Say Something

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 (Ch. 12 cont.)

She couldn't move. She could barely breath. Draco was kissing her, as if everything depended on it. The way his lips moved against hers made her wish there was more time in the world for them to stay like this forever.

He let her go and took a step back, unsure of what he just did. Tears formed in her eyes, as if she had any left.

"Why did you do that?" was all she could ask.

"I had to."

"You're married."

"To a wife who doesn't care."

"Is this your definition of treatment? To give me false hope? To make my lasting days seem endless? Is that what you wanted?"

"It was to give you faith, Hermione. You should try it."

"So you're saying the reason I shouldn't die tomorrow, the reason I should keep fighting, is for you?"

He gripped the railing tightly, still turned towards her and replied, "You're all I have left."

And in one single, throbbing moment, it became her turn to kiss him.

•••

That night the two returned directly to her flat, breaking his boss's rule, but they could just not bring themselves to care.

Draco never thought about his wife, wondering where he was off to again. He didn't think of what his boss might say when he would find out she didn't return to bed.

Hermione did not have to think about tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.

All she had was him and all he had was her, and that was exactly what mattered.

•••

Draco awoke the next morning, for once, in the arms of another human being. Hermione was curled up to his side, sleeping soundly. He never realized before, but she actually purred in her sleep. It was undeniably adorable.

He carefully removed himself from her hold and searched for his clothes. For now, he put on his pants and headed into the bathroom to wash his face. As he did, he looked in the mirror and frowned.

He didn't like what he saw. What he saw was an idiot. A complete fool, falling for a girl who they both knew could die in a few months time. And his wife? What about his wife? She would just gloat and say she told him so. Maybe Astoria was right, maybe he shouldn't have done what he did. But why had he done it?

Suddenly, two arms wrapped themselves around his waist along with a trail of kisses down his back.

Oh yeah, that's why, he thought.

He turned around in her embrace and looked down at her, who was positively emitting beauty. "Good morning," he whispered down to her.

"Morning, Malfoy. Sleep well?"

"The best I've ever had," he smirked.

She smiled and said, "I'm sorry that I don't have anything to eat here. It's been a while since I've been shopping."

"That's alright. We should get back to the hospital anyway, my boss will have my head once he realizes we didn't come back last night."

"Just tell him I fell asleep at my flat."

"I'm supposed to be with you."

"Tell him we fell asleep together."

"I think the fact that we both didn't return last night implies it all," he said with another smirk, "Now let's get going."

•••

Draco waited for her to pack a few extra belongings from her apartment to bring back to the hospital.

When they arrived back, Draco had to bribe the secretary not to say a word. Luckily, his boss wasn't there yet to see them sneak back into her room.

She dropped her duffel bag on the bed and immediately started unpacking. "Well, Granger, I think I should be getting back to-"

"Your wife?"she questioned cockily.

"I was going to say the woman I lived with who also happened to be the bride at my wedding but whatever you'd like to call it," he answered back sarcastically. Just before he left, he kissed her softly on the cheek and shut the door.

•••

Upon arriving back, he went into the dining room where he once again caught Astoria eating dinner by herself and his plate sitting on the other side of the table. Wordlessly, he sat down in his chair and began eating.

"Do I have to ask where you were last night?" she asked.

"I thought you didn't care."

"I do care, Draco. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Do you love me?" he asked as if it were a casual question.

"On some level," was what she replied all too quickly, "Do you love me?"

"On some level," he copied.

"Do you love her?" Now that was a question worth choking on his food. Did he love her? If he did, he was a fool. If he didn't, he was still a fool. "Speechless, Draco?" she tempted, "I thought you might be."

"I care for her."

"As a Healer or a lover? You could be both, but only one makes you an idiot."

She set her napkin on her plate and walked towards him. She then kissed him on the cheek in a way he could only describe as being burned to the touch. "Love is weakness, Draco," she whispered in his ear before spinning around and leaving him to his thoughts.