Gifted Touch
Hermione sat, not really eating her Italian chicken and rice. It was her favorite, along with the restaurant. Gosh, she hadn't been there since before Ron. No, very inappropriate time to start thinking about Ron. It took her a moment to realize that Draco was looking at her. "What?" she asked bluntly. Draco grinned. "Penny for your thoughts." "Mmmm. I was just thinking that it's been a long time since I was here last. That's all." "I see," Draco smirked. Hermione cocked her head to one side. "Why do you always smirk?" she asked. It was a question she'd been wondering about since the day she had met him. "I don't smirk," he replied, "I grin smugly." Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Draco smiled a quirky little half smile that looked odd on his face, as though someone had ripped off their smile and glued it to him. "So, how have you been Hermione? Before the interview I hadn't talked to you since, when? Seventh year?" "It must be that long. I'm sure that we haven't spoken, to put it politely, for ages." Draco looked uncomfortable for a moment. Did he want to know how Potter and Weasley were? No doubt she was married to one of them by now. Either way he just had to know. "Umm. How are Po. Harry and Ron?" Hermione visibly flinched when he mentioned the names. He wondered if he should have just kept his mouth shut. "Well," she replied, "Harry is fine. I live with him now." Draco grimaced inwardly. "Oh." Hermione must have noticed his tone but she didn't comment about it. "Are the two of you. er. involved?" Hermione jerked up her head from where she had been again playing with her food. "Sorry, too personal. I'll just shut up now." He looked away in embarrassment, hoping that she didn't notice the blush that he could feel beginning to spread up his neck and over his cheeks. "No." Her reply stunned him and he turned back to look at her. "Well, we were for awhile after. well, you know how it is. Not everything works out the way you want it to." After what? Draco wondered to himself, deciding not to ask. He'd already asked one too many personal questions. He also couldn't help but notice that she hadn't said a word about Weasley.
~ * ~
What was it about this man that made her want to tell him everything about the whole Ron/Harry thing. He made her want to tell him everything about herself. About all of hers and Ron's and Harry's plots against him, how he had made her so upset that she wanted to cry, even though it wouldn't have affected her at all if they had been said by another person. Most of all, she wanted to tell him about all the wild scenarios she had dreamt up about how they would meet again, how everything would be different, and how they would fall madly in love, putting all their past issues behind them, knowing only their love for each other. That would be more than a little embarrassing. "What about you?" she asked suddenly. "Why the owner and manager of a muggle software company of all places?" There was that smug little smirk that she both hated, and loved. "Let's just say I had an awakening." Draco looked down at his watch. "Lunch hour is almost over. We should get going." He tossed down the money for the tip, along with the money for lunch. Helping her out of her chair, he held his arm out to Hermione. Looking at him quizzically, as though trying to find a particularly difficult piece to a puzzle, she took his arm and they walked out of the restaurant together.
Hermione sat, not really eating her Italian chicken and rice. It was her favorite, along with the restaurant. Gosh, she hadn't been there since before Ron. No, very inappropriate time to start thinking about Ron. It took her a moment to realize that Draco was looking at her. "What?" she asked bluntly. Draco grinned. "Penny for your thoughts." "Mmmm. I was just thinking that it's been a long time since I was here last. That's all." "I see," Draco smirked. Hermione cocked her head to one side. "Why do you always smirk?" she asked. It was a question she'd been wondering about since the day she had met him. "I don't smirk," he replied, "I grin smugly." Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Draco smiled a quirky little half smile that looked odd on his face, as though someone had ripped off their smile and glued it to him. "So, how have you been Hermione? Before the interview I hadn't talked to you since, when? Seventh year?" "It must be that long. I'm sure that we haven't spoken, to put it politely, for ages." Draco looked uncomfortable for a moment. Did he want to know how Potter and Weasley were? No doubt she was married to one of them by now. Either way he just had to know. "Umm. How are Po. Harry and Ron?" Hermione visibly flinched when he mentioned the names. He wondered if he should have just kept his mouth shut. "Well," she replied, "Harry is fine. I live with him now." Draco grimaced inwardly. "Oh." Hermione must have noticed his tone but she didn't comment about it. "Are the two of you. er. involved?" Hermione jerked up her head from where she had been again playing with her food. "Sorry, too personal. I'll just shut up now." He looked away in embarrassment, hoping that she didn't notice the blush that he could feel beginning to spread up his neck and over his cheeks. "No." Her reply stunned him and he turned back to look at her. "Well, we were for awhile after. well, you know how it is. Not everything works out the way you want it to." After what? Draco wondered to himself, deciding not to ask. He'd already asked one too many personal questions. He also couldn't help but notice that she hadn't said a word about Weasley.
~ * ~
What was it about this man that made her want to tell him everything about the whole Ron/Harry thing. He made her want to tell him everything about herself. About all of hers and Ron's and Harry's plots against him, how he had made her so upset that she wanted to cry, even though it wouldn't have affected her at all if they had been said by another person. Most of all, she wanted to tell him about all the wild scenarios she had dreamt up about how they would meet again, how everything would be different, and how they would fall madly in love, putting all their past issues behind them, knowing only their love for each other. That would be more than a little embarrassing. "What about you?" she asked suddenly. "Why the owner and manager of a muggle software company of all places?" There was that smug little smirk that she both hated, and loved. "Let's just say I had an awakening." Draco looked down at his watch. "Lunch hour is almost over. We should get going." He tossed down the money for the tip, along with the money for lunch. Helping her out of her chair, he held his arm out to Hermione. Looking at him quizzically, as though trying to find a particularly difficult piece to a puzzle, she took his arm and they walked out of the restaurant together.