It's Never Simple
Ginny Weasley gasped for breath in between her sobs. She still felt empty, lost almost, without him. His blonde hair, his stormy grey eyes.
She thought back to the night they'd broken up and their last kiss.
"You're an arrogant, pretentious, cold hearted twat!" Ginny Weasley yelled, her red hair like fire behind her.
Draco Malfoy regarded her coolly. "What?"
"My family, Malfoy! When you stand there and insult Ron's family don't you ever stop to think, oh wait, they're also my girlfriend's relatives?"
"You're not seriously upset about that are you?" He lifted an eyebrow. "Ginny you know I only say the things I say to annoy Ron. It's not my fault he's such a prick."
"You're such an infant Malfoy. Don't you realise that the things you say hurt?"
"You're upset," he concluded.
Ginny bit her lip. "Yes I am. I'm sick of you being horrible to people all of the freaking time. I know you're a remarkable guy - I know that you feel and hurt like the rest of us. I know that you're human. You have to stop pretending like you're better than everyone."
"You're being absolutely ridiculous!"
"Ridiculous? I'll tell you what's ridiculous – the fact that every fucking thing you do is a part of some great big plot. Like all of the little steps you came up with to get me to go out with you, the flowers, the winks, the eye contact and the freaking poems. They were all timed perfectly, just when you knew I was trying to forget you. Then the whole time we've been dating, just when I think I'm getting to know you, you push me away or you insult my family and my friends! Then when I call you on it you turn into this small misunderstood boy who needs saving."
Ginny was biting back tears at this point, torn between anger and misery – "You're just a scheming, plotting, cunning Slytherin. You know all the right cards to play and I can't do this anymore."
"Ginny." Malfoy's eyes were wide, his arm outstretched as he reached over to put his hand on her shoulder. "It was just a mistake. I'll try to stop. Look, lifelong habits are kind of hard to break and so are family feuds but I need you. God, I hate you sometimes, but I need you."
"You should have thought of that earlier. I'm not entirely stupid. You should've known I'd see through your games eventually."
Draco stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around her neck. "Ginny, come on. You're not going anywhere! I'm not playing games. You know you need me. It's not as if you're perfect either. You get angry so God-damned easily. Merlin, you're like fire - you're dangerous – I never know what you're going to do next. But you keep me on my toes and I like that."
She was about the push him away when his perfectly sculpted lips met her own fiercely. They kissed like it was a battle. His lips felt as perfect as ever against hers but she still kissed him back equally as ferociously and even when her anger boiled over and tears began to leak, Ginny Weasley gave as good as she got. He pushed her forwards so that she was pinned against the wall and she responded by crushing her lips against his even harder, before standing on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck so that he had a smaller height advantage. They were no strangers to passion but this felt like more than that – it felt like desperation as he bit her lip and she dug her nails into his neck. To Ginny at least - it felt like goodbye.
When they parted Ginny was crying freely and Draco was paler than usual. He ran his hands through his hair as she tried to catch her breath through her sobs, turning to leave.
"Wait," he said gently, his face torn. "Don't go."
She shook her head and opened the door. "You know I can't do this. I just… Can't. Goodbye Draco."
The door slammed behind her with a stunning finality.
Their relationship hadn't all been bad. Ginny Weasley had loved Draco Malfoy, more than she'd admit to anyone. She felt hollow without him. They'd laughed and danced and kissed with ridiculous amounts of passion. She needed him, like he was her other half – the part that balanced her. The part that kept her grounded. She couldn't explain the way he pulled her in. Opposites attract after all.
When her mother asked why they'd broken up, Ginny had told her that "in time the pain it took to stay became greater than the pain it took to go". And it was true - it hurt her like nothing she'd ever known to leave him, but it had killed her to stay and to play those games. She needed a clean break and a fresh start. She needed to escape from that boy.
A/N Thank you for reading. Reviews are appreciated! This was written for the Last Kiss competition. Apologies for there being so much dialogue. Below is the quote and prompts I was given.
Quote: "In time, the pain it took to stay, became greater than the pain it took to go."
Prompts: Fire and empty.