Staged Hearts - Draco Malfoy (enemies to lovers)

7. Kissed

The morning in the Great Hall began like any other, with Aria sitting between  Lorenzo and Mattheo at the Slytherin table.

The clinking of utensils and the hum of morning conversations filled the space, but of course, the familiar tension between her and Draco  Malfoy was already brewing.

"You really think you’re hot stuff, don’t you, Malfoy?" Aria remarked, stabbing a fork into her scrambled eggs.

Draco, sitting directly across from her with Blaise at his side, leaned back in his chair, smirking. "It’s not about thinking, Sinclair. I know I am."

Aria scoffed. "That confidence is going to get you hexed one day."

"I’m shaking in my boots," Draco replied, sarcasm dripping from his words as he took a bite of toast.

Their banter was a constant in the group, and by now, it had become a source of endless amusement for their friends. This morning, however, Pansy had clearly reached her limit.

"You know," she interrupted, raising an eyebrow as she casually sipped her tea. "The way you both argue... It’s pretty obvious it’s just sexual tension."

The table went silent for a split second before bursting into laughter. 

Lorenzo nearly choked on his pumpkin juice, and Mattheo was grinning from ear to ear. Blaise pounded his fist on the table, roaring with laughter.

Aria and Draco, however, snapped their heads toward Pansy at the same time, their faces quickly flushing red.

"Shut up!" they both yelled in unison, their voices overlapping.

"Oh, come on," Mattheo said between chuckles. "Pansy’s not wrong."

Aria shot him a deadly glare. "Shut up, Riddle. Not another word."

Enzo, wiping tears from his eyes, grinned at Aria. "Honestly, though, there’s some truth in it. You and Draco always going at it like this—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Aria kicked him sharply under the table, causing him to yelp in pain. He rubbed his shin, glaring at her.

"Touché, Sinclair,"  Lorenzo muttered.

Aria crossed her arms, glaring at the laughing group of boys. "You’re all idiots."

"Idiots who know what they’re talking about," Blaise chimed in, still grinning.

Draco, recovering from his initial embarrassment, crossed his arms and leaned forward on the table, the smirk returning to his face.

"Let them talk, Sinclair. We both know it’s just that you can’t keep up with me."

Aria glared back, her cheeks still red. "Oh, please. If there’s any tension between us, it’s because you’re so full of yourself."

"And you’re just mad that you can’t handle it," Draco replied with a wink.

Aria opened her mouth to retort, but  Lorenzo quickly stepped in. "Okay, okay, enough. We’ve got class soon, and I’d rather not deal with the two of you bickering the whole way."

Aria glared at Draco one last time before turning to her breakfast, still fuming.

Draco just laughed to himself, clearly pleased with how easily he could rile her up.

---

Later that evening, the corridors of Hogwarts were much quieter. Aria had just exited the library, completely absorbed in her book as she made her way back to the common room.

Her eyes skimmed the page, lost in the story, her mind far from the banter of the morning.

At the same time, Draco was hurrying down the hall, desperately trying to get away from Clarissa Rosewood.

The obsessive girl had been trailing him all day, her high-pitched voice grating on his nerves as she babbled about wanting to spend time with him.

He’d tried to dodge her multiple times, but Clarissa was relentless.

Spotting Aria up ahead, absorbed in her book and not paying attention, Draco's mind worked quickly. Without thinking, he saw his escape and rushed toward her.

Before she could even realise what was happening, Draco pinned her against the wall, causing her book to fall to the floor with a thud.

Aria’s eyes went wide with shock, and her first instinct was to snap at him.

"What the—" she started, but before she could finish her sentence, Draco pressed his lips against hers.

Aria froze, her body stiffening as her mind struggled to process what was happening.

Her heart raced in her chest, and for a split second, she couldn’t move, too shocked to react.

Just as she regained control of her senses and tried to push him away, Draco muttered against her lips, his voice barely a whisper. "Just play along."

Aria blinked, momentarily stunned by his words. Play along? With this?

She was about to protest, but something in his voice—desperation, perhaps—made her pause.

Against her better judgement, she hesitated, and before she knew it, her body instinctively relaxed, and she found herself kissing him back.

The moment their lips fit together, something clicked, but Aria quickly shoved that thought away. She was doing this as a favour, nothing more.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clarissa standing at the end of the corridor, watching them with wide eyes.

The obsessive girl looked furious, her face red with anger. After a few more seconds of watching, Clarissa stormed off in a huff.

As soon as Clarissa was gone, Aria shoved Draco back, glaring at him. "What the hell was that, Malfoy?"

Draco smirked, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "Had to do something to get rid of Clarissa. That girl’s been stalking me all day."

Aria narrowed her eyes at him, her face still flushed from the kiss. "So your grand idea was to kiss me?"

He shrugged, completely unfazed. "Seemed like the best way to make her back off."

Aria threw her hands up in frustration. "You could’ve just told her you weren’t interested!"

"Trust me, I’ve tried. She doesn’t take no for an answer," Draco replied casually.

Aria crossed her arms, still glaring at him. "Next time, find someone else to kiss."

Draco raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "Why? Did you hate it that much?"

Aria’s cheeks flushed even more, and she quickly bent down to retrieve her fallen book, trying to avoid his gaze. "Shut up, Malfoy."

Draco chuckled, watching her as she fumbled with her book. "Whatever you say, Sinclair."

As Aria straightened up, book in hand, she glared at him one last time before storming off down the corridor.

Draco watched her go, a satisfied smirk on his face. Sure, he had kissed her to get rid of Clarissa, but there was something about the way Aria had kissed him back...

Shaking his head, he pushed the thought aside and started walking back toward the common room.

Whatever had happened, he was sure it wasn’t the last time they’d be at each other’s throats—or lips.

💚