Chapter 7 ~ Middle of February
She is truly beautiful, Mikala mused shifting her weight from her shoulder to her back as she continued watching Minerva's afternoon ritual as the rays of the sun glistened off the light sheen of sweat along her arms...face…neck…stomach... And what a body…one that she had seen far too rare for her likes, she thought as the woman before her shifted…her taunt muscles rippling beneath the skin…
She didn't know when or how Minerva had learned Tai Chi, nor why she would sometimes join the muggles at sunrise in the glade to perform Tai Chi with them, but…Mikala did thoroughly appreciate how Minerva would dress when performing Tai Chi. She would systematically take off her shoes and then her outer tunic, folding it carefully and setting it upon her shoes before striding into the grass…wearing long flowing white linen pants, a colored tank top…but…Mikala's favorite aspect…was that she never wore a bra…and as she would move…
"I can hear you." Minerva's voice just loud enough to reach her…trying to remain focused as she continued to breathe deep. Wanting a bit of solitude to enable herself to understand or hopefully understand the cause of the smoldering feelings that persisted regarding Hermione. She had received a brief letter this morning from the younger woman, her thoughts remaining riveted to the words and the emotion of longing it had evoked. Longing to see…to converse…to touch…
"I wasn't moving." Mikala coyly responded as Minerva pushed her body upright…back arched, arms locked straight, legs flush against the ground…
"Yes, well…your breathing says otherwise." Minerva tartly stated, eyes remaining closed as she focused upon the stretch, feeling her back and hip pull.
"You know, that you are gorgeous, Minerva." Mikala murmured, drawing closer, no longer able to contain herself.
Minerva could hear her footsteps as she shifted from one beginning stretch into another, not willing to look…wanting to ignore it for just another moment…she needed some more time to figure her thoughts out…but then she felt the other woman's hands upon the small of her back, and the moment was over. "Mikala…" Her voice breaking the silence, "We cannot continue…" Words faltering as fingers trailed up her side, brushing along her breast as Mikala's hips and breasts pressed into her back… "This." She quietly finished, trying to remember why she wanted to stop…this, whatever…this was from continuing. And…somewhere in the distance she recalled a letter…a chestnut haired witch with brown eyes…but in the next second, she also remembered the harsh reality, the witch was married.
"I know." Came the heady reply against her neck. "But…seeing you…move…" She slid her arm along Minerva's, copying the same position. "As you do…"
Minerva forced her mind away from thoughts of the younger witch, and what her body wanted and she shifted again…Mikala continuing to copy her movement. She couldn't continue on with Mikala in this fashion…it wasn't fair to either of them…
"Is intoxicating." Mikala's words dancing across Minerva's hair and cheek.
"I'm still leaving at the end of summer." Minerva stated trying to be rational as her mind dredged up reasons why she needed to keep the barriers between them and not continue to permit this…from continuing on. But…her resolve was immediately challenged as she felt Mikala's pulse jumping against her skin…
"That's almost eight months from now…" Mikala brought the palm of her hand up against the back of Minerva's. "And I may yet entice you to remain…" She said as the pads of her fingers brushed across the fine hairs.
"You know I cannot." Minerva's lilt becoming more pronounced…
"You can." Mikala leaned forward…eliciting a soft moan from Minerva… "But, you still feel duty bound to Hogwarts…and the promise you made to Dumbledore." She leaned forward, trailing a feather light kiss upon her exposed…delicate neck. "You need to let it go."
Minerva could feel her heart rate jump as soft lips trailed along her skin, but…Mikala's words brought a measure of focus and she stepped forward…and away from the other woman. "I will not, Mikala." She quietly stated, turning around. "Hogwarts is my home."
"One that seems to be draining the very life from you." Mikala gently said, "I have known you for many years, Minerva and…I have never seen you look as relaxed and beautiful as you do, right now. Without Hogwarts…the Britain Ministry…the Wizengamout…and a hundred more, all of who willingly and without compunction knock upon your door."
"And a respite was long overdue, one that I am enjoying immensely, but I will return." She stated eyes softening, arms outstretched. "It would be no different than me asking you to give this up."
Mikala shook her head, "There is no comparison, the stress here is…"
"No different…" Minerva cut Mikala's words off, continuing on. "It merely takes on another form."
"Minerva…" She stepped forward fingers grazing her cheek, "Let us talk about this later…"
"Avoiding the issue only makes it harder." Minerva stated, turning her head away…her words ringing true upon another issue, so very near to her heart.
"I understand that." Mikala whispered, "But…" She had stepped close enough to reach out and in one swift movement had brought Minerva to her…their hips now forcefully touching as she leaned back and gazed into emerald eyes, "I want you…"
And the rush of feeling…the molten color of her eyes…the scent of her arousal was too much to deny…
Her lips crashed hungrily into Mikala's.
Her heart could wait.
This feeling couldn't…
Xoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
"Come to bed." Ron stated mildly exasperated.
Hermione never lifted her gaze, "I'm not done studying."
He felt a frown begin to settle on his face, "How much longer?"
"I don't know." She replied while scribbling some notes down the side of her book, "If I did, I would have gone into divination."
"And what in Merlin's beard are you writing with?" He asked grabbing the strange stick with a point on the end.
"It's called a pen." Hermione said reaching up for it, and he lifted it higher still inspecting it.
"And…the ink's inside?"
"Yes, now…" She yanked it from his grasp, immediately returning her textbook.
"Why not use a quill?"
Irritated, "Because, Ron…" Hermione turned to Ron, "Muggles use pens."
He glanced down at her writing, the fine lines, "It's no bloody wonder why wizards don't use those…" He narrowed his eyes, "No one would be able to read what they write."
She pushed him away, "Just leave, Ronald." Her anger growing, "I'm trying to finish, it's almost twelve."
"Then come to bed." He nodded upstairs. "You don't need to sleep in the spare room again this week. Come with me."
"I won't." She replied, returning her attention back to her text.
"You said that last night." He rebuked, "And the one before that." Knowing that nothing positive would come of it if he continued to push, he stopped…but it didn't mean he hadn't realized how often she had been staying up late and falling asleep in the den or spare room.
"And as I said, every time I go to slide into bed, you're lying in the middle; arms and legs spread wide…and frankly, I'm too tired to fight my way in to bed and it's far easier to sleep down here."
"It wouldn't be an issue if you'd just come to bed with me, now." He stated, not seeing the flaw in his logic.
"Like I can just…make dinner…or just…work and go to school…but it's a muggle one so who gives a petrified toad's ass one way or the other. Because I sure haven't seen you do a damn thing…"
"I went to the store…"
"Six months ago." Hermione snapped, jaw clenching and brown eyes flashing. "Now, I don't give a bat's ass if you go to bed now or later, I have to study and…if I were you, I wouldn't count on me being in bed with you tomorrow, either."
Ron ground his teeth, face flushed red, tips of his ears pink as he tried not to make their discord worse…but…something in him couldn't stop…and the words fell from his lips… "What difference does it make; we haven't had sex in over two months."
Hermione didn't flinch…didn't move a muscle for a minute and merely stared at him, finally…her brow slowly arched, in the same eerie way as McGonagall's used too, her voice cold, "And I wouldn't count on it happening anytime soon, either."
"You stubborn…insufferable…" His words died away as her wand came into view…his voice now silenced.
"Go to bed before I sleep down here, alone…permanently." Ice lacing her words and eyes…and with a heated stare he left in a swirl of robes, footsteps echoing through the house…with each step, his pain grew more…his fingers wrapping around his wand as he cast the spell enabling him to speak again.
But what could he say to bridge the gap growing between them?
He could see it looming within her eyes…
The inflection of her voice…
Frustrated, he ran a hand through his red mop of hair as he made his way up the stairs. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll buy her some flowers…after I stop with Seamus and have a pint…
Xoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
A/N: The continued slow demise of Ron & Hermione's relationship...