"Have you seen him?", I asked Stass, who was downing her glass of white wine.
"No, and quit bugging. He's going to show up"
"How do you know? I haven't seen or spoken to him since I left for Ilvermorny. Do you think he's still mad at me?"
"He had two months to get over it. You made a choice, and you chose yourself"
"I don't think he thinks that way", I groaned.
Stass rolled her eyes and picked up two glasses of white wine, handing one of them to me.
"Drink up, Blackwood", Stass said grabbing my wrist and lifting my hand up so the rim of the glass is touching my lip. "We have a party to get through and I don't want to listen to you worry about what a man thinks"
"That man, is my father. He moved me into my dorm at Ilvermorny and got a letter from me right after telling him that I will be deferring the semester to spend time with a boy"
"Not just any boy. Draco's your boyfriend"
"I don't think my father cares"
"I don't think I care. You decided to spend your summer with your boyfriend and your best friend. For all we know, he might not be that bad"
"He sent me a howler that was full of cussing. I didn't even know my father knew all those words"
"Just relax. Drink a some wine and eat some hors d'oeuvres. Your father is going to come. It's your grandfather's party, he wouldn't miss it"
I chugged my glass of white wine and placed it down on the counter of the bar, grabbing another glass of wine. Damn, I wish my grandfather had liquor in this place.
After I parted ways with Draco and left for Ilvermorny, my parents helped move me into my dorm. My first night there was horrible because I felt guilty just leaving Draco behind after everything. I wanted to spend the summer with the boy I love and my best friends, not in a different country going to class.
When I sent an owl home telling my parents I will be coming home instead of staying in Massachusetts, my father immediately sent a howler, cussing me the fuck out and asking me not to come home because he's too disappointed to see my face. Luckily, Narcissa and Lucius were spending their summer away from Malfoy Manor so I moved into there with Draco.
Do I regret deferring a semester? No. It was completely worth pissing my parents off so I could hang out my boyfriend and friends. We all even traveled to Ilvermorny to visit Theo when we could. If stayed at school, I would have been miserable.
"Look who's here", Stass said nudging my arm with her elbow and then pointing over at the entrance to the backyard of my grandfather's Italian home.
Both of my parents arrived together. My mother wore a white silk dress and my father wore a white shirt with black trousers.
I grabbed another glass of wine and downed it to clam my nerves before approaching them.
As I walked over to my parents, my mother presented me with a warm smile while my father shot me with a cold glare.
"Stella, sweetheart", my mother beamed, wrapping her arms around me. "How was your summer? Narcissa told me that you and Draco have been hold up in Malfoy Manor"
"Waste of time", my father muttered under his breath.
"Charles", she groaned, "you have punished out daughter enough. Get off your high horse and give her a hug"
"She dropped out of school, Juliet"
"Stell did not drop out of school. She decided to defer a semester because she is in love"
Thank you. At least someone is on my side.
"Please", my father scoffed. "She's not in love. She was in love with Theodore, then Draco, and then Louis. After that she-"
"I wasn't in love with Louis", I said cutting my father off, immediately regretting saying anything.
"Stella, you picked a boy over your education. You spent your summer being unproductive laying poolside"
"Actually, daddy, Draco and I were able to get ahead of our classes. Our professors at Ilvermorny sent owls with our book list and syllabus. We took notes and read ahead"
"Hmm"
"Yes, we did spend the summer poolside and traveling, but I promise you, I didn't spend all of it doing that"
"Good afternoon, Mr and Mrs Blackwood", greeted Draco.
Thank Merlin. I can't handle the heat coming from my father right now.
"Good afternoon, Draco. Where is your mother?", my mother asked.
"Oh, she's over there talking to Mrs. Nott", he answered, pointing over to the bar.
My mother patted Draco's back and walked away, leaving Draco and I alone with my very angry father. I looked over Draco who looked down at his hand and was playing with his rings. Then, I looked over at my father who was glaring at Draco.
Well, this the most uncomfortable situation to be in.
"I was just telling daddy how we didn't spend the summer wasting out time", I said breaking the awkward silence.
Draco snickered when he heard me refer to my father as "daddy". I hit him in the arm with my elbow because my father's cold glare because angry and agitated.
"It was nice seeing you, Draco. But if you two will excuse me, I have to go talk to the Minister of Magic", my father said with a forced smile.
He patted Draco on the back and gave me a kiss on the top of my head before walking away.
"Well... he doesn't sound that pissed", Draco chuckled. "He probably hates me now"
"He doesn't hate you. He's just disappointed that I skipped out on school for you"
"Was it worth it?", he asked taking both of my hands.
"One hundred percent", I smiled.
"I love you, Stella"
"I love you too"
Draco tucked my hair behind my ear and softly kissed my lips.
"Come on. The group's here and waiting for us", he said pulling me further into the party.
Standing huddled together was Stass, Alex, Blaise, and Theo. With them are their dates. Stass brought Adrian, of course, Alex brought this guy he met in Spain and has been dating, Blaise brought some random girl he met at a pub in London, and Theo brought his new girlfriend that he met while he was studying at Ilvermorny. If you were to ask if me if the array of people who are here today would be here a year ago, I would call you crazy, but I did bring a random French boy I knew for barely a week so I can't really say anything.
"Well isn't it the two love birds", Blaise said taking a sip from his wine glass. "I hate your grandfather by the way. Why doesn't he have any hard liquor?"
"Because he owns a winery and it's a party to celebrate his wine", I said as Stass handed me another glass of wine.
"He could at least have some whiskey or something. Maybe I should talk to him about starting some kind of liquor with me"
"Yes, because my grandfather would love to get into business with a teenage boy who isn't in university", I sarcastically said rolling my eyes.
"Not yet, by the way. Not all of us were able to start Ilvermorny early", he said looking at Theo.
"Hey", Theo said throwing his hands up. "I wasn't the only one. Stella just dipped because she wanted to have a little honeymoon with Draco"
"Don't act like all I did was hang out with Draco", I scoffed. "We all got to see each other during the summer"
"Yeah, but you two were shacked up in Malfoy Manor", said Alex. "The only time I got to see you was at parties"
"Okay, okay", Draco said wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. "You three can lay off my girl. We'll all be able to hang out again when the fall semester starts in two weeks"
"Can I just say, I love seeing you two not going at each other's throats", Stass slurred. "Like a year ago, Stella brought Louis and Draco brought her peonies and she totally threw them away. Oh and when Louis-"
"Stass, shut up before you make things awkward", I sneered. "Here", I said handing her an hors d'oeuvre, "put something in your mouth that isn't your foot"
Stass lowered her eyes and took a bit out her small appetizer.
Looking back the past two years, I wouldn't change a thing. I've a lot from the relationships I've had and without the hardships, I'd probably still be the oblivious girl who was confined by the walls of her childhood relationship. Yes, the heartbreak was painful and kept me off track, but without it, I wouldn't be here with Draco.
Everything has fallen into place. If Theo never cheated on me with Ginny Weasley, our relationship probably would've been dragged along until the day we got married. I probably would've had Stass disapparate with me to an undisclosed location and I would be hiding out there before I even made it to the ceremony. If Draco didn't leave me behind last summer, I wouldn't have been able to experience a mature relationship that lacked love. Dating Louis taught me how I can't just be in a relationship just because it makes my father happy. I have to be with someone because I love them and I love being with them.
Being with Draco has turned my whole life around but I wouldn't trade it with anything else. I love him and I love the love we have. He understands me and knows everything about me with me having to tell him. The time we had apart made us grow and when the time was right, we found each other again. Whether it took us ten months or ten years, we're endgame.
*author's note*
i am sad to say, this story has come to an end :(. thank you all so much for reading not only this fanfic, but friend zone too. writing these stories have given me an escape and a place to write down my relationship dreamscapes. thank you all for the support on my two stories and i will continue on writing my third one, the deadly sins. see ya there <3