The World and Her Stars

Chapter Thirty-Seven

ROSE POV

Draco was still asleep when I woke up, still tucked into his chest, right between his arms.

Carefully, I slithered out of his grasp, and headed for the bathroom. I brushed my teeth as the shower warmed up behind me.

I stepped in, and breathed in the steam, welcoming the warmth of the water on my cool skin.

My head dipped back into the stream, wetting my hair, almost sending me into a trance.

In my head, I was washing away everything I had occluded. The fight with my father. His harsh words and my impulsive remarks back at him. The worried look on my mother's face.

I wasn't sure if that look was for me, or for herself, as we had garnered the attention of the whole room at that point.

I wish my mother would stand up for herself at some point. Stand up to my father. Put him in his place.

But she never would. That's not how she was raised. She was forced into compliance. Forced to my father.

When my mother fell pregnant with me, it nearly killed her. When they found out I was a girl, my father decided for her that they would continue trying for a boy, even if that meant risking her health.

She had no say. She was just to be his wife. A mother to his kids. Nothing more.

5 miscarriages and many a near death experience for my mother. That's what it took for my father to finally give up on the idea of a male heir.

He holds a certain resentment towards my mother, as if she had any control in how her body reacted to carrying a child. His child.

Sometimes I felt bad for my mother. Sometimes I was angry with her. She shielded me from so much, but never the anger of my father, and that's what I needed the most shielding from as a child.

"Good morning." A raspy voice stated from behind me, causing me to jump slightly.

"Christ..." I put a hand to my chest and his, "...you scared me."

Draco smirked tiredly and stepped into the water, letting it run over his face to wake him up.

The water trickled down his toned body that I was now admiring. He was gorgeous. Stupidly gorgeous. How was it even fair that I had him all to myself?

"Did you sleep well?" I asked, putting my palms flat on his chest, and peering up at him.

He hummed a yes and let the water run through his white-blonde locks.

"You?" he asked, looking down at me now with water droplets dropping from him eyelashes.

I hummed back, wrapping my arms around his torso and laying my head on his chest, "Thank you for helping me last night."

He wrapped his arms loosely around my waist, "Of course, love." He kissed the top of my head.

"You looking forward to London today?" I asked, "I heard the muggles have done it up beautifully around Christmas."

He smiled softly, "If you're there, I'm looking forward to it."

I blushed under the hot water.

"I'm just trying to think of something to get you for Christmas. You're a rather difficult person to shop for, you know?" he chuckled slightly.