Wow, the last chapter got a great response! I've been writing like a madwoman lately, and with one chapter to go on Higher Education, I may start posting a chapter daily. I haven't quite figured out my next story yet, but I have a vague idea.
Chapter 9
Coffee had turned into lunch, which turned into dinner plans for Friday night. Hermione had made sure to tell Draco nothing of her plans with Marcus for fear he might prevent them from actually happening. He had asked her to leave though, so perhaps she didn't need to worry about him. She wouldn't give Draco another thought. He had dated other girls. She had seen it with her own two eyes. And hadn't it been his idea that she find someone else too?
Not Weasley.
His only request was that she not date Ron again. He had said nothing of his own friends. It had been his idea to put her in their midst, to expose her to them. And them to her, really. He had brought her into his circle of friends, left her alone with them while he left to get breakfast. Neither Marcus nor Adrian ever alluded to Draco telling them she was off limits. Therefore, she mustn't be. Marcus was fair game, and Hermione intended to pursue him.
Marcus arrived at her flat only seconds after Hermione put the finishing touches on her look. She picked up the mixed berry gloss and applied a light coating to her lips as she raced to the door. "Hi," she greeted him when she pulled open the door.
Tall and broad, Marcus cut an imposing figure. But then he smiled and the darkness seemed to fade. His dark eyes surveyed her, his smile reaching his eyes when they locked on hers. "Hi," he replied, extending his hand to her. She placed it in his and he drew it up to his lips. She couldn't help the blush that colored her cheeks. "Did you need more time, or are you ready to go now? I know I'm still a few minutes early."
She grabbed her purse from the hook behind the door and led him into the hall. "I like punctuality," she told him. "There's nothing wrong with showing up a few minutes early. My mum always said it meant the person couldn't keep his mind off of you."
"I couldn't," he admitted. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since the poker game. And when Draco said that you were single, well, I figured I had to take a chance."
"I'm glad you did," she replied.
He took her to a small outdoor cafe in Diagon Alley. A cool breeze swept the street, sending a chill down Hermione's spine. Marcus sat close enough that he barely had to stretch to put his blazer around her shoulders. It felt gentlemanly and considerate. She had felt that once with Draco, the first night they were together when he insisted on feeding her first. One good shag seemed to knock it out of him though, and she wondered if Marcus was the same way.
"What's on your mind?" he whispered, tucking a curl behind her ear.
"You," she said before she could think about it. An embarrassed blush tinted her cheeks pink, and she could feel the heat of them when Marcus cupped the side of her face in one large hand.
"Glad to hear it," he replied. After their orders had been placed and drinks arrived, he reached for her hand. "Do you think Draco will be mad?"
Hermione shrugged as she stared at their intertwined fingers. "I can never really tell with him," she admitted. "I don't think he cares what I do so long as he's not around to witness it."
"Out of sight, out of mind," Marcus added. She nodded in agreement. "You know, just after the two of you left school, he and Daphne Greengrass dated. Honestly, I think she ruined other women for him."
Brown brows furrowed as she listened to Marcus share this little known secret. "How long?" she wondered as she processed this new knowledge that Draco had once had a relationship with the older sister of his former betrothed.
"About two years," he answered. "She was supposed to marry Adrian and he was supposed to marry her little sister. But they kind of fell for one another. Not much you can do about that."
"So, what happened?" Hermione asked, thoroughly fascinated by this chunk of Draco's life of which she had no knowledge.
"She married Adrian when her parents threatened to deny her her inheritance. Broke Draco's heart," he replied. "I probably shouldn't be telling you any of this though."
Half-heartedly, she nodded in agreement. They shouldn't have been discussing Draco, not on their first date. He shouldn't have been a topic of conversation on any date, given his relationship with Hermione. But she wanted to know more. She needed to know more about Draco, and she was sure she could learn it from Marcus.
"I didn't know Adrian was married," she said casually, taking a sip of her water. "He doesn't wear a ring."
It was Marcus's turn to shrug now as he pulled his hand away and sat back in his chair. "I know what you're trying to do," he said, smirking as the blush once again rose in her cheeks. "Listen, what happened in the past is Draco's business. If you really want to know so badly, talk to him. He likes you, Hermione. If anyone's going to get him to open up about it, it'll be you."
"And here I thought you were smarter than you look," she teased. "Draco tells me nothing. It's in the 'rules'." The rules that seemed only to go one way, she added to herself.
Marcus quirked an eyebrow as their dinner is served. "Why are there rules?" he wondered, cutting off a small portion of his steak to transfer to her plate.
She smiled when he did, remembering that she had considered ordering the same dish before changing her mind. "Because rules help to keep things from getting complicated," she explained. "If we don't know the personal details of the other's life, we don't get attached. There's nothing intimate about our situation."
"And he created the rules?"
Hermione nodded, but once again failed to add Draco's inability to keep to them.
"Do they help? Are you still unattached?" There was something hopeful in his voice.
"Besides my unhealthy curiosity?" she asked. "No, I'm not attached. It could end tomorrow, and I'd be fine."
Marcus smiled. "So, I can ask you for a second date?" he inquired. "Provided this one continues to go well, that is."
"Absolutely."
