Don't Ever Forget

XVII.

To my amusement, Draco is sitting at the same table he was at the last time I saw him here. Although the last time, we were in opposite situations. I had been furious at him for avoiding me and now he thinks I'm avoiding him. Funny how things turn out sometimes.

When I sit down across from him he meets my eyes without saying a word. I know he's thinking of what to say but I don't give him any time.

"I'm not avoiding you you know. Or at least I don't mean to," I say and he seems surprised at me saying this. Whatever he had planned on telling me, he wasn't going to tell me anymore.

"Oh," he replies. I smile at him when a waitress walks up to our table with a notepad and pencil in hand.

"What can I get for you two?" she asks.

"Can I get an iced cold brew, please? Extra cream, too." I ask and she notes it down in the notepad.

"And for you, sir?" she asks Draco.

"Just a black coffee." he says and she jots it down before walking away. Draco starts to laugh.

"Extra cream, huh?" he teases and I roll my eyes.

"I like my coffee extra sweet, I don't really like when my coffee is bitter." I say, poking fun at his order, too.

"It seems we truly are opposites." he says and I take note of his statement.

"Maybe for some things..." I say. We sit in silence for a bit, just looking at each other. We both know there's an elephant in the room yet neither of us knows how to address it.

"About last night..." I say but he interrupts me.

"Let's just forget it. I think I overstepped a boundary. We agreed to be friends so that's what we'll-" he starts but I can't bear to hear him finish the sentence. A burst of courage flows through me and I lean right over the table and kiss him. By the way his lips feel on mine, I can tell he's more surprised at me than I am. It only takes a moment for him to adjust before he craddles my face in his hands and kisses me back. I take in the sensation of him. His mouth tastes slightly of mint and the bands of silver on his fingers are cold against my cheeks. I take it all in.

"Ahem."

We break apart and the waitress is standing beside the table with an awkward smile.

"Sorry to interrupt. Here you are." she says and places our drinks in front of us. She walks away in a hurry and Draco chuckles. I can already tell my face is red from the kiss so I try to look away from him, hoping he won't notice.

"You look pretty when you blush." he states in a playful voice. Of course, this makes me blush more but I smile at him.

"About that night... I don't know why but I just felt overwhelmed and I took it out on you. I do like you, Draco. Things are just complicated, especially with you. But I know I can handle it now." I say after I built up the courage to say what I needed to say.

"You know you can handle it now?" he asks with an eyebrow raised. I laugh at his expression.

"Aside from the complicated relationship between you and my best friends, I had a lot on my mind. That night I was under a lot of pressure to come up with the right plan. I thought that I needed to focus solely on my job or I could never get it right but I was wrong. I came up with something that could help people and everyone liked the idea. Not even Billingsgate could tell me my idea wasn't good enough. So... I guess that just made me realize I'm not as hopeless as I thought. And that yes, I can handle you now." I explain.

"Well, that's good to hear," he says with a smile.

"But, I have some conditions for our new... relationship," I say, remembering his conditions to our friendship. He just raises an eyebrow so I continue.

"No more fighting with Harry. You already bullied him enough at Hogwarts, you should try to move past it now that you're older and since you know he's the one you hurt," I begin.

"He came to start a fight with me first!" he says and I give him a glare.

"Well, you should deescalate it instead of trying to antagonize him!" I argue. Draco pauses and sighs in defeat.

"Alright, alright. What are the other conditions?"

"I don't want you to push me away again, ever. You're going to tell me the truth always and be straightforward if something is wrong. You don't have to say cruel things to me if you want to be left alone," I finish and he nods.

"That one is easy. I won't do that again," he says.

"Promise?" I ask.

"I promise," he says after a small pause, "Any other conditions you have?"

"No, I'm done for now. But if I think of any more I'll let you know." I say and he chuckles. I take a drink of my coffee and I can see him watch me bring the straw to my lips. I can feel my cheeks starting to warm so I change the subject.

"So... I hope you'll still be walking me home every night," I say.

"Of course, I was planning on doing that anyway. Even if you wanted to stay just friends," He says. He takes a drink of his coffee and now I watch as he brings the cup to his lips. The coffee cup looks small in his hands and his rings are glistening in the sunlight. His lips look delicate on the rim of the cup, like he's being gentle. I look into his eyes and realize he was watching me stare. Knowing Draco like this, knowing Draco's kiss, would need some getting used to.

"Do you have to get back to the Ministry?" he asks after we've finished our drinks.

"No, actually. I'm done for today," I reply.

"Well, I can walk you home before I have to go back," he offers and I smile.

"I'd like that," I say and we get up to leave. Before leaving the cafe I notice a group of five people at a table staring. I don't recognize them at first but I realize that three of them are some of the people that were staring at us the first time we ever came to the cafe. This time they actually do look angry with no trace of fear. It's just five men that look completely ordinary. I don't recognize them from the Ministry but they must be wizards. They're talking to each other but I can't make out what they're saying. I accidentally make eye contact with one and he glares at me. I quickly turn away and grab Draco's arm as we walk away. When I turn to see if they're still staring, they are. With the same expression filled with hate.

"Thank you for walking me home," I say when we reach my front door. He just smiles at this.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he replies.

"And the day after that," I say dreamily, thinking of Draco walking me home every day. He chuckles then takes a step forward to kiss me. He places a hand on my hip and his lips meet mine for just a moment. A short yet sweet kiss.

"Goodbye," I say although it feels like I lost my breath.

"Goodbye," Draco smiles and disapparates. At this moment, I feel so happy. I close the door and smile to myself while humming the tune I heard Draco hum when he first brought me to the hidden park.