough to prevent him from leaving with Alicia and she knew that.

George had already made his choice.