light me another
"I take it you're the cause for that girl running out of here in tears?" Dru asked with a slight smile, in her attempt to be funny.
"Yeah." He smirked back, looking down at the cigarette in his hand.
"She seemed pretty pissed, what'd you do?" She asked again, and he for some reason, wasn't as annoyed with her questioning than he usually would have been.
"Didn't give her what she wanted, I suppose." He shrugged, inhaling the smoke. Dru nodded, before looking to her feet and back through the smokey haze.
"So, you just moved in right? Haven't really seen you around before." She continued the conversation. He looked around, curious as to why she was insistent to talking with him. He always kept his guard up, but she seemed innocent enough to not be a spy or a part of the Potter alliance. And it couldn't hurt to just play nice for a bit, especially if he'd be here for a while.
"Yeah, uh, came here for work." He lied somewhat. It wasn't totally a lie, but it wasn't like he was getting paid for his services to the dark lord.
"Ah, and what is it that you do?" She continued to pry, and he finally became irritated just a bit. He hated answering questions. But for some reason, he still decided to answer, even if it were just another lie.
"I'm a P.I. Can't really go into too much detail about it." He told her. This was a decent cover for him, usually because if people found out he was a private investigator, they knew to shut up with the questions. She nodded, feeling a bit invasive for being curious, but she just enjoyed good conversations with people. She was definitely an extrovert, always trying to make friends with whoever she could. Mostly because everyone had stories, and she loved hearing them. We all lived such different lives and it was enticing. Why waste your life not getting to know how everyone lives theirs? "Do you, uh, live here?" He now asked, as she perked up, thrilled that he was continuing with the conversation.
"Oh, no. My friend does though, so I'm here a lot more than I probably should be." She smiled to herself. He felt a little relieved. He didn't want to know the people in this building. He didn't want to make connections on a personal level with anyone, considering once he left, he'd never be back. And there was no point in making friends, especially with the darkness surrounding his life. "I live uh, over by the museum off Madison Avenue. I work there actually."
"What do you do?" He found himself asking. He was a bit conflicted because yes, he had no desire to get to know anyone, but something about her seemed different. Maybe it was just the nicotine and the three whiskey sours he drank just over an hour ago. Or maybe it was just the fact that she was the first girl to not flirt with him, which may have made his ego hurt a little.
"I'm an assistant to the curator. Manage her meetings, take calls, stuff like that." She continued, as he nodded in response. She went back to feeling annoying by her talking. As much as she loved people, she really felt like a nuisance with how she always insisted on talking to them. Social anxiety, I suppose.
"Dru, you coming in?" The sound of a chipper voice came from the entrance door, and the two of them looked to see a tall redheaded man, with just his head poking outside the door.
"Yeah, sorry." She responded, ashing the cigarette into the smokers outpost, as the guy looked between her and Draco, curiously, and then he went back inside. "It was uh, nice talking to you, Draco. I'm sure I'll see you around?"
"Yeah, you too." He said back. She stopped for a moment, feeling generous, and reached back into her pocket.
"Oh, and uh, for your troubles." She handed him the rest of her pack, and he looked at it, hesitant and surprised. "Don't worry, I have another pack in my purse, so it's no biggie." She smiled at him, and he finally smiled back at her in return. Taking it, she then went back in, and down the hall to her friends door. She walked in to see him seated on the couch, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.
"Making friends with my new neighbor, I see?" He questioned with a smirk, handing her a drink.
"He needed a smoke, so I figured why not." She shrugged, taking a seat on the couch beside him.
"He's cute." He exclaimed, enthusiastically, still smirking in her direction.
"Ziggy!" She shoved his side, playfully. "He's straight, so don't even try it."
"Pastas always straight until you get it a little wet, ya know." He winked, taking a quick swig.
"You're ridiculous." Dru rolled her eyes, while taking a sip as well. Draco definitely was cute, but he was a bit reserved and closed off, and Dru also wasn't very good at picking the best guys to date.
"But I'm referring to you, girl." He continued to stare at her, as she eyed the glass in her hands. "I mean, it's been three years since, well, you know, and maybe it's time you start dating again."
"Oh, thank you for your blessing." She rolled her eyes, sinking into the plush cushions of the couch.
"You know what I mean. You're allowed to be happy, you know? You don't have to continue to suffer because of your past." He reached forward, placing his hand on her leg. "I've know you since college, and you've always been strong willed and had a good head on your shoulders. I can see you're getting there again, but maybe you just need that extra push, babes."
"When I meet the right person, I'll take that chance. For now, I'm perfectly content by myself." She informed him, trying to conjure up some confidence in her statement, but she knew he was right. She did feel lonely, and her past haunted her tremendously, but she could never admit that out loud. Her friends knew it, so no need to wallow in the self pity.
"Girl, I love you, but you've spent nearly everyday at my place for god knows how long. I know you don't want to be alone. And I know you're scared." He continued to eye the girl beside him, brushing her hair from her face, and behind her ear. "It's okay to be scared. And it's okay to have walls built, especially after all you've endured, but those walls don't need to be so damn high." Her eyes looked to his, as she let out a quiet sigh. She hated admitting it, but he was right. It was time for her to branch out.
"Alright. I will start looking. But if I'm going on a date, you'll be joining me." She demanded with a smirk.
"That'd be kinda weird wouldn't it?" He scrunched up his nose and brows.
"I mean you're going on a date too! You and Brandon broke up six months ago." She told him, as he rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Then let's make this a challenge, shall we?"
"God, you and your challenges." She shook her head, grabbing her drink again, and taking a much larger sip.
"Both of us are to find someone by the end of the week. No exceptions. And we go on a double date, got it?"
"Fine." She shrugged, trying to look confident. "That'll be easy enough."
"Well, I've been talking to this guy from the coffee shop anyways, and he's been asking me out for a while now, so really, it's you who needs to find someone." He flipped his hand up, pretending to flip his hair, and smirked, crossing his arms. "So your turn."
"I'll find someone. Don't worry about it. I mean how hard can it be? There's plenty of guys out there." She shrugged and Ziggy stayed quiet for a moment, before bursting into a fit of laughter.
"Oh, honey, you have no idea what's in store for you." He laughed, knowing there were absolutely not plenty of fish in the sea, and men could be the absolute worst. "Now what'd ya say? Brokeback Mountain or Love Actually?"
"God, what is your obsession with these cheesy romance movies? I mean, Brokeback Mountains great, but you literally recite half the lines to it." She reached forward, pouring herself another glass, and then cuddling up next to her friend. "Why not Kill Bill? You still owe me after you fell asleep last time." She rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, always the violence with you." He groaned, jumping up and scanning the shelf of movies that both Dru and him had acquired over the years. Finally spotting it, he grabbed it from the collection and pulled the dvd out of the case. "Fine, considering I don't feel like spending the next hour arguing over what to watch and then passing out in defeat."
"You're the best." She winked, throwing her feet to the side, and glancing out the window. For some reason, she wondered if the man she had encountered would still be out there. She didn't know why, but he was intriguing. His whole demeanor, nicely dressed, the British accent, it all was enticing. But she just saw the empty space, occupied by a harsh wind, and no sight of this man with the strange foreign name. Draco Malfoy. A perfect name for someone so mysterious. What was it about him? She shook her head slightly, looking to the television, and now feeling slightly stressed about having to find someone to go on a date with her.
This was going to be a disaster.