Ransom Drysdale: Manipulation

Coffee

Ransom woke up early the next morning. He changed into a dark grey sweatshirt and jeans. Hermione woke up shortly after and made them each a cup of coffee.

She wore a light grey, off the shoulder, cropped sweater top with a short black skin tight skirt and thigh high black boots with a thick black heel.

Ransom sat on the stool by the island and Hermione sat on his lap facing him. They drank their coffee together and cuddled. "You look beautiful today Hermione. I don't know if I want you wearing this while I'm not here."

"Well you're going to have to take it off of me yourself then because it's extremely comfortable." She smirks and he chuckles at her running his hands over the soft fabrics.

"I unfortunately, don't have time now. I should get going, I don't want to be late." He stands up, gently lifting her off of him and she stands infant of him.

"No, we don't want that. Good luck. Just be yourself okay? The real you, the Ransom you are with me. You'll be fine." He kisses her forehead and hugs her.

"Thank you Hermione." She kisses him and hands him the keys that were on the island next to them. "I'll see you later." She smiles at him and he nods. "I'll see you later."

He walks out of the door to the loft, going downstairs and pulling off to meet his mom at the coffee house down the street. Hermione finishes another cup of coffee then goes downstairs and opens the store.

*

Ransom sits waiting for his mother to show up for fifteen minutes. He sat in the back corner away form everyone else, but where Linda could see him when she walked in.

He saw her walk towards him, very professional like. As if it was a business meeting. He perked up and smiled at her, waving her over. She gave a slight smile, barely noticeable.

"Hey Mom." He says nervously. "Hello Ransom." Her tone had no meaning behind it. It was bland. "Do you want me to order you a coffee? I've already had a few cups this morning."

"No, I don't drink coffee anymore. I'll have a tea though." He orders her a tea and himself another coffee. He didn't know how to start the conversation. Both of them were stuck. He decided to break the ice where they had left over on the phone.

"Uhm-So my girlfriend," he stars, Linda sits up more, interested in what he has to say to her, "I told you she's a writer, you may have read some of her books."

"I have, you said her name was Hermione?" He nods and gives a soft smile. "Hermione Hale. She's a great writer."

"She's amazing Mom. She owns a bookstore and she actually just finished writing a book about me. I didn't know what to think of it at first but I hope you'll read it when it's published."

"How long have you two been together?" Practically ignoring his statement. "We had something when I first got out, she was way too good to me, still is, and I got scared."

Linda sat across from him, drinking her tea and focusing on what her son was saying. "I broke it off, and she finished writing her book, and after a while we fell back into old patterns."

"Did you just get back together with her because of the book? Because you're able to get half profit from it?" His mother knew very well how these things worked.

"No, I-I got back together with her because I couldn't not be with her, I missed her, and no matter how scared I was to be with her, I was even more scared to be alone, to not be with her."

"You didn't answer my question, how long have you two been together?" He fell fast for Hermione, and he didn't want to lie to his mom, especially when she was willing to talk to him like this.

But he also didn't know if his mother would understand how he felt about her. If she met Hermione, she would. But Linda was just going off Ransoms word, and he knew she didn't trust him.

"Honestly, about a week. But I don't know how to explain it, I feel like I've known her forever. She really understands me. She's the only person I-I trust. You know that's hard for me."

Linda, for the first time ever, believed every word her son was saying now. She knew that he had never trusted anyone and he wouldn't admit it unless he was sure of himself.

"I do. And you're financially stable?" He nodded and bit his lip, he stared at his coffee cup. "My job with her pays well and the book is helping. I was going to talk to dad about moving somewhere that didn't look like a crack house."

She chuckles at her sons reference. She missed him, and it was hard for her not to help him while he was in prison. But it was obviously for the best.

"Dad wants to meet Hermione, I told him not yet. I don't want to scare her away, ya know." Linda nods and finishes her tea then asks for another cup. A good sign.

Another cup meant she was planning on staying longer. "I'd love to meet her. Whenever you both are ready. And as far as your father goes, I would help him find an apartment and move in with Hermione. You two seem comfortable enough."

"She suggested that too. We decided to wait to move in together until she met you and dad." Ransom orders a tea instead of coffee this time. Already having four cups this morning.

"You seem to really love her." Ransom chokes on his coffee, he knew he felt that way but refused to say it aloud. Him and Hermione sucked at taking things slow but this, this was too much too soon.

He couldn't tell Hermione that he loved her but he knew he felt it. "I do. But I can't tell her yet. She's so shy and timid. Every time I kiss her, she blushes like it's the first time."

He wipes his face from where the coffee came out and smiles as he talks about Hermione. "But she goes after she wants, and she told me I'm what she wants. Im really undeserving, and lucky. And I don't want to lose her."

"She really has done something to you Ransom. I'm seeing the boy I tried so hard to raise. My son." Tears stung his eyes. He stood up, Linda followed. He reached over and hugged her.

They finished their tea, made plans for dinner together in a few weeks and talked more about Ransom's life, his jail time and what his mother has been up too.

They were in the middle of a conversation when Ransom's phone started ringing. It was Hermione. He knew she wouldn't interrupt his coffee with his mom unless she had to.

"Hang on mom, it's Hermione," he says as he quickly answers the phone. "Hey babe, are you okay?" He knew she wasn't otherwise she wouldn't be calling.

"I don't k-know." She stutters, he can tell she's been crying. "What's wrong Hermione?" She lets out a few muffled sobs before being able to pull herself together and answer.

"Jace came back." She finally managed. "Okay, I'm on my way. Stay on the phone with me okay? Hold on one second." He moves the phone away from his ear to talk to his mom.

"I have to go, something happened with Hermione." His mother stood up and pulled her skirt down, straightening it out. "What happened?"

"Some guy came in flirting with her the other day and then he almost ran us over yesterday at the movies. She said he came back and she was crying, she didn't go into detail."

"May I come? I may be able to help." He nods and they head to their cars. He talks to Hermione, trying to get her to tell him what happened but it's useless, she's a mess.

"I'll be there in five minutes okay, please try to calm down." She mumbled some sort of understanding and took several deep breaths.

Ransoms mom followed behind him and they parked in front of the book store. He ran in and he had no words to describe what he had walked in on.