After that, Oliver played a good host, leading me through the crowd and introducing me to the other team. We talked, we socialized, and overall, it was a good time. However, I was thankful when the last person finally left.
"I would think that after a big game everyone would be exhausted."
He threaded his arms around my waist and rested his head on mine. "Nah. It just gets us all fired up. That's why the day after is usually a rest day. That's when we crash."
"Here I thought it was to recover from the physical requirements of a game."
He shrugged. "That too, but mostly we never know how long a game will take and it takes forever to come down from the high of playing."
"I guess I can understand that. It's getting late now, though. I should probably get going and let you get some rest."
Oliver grabbed my hands as I went to back away, pulling me back to him. "Stay."
The single word was whispered softly in my ear in a no pressure way.
"What?" My mind was whirling at the implications.
He must have noticed as he quickly clarified. "Just to sleep. It's been a big day and we've barely had any time for just us. I'm not ready for you to go."
I considered his offer for a minute, but really there was nothing to think about. I didn't want to leave any more than he wanted me to. "Okay."
He waved his wand and the clutter from the party picked itself up and was put in its proper place. With that done, he took my hand and led me towards his bedroom.
I had been in Oliver's home a few times, but we usually hung out at my place since I had the TV and I'm also the one that cooks. This was all new territory. His room was neat and tidy and about what I had expected. His bookshelf in the corner was full and his dresser held photos of him and his parents. I didn't spend much time taking in that information though as my focus was on the bed in the center of the room.
It was made up with navy sheets and was at least twice the size of my own. The thought of sharing a bed with Oliver was making my heart beat erratically. I was momentarily distracted from my mini freak out when he placed something in my hand. Looking down I saw an Appleby Arrows T-shirt with his name and number on the back.
"Thought you may want something to sleep in."
I smiled shyly and took the T shirt to the bathroom to change and perform a quick teeth cleansing charm. Quickly, I got undressed and pulled the T-shirt over my head down my naked chest. It barely came down past my bottom, but it covered all the important bits. Part of me was bashful to leave the bathroom in so little, but the other part was so thrilled about spending the night with Oliver that I wasn't sure I cared.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door slowly and was met with quite the sight. Oliver wore nothing but a pair of athletic shorts hung low on his hips. His chest, in all its defined glory, was mine to gawk at. The vision left little room for me to be self-conscious.
Oliver must have heard me come out because he stopped rearranging the pillows and turned to look at me. When his eyes found me, he stilled. My mouth went dry as I took in the hungry look in his eyes.
I saw him swallow thickly before finally speaking. "That shirt looks better on you than it ever did on me. You ready for bed?"
His voice was low and Husky and shot a jolt of electricity right to my core. Hesitantly, I nodded my head and we awkwardly climbed into bed. For a few minutes neither of us spoke and we stayed on our respective sides.
Finally, Oliver broke the silence. "This is ridiculous. How many times have I fallen asleep on your couch?"
I knew the question was rhetorical but I answered anyways. "More times than I can count."
"Exactly. For some reason, because it's a couch instead of a bed, we have no problem cuddling next to each other. It's just a different setting. We can get close and I promise to be on my best behavior. You can trust me."
Of course I could trust him. It was myself that I was worried about. He looks too good and the urge to allow him to swallow me up was intense. I knew if I didn't keep a clear head I would likely take this farther than I was ready to tonight. However, his shoulder did look enticing and I found it hard to resist his offer so I scooted closer and laid my head upon his chest.
"That's my girl. I promised you we could take it slow and I'll keep my word. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be close to you." Oliver's hands pushed some stray hairs behind my ear and allowed his hand to cup the back of my neck. As he did so he tugged my hair back so I looked up at him. "I want you to know how much I care about you. Long ago I had resigned myself to the fact that love was not going to be part of my life. With my job and my schedule, it is so difficult to find somebody that I can trust and let in. Then you came along and completely turned my world upside down. For the first time in my life I'm not thinking about quidditch all the time. My thoughts instead are filled with hopes and dreams of you. I know we've only recently made it official but, in reality, we've been easing into this for months. I've fallen hard for you and I hope you know that I will never take you for granted."
My heart beat a steady rhythm as I fought back the tears that threatened to spill. He was right. From the moment I started here and saw Oliver on the field I knew there was a connection. I may have deluded myself into thinking all those nights spent together were platonic but deep down I knew that this was where we were heading.
"I feel the same way about you Oliver. Now that you are a part of my life, I can't ever imagine not being with you. It may have taken me a little bit to catch up, but now that I have there's no ignoring how much I care about you. I really like you."
He quirked a brow. "What if I more than like you?"
Was he saying what I think he said? I don't know why I was caught so off guard when I had been thinking the same thing to myself earlier.
"I think that would be ok. Besides, I'm pretty sure I more that like you, too."
There was a delicious weight to the moment. An unspoken promise settled into the atmosphere around us that this was a moment worth remembering.
I tilted my face just a little higher to close the distance between us. Our kiss quickly grew and we were no longer awkwardly laying together, but rather molded together in a way as if we were trying to be one.
My hand freely roamed his bare chest for the first time and I let out a moan as I hooked my leg around Oliver's side to bring him closer. I could feel his arousal press up against my wet core.
Oliver's hand slid over my leg that was now resting on his hip. His fingertips met bare flesh as the T-shirt I was wearing rode up easily. As he made his way up, he squeezed the top of my thigh and I broke our kiss to throw my head back as another, louder, moan escaped.
Instead of continuing this sweet torture, Oliver rested his forehead against me.
"Merlin, Hermione. I want to take this slow. To do it right and not rush things."
He was right. We just made this official last week. Every touch was new and exciting, but I wanted to savor it all.
I unwrapped my leg. "Sorry, I got a bit carried away."
"No need to apologize. Clearly I was enjoying myself just as much." Yes. There was no missing the hefty package that was pressed against me. "I promise to be a good boy and let you sleep and I'll keep my hands to myself."
I smiled devilishly at him. "I'm fine with going to sleep, but I also won't be upset if your hands roam a bit."
With that, I turned over and pressed my back to his chest, pulling his arm around me. Inhaling deeply, I had just enough time to think that this is what happiness feels like before I drifted off to sleep.
I had awoken the next morning feeling refreshed and just plain happy. Oliver held me close the entire night and I awoke to his hand on my belly. I tried not to dwell on the fact that my panties were exposed, and chose to be thankful for the blanket that hadn't left me bare.
As I began to stir, so did Oliver with a smile stretched from ear to ear. "Hello, love."
"Good morning."
"That it is."
We sat there for several minutes, just waking up. I cast a wordless and wandless breath freshening charm and was thankful I did when Oliver took advantage of me being next to him.
"This is rather convenient." He breathed as he kissed across my skin.
"Mmmm. Yes, it is."
His hand was still under my shirt and it brushed the underside of my breasts. The unexpected contact caused me to tilt and arch into him as a small moan escaped my lips. Just as his hand rose higher, almost giving me the contact my body was screaming for, he pulled back.
"You're killing me, Hermione. I'm trying to ease into this, but you're so tempting and responsive."
I nearly whined as he pulled back. "I'm not asking you to stop."
He considered that for a moment then ran a hand down his face. "I know you're not, but I'm stopping anyways. I want to enjoy every phase of our relationship and being intimate a week into it isn't the way to show you I respect you."
My brow raised at that. "Wasn't it just last night that you were telling me we've really been dating for months?"
Chuckling he said, "Well, yes. And I wouldn't change how we've done things. That time has allowed me to really get to know you. Now, I get to kiss you and wrap myself around you. I just want to appreciate it without trying to rush through to the next step."
Goodness, was this man irresistible or what? Most men would be jumping at their willing girlfriend. While my hormones might be protesting his wanting to wait, my heart is appreciative that he is in touch with what he wants enough to draw it out.
"I like that. We can take as long as you like. Something tells me it will be worth the wait."
He nearly growled at that, but I simply smiled and removed myself from his grasp.
We started our day off making breakfast together and spent the rest of the day enjoying each other's company.
I went home in the afternoon, only for Oliver to join me for dinner and a movie that night. The time alone gave me an opportunity and space to digest our conversations over the past 24 hours. I thought I had loved Ron, but now I know better. Love is about caring for the other person, but it's so much more than that. It's genuine interest in their lives and wanting to be part of it. It's getting butterflies every time you catch a glimpse of them and the little moments in between. I find myself wanting to not only share bits of myself that I keep locked up, but wanting to know all the minute details about Oliver too.
The most interesting piece of all is that I even look forward to the bad days. We are growing and learning as a couple and I recognize that neither of us are perfect. I don't have any false hope that Oliver and I will just go through life holding hands as we walk through a field of sunflowers while gazing longingly at each other. I know that there are days when it's going to be hard and feel impossible, but oddly, I look forward to those days just as much as I do the easy ones. I know that those trials will help us grow stronger together and there is no one I would rather face them with.
I had come to the realization last night that I loved Oliver, but it was a such a sudden thought and I've always been a rational person. Having the time today to dissect those feelings, only made my conviction in them stronger.
