(Subplot) Finally Saying It

"So you still haven't seen my interview from the other day, right?" Melanie checked with James.

"No, you wanted to watch it together" he reminded her.

Melanie felt a wave of relief. She had blurted out something on the show that she didn't want James to hear before she said it to him in person. But the thought of saying it out loud in front of him was making her feel strangely nervous.

"Why don't we watch it now?" James suggested as he sat on the bed in front of her.

"Yeah, but first I um..." Melanie reached for her wand and waved it at him "I'm really sorry about this!"

There was a puff of smoke and James was replaced on the bed by an adorable looking little guinea pig. Melanie felt way more comfortable for this conversation with her boyfriend while he was like that rather than a naked man.

"Oh, you make such a cute little guinea piggy!" Mel gushed as she picked James up and began stroking his fur gently "I hope you aren't too mad at me for this, but I had a nice reason for doing it, honestly. Because I said something about you to millions of people by accident the other day and now I want to say it to you in person. Well, not that you are technically a person at the moment, but you know what I mean.."

James made a cute squeaking sound .

"Anyway, you know what I'm like, probably better around guinea pigs than people. So here it is. I love you, James. I am in love with you. Completely, one hundred per cent, head over heels. Okay? So now you know and I guess I can turn you back"

Melanie placed James back down on the bed and picked up her wand again. When she tried the reversal spell nothing happened. She attempted it again, still nothing.

"Shit! I guess I am used to practising on highly susceptible Lexie and a mid ranger like you takes up more of my charge" she told the rodent sympathetically "But we can still watch the show together. I'm sure my magic will build up again before too long!"

She switched on the television, picked up her precious guinea pig again and held him close to her, with the biggest, most contented smile on her face that she'd had in a very long time.