The game took precisely over an hour, and she had lost.
Mr.Malfoy was agile. He would stare down at the board for several minutes, contemplating his next move. His eyebrows would raise after she would move her chess piece, or sometimes they would scrunch together after realizing he had made a risky move.
His fingers would sweep across the board, knocking her pieces down one after the one. And each time, he smiled in triumph. Esme was certainly not impressed. She felt a wave of anger that she was not accustomed to before. It makes her frustrated, and she tended to grow distracted quickly. It was the type of frustration that make her stuck.
Unable to come up with a new plan fast enough. She had planned and planned her movements, analyzing his and her strategies, but no matter how many detours or new ideas that had sparked in her mind, she had lost.
After Mr.Malfoy won her king, he sat up straight, holding a serious expression over his tight features. He didn't smile, but beyond the hardness of his hues, there was a slight glimmer of happiness. Her eyes narrowed at him in irritation as he sat calmly waiting for her to speak.
Esme glared at him, watching his lips seal into a tight line. His hands rested upon the table, the ring still there. Her eyes flickered down to it, and she heard him shift slightly in his seat, pushing that hand off the table.
"Good try."
"How did yo- Rematch."
It was another way to get close to him.
Spend time
Get close
Make him vulnerable
Exploit it to get information.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one that said chess was a game of strategy. I simply maneuvered my pieces to out play you."
"But how- I planned it perfectly."
"You were always one step behind. You lost your focus Ms.Smith."
She rolled her eyes as his hand rested back on the brown table. He leaned forward slightly, his chest pushed up against the edge of it. His eyes were full of curiosity but still closed off. It was hard to figure out his secrets when he determined to refrain from revealing them.
She would just have to try harder.
Her left hand reached across the board, resting it on top of his. His entire body stiffened as if he had been struck and took the posture of a statue. His face turned blank, white as a sheet. Grey eyes solid. His entire persona had changed in the blink of an eye.
Trying to snap him out of his solitude, she caressed her fingertips on the soft skin of his hand. Mr.Malfoy snapped out of his trance, yanking his hand back from her hold and pushing out of his seat- now standing up. He pushed his blazer back over his shoulders, running a hand through his messy hair. He looked down at her as if she was a curse. His features were hardened, and she caught him clenching both his jaw and hands.
"When was the last time you went outside for a walk?" he snapped.
"With you."
"You haven't been outside since then? Do you have no motive to make your life the slightest bit better?"
He shook his head, and strange disbelief flooded through Esme. This is what he did when she tried to get close to him. He would close up like a clam refraining from any sort of touch or allowing her to see his raw emotions. It was always on his terms, but he never let her do anything to him when she wanted to.
It wasn't fair. Mr.Malfoy was hiding something.
He opened his mouth to speak, and she sat waiting. "Tomorrow I'll expect you in the lobby of the Manor at six thirty. You need to get out of his room, and do something useful for once."
Her jaw fell open at these words. Mr. Malfoy's grey hues were full of fire. A fire that had rose in his body. He was allowing it to get the best of him, not showing the slightest sincerity towards her. He turned on his heel, sending her a quick glare just as Esme found the words she needed to speak.
Make him feel guilty.
"Mr.Malfoy wait."
She stood up from her seat, still keeping distance between them.
He stopped at the door, un-moving. "Did I do something to make you upset. I don't understand?"
He shifted, spinning back around. "Do you ever know when to shut the fuck up?"
Her body stumbled backwards, and she saw regret flood through his features for a split second and then it vanished once again. The softness that trailed up in the corners of his hues became hard as ice. They flickered, and it all fell back into place.
Her eyes fell to the floor, and she heard him inhale sharply and then waited for him to exhale before her eyes trailed along his figure. He stood frozen by the door, waiting to meet her eyes. He scoffed loudly and turned back away, slamming it shut. The fringe of the bedroom door shook loudly, and it felt as if the earth beneath her feet was shaking.
Mr.Malfoy was known to be ruthless without any hesitation, uncaring for the feelings of those around him. As the words left his mouth, she didn't feel the slightest of hurt. She was growing accustomed to this side of him. His closed off side where he didn't resent. Throwing harsh words one after the other.
Never wake up a sleeping dragon.
She was used to it by now. It was his defence mechanism to push those who wanted to care for him away. She wondered if it was Astoria's death that brought him pain. He never spoke of his wife and what happened to her. Esme curiosity bloomed in her chest, deciding on bringing it up on their walk tomorrow.
No sunlight reflected into Esme's room. The sky was still dark, the sun only starting to rise. She rubbed her eyes, turning over to check the time on the clock that hung across the wall from her bed.
6:25 am
Her eyes sprung open, pushing out of bed and begin trying her hair up into a bun. She slipped a pair of boots. Just as she was about to open the door, she paused- turning back around, and walked towards the dresser staring down at the calming draught Mr.Malfoy had brought her yesterday. The sound of footsteps approached from behind her, and someone grabbed her wrist, spinning her around. His apparition was so quiet, she barely heard him land in her room.
"I still have five minutes." she started, but he cut her off without a word. He gently gripped her wrist, pulling her closer to him as they apparated away again. When she felt her feet plant against the gravel floor, he stepped away from her. Esme's balance was slightly off, and she toppled over, falling onto down on the gravel.
"What are you doing?" she cried out as the small pointy stones pierced through her skin, sending a sharp pain up her palm. She hit her knee on a large stone and could already feel the bruising starting to form.
"I have other things to attend to today. Let's hurry this up."
She stood back up, and his eyes fell down to the blood trickling down her palms. He flicked his wand, and the blood disappeared, her clothes clean from the dust and dirt that she had collected from her fall.
She noticed he hadn't been looking at her but directly over her head- peering at the trees far in the distance. The rocks below his feet made no point in making any sound as he walked forward with grace. She wavered. He was being more imprudent than usual. He didn't wait for her to catch up, and Esme huffed, rolling her eyes in annoyance at his childish attitude this early in the morning before running to catch up with his long strides.
They started walking beside the rose bushes that were sprawled out along the flower garden. More roses were planted on the edges of the hedges. The snow contrasted against the blood-red colour. The rose's stood out among the whole Malfoy garden, seeming like the only source of beauty as everything that surrounded them was either dead or dying. They were still standing, even through the harshest seasons. Representing its own uniqueness against the rest. They held power against a garden of flowers that had already given up to fight for life.
The cool morning breeze hit her cheeks, and she shivered as snow fell from the sky, falling on the tops of her curly brown hair. She giggled, staring up at the sky. The sun had now risen into a beautiful grey colour, the clouds filled the sky- remaining in place. The snow continued to fall from above, and she waited as the snowflakes laid upon her face. Her eyelashes fluttered as they turned into water, reaching her eyes.
Esme breathed in the frosty air, closing her eyes with a huge grin across her lips. When she peeked her eyes open by the slightest, she caught Mr.Malfoy admiring her smile. His lips were drawn in a straight line, his own platinum hair dropping down on his forehead, wet with snow. The colour of his skin was unpigmented.
The bright red tint on his sharp nose stood out. His features were rested, but she took notice of the redness rimmed around his eyes, probably from lack of sleep. His long eyelashes fluttered as they drew open and closed. Until he turned, and his hues flew to hers. He looked away, stiffening again.
They continued to walk in silence along the long line of trees. It was dreadful. Esme wanted him to speak and break the continuous quiet. The only sound was the rustling of branches and the low rumble of the wind. She sighed, tilting her head up to look up at him. He kept looking forward, refusing to look at her. When she followed his line of sight, his eyes flickered down momentarily before looking straight back ahead.
"Do you miss your wife?"
He inhaled sharply, now looking down at her, a frown on his pink lips. His eyes danced in amusement as if she had asked him a joke.
"Why do you ask?"
She shrugged her shoulders " You just seem lonely."
He left out a soft laugh, but his hues were glancing at her carefully as if he was planning what to say before she asked. He didn't say anything but paused walking, staring at the Manor from where they stood.
"Did she enjoy your company?" she continued.
"She enjoyed my money and hosting those ridiculous charity events. She cared more about what others thought."
"What happened to her?"
He sniffled as the cold air brushed against his nostrils.
"She died."
Esme's eyes narrowed in confusion to how blunt he appeared to be. There was no remorse in his voice. Her eyes softened " How did she die?"
"There was an attack. A dark explosive bomb, she was in the building and died with the other hundred people."
His tone came out as irritated as if he had told the story a million times and would rather be doing anything else than repeating it all over again. A sharp pain hit her heart, but she ignored it, asking him another question.
"Are you not upset about her dying, along with the rest of the people?"
"I was ordered to marry her and I did."
"Everyone has a choice."
He gritted his teeth together, snapping his head away from her, remaining silent.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling guilty due to her intrusive questions. As much as she yearned for him to share information, she still held sincerity for others. It was apart of who she was. Even for the darkest, cruelest monster that stood before her.
But It was his fault.
If Esme didn't worry for him, it would be easier to resist her emotions. She feared abandonment, and if she allowed her feelings to rise on the surface, it would risk everything she had been pushing away to the farthest parts of her brain. If she got too close and attached, he would leave her- just like everyone else did.
He exhaled again, the cold air flying out of his mouth looking like he released a puff of smoke. His fingertips lifted and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing and then reopening his eyes. "I don't need your false sympathy. Save it for someone who actually gives a fuck".
She wondered how someone could be so cruel. Mr.Malfoy was bi-polar, seeming to switch back and forth. He would be kind and caring one second and then harsh beyond measures she had ever experienced next.
" Okay"
Esme walked past him up the path of the manor, ignoring him from behind her. She heard him sigh loudly as his silent footsteps trailed behind her. Once she got under the warmth of the Manor roof, her body began shaking from the cold.
It descended within her fingertips, all the way down to her legs. Rubbing her palms against her body soothingly, she tried to create friction for more warmth, but nothing was working. Then she froze. Her body kept on shaking, and the cold air stuck in her lungs.
Esme began heaving, her vision going blurry. It felt as if her insides were turning into firm ice. The chilly air from outside has reached the insides of her body. It felt as if the cold isolated in her body, retaining her from the feeling of heat. Her chest rose and fell, counting to ten as she tried to breathe in the mild air. It wasn't working. Her body collapsed on the ground, and she laid limply, as her head smacking against the black marble tiles of the Manor floor.
Draco's footsteps sprinted up the veranda, over to her body. "Esme your having another panic attack. You need to breathe."
She looked up at him, his grey hues full of worry and concern. She could see his eyebrows lifted together in panic as she kept on the heaving, trying to hold on to the smallest bits of oxygen that were willing to flow into her lugs.
"Look at me."
She stared at him, barely blinking now. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and the sounds transferred into her ears. "Did you take the calming draught I sent you."
His words were drowning out. It felt as if she was underwater and were to sink to the very bottom of the ocean. As if the water had gotten into her ears, now leaving her to drown in her own isolation. Alone, with no one.
She shook her head no but couldn't see his expression as her eyes fluttered. Her hand slackly reached around to the back of her head. When she brought it back in front of her eyes, there was blood spread across her fingertips.
"Fuck." he mumbled as he lifted her off the ground. Mr.Malfoy began muttering several spells there were no longer coherent. His voice had faded out from her hearing.
Before she could say anything to him, another sharp pain struck inside her head. Her skull felt like it was being compressed together, both sides pushing inwards, ready to shatter. It was the most tormenting feeling she had ever endured.
A scream left her lips, and she twisted in his grasp, her hands pulling at her hair in agony. The violent thumping of her brain sent painful clashes to her forehead. She tried to open her eyes and breathe, striving to obtain oxygen, but it was simply too far away, moving farther and farther from her grasp.
When have I ever forgotten to heal you?
I told you. You come first.
No one but you.
The words swept through broken cracks, filling her ears for a split second. Then it vanished, and she blacked out.