Bitter Chocolate - (A 'Veronica Weasley' sequel) || Draco Malfoy

8 - Bambi's Confession

To say that Bambi was overjoyed that I was catering for her wedding again was an understatement.

"OH RONNIE THIS IS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" She squealed, throwing her arms around me and jumping up and down ecstatically. "We're going to have so much fun planning the menu. I've got great ideas for the wedding breakfast and then there's the evening buffet, of course. Oh, Ronnie, there's some darling little places I want us to go to to do some research. I have a list of wonderful restaurants and quaint little eateries for us to try out. Oh, it's going to be the most fabulous ten months of our lives!"

Ten long fucking months.

And she skipped off into the Manor to go and fetch her plans, making me promise not to go anywhere.

"I do appreciate this, Ronnie," Draco said pulling out a chair for me at the garden table.

We were back in the Aviary garden. As soon as I had agreed to Draco's request, he had insisted we go straight to Peverell Manor to let Bambi in on the good news.

"Like I said," I muttered, looking him directly in the eye as I took the seat, trying not to shiver as I caught a whiff of his cologne, "I'm doing it for the business."

The look he gave me as he took the seat opposite me was unreadable. I could sense, however a tinge of sadness. "All the same, I'm glad you're here."

Draco remained sat with us throughout the rest of the afternoon, not contributing much, as Bambi excitedly reeled off all her ideas and gave me an endless list of her favourite restaurants.

I found it highly uncomfortable, feeling his eyes on me as I tried to concentrate on Bambi. I wondered, given what I knew, if she even cared that her fiancé was so obviously disinterested in the wedding and more interested in the caterer. If she noticed Draco's behaviour, she certainly didn't show it.

They barely seemed to converse. But then with Bambi, no one usually had a chance to speak anyway so it was difficult for me to read what kind of relationship they had.

I decided to start finding out for myself. If I could just make their relationship real and learn to accept it, then maybe I could find this easier to deal with.

"So, how long have you been together?" I asked, jumping in a rare window of silence as Bambi stopped to breathe.

It was like someone flicking a switch on the atmosphere.

Draco looked up at me sharply, his grey eyes piercing into me.

"Oh... well," Bambi shrugged, seeming uncomfortable as she shuffled some papers. "Daddy made the announcement about a month before the engagement party. So I guess almost four months now."

And then she gave the heaviest of sighs as she stared into the distance at nothing in particular.

Jesus fuck to christ, Blaise hadn't been wrong about this fucked up arrangement. I'd never seen someone look so resigned to their fate as Bambi.

"Oh, that's erm... sweet," I said, really not being able to find the right sentiment.

I glanced back to Draco who chose that moment to look awkwardly away.

"Anyway! Look at the time!" Bambi said making a theatrical show of looking at her watch. "I've kept you so long, dear Ronnie, I do apologise. I have a tendency to get carried away with these things."

"No problem," I said, getting to my feet and gathering up the papers. "It's good to be working with you again."

And I was surprised at how much I really meant that.