A/N: Blaise and Ginny share a final kiss on the dock. Muggle!AU. Blaise/Ginny. I do not own Harry Potter.
Submission for:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments): Speed Drabble - 'The longer we wait, the harder it will get to say goodbye' , 'One last kiss?', 'Chocolate never hurts', afterwards, spike
The "As Many As You Want" Competition: Blaise/Ginny, computer
Hogwarts Casino 2014 Challenge/Competition: Roulette - Write about a break up
Ginny sat on the dock with her legs dangling above the black water. The sky was dark and cloudy, obscuring the moon and the twinkling stars, but Ginny could still see from the small lamp they had taken out here.
This was their spot. It was where she had met him at the beginning of the summer. She had taken a job at one of the restaurants on the boardwalk to earn some extra money. After a day of catering to irritable customers, he had come by her shack for a snack. He was wearing board shorts and a light sleeveless grey shirt. His muscular arms were bare and he had the most amazing smile directed at her. Ginny almost dropped his order when handed it to him and they both laughed it off.
Blaise Zabini who had taken a summer job like herself down at the boat rental hut for the visitors who wanted to go out on the water. They had begun talking, Blaise stopping by everyday to order his usual and get to know each other better. It wasn't until a bit into their friendship, Ginny realized that Blaise came from a very wealthy family. Ginny got self-conscious. Her family was definitely poorer than his as her parents had had seven children. But Blaise didn't seem to mind that. Blaise liked her for her and they continued their friendship.
Soon their friendship turned into more. He had invited her out onto the dock one evening after the shops on the boardwalk had closed. They sat there on the wooden planks just staring out at the calm lake. There, Blaise confessed that he started to have feelings for her and they shared their first kiss under the stars.
It had become tradition since then. Every night they would sit under the stars talking about anything and everything, share a lasting kiss and depart. Every time their lips met, Ginny would feel the butterflies in her stomach flutter. She felt her heart rate spike and her knees go weak. She couldn't believe she had found someone like Blaise.
But then in the middle of August, Blaise had told her some devastating news. "My parents are taking me back to Italy," he said glumly. He had told her before that he born there and it was always a possibility he would have to return. She just didn't think it would be so soon.
"When?" she asked softly.
"The end of the summer," he said.
Afterwards, their nightly meetings on the dock had become somber and quiet, their usual banter seeming strained. Blaise knew what she was feeling and she felt he felt it too. The end was drawing near and neither knew what to do.
"The longer we wait, the harder it will get to say goodbye," he said softly a few nights back.
"I know but I don't want to say it now," Ginny said as she leaned into him. He was right but she couldn't find it in her to say it, to finalize that he was leaving her and their relationship had run its course.
Now she sat the dock waiting for him to show. He had been absent from the boat rental hut today, but Ginny knew he wouldn't miss their meeting, right?
Soft footsteps walked up the dock before he fell into his usual spot beside her. He took her hand and kiss her knuckles before saying, "I'm leaving in the morning."
She nodded. This was it. There was no more prolonging the inevitable. "This is goodbye then?"
He nodded and she bit her lip. She asked, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice, "You'll call me right?"
He smiled at her and said, "Definitely, and we can always talk over the computer. This was an amazing summer, Ginny. I'm glad I got to meet you, but long distance relationships never work and I don't even know when or if I'll ever come back to England."
Ginny nodded, accepting the reality. It would be better this way for both of them.
"How will I get over you?" Ginny asked.
Blaise gave her a cheeky smile, "I hear chocolate never hurts."
She playfully pushed him and then stared out at the lake. He squeezed her hand and asked, "One last kiss?"
Ginny turned to him and leaned in, their lips meeting in the middle. He drew her close and they poured their love out for each other. She would make this last kiss count.