"How are you this evening, my dear?"

"Very well… although I wish you would not call me 'my dear.'"

Laughter. "Why?"

"Because it's what my father always calls my mother when he's cross about something."

"What endearments am I allowed?"

"Well let me think…"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. He downed the rest of his firewhisky in one gulp. He looked over at his friend and had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from laughing.

She was mouthing the words of this ridiculous romantic muggle movie. As the credits rolled, she sighed heavily. She looked over at Scorpius who was pretending to gag. She hit him playfully.

"This is a beautiful movie! Were you even paying attention?"

"Rose, seriously? This is a movie about 'pride and discrimination' or something or other. Did you really think I would enjoy this? And it's the American version? The English accents are terrible!"

Rose looked back at Scorpius shocked. "Pride and Pre-ju-dice! It's a wonderful love story about getting past prejudices and pride and finding the one. Darcy and Elizabeth come from such different backgrounds but they still find each other." Rose sighed. "I only wish they showed what happened after the ending."

Scorpius poured himself another glass of Ogden's Old Firewhisky. "I know what happens. Shagging."

Feeling the effects of the delicious Malfoy Superior Red Wine (a name he readily admitted was unfortunate given his family's past) Scorpius brought over, Rose sighed and absentmindedly commented, "I miss sex."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "we aren't missing Logan, are we?"

Rose rolled her eyes and started cleaning up the mess they had created in her living room. "No, Scorpius. I just haven't had sex in 6 months. Women like sex too ya know!"

"Rose, you could go to the club tonight and find an attractive bloke to shag. Instead, on your first free Friday night in ages, you're watching muggle corny movies with your best friend."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "I wish I could be as carefree as Lily or Dom but I can't do the whole one night stand thing. And you know my rule."

"Yea, yea, one month of continuous dating before sex."

"Yup. If I'm worth it, they should at least stay around for 30 days!"

"Sure, so even if you find a guy to date tonight, you're not going to have sex for another month?"

"Oh. I guess I didn't consider that."

Scorpius gave her a smug look as she stuck her tongue out at him. It had been awhile since she was single for this long. She had been with Logan for three years. She thought they were on their way to marriage 6 months ago. She shook her head and headed into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Scorpius followed her, "Rose, you could let loose a little bit. No one will judge you if you have one meaningless shag!"

"I know, it's just probably not going to happen."

"And you keep turning down Lily's blind date set-ups too."

"I know, ironically, I don't think I'm ready for another serious relationship either."

Scorpius shrugged. He tried. Rose could really use the stress reliever he thought. She had become the top junior prosecutor at the Ministry over the past year, her first year after completing her law program. He knew it cost her many hours of sleep and probably was partially the reason why Logan, the arse, cheated on her. The wanker had no ambition and couldn't stand that Rose's attention was divided. Scorpius knew that her family and job came first for Rose which left her little to no free time. But still, that was no reason to cheat on someone as wonderful as Rose. If she hadn't annoyingly insisted on being Scorpius's friend their first year at Hogwarts, he probably wouldn't have his best guy friends, Albus Potter and Louis Weasley, or his "second father", Harry Potter. She was the sweetest and smartest woman he had ever known, second only to his mother.

Scorpius shook his head trying to break from his reverie. These weren't thoughts that best friends had about each other. He just felt bad that Logan had messed her up so bad he rationalized. As Rose washed the dishes facing away from him, he couldn't help but stare at her petite body. She had a nice firm butt with toned legs. The results of her obsession with muggle boxing. Her once frizzy, wild, bright red hair, now reached the small of her back in sleek waves of a light red / strawberry blonde color.

A ridiculous idea crossed Scorpius's mind. He had some liquid courage. Why not go for it? He took another gulp of firewhisky preparing himself for Rose's reaction.

"Umm Rose?"

"Hmm?" She turned to look at Scorpius pausing her cleaning.

"Have you thought about friends with benefits?"

Rose furrowed her brow thinking, "I guess? I can't really think of who I'd possibly start that type of relationship with. Ya know? Most of my guy friends are taken or in my family." She shuddered and gagged thinking about her cousins.

Scorpius coughed before taking another gulp of Firewhisky. "What about me?"

Rose turned quickly almost dropping the wine glass she was holding and felt herself blushing deeply. There was no denying that Scorpius was one of the best-looking men she knew. He had blue-grey eyes that got lighter or darker depending on his mood and short platinum blonde hair. Since graduating from Hogwarts, he also developed a little bit of scruff on his strong, angular jaw making him look even manlier and sexier. He towered over her at 6'3". Years of quidditch and then training to be an auror gave him a muscular and toned body.

"What?," she finally croaked out.

"You. Me. Friends with benefits," he spelled out for her.

"But you don't even find me fit… or even attractive at all."

Scorpius started laughing, "What… what in Merlin's beard gave you that idea?"

Rose crossed her arms, "Because in the 10 years I've known you, you haven't made any sort of move whatsoever. In fact, I think you may have hooked up with every good-looking girl in our year… which didn't include me."

"That's because you have crazy cousins who would have tortured then killed me revived me then tortured me again and then killed me again…"

"Okay, I get it, I get," but Rose still eyed him suspiciously. "What makes now different?"

"Well, were not teenagers anymore so I think even your crazy family has to admit that you can take care of yourself." He moved toward her placing his hands on the counter on either side of her body and leaned in so they were close, almost touching. Rose felt herself breathing quicker as she inhaled his scent. He smelled like mint mixed with the forest. How was that even possible? "We also have more private places to do… anything we want." He said with his trademark sexy smirk as he looked around her flat.

Rose noticed as his eyes trailed down from her face eyeing her chest under her loose blue tank top. He obviously seemed interested but she couldn't tell if it was because he had downed two or three glasses of Firewhisky and was just horny. Rose definitely didn't think she was ugly but in the decade that they had known each other she couldn't remember him ever indicating, even remotely, that he found her attractive.

She laughed nervously, "Scor, stop messing around. I'm not your type at all. What about me do you even find attractive?" She tried to make it seem like a rhetorical question but she couldn't deny that she was actually curious.

Scorpius leaned in closer his lips hovering over hers. Rose blinked trying to keep it together and not fall all over him so easily like all of his other slags.

Scorpius looked at her seriously, "Physically? Your eyes are the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. They are incredibly blue like the ocean. Your lips are full and are the color of pink bubble gum. You have freckles lightly sprinkled across your nose that you like to cover up with make-up but I find them adorable. When you find something really funny you smile and laugh not just with your lips but with your eyes. And of course you have a fit body with an amazing arse and chest."

"Oh."

"Yea."

Rose felt a rush as she looked into Scorpius's now dark grey eyes. She wanted this badly. She didn't know if it was the fact that she hadn't had sex since Logan or if it was the fact that she had had a crush on Scorpius from 4th year to 7th year. A crush she thought she got over. This could get messy she thought. But she really, really wanted him.

"IF we do this, we stay friends."

He did his stupid sexy smirk again knowing that she would go for it. "Right."

"We have to be honest with each other. I'm not ready for anything serious. At. All."

Scorpius moved his hands to rub the sides of her body. "Right."

"Any serious feelings and we end it and go back to just friends."

He made his way under her tank top. "Right."

Rose tried to ignore how amazing his slightly rough hands felt on her skin. It felt like her skin was on fire. "We can't be awkward with each other."

He started rubbing her nipples over the fabric of her bra. "Right."

Rose started to moan and Scorpius felt his jeans getting tight. She wasn't finished yet. "We… definitely… don't… tell… my… family." Rose said breathlessly as her nipples got hard.

Scorpius pulled her tank top over her head throwing it to the side. He unclasped her bra and also threw it to the side. Admiring her bare chest, he nodded his head and said, "right."

"My dad and my uncle are your bosses, are you sure you want to do this?"

Scorpius answered by leaning over and taking her right nipple into his mouth and sucking and biting. He massaged her left nipple with his hand. Rose threw her head back and moaned his name loudly.