Don't worry. I don't own anything. It is the world of JK Rowling. We are just living in it ;) And none of the art except the cover page belongs to me. HAPPY READING!
It was a mess in her head. Two of them, Astoria and Joanne had already arrived at the venue along with the other guests requested by the Lady Malfoy herself which was the ballroom of Malfoy Manor itself. When you have it to yourself why waste it? Hermione figured.
Rich people, she scoffed while rushing to grab her phone from the room. What did you expect? While rushing down the stairs, she almost tripped but was caught by the other Malfoy, she had to loathe lesser these past days.
"Damn", she cursed.
"I expected something along the lines of, you look handsome, Malfoy but I guess this compliment works too," he remarked while holding her elbow and plastering his signature smirk across the smug face of his.
Already flustered because of the situation, she was sure she had turned tomato red at his remark.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Malfoy."
"Why don't you do that too, for me?"
She simply did not expect that but she was not backing down from it.
"Hah, you wish," she smirked back at him and continued "You save these lines for today's party, and please use them to woo at least one of them, and only two are left." She purposely coughed at the end of the sentence. it was a wonder that what started as an insult came out as a request.
Huh, never mind.
Suddenly, Draco's expression from that of confidence to a face of regret and confusion, and simultaneously the vibe of the room changed.
She looked directly into his eyes for a second and took in his appearance fully. He looked gorgeous, even if a man could look so good.
He wore a simple white t-shirt and a silver blazer over it matching with the pants. The way he carried himself was something she imagined was possible in fiction. When her sight reached his eyes again, it seemed that the time stopped for a moment.
It was difficult to apprehend whether the color of his eyes was blue or grey. She found herself wishing it was grey. Those eyes held a hurricane of emotions and she was oblivious about the fact that she was one of the many reasons behind it. Such a pity.
"Hey Hermione, I don't want to do this." He gave a dramatic pause before continuing. " I don't believe I deserve anyone of them."
"What! Malfoy, what the hell are you saying? And that too now." She seethed.
"You don't understand Granger." He looked defeated but she knew they will emerge victorious with a little more effort from his side.
"Look at me Malfoy, you are doing nothing wrong. And for the deserving part, it is for her to decide and not you. No pressure right now, all you need to do is go in there", she said pointing at the large ebony door "Talk with Astoria and Joanne, spend some time and when it is over tell me how you felt."
"Can you do this?" she asked him softly and noticed that she was holding his hands.
Frack! When did that happen?
She bends her head softly towards him and saw how his eyes regained confidence at her words. He snapped up his eyes and at that moment history repeated.
TWICE!!
She fell again while cursing her clumsy nature and the high heels. And he caught her. The only difference was that this time he held her close and he held her by her waist. One arm was wrapped around his neck and the other rested on his chest.
She could see the exact moment his eyes lightened up with mischief and his lips turned upward and she anticipated his next words.
"What to do Granger, I think you just fell for me."
She huffed and rolled her eyes trying to free herself from his grasp but he held her close. She paused briefly and the next moment his lips were on hers.
Soft but forceful, sudden but planned, sophisticated but nerve-wracking.
There were no fireworks or all that nonsense written in the novels but she was sure of one thing after considering the cheetah pace of her heartbeat. She should not have liked it but........
She did.
~~~~~~~~
His eyes were closed, hers were wide open. His breathing was shallow, hers was erratic. His facial expressions were set in passion but she was overthinking every second but she did not regret it.
Was it possible to feel so much and so conflicted just by the mere touch of lips?
Still, they were different as they always were. Here, in this situation and life. This was not correct. She had to do something before it got out of hand.
She did not like him, not at all. So what if he praised her once, it wasn't the first time. It is Draco Malfoy for merlin's sake.
She had to leave and she had to do it now.
She turned back on her heels, half expecting him to grab her elbow but it never came. Instead, he rushed in front of her to block her way.
"Grang... Hermione, I am sorry. I should not have done that without your permission."
"It's okay, Malfoy. It was just a spur of the moment you don't need to apologize," she replied while holding her palm up to face him.
"And, Granger's back."
"Go, Malfoy. Otherwise, you're going to be late for your party. And," she threatened "no one should know about the little stunt you played here, am I clear?"
"Yes, professor." He taunted but decided to sincerely ask for another chance, "I am sorry, Hermione. I don't know what took over me. I want this relationship to be professional only. I apologize."
"These are exactly my thoughts. Just......" she paused and looked at his eyes as if pleading and warning, "don't ever do that again."
He nodded in response and left the gallery cursing himself and heavens for just happened. Why did he say that and more importantly, why did he do that?
He grabbed a handful of his strands and pulled on them in hope that it would knock some sense into his daft brain.
On the other side of the corner, Hermione had her palm over her heart to control the beat that had quickened again when she saw him coming towards her again.
"A quick question, what do I look for?"
At his absurd and sudden question, she raised her eyebrow and said, "what?"
"I mean, what is the indication that she is the one when I talk to them?"
"Just, go with your intuition and I am not forcing you to choose from them only. Take your time and maybe look for butterflies."
If she had to express the current expression of bewilderment on his face, she could not do that without a hearty laugh. His eyes bawled out and his mouth was open wide.
She used her hand to close his mouth and explained, "you know, the feeling when you get excited and nervous but still want to further and take the risk like butterflies in your stomach."
"Is that your way of telling me to look for indigestion?"
She tried to control but could not and burst into giggles.
He thought it was the sweetest sound he had ever heard and given a billion-dollar smile of his own.
He would do anything to hear that again, not because he liked her only because the sound seemed to take all of his stress away, even if it was momentous.
They both waved their goodbyes and thanked the lord that the awkwardness between them had managed to diminish by notches.
Little did they know that their escapade had an uninvited spectator all long......
A/N – really sorry for the delay in updating. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not much of it is happening but I am sure we are coming to it.
As usual, any comments, constructive criticism, or reviews are more than welcome!
Don't forget to comment and vote if you like the story. Stay safe.
~ gK