Tags: Drama, Modern!AU, Romance

Of course Tom would be at the hangout. He was, after all, close friends with Abraxas, as was Abraxas with Harry and Ron. Though he was rich and born within a pureblood family and had a snobby, rude younger brother, Abraxas had always been kind and friendly.

Abraxas' flat was larger than Hermione had expected. It was more like a loft than a flat with two spacious stories slightly overlapping. At the bottom, a kitchen, bathroom, and Abraxas' work space for his Herbology experiments. The large windows in the loft provided the perfect lighting for his plants. And on the second floor was his bedroom and living space adorned with three large couches and an average flat screen telly.

Ginny sat on one couch curled up in Harry's arms while Abraxas chilled at the other end, laughing at something Ron had said, who awkwardly sat beside a quiet Tom who was engrossed in a book, sporting special reading glasses.

Hermione was late due to the muggle transportation she insisted she'd take. She sat down her bag by the couch Tom and Ron shared as Tom got up and headed down the spiral staircase wordlessly.

"Glad you made it, Hermione," Abraxas greeted warmly. He had his long platinum blonde hair up and messy, a visible smudge of dirt by his left ear.

"Pizza and sandwiches are down in the kitchen. You remember where the drinks are, I hope," he said with a quirky smile.

Ron got to his feet, planting a quick kiss on Hermione's lip before he returned to his conversation with everyone and Hermione headed down to the kitchen to get some food in her system before she would join in with everyone back upstairs.

Tom stood in the kitchen putting a kettle onto the stove as, for one moment, the two made eye contact.

"D'you want some tea? I'm making myself some," said Tom softly, but without emotion.

If it were weeks ago, she'd be shaking, nervous around him. But with her friends being his friends, she saw him often enough. She had recently stopped trembling around him and it allowed her to walk over to the pizza, opening the top to find a half-eaten large pizza as she huffed a soft sigh without worry or butterflies in her stomach making her lose control of her thoughts.

"Yes, thank you," she said as she walked over to Tom where beside the stove, on a little counter separating it from the fridge, was an opened pack of water bottles.

Her body almost touched his and it was then she knew that after years, her feelings for Tom hadn't really changed.

The two had been friends once, back in their fifth year at Hogwarts where they conversed about essays, books, and various other things. But when she began dating Ron...things changed. During their time of friendship, she had developed a crush on him. But she wouldn't have ever told him about it, knowing that Tom wasn't the sort to date. She had looked up to him, loving the way he spoke about things and what he liked and admiring the talents he had with spells and potions.

After a few years with Ron, she had began to be able to push aside thoughts including her feeling for Tom and that sickly longing ache she felt every time she looked at him or he spoke to her.

But even now, something felt strange between them.

Tom was looking down at her and she paused a hand at the package of water, ready to grab a bottle when she turned her head and looked up at him, watching breathlessly, and silently, as he leaned forward ad hastily crushed his lips against hers.

A tiny gasp left Hermione as her body turned, her hands grasping onto the sides of his face as she immediately kissed him back and his arms wrapped around her slim torso. His lips were like electric and a sudden impulsive need swayed over her as she thought about nothing but the way he held her and the way he was kissing her.

Nothing had to be said, nor thought. It was an action long overdue.

Only when the kettle began screeching did her mind slap her back into reality and she had to push him away from her to break the kiss with eyes wide and her lips swollen.

"Why would you do that?" sat on the tip of her tongue as Tom turned the stove off and she quickly grabbed her water, backing away from him.

Tom turned his head to look back at Hermione, his green eyes drowned in darkness and dilation.

What have I done? Hermione asked herself. She never cheated before, not on any tests, not even on Ron. Until now. Was being kissed by someone, and liking it...cheating?

Her breath came heavily as she grabbed a paper plate and hastily grabbed a pizza slice, plopping it down on her plate as she escaped the silence and headed up to sit down by her boyfriend Ron. He wrapped his arm around her automatically, as if it were habit, and guilt automatically nibbled away at her.

She knew what she had done. And it was all Tom's fault. She had done good with controlling her emotions and thoughts and he had made all her control fade away into nothingness with a taste of his lips.

Hermione looked down at her pizza, her hungry appetite vanished as her lips continued to tingle from the memory of the kiss.

After a while of being surrounded by her laughing friends, Hermione chose to ignore what had just happened and took a bite of her pizza to keep herself busy as Tom came up and sat down beside her, holding two tea cups.

"You forgot your tea," Tom said.

Hermione felt Ron look over at the two as she stretched her lips into a forced smile. She took the tea cup with shaky hands, praying to Merlin that she wouldn't cause a scene.

"Thanks," she croaked and sat her tea down on the coffee table in front of her as Ron went back to telling a story.

All voices were muffled in her ears as she knew Tom watched her from the corners of his eyes.

All his fault.

And mine too...