Don't Tell Dad I'm Dating a Malfoy

Chapter Two: First Not Date

I keep watching the clock. I was supposed to get off at four again today, but Nathaniel, the older one, asked me to stay for a bit longer. Vivian, the girl who is supposed to relieve me, is going to be a little late. That's all right with me, it's more money, and thankfully Scorpius agreed to meet me here when he gets done.

To tell the truth, I'm a little nervous about all that. It's been a few years since I've gone on a first date. Not that this can actually be called a date. We're just going for coffee.

Anyway, my point is, it's been a while and I'm nervous. It was about four months ago when I got out of a relationship that (miraculously) lasted a couple years. (I say miraculously because, when I think back on it, Jeff and I are not even close to being somewhat compatible.) For the longest time, I believed that I would marry Jeff. It just seemed like the thing to do. He was my first love and, ever since I was a young girl, I always thought that my first love would be my only love. It's confusing to think about it now. Part of me is sad that it didn't work out between us but another part is relieved. We really weren't right for each other and we would have been miserable. We were miserable. And then there's another part of me that is just so bitter and angry about how it ended. I'm so confused.

I don't want to think about that now. I just want to get my work done.

I'm in the middle of taking an order when the door opens. I look up. It's not Vivian, nor is it Scorpius. I finish with the customer and walk back to the kitchen.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Nathaniel, the younger one, asks me. "You seem a little out of it."

"Oh. I'm fine. Sorry," I start filling salt and pepper shakers. I can't just stand still. I need to do something.

"No need to apologize to me. By the way, remember the pen you were looking for earlier? I know where it is now," he points to my head. "It's in your hair."

I'm wearing my hair in a messy bun. I usually stick my pen up there and I usually remember about it, but I've been rather preoccupied today. "Oh," I pull a purple pen out of my hair. "Thanks."

"Er, there's a pink one in there too. That's the one I was talking about."

I feel in my hair again and pull out another pen. This one is green. "Really?" One more attempt produces the pink pen. I shout a triumphant "Aha!"

"Aw, poor kid," he gives me a pitying look. "You sure you're doing okay?"

"Of course."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"No," I start. "Yes, actually. Yes. How do I look?"

"What?" He looks so confused. I've rarely ever, in my life, showed any care about my looks. I find that that's made me a very happy person. But I have a date tonight. Or, not a date. I should put some effort into how I look.

"Nothing. Never mind."

He looks at me suspiciously. "Have you had a lot of coffee today, Rosie?"

"Four cups."

"Ah, that explains why you're acting strangely. Drink more."

Laughing, I say, "You don't need to tell me twice."

I hurry back to the front. I pass a mirror on my way and make it a point to stop. Oh, I really wish I hadn't. I look like, well… I look like I've had a long day at work. Go figure. When I came in this morning, my hair didn't look like I'd just let a five-year old play hairdresser with me, not to mention my clothes weren't all wrinkled and- Okay. It'll be okay. We're just going out for coffee. I try to fix my hair to make myself a bit more presentable and I end up finding a blue pen. I give up.

Taking a deep breath, I go back out there.

And, wouldn't you know it, there's Scorpius sneaking in the door. Fantastic. I give my hair one last smooth-over and smile as he waves at me and takes a seat next to the door. He sets his shoulder bag down on the floor next to him. It's strange to see him sitting there and not in his usual seat.

Maybe it's better, though. Nathaniel won't be able to see him. Oh no! I hadn't thought about that before. What if Nathaniel sees the two of us and says something to Hugo or James? Would he rat me out like that? Should I tell him not to? Should I just keep it a secret from him, too?

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and go with that last one. I think that maybe the less people that know the better.

I take a glass of water over to Scorpius. "Thanks for coming," I start. "Vivian should be here in bit and, as soon as she walks in, we can sneak out, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Speak of the devil," Vivian, looking quite vexed, rushes through the door.

She spots me right away. I step in front of where Scorpius is seated. "Rosie! I'm sorry, love. My regular sitter canceled on me at the last minute and I had to get hold of my sister to see if she could watch Matthew for me. She has three kids of her own. They're six, four, and the baby's only seven months old. Matthew plays very well with them so I didn't think it would be a problem, but it took forever for me to get in touch with her," she prattles on. Vivian is a 34 year-old single mother of one. Her husband passed away a few years ago. I love Vivian, she's such a sweetheart, but she sure enjoys talking. A lot.

I grab her arm and begin steering her toward the kitchen. I'm not trying to be rude, but she'll just keep talking if I don't stop her.

"It's okay, Vivian," I assure her. "Here, let me catch you up and then I'll get out of your way," I turn to look at Scorpius. I shrug and tell him to meet me outside before following Vivian into the back.

I talk quickly and am about to disappear when Nathaniel stops me to say thanks for being so awesome and staying later. Then the other Nathaniel tells me to take it easy and remember to check my hair for more pens so that I don't impale myself when I go to sleep tonight.

"That's probably the best advice I've heard all week, thanks."

When I finally make it outside, Scorpius greets me with a sympathetic smile.

"You look tired. You need some coffee."

"Okay, that could possibly be the second best advice I've heard all week."

"What?"

"Never mind. That's a nice purse you have there," I tease, pointing to his shoulder bag.

"It's called a satchel," he defends himself.

"Right, because that sounds so much more masculine," I giggle.

"It's practical. I need somewhere to keep my notes and I don't want to carry around a backpack and, I don't know why, but I see briefcases as being for older men. This suits me."

I take a step back and look him over, head to toe. He's wearing jeans, an untucked, white collared shirt, and a grey sweater over that. He looks like a sensitive artist. "You're right. It does suit you," I leave out my opinion that he's crazy for dressing like that in the summer.

"Thanks."

I stretch my arms above my head and inhale deeply. The air feels refreshing.

"So, how was work?" I ask.

"Not too bad. I must admit, today was one of the longest days I've had in a while."

"Did something bad happen?"

"Oh, no. It was a typical day, nothing remarkable. It just seemed long for some reason," he smiles at me and I feel as if there are butterflies fluttering inside my stomach. "How was your day?"

"My day was long. I've worked longer shifts before, obviously, but it's not as bad when I know ahead of time and have time to prepare for them. It always seems worse when it's just sprung on me like that."

"Does that happen often?"

"Well," I sigh. "Yes. I adore Vivian, I really do. But she's late at least once a week. I understand completely, though. Her life isn't exactly easy."

"Vivian has a five year-old son, right?"

"Scorpius Malfoy, I am impressed. You do actually listen to me."

"Of course. I take notes and everything. Good journalism, that is."

I stop walking and just stare at him disbelievingly. He takes a few more steps before turning around to look at me. His lip curls into a smirk. "It was a joke."

We talk all the way to the coffee shop, mostly about the people we work with. Scorpius opens the door for me and I walk in. The little girl behind the counter greets me with a perky smile. She's at least a whole head shorter than me and looks like she couldn't be much older than twelve, but I'll guess she's about eighteen. She has shoulder-length black hair with dark blue streaks that she's wearing in pigtails. Her eyes are a dull grey but full of energy. I think she might be buzzing on caffeine at the moment and I'm slightly jealous.

"Hello, Scorpius," she speaks quickly and in what might be the highest voice I've ever heard come from someone over the age of fifteen. "Would you like your usual?"

"You have a usual? How boring. Look at that menu," I admire the myriad of delicious-sounding beverages. Hot and cold!

He conveniently ignores me. "That'd be great, Emily. Thanks."

"And what about your friend?" She looks to me and I order a regular cup of coffee.

"And you called me boring?" He nudges me gently.

It's my turn to conveniently ignore him. I look around the room. It's a nice place and it has a very homey feel. The furniture is mismatched but the chairs look rather comfortable. I do a quick count and, yes. There are more potted plants than there are tables. Not to mention there are about five thousand paintings on the walls. Well, that's a slight exaggeration. It's very eclectic and I can see why Scorpius likes it here.

"By the way," Emily says as she begins making our drinks. "Are you Rose? Scorpius talks about a girl-" Scorpius interrupts before she can finish that statement.

"Thanks Emily. We'll be sitting over here. Let me know when those are ready, please."

Scorpius leads me to a table by the window. The sun is beginning to set and it's shining at that perfect angle where it blinds you. Pleasant. I guess I shouldn't complain, though. At least the sun is shining.

Scorpius pulls the delicate curtains over the window and it helps a bit. He pulls the chair out for me.

"Thank you." I sit down and gasp. "It's as comfortable as it looks!" I exclaim enthusiastically.

Scorpius chuckles. "I'll be right back."

I watch him walk up to the front counter and exchange a few words with Emily. I can't hear what they're saying but, at one point, she turns and looks at me with that same cheerful smile.

"She's awfully happy," I observe when Scorpius returns with our drinks.

"She's awfully caffeinated," he corrects me. "I don't think I've ever seen her without a smile."

"Hey, Scorpius?"

"Yes?"

"How does she know my name?"

He looks away from me. "You're wearing your nametag."

I look down at my shirt. "I am not."

He sighs. "I come in here nearly every day," he explains. "I might have mentioned you once or twice."

I smile smugly, but I won't push the matter anymore. "So," I wrap my hands around my coffee mug. "I know a few things about the 'Daily Prophet Scorpius,' I know all about 'lunch at Nathaniel's Scorpius,' and I've had a glimpse of 'after work at the coffee shop Scorpius' just now. What do you like to do when you aren't one of those things?"

"Hmm," he sits back and strokes his chin as if he were contemplating this very deeply. "Where do I start? I have quite an exciting life, if you must know. I enjoy reading and writing. I visit my parents every Sunday. I also like to get together with my coworkers on a regular basis and go out for dinner or go out for drinks. Like I said, it's quite exciting."

"Yeah," I force a yawn. "Quite enthralling."

"And how about you?"

Oops. I should have just kept my mouth shut. There's really nothing all that exciting about my life at the moment.

I sip my coffee and take my sweet time before setting it back on the table. "Hmm. What about me? I, er, I have a cat," I say desperately.

He places his elbows on the table and folds his hands. "Fascinating."

"Yeah," I'm slightly disappointed in myself. I don't want to be boring. "Well, currently, my cousins and my brother and I are all planning a surprise birthday party for my Uncle Harry," I smile. "I have a big family and we're all pretty close."

"Hmm. I don't have a big family, but I am rather close to my parents, at least. I think it would be nice to have a lot of cousins and a lot of aunts and uncles."

"Of course," I agree with enthusiasm. "It makes holidays rather exciting."

"I bet. So, what else? What do you like to do in your free time?"

"I like to read. I like to learn about all sorts of different things. I'm interested in everything from foreign cultures and languages to the 12,000 species of ants."

"You always did seem the nerdy type in school," he says with a smile.

"Me?" I cross my arms and raise my eyebrows. "I thought of you as a nerd. I never heard you speak more than two words to anybody at school and you always sat in the back of the classroom yet you still got rather good marks."

"You don't need to sit at the front of the class and answer every question to do well."

"Apparently," I concede.

"But I suppose that that method might work for some, right?"

I smile and pick up my coffee mug. It's almost empty.

"Do you want some more?"

I don't even hesitate when I answer. "Always."

Chuckling, he starts to stand up. I put my hand on top of his. "I'll pay for this round. Do you need some more?"

He sits back. "Sure. I'll take another. Thanks."

I walk up to Emily and order another coffee and a 'usual' for Scorpius.

"No problem," she turns around to get the drinks but then whips right back around. But… She doesn't say anything. She just stares at me.

"You okay?" I prompt.

"He talks about you a lot," she looks over at Scorpius. "I've been trying to convince him to ask you out for a while."

"Really?" I keep my voice hushed as I lean on the counter.

"Oh yeah. It was a few months ago, I think, that you broke up with your boyfriend, or fiancé, or… well, you stopped seeing the guy you'd been seeing. I told him to ask you out right away, but he was a bit more considerate."

"He told you all of that?"

"Well," she smiles in that innocent way that girls do when they've done something that wasn't quite so innocent. "I like to talk and I have a way with words. The poor boy really had no other choice. I dragged it out of him."

I laugh as thoughts of Lily fill my head.

"Don't worry, I don't know any super personal things. I'm not that creepy. I'm just a sap for a cute, romantic story."

"You and my cousin Lily should talk," I mutter to myself.

I look over my shoulder at Scorpius. And then I have to remind myself to breathe. He looks so handsome. He's leaning back slightly in his chair with his left leg crossed over his right and a notepad in his lap. His right arm is thrown over the back of the chair and he taps his pen against the wood absentmindedly. He runs his left hand through his hair and then scribbles something onto the paper. Maybe it's the lighting, but there's something very otherworldly about him right now and I'm absolutely mesmerized.

"He's rather good-looking, isn't he?" Emily's voice startles me and she sets down our fresh drinks. We share a smile and I walk back to Scorpius.

"Anything good?"

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry. Inspiration strikes at the strangest times," he puts the notepad away in his man purse. Er, I mean satchel.

We talk. The sun sets. We continue talking. Emily comes to let us know that they're getting ready to close down. I look at my watch and I can't believe how late it is. Scorpius invites me back to his place for a drink. At first I'm unsure, but he tempts me with the promise of more coffee.

It's a short walk. We talk about our families and our friends, our likes and dislikes, and all other manner of things.

He holds the door for me and I walk in before him. He flips the light switch and I'm surprised. "You have electricity?" I ask.

"Oh, so you've heard of it," Scorpius says. "And here I thought you might be impressed by this muggle invention."

"Yeah, mum's a muggleborn so I'm very familiar with these things. I'm surprised that you are, though."

"Well, I was a curious kid. Did you know that I took Muggle Studies in school? My dad wanted to make sure that I was more tolerant than he was. I guess it stuck."

"I guess so, seeing as you live in a muggle flat. Do you have any wizard neighbors?"

"Well, the lady upstairs is a witch, but not the magical kind."

I laugh and then scan the room. It's clean. Too clean. "Were you planning on asking me to come back here?"

"No, why?"

"Do you have a maid?"

"No, why?"

"Well, I couldn't imagine any of the boys I'm related to keeping their home clean. How strange."

"Well I like organization. I can't deal with clutter."

"So how much would you cry if I rearranged your books?" I point to the wall with the ceiling-to-floor bookshelf.

His face pales. "You wouldn't."

"I wouldn't leave me alone in here if I were you," I advise. Or threaten. Take your pick.

He eventually convinces himself that I'm merely bluffing and we settle down to talk. He brings me a cup of coffee.

I'm sitting on the couch with him, listening to him tell a story when, next thing I know, I hear birds chirping, a blanket is covering me, and Scorpius is sitting next to me, asleep. I watch him for a while and listen to his soft breathing. He stirs and opens his eyes slowly.

"Morning," I say happily. "Sorry I fell asleep. You should have woken me up."

"You looked so sweet, I didn't want to wake you. And, contrary to what most may believe, it's not impossible to fall asleep if the person next to you is snoring. Especially since you snore so rhythmically."

My jaw drops and I blush furiously.

Scorpius laughs. "I'm just kidding. You weren't snoring," he stands and stretches. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"Breakfast sounds amazing," I start but then realization strikes me. "Oh no! I'm supposed to meet Lily for breakfast this morning! What time is it?" I look at my watch. "I'm supposed to meet her in twenty minutes! I still have to get back home and get ready. Sorry Scorpius. I have to go."

I get ready to disapparate.

"Rose, wait," Scorpius says. I turn to look at him but he doesn't say a word. I'm suddenly aware of how close he's standing.

"Yes, Scorpius?"

"I wanted to-"

"Yes?"

He steps back and shakes his head. "I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for having coffee with me last night. I'm sorry that-"

"It's okay. Thank you for inviting me."

"Can I see you again?"

"Of course. When?"

He doesn't say anything right away.

"Are you maybe free tonight?" I inquire.

"Yeah, definitely," he clears his throat. "I mean, yes. Meet me here around six, okay? And come hungry."

"Then it's a date," I say before disappearing.

Thirty minutes later, my hair still a little damp from washing it, I meet Lily at our favorite place for breakfast.

"You're late," she says accusingly, tapping her foot impatiently. "Wait a minute!" Her expression changes completely when I sit down. "You're never late. Did you just wake up? You have bags under your eyes. You look tired. And happy," her eyes widen and she smirks slightly. "How was your date?"

I smile. I guess there's no getting around it. Much like Emily, Lily has a way of getting people to talk.

XXXX

That's it for the second chapter! Hope you enjoyed it.

P.S. Do you know what a good work out is? Run, swim, run. Um, when I say good I mean painful. Run for fifteen minutes, then swim 500 meters with various strokes and silly-looking swimming, tread water for a few minutes, then run for another fifteen. Throw in a few pushups and not to mention the unbearably hot Texas sun at 12 o'clock pm in the summer, and you have a few very tired, very dehydrated girls. Yeah, my friends and I were feeling very motivated one day. Let's hope that doesn't happen again. Cheers!

Thanks for reviewing! redglasses, (Hi! Glad you like the idea for this. To tell the truth, I was a bit worried at first about taking them out of Hogwarts, but I've been getting positive feedback for it so, phew.) jociobear1987, (Hmm, well, this story's rated T, so don't worry. I'll follow all those guidelines. Dunno if that's exactly PG, but there definitely won't be super-harsh language or adult themes in my writing.) Kat.1600, (Why, thank you!) doing 25 life in azkaban, (Whoa, it's pretty sad when you type azkaban with a lowercase 'a' and the auto-correct thing says 'silly nerdy girl, this is how you spell it' and fixes it to Azkaban. Anyway, thanks for the review!) Dramoine-Fan 17, (Thank you kindly.) hondagirl, (Hey, I already sent you a private message. If you didn't get it, let me know. If you did get it, then you have a pretty good idea of how strange I really am. Thanks again!) Strawberry-Swirls, (Glad you like tense! By the way, thanks so much for reading some of my other stories. Take care!) ?, (Um, there you go!) PadfootPatronus, (Woot! You're back! I'm glad I could expand on that oneshot you read. And I promise that I didn't read it and steal the idea, or anything like that. To tell the truth, I don't read a lot of fanfiction because I'm worried it'll mess with my 'originality,' I guess, although I'm sure that it's probably all been done before at one point or another. xsighsx) deliriousdobby, (I'm delighted that you were amused.) HarmonieFan, (OKAY! Teehee. Good to see you back.) –Argentinita-, (Oi! I like the friendly Scorpius as well. It makes things much easier on my part, lol. And don't kid yourself. ALL boys are annoying. Mwahaha. You have a good weekend as well!) iluvtheoc3000, (Yay! Good to see you back! Yes… I am one of the lucky girls who have an older brother who is very protective when it comes to the B word. (I mean boys, of course. And is it lucky, or unlucky? I can't remember, lol.) Funnily enough, it was the S&M realization that inspired this story. Random bit o' trivia for ya. I'm a strange cookie. Moving on. Ah, yes, Scorpius. I luff him, as you're already well aware of. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Take care!) FieldHockeyLover17, (Woohoo! Loopholes! Good to see you back, reading another one of my stories too, by the way.) FollowingTheInkTrail, (Well, hello there, it's good to see you again. Yeah, that Lily. She's going to be quite the spunky one in this story. By the by, I'm the queen of wording things just right so that I can get what I want and go 'AHA!' later, lol. And, honestly, I'm not going to throw a fit about a long review. The longer the better! I love your enthusiasm! Take care!) Shiva'sGirl, (Good to see you again! Ah… your compliments of my quote unquote brilliance never cease to make me happy, lol.) thewandofdestiny, (Glad to see you back. Yeah, I was getting tired of the teenage/school setting and I wanted to try something a bit fresher. Hmm, I honestly hadn't considered making this story from anyone but Rose's perspective. I actually have another story that I haven't posted yet that is going to be both Rose and Scorp's POV. I'll have to think about it for this one, though. We'll see!) gardensigernumbli, (First of all, that's a heck of a name. Secondly, oodelalee! Teehee, I just wanted to type that. And, honestly sweetheart, if your brother doesn't already think that you're insane, then you obviously aren't doing your job as a sister correctly, lol. By this time, I'm positive that not a week goes by that my brother doesn't contemplate sending me to see a therapist. Yeah, realizing that those were his initials actually inspired this entire story. I don't know if I can explain how. Again with the insanity plea, lol.) RafJK, (Good to see you again. Teehee, WOOT! It's a good day when you can make someone choke on their iced tea. Especially with something that disturbing, lol. By the by, a couple people actually asked me in their reviews about S&M so I sent them messages saying what it stands for and, if they don't know what that is, then they should look it up in a dictionary. Don't google it. Dude, I don't even want to know what you found, lol.) chewing-gum-addicted, (TADA!) dracosnumber1girl, (Well hello there. Welcome back. So, funny story, I was looking at one of my old fics and then I looked through the reviews and, funnily enough, you reviewed that story about a year ago. I just thought that was cool.) peealasbut, (So, I like to look at people's names on here and try and figure out why/how they come up with it. Your name, however, I have no clue. But, alas, I have to pee. I'm sure that's not it at all, but I do seriously have to go, and that's all I could think of, lol.) kulkat, (Why, thank you. And thanks for reviewing my Hermione/Cinderella story as well. That was awesome.)