"I'm going away for a few days on business."

It was Friday morning and Draco had been in Hermione's office for forty minutes reviewing the finally signed paperwork from Alfie Bevan. She looked up at him sat in the chair in front of her desk.

"What business?" She asked.

"Just side piece I'm working on. I'm going to need you to look after things while I'm away."

She wasn't expecting an invitation, but she wanted one. She wanted him to say come with me, lets make a holidays of it, but he didn't. Maybe he was meeting with someone else.

Or maybe she should stop being a moronic jealous woman and just go with it.

"When are you leaving?" She asked slowly drawing her quill across the parchment and signing the top piece of paperwork. She pursed her lips and blew across the fresh ink to dry it before passing it to him.

"Tonight." He plucked the parchment from her outstretched hand and scratched his signature just below hers.

"How long for?" She signed the next piece of parchment and pursed her lips again, blowing steadily over the ink.

He watched her pursed lips closely then took the parchment from her hand. "I'll be back Wednesday."

Five days away. A while five days without him here. She signed the last page, blew again over the ink and passed it to him. He signed the two pages quickly then placed them to the side. "I wouldn't trust this place to anyone else."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you."

He held her gaze, his ice grey eyes making her cheeks flush and he stood up from his chair slowly, placing his hands flat on her desk. Her heart started to race with excitement. "Granger..." His silky voice causing her stomach to knot.

Knock knock

Draco stood up straight as the door opened and in walked Masen. "Mr Malfoy, Floo call from Mr Zabini in your office."

"Can you tell him I'll call him back later?" An air of frustration in his voice.

"He said it's urgent."

Draco looked and Hermione and mouthed 'fucks sake' before shaking his head and plastering a fake smile on his lips. "Come see me later... to finalise the Dakin proposal." He winked and the knot in her stomach tightened.

"Sure thing boss." She saluted him as he reached her door and he smirked her way before closing the door behind him.

They hadn't talked about their impending date since she had asked him yesterday but she hadn't felt the need to bring it up again. He was coming to Viktor's wedding with her. She may have spun it as being a day of free food and drink and made it seem like to was a sensible decision for him to come because of their busy work life, but she so desperately wanted him to go. With her. Just as her date. Not as her boss, or as an old acquaintance or as anything else.

She had been worried about the wedding since she asked him yesterday to be her date. Having no idea what their relationship was would be hard to explain to Harry and Ginny who would be there too. Even she didnt know what they were to one another. Should she keep up the pretence that this was a business decision to them too? Publicity perhaps for the company? The media would be there no doubt. Maybe she could spin it to them that way.

She didnt know why she was so worried. It wasn't like Draco and Harry were the way they were back in their school days. They had a mutual agreement to keep up polite conversation and keep their interactions to a minimum and for the most part that worked. But how would her best friend react to seeing her with him? He knew she worked for him and that they had a good working relationship now despite his reservations after she initially took the job.

As for Ginny, her and Draco could talk Quidditch for hours. That she had found at one of the companies charity events when she had made her come along. Ginny being a famous Quidditch player meant the attention was on their table and Draco had spent the majority of the night buying them both drinks and talking Quidditch.

She had two weeks to establish what they were, then she would go from there. After all what was the point in worrying if she hadn't even broached the subject with him yet.

So she didn't. She put it to the back of her mind and focussed on the Dakin report, getting it ready for the review with Draco this afternoon.

.x

At four she walked the length of the company towards his private office and knocked on his door. She waited for a call from inside but none came.

She knocked again and waited a few more seconds before trying the handle. Locked.

"He left this for you." Masen walked over and handed her a wax-sealed note with her name written across the front.

"Where's he gone?" She asked confused, waving the paperwork in her hand at his assistant wondering what she was supposed to do now.

"Emergency with Mr Zabini. He's not back until Wednesday now." Not even a goodbye.

"Thanks." She walked quickly back to her office and slammed the door behind her. She looked down at the note in her hand but threw it across the room. She was so angry at him. He was so busy he didnt even have two minutes to pop his head round her door and say goodbye? And now all she had was a note. It probably took him longer to write the note than it would have been to actually come and see her.

She wanted to rip the note open and read what he had to say but a sudden worry rushed through her - What if he was calling things off and leaving so he didn't have to see her? - she thought.

She stood against the door for five minutes before her resolve faltered and she grabbed for his note on the floor by her bookcase. She ripped open the seal and unfolded it. Within a second her heart hitched in her throat.

Emergency. Had to leave. Hold the fort.

.x.

Was it possible or a person to be angry for five days straight? Of course it was and Hermione was proof of that. Not just angry at someone where you are angry for a few minutes then get distracted and go about your day until you remember again. It was an constant state of anger. A kettle full of anger, boiling over and over and over, not being able to switch off.

At first, on Friday she was angry because he left her without a goodbye. He left without even popping his head round her door and telling her in person. It would have taken the same amount of time to write the note he left her than to say a quick goodbye to her.

It could only mean that he didn't want to see her. That he didn't want to be around her. That he didn't want her.

So then she got angry at his cowardice. At his lack of discretion. His selfish nature and his completely obvious intentions.

She got angry at the fact that he couldn't just come out and say it - no this is going too fast, I cant do this it was supposed to be sex nothing else, this can't go on any longer.

Then the tears came. Big angry tears that she hid behind large glasses of wine. The more she drank the angrier she got and she wrote and re-wrote him a letter three times before the quill slipped from her hand and she passed out on her sofa.

When she woke she ripped the letters up and burnt them to a crisp in her fire. Then she went shopping, bought herself two new dresses, three new pairs and shoes, a new set of sexy underwear and five new books. She got angry because she would have no one to show off the underwear to. And even if she did she wouldn't want them.. she only wanted one man.

She had dinner with Ginny and Luna, lunch with her parents and went to see Harry and Ron, filling her time with people who wanted to see her. She got angry because he didn't want to see her.

Monday she got angry because as soon as she got in, she realised he had left her no instructions about what she was supposed to be doing. After six colleagues had asked her to do things that he usually did she locked herself in her office and worked until gone seven. The same happened Tuesday and Wednesday and by the time she left Wednesday evening she didnt even eat before she went straight to bed. Now she was angry at him because he made her not eat. And Merlin, did she love her food.

Thursday was no better. The fucking wanderer had not returned and she was still picking up his work on top of her own and by lunch she was exhausted. And angry because she was tired and she couldn't function properly when she was tired. She rested her head in her hands on her desk, taking two minutes to re-group and re-focus.

Knock knock

Fuck off She screamed internally wishing whoever it was would just leave if she didnt answer but a few seconds later they knocked again. She lifted her head and sighed deeply.

"Come in."

As soon as she saw the flash of blonde hair pushing her door open she closed her eyes and rested her head in her hand again. Not now please not now. The anger inside her felt like it was about to burst. She looked up at him and he smiled at her. He fucking smiled at her.

"What do you want?"

"I'm back." He smiled again, moving closer to her desk.

"I can see that."

"How have you been?" He asked.

"Very busy." It was snappy and obvious. His eyebrows drew closer into a frown and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I can imagine it's been a tough few days so do you want to take tomorrow as holiday and have some time before the party?"

"Party?" She asked confused.

"The quarterly party."

Shit - she thought. She'd forgotten all about it. Every three months Draco threw a party for the company to say a thank you to the employees for their hard work. It was the last place she wanted to be tomorrow night. In close proximity to Draco, with alcohol and dark corners.

"I've got too much to do." As she picked up her quill she noticed her hands shaking then felt her heart beating like a drum in her chest.

"I can handle it." He said.

"I'm fine." She started writing on the paperwork, not even words just shapes.

"Okay..." He looked confused. "I just thought you've done a good job and you should be rewarded."

"A good job?" She asked incredulously. "Draco, I've been drowning here without you."

"From what I've heard you handled it well."

"If you call 'handling it' panicking and locking myself away so people dont come in to my office, yes I handled it very well." It was laced with sarcasm and her breathing was becoming more erratic.

"You've done a better job than me." He smiled.

"Yes I suppose I have. I wouldn't leave my second in command with no instructions... I wouldn't leave and not check up on them and most of all I wouldn't leave a fucking note."

He stared atat her for a few moments then turned around and pushed the door shut. When he turned back around he looked worried. "I told you it was an emergency." It was barely above a whisper.

"How long did it take to write that note? About as much time as it would have been to pop your heard round my door and let me know?" She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Hermione..."

"Did you take the Floo?" She interrupted.

He swallowed. "Yes."

"So in fact you had to walk past my past my office from yours, to leave."

He held up his hand towards her. "In hindsight..."

"It was ridiculous." She interrupted again and his head tilted to the side.

"You're mad at me." He stated.

"Yes, I'm mad at you!" She couldn't control her voice. It was shouted at him. She looked down at her desk and took a deep breath.

It was a few seconds before he spoke. "Are you upset because I didn't see you before I left?"

"Don't start this." She shook her head.

"Start what?"

"Making this about us."

"Is there an us?" He waved his finger infront of his chest, towards her then back to him.

"Isn't there!?" She shouted but he didnt say anything. There it was, confirmation he thought there was nothing. They weren't anything else to eachother than people who fuck one another for comfort and for something to do.

"Look I'm sorry, Blaise needed me."

"I needed you." She whispered.

"Did you need me... or did you want me." She looked up into his piercing grey eyes. His chest was heaving, breathing heavy and staring at her across the desk. Lips parted, hands by his side.

"It's the same thing." She said slowly.

"No it isnt." He said shaking his head and stepping closer. She didnt want him near her. She was supposed to being strong. "Hermione..."

She stood up quickly pulling her bag from the floor and stuffed some paperwork inside it. "You know, actually I will take tomorrow off. In fact I'm taking the rest of today off too because I've been working my ass off all week for this fucking company whilst you haven't even been bothered to check in on me once."

She stepped around her desk and stormed towards the door. She felt his hand on her arm and she tugged it away, tears glossing her eyes and she reached for her office door.

"Hermione wait..."

- But she was already out of the door and storming across the main office. In seconds she was swallowed away by the green flames but not before she saw him staring at her from her open office door. Her heart sunk further as her feet hit the floor and she smelt the familiar smell of her home.

.x.

She didn't want to go to the party. She wanted to stay in her bed and wallow like she had done since she had stormed out of work.

She had written her resignation letter no less than six times and torn it up and placed it into the fire. She didnt want to leave. She loved her job. But she couldn't keep working with Draco, not when her feelings for him were getting in the way. It was messing with her head and worst of all it was messing with her job and she hated lacking in her job.

Eventually she snapped out of her slumber and showered. She selected a red figure hugging dress that had a simple square neck and ended mid calf. Her hair was in loose curls falling down her back and a light layer of makeup with nude lipstick finished her ensemble.

By the end of the night she would have handed her resignation to Draco effective immediately and the thought made her heart sink to her stomach.

.x.

Dum dum dumm! Join us next week for another exciting installment!

Sorry for the delay again. Trying to get the new chapters out every week but I'm starting a new job and it's all a bit manic!

Apologies for the lack of smut in this one but bear with... it's coming!