Just My Type

Short Story Part II

She had been looking at her suitcase for the past hour, that lay open on her bed, clothes thrown haphazardly all over the room. She had been debating on what to wear to meet up with Malfoy. What does one wear to meet up with your childhood nemesis after not seeing them for several years? When Hermione had packed for her short excursion to France, she hadn't thought about packing some stunning outfit. She packed for the practical. There were some nice blouses, but nothing that would turn any heads. 

After two coffees, she had finally decided on a simple white blouse. It was spaghetti strapped and along its u-shaped neckline was some frilly lace. She paired it with a light pink skirt and simple tan sandals. Hermione was running on the assumption that they weren't going anywhere within the wizarding community and opted for muggle clothes. She put on some mascara, slight shimmery eyeshadow, some pink gloss, and a bit of concealer. She looked nice enough. It is not like there was anyone there she was trying impress, especially not Malfoy. 

She noticed the time and saw that she still had well over an hour before she had to make her way towards the cafe, their meeting spot. She grabbed a book from her bag and started to read. After about ten minutes, she had noticed that she just kept re-reading the same paragraph over and over again. She just kept thinking about the upcoming dinner with Malfoy. What would they talk about? What had he been up to this past year? Why did he invite her to dinner?

With a frustrated sigh, she slammed the book closed and got up. Looking around her hotel room she saw that there were still many articles of clothing strung throughout the room. To keep her mind busy, she began repacking, folding, and organizing her room. Every once in awhile she would stare at her outfit and clothes and second guess the outfit she had finally decided on, but eventually just folded them up and put them away. 

Soon enough, it was finally time for her to apparate to the near by ally by the cafe. She felt the familiar uncomfortable tug of the apparation and landed in the hidden ally. She doubled checked her surroundings to make sure that no one saw her and made her way to the spot she was supposed to meet Malfoy. 

The sun was already set and the only light source was the occasional lamp light from the overhead lamps that lined the streets. There weren't too many people around. Hermione kept her eye out for Malfoy's blond head. She began pacing when she did not see him. Picking at her nails, she took a deep breath to try to calm her nerves. Her heart was beating violently in her chest. 

The sound of footstep caught her attention and turned to see Malfoy appear before her. He looked nice. Well put together. His towheaded locks were gelled back. He wore a linen white button down with beige cotton pants and dark leather dress suits. Not a wrinkle in sight (which was impressive given the material). He gave an awkward half grin. 

"Granger," he nodded.

She gave a small grin, "Malfoy."

He stuck his hand out in the direction they were meant to be headed, "Shall we?"

With a nod and an awkward smile, Hermione began to walk side by side with Malfoy. She tried to look at anything but him. They walked shoulder to shoulder along the water, but they did not touch.  There was a slight breeze, but it still felt warm despite the fact that the sun already set.

"So uh, where are we going?" Hermione asked. 

"A small little restaurant called La Cucina. It is a mixture of Italian and French."

"Oh I love Italian," Hermione said with a smile.

Malfoy smiled, "Me too."

After a few minutes of walking in silence, they had made it to the restaurant. It was very small. They had several tables that were out on the street as well as some inside. They had plants hanging from pots and a beautiful chandelier, which didn't quite seem to fit with the rest of the laidback vibe of the restaurant. The bustling of the workers and cooks could be heard.