Ransom Drysdale: Manipulation

The Movies

The next morning they wake up together, Ransom first. Hermione was still holding onto him, he was laying on her chest and didn't dare to move until he had too.

"Good morning." He whispers as Hermione wakes up, kissing her chest lightly. "I could get used to this." She giggles, stretching slightly. Ransom shifts so his head is laying in her shoulder.

"Me too." He kissed her cheek. "Can I take you out today, we don't have work and I promised you I would."

"I would love that." Hermione beams and sits up. Ransom's head slips off her shoulder onto the pillow. She kisses his forehead and gets out of bed.

"Do you want some coffee handsome?" She walks over and starts making the coffee. Ransom follows wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

"Is that even a question? Of course I want coffee." They drank their coffee together and got dressed. It was Wednesday so the store was closed.

Ransom wore a white short sleeved blazer and Jeans, Hermione wore a black form fitting dress with a ribbed jean jacket overtop. Her hair was in a messy bun and she wore white Air Force one high tops.

"I didn't know where we're going so I just wore something I thought would work for anywhere." She giggles nervously as her and Ransom get into the beamer.

"You look beautiful, it's perfect. And as for where we're going, I'm taking you to a movie." Hermione's eyes light up and Ransom has to force himself to look away.

He starts driving with his hand holding the inside of her thigh and hers doing the same to his. "What movie are we going to see?"

"Well, I saw on your calendar you wrote down the release date for 'Mama Mia: Here We Go Again' so I figured it was something you wanted to see since you wrote it down."

She squeals with excitement and kisses Ransoms cheek several times. "Okay okay be careful babe I'm driving." She kisses his cheek one more time and lays her head on his shoulder.

"Sorry, I'm so excited I can't wait. Thank you Ransom. Next time we can go see transformers or something or like a war movie. This is two days in a row you're watching a girly movie with me."

"How about we see 'Fast 9' next month when it comes out? I know you like those movies, you have all the DVD's, I love them too." He peeks down at her and sees the light still glowing in her eyes.

"Yes! I'm so excited. Ughhh Ransom! You have no idea!" He lets out a hearty laugh and squeezes her thigh. "You're so fucking cute when you're excited."

*

They get to the theater and get a tub of popcorn, milk duds, sour patch kids and a drink for them to share. They sit in the theater together, Hermione sat on Ransoms lap.

They were in the very top row, dead center. The perfect spot in the theater. They cuddled together and talked as the previews played and they waited for the movie to start.

"I think I'm gonna call my mom when we get back." Ransom looks down at Hermione and she looks up at him with big gorgeous hopeful eyes. "Really?"

"Yea, I know we just talked about it this morning but it's a good idea, her and I can work on our relationship and so can we and when her and I are in a good place, if you're ready, you can meet my parents. Separately of course."

She giggles and kisses his cheek. "I would love that. I'd let you meet my parents but my mom isn't really part of my life anymore and my dad is uhm...well my dad died."

"I'm sorry babe, how did he die? You don't have to tell me if you don't want." He smiles and lays her head on his chest, her eyes fixated on the previews on the screen.

"He was shot. I'll tell you the rest later. This isn't really the place. And as for my mom, once I started to really make money she tried to manipulate me into giving her half of my shares of my store and my books. So I cut her off."

He frowns and squeezes her tight. Her mom had done the same thing to her that he had tried to do. The theater goes black before he can say anything and the movie starts.

Ransom is mesmerized by how focused Hermione is on the movie, he watches more of her than the movie and she's so concentrated on the movie that she doesn't notice.

He truly fell head over heals for her. Once he let himself really be with her it was so easy for him, it wasn't hard because he really wanted to be with her. And he would do anything too.

He felt like shit for trying to manipulate her when he first met her, especially after what Hermione had told him about her mom. He hated how he made her wait for two months to be with him.

She was so patient and caring and kind. She was everything to him and he couldn't express how grateful he was to her.

Once the movie was finished Hermione got up off his lap and helped him up. They had finished all the candy and soda within the first half an hour.

Hermione had to use the bathroom the whole time but refused to so she didn't miss the movie. Once they got up and threw the trash away she ran fast to the women's room.

Ransom waited outside for her to come out. She came out and he reached his hand out to hold hers. They held hands as they walked to the car.

"Thank you Ransom, this is the best date I've ever been on. I loved the movie. Did you like it?" He smiled and moved so he was as close to her as possible as they were walking.

"I'm going to be honest, I watched you more than I did the movie, you were adorable." He laughed as he talked, blushing furiously.

"Aww," she makes a pouty face looking at him, "that's so cute." They cross the parking lot to the beamer when a car speeds out of nowhere and almost hits them.

Ransom pulls them out of the way just in time. "What the fuck!?" Ransom yells after the car as it speeds away. Passing them so Hermione is able to see the driver.

"Ransom I think that was Jace." The driver barely stopped at a stop sign and then drove away, only stopping enough for Ransom to get a slight look too.

It was Jace. "What the hell?" Millions of thoughts running through their heads. "Was that on purpose? Wh-Where did he come from?"

They try to wrap their minds around what happened as Ransom helps Hermione into the car. He gets in and sits there before starting it. "I don't know. Don't worry about it, it was probably just a coincidence."

He didn't believe it but he didn't want her to stress. And she didn't believe it, but she didn't want him to stress about it either. "Okay. Do you wanna go back to my place and I can make dinner?

"Yea, I'll call my mom after dinner." They drive back to Hermione's house and neither of them say a word. Neither of them can stop thinking about what had happened.

It wasn't just a coincidence. Was Jace stalking her?