"More eggs?" The woman wearing a pastel floral dress held a cast iron skillet towards them with a warm smile.
"No more for me, I'm stuffed," Draco replied with a smile that seemed too large for his face. "But give some to Harry. His appetite is bigger than mine."
This was accompanied by resting his hand on Harry's forearm, a small display of affection their hostess noticed and beamed at. "You two are so cute together. How long have you been a couple?" She placed a large scoop of the eggs on Harry's plate.
Draco chuckled. "Only a few months, but we met when we were eleven. We went to the same school."
Harry sighed as Draco chatted on with their hostess, slurping down his coffee and shovelling in the eggs. They were both well prepared, the eggs scrambled with fresh herbs and Asiago cheese. But they could have been sawdust for all that he noticed, his stomach turning every time he heard Draco say 'Harry'.
Why had he ever agreed to this trip? Had he simply been desperate after a few days of no contact from Draco he hadn't asked enough questions? Draco had just seemed apologetic, wanting to work to make things better. A quiet weekend away seemed like a good idea. Plenty of time together to talk things out. And then have plenty of make up sex.
Draco had picked him up after work on Friday, barely letting him go home to change and grab the bag he has packed, before aparating them far away. He had kept the details a surprise, and Harry felt excited anticipation to see what the weekend would hold. Brave new territory for both of them.
But he had never expected anything like this. He was able to dismiss the first few signs, but eventually he clued in. Draco, being just a bit too nice, carrying his suitcase for him, opening doors. A kiss of the cheek in greeting, and a big smile. Cuddling together in the back of a black cab as they travelled through muggle London.
It really hit him when they reached their destination. A charming cottage at the end of a tree-lined lane, with a hilly park beyond. Draco rushed them into the Bed and Breakfast, being immediately greeted by Mrs. Owens like they were old friends. She soon had they assigned to her best couples' room, with a view of the park.
Harry felt a bit stunned as they set down their luggage in their room. It was a fair sized bedroom, with its own en suite and a large bed. What really struck him was the decor. It looked like a floral garden had exploded on everything. The wallpaper and drapes had a matching pattern of large roses. The bed quilt was a patchwork of floral prints in many pastel shades. There seemed to be at least twenty pillows on the bed, carefully arranged, each embroidered with a single bloom.
"Oh, I, um...," Harry said, noticing that Draco was watching him closely for his reaction. "This looks quite comfortable."
"I'm glad you like it," grinned Draco. "Now, how about we freshen up so we can go for a walk before supper? I made reservations for 7."
Harry went along with it all, just trying to figure it out what Draco had in mind. Walked with him through the park, admiring a fountain and many wild birds. Chatted with him over a delicious meal at a tiny Italian restaurant. Strolled back to their lodgings as the stars started appearing in the mild night.
Despite the pleasant evening together, there was still a tension between them. Walking on eggshells, being a bit too careful, too reserved, around each other. And Draco was being far too nice. It was unnerving.
"Why don't you use the bathroom first?" Draco said, opening his suitcase, and pulling out some light blue pyjamas.
Seeing them, Harry swallowed hard, and his eyes flitted to the bed. The only bed. The one they apparently sharing for the next two nights.
Panicking a bit, Harry grabbed his own pyjamas and toiletries, and practically ran into the bathroom. It felt good to have a locked door between them. He washed his face, changed, and then stared into the mirror. Why was he trying to delay going back into the bedroom? It wasn't the first time he'd been alone in one with Draco.
But with this strange version of Draco? He terrified Harry.
Harry wasn't one who hid away from things though. He straightened up, squared his shoulders, and took a deep breath before he opened the bathroom door.
The room was a lot darker, and a quick glance at the windows showed that Draco had pulled the thick curtains shut. But that wasn't all he had done. There were a bunch of candles burning on each of the nightstands, giving off the scent of vanilla. The covers on the bed were folded back invitingly.
Draco was sitting on the edge of the bed, but he stood up as Harry came forward. "I'll just be a minute. Get comfy," he said softly, kissing Harry on the cheek and darting into the bathroom.
Get comfy? Between Draco saying that and the cheek kiss, Harry could only shake his head and crawl into the bed with a heavy sigh. Draco had obviously made plans for this weekend and Harry was half curious, half dreading what else would happen.
Draco came out a few minutes later, changed into deep red pyjamas that looked good against his fair colouring. He smiled at Harry as he got in his side of the bed.
Harry returned the smile a bit stiffly, and turned on his side, away from Draco, and blew out the candles. "Um, Goodnight."
The candles on Draco's side were still burning, the almost overwhelming scent of vanilla mixing with the smoke coming off Harry's extinguished ones. He closed his eyes tight, trying to steady his breathing, relax, and actually fall asleep. He was tired, from this whole strange excursion. But he was too tense to fall asleep, conscious of Draco lying still on the bed beside him.
For all the times they had been in each other's beds, they had never slept the night together. Harry had never done it with anyone. And to do it like this, fully dressed in pyjamas, not even touching the other person, was not how he had ever imagined it.
There had been times after sex, they had actually cuddled, basking in a mutual afterglow, and Harry felt relaxed enough to fall asleep. Almost. He had deliberately resisted it, partially because he wasn't sure if Draco wanted it to happen, not wanting to screw things up that way. But also to extend his time with Draco, especially in that state. Rumpled, relaxed, happy. So fucking gorgeous Harry wondered what they were doing together. Feeling lucky to be in such an intimate state with him. Naked together, sharing it all. It was the times he felt the closest to Draco.
Were they going to have sex? This whole day had been such a diversion from how they normally were, Harry had no idea. Draco, sending him warm looks and calling him Harry, acting so couple-ish around Mrs. Owens and at the restaurant. But any touches had been fleeting, a quick squeeze of Harry's hand or a guiding arm along his back as they entered a room. Nothing signalling Draco wanted more. No lingering looks, no heat in his eyes.
Was this what it felt to be an old, married couple? Being together, but not really? Didn't sex drop off as people got over the honeymoon phase? The novelty of it wore off? It certainly hadn't for him.
Shit.
A thought hit Harry, and it accompanied a sinking feeling in his gut, making it feel even more true. Was all this, everything Draco was doing, in response to their fight? He was calling Harry by his first name, after all, like he'd complained about.
What else had Harry said that night? He had questioned why Draco tied him up so much, and it led to him basically refusing to have more kinky sex with him until they had figured things out as a couple.
Was this Draco's version of that? Trying to give Harry what he asked for? Acting like a couple in public?
And removing the kinky side of things had them in bed together, fully dressed and not even kissing each other goodnight. That said a lot about Draco. Without the kinky element there, he had much less interest in sex with Harry.
The thought had him burrowing his face into his pillow, trying not to get emotional. To lose it. Feeling so sad and lonely. This was just a sham. He would make an excuse tomorrow and go back home. Get away. He couldn't take another day of this farce.
...
-A/N: Sorry for the delay posting this chapter. I wrote drafts of the remaining chapters and needed a bit of time to edit and make sure they fit the story.
-Yes, Harry is being a bit of an idiot here. But he's young & not that experienced with relationships... Here's hoping he smartens up.