Married By Law

Chapter 13: Paradise Sunset

Draco had taken the pair of them to another beach. But this one was more secluded from humanity. There were no towering buildings surrounding the beach and there were no streets close by bustling with cars and people either. It was just quiet and peaceful. It was the perfect paradise.

To their right, close to where they were standing, was a wooden cabin. In front of them was a small structure that seemed to be a bar of some sort. A thatched roof held up by wooden posts covered a polished marble counter top with a group of wooden stools. And to the left was where the ocean waves met the sandy shore. Palm trees stood tall above everything, casting shadows around on the ground.

"So, what do you think?" asked Draco as he looked around with something glinting in his eyes. It was familiarity. He had been here before.

"It's amazing," gushed Hermione as she continued gazing around.

"Well don't just stand there. What do you want to do first?"

The two of them kicked their shoes off as Hermione tossed a few ideas around in her mind before deciding on one. "Let's go swimming," Hermione said as her eyes landed on the sparkling ocean.

"Ok," said Draco. Hermione couldn't react quick enough before her had hooked one arm under her legs and the other under her neck and started carrying her to the water. She had to put her arms around his neck to support herself.

"Draco! What are you doing?" And then Hermione realised exactly what he was doing. "Draco, don't do it."

But it was too late. Malfoy was now standing waist deep in the water. He removed his arms from underneath Hermione and let the cold, salty water engulf her. Bubbles floated towards the surface of the water as Hermione stood up and was greeted by the breeze of the fresh air. She spat out the salty water.

"You'll pay for that," Hermione said through gritted teeth.

Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest. "Will I just?" He asked, wearing that stupid smirk of his.

Hermione dipped her hand in the water and swung it forward so the water splashed Malfoy in the face. While he was spitting out the water, Hermione placed her hands on his chest and shoved him backwards. Arms and legs flailing, he fell back into the water. Once he came back up, he was spitting out water again.

"You happy now?" Draco said, glaring at Hermione.

A grin was glued to her lips. "Yeah," she said with a giggle.

Hermione shivered. It was getting colder. Draco noticed this.

"Come on, let's go get a drink."

The pair started walking back to shore. Draco led the way to the bar. Sitting on the counter top were two towels. Draco handed one to Hermione. She gladly wrapped it around her body. She was soaked. Water droplets were dripping from the ends of her hair and splashing onto the sand beneath their feet.

Draco walked behind the counter top and ducked down. When he stood back up, he was holding two glasses and a bottle of Firewhiskey. He filled the two glasses and slid on across the surface to Hermione. She picked it up and took a sip before placing it back down.

"Where exactly are we?" Hermione asked, once again looking around at the surroundings.

"This is a private island that my parents bought. When I grew older, they handed it over to me," he answered whilst staring down into his glass of Firewhiskey. He seemed a little nervous.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I'll show you."

Draco walked back out from behind the bar and grabbed Hermione's hand. Warm tingles ran up her arm. He led her to a spot between two palm trees so that they were facing the ocean. He let go of her hand and turned her to a specific spot. And Hermione saw why.

In front of her, the sun was setting, turning the sky a variety of colours. Pinks, purples, yellows, oranges and reds. It was breathtaking. A paradise sunset.

Draco snaked his arms around Hermione's waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. It sent warm shivers through her body.

And just as the sun dipped below the horizon, Draco gently turned Hermione around and leaned in a little closer so that their foreheads were touching. She inhaled sharply. His smell was flooding Hermione's senses.

He brushed his lips against hers. He kissed her and she kissed him back. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His thumb caressed her cheek as their breaths mingled. Hermione's heart fluttered. She ran her fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the quick beating of his heart against her chest. They pulled away from each other for air and stared into each other's eyes as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

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Hey guys!
Sorry that this chapter took a long while. Writer's block can be a pain sometimes.
But anyways, how did you feel about the end of the chapter? I've been waiting to put that scene in for a while now and now I finally had the opportunity.
As usual, don't forget to vote and give me some feedback! 👍👋