Trespass Sweetly Urg'd
Chapter Three
Present day
Draco slumped back into his high-backed chair and stared at the fire, cradling his tumbler of whisky in his hand and watching the flames flickering in the fireplace next to him. His study was pretty much destroyed. Darklis had taken it very badly. She had thrown as many breakable things at him that she could get her hands on. Their wedding picture from his desk had been hurled at his head and was now shattered on the floor.
He didn't want to think about the state his career was going to be in when her father found out. She had bawled him out for hours, alternating between anger and heartbreak. Eventually she had let him embrace her as she cried, her body shuddering with sobs. Her anger had turned to lust and she had practically attacked him in a frenzy of desire. He had taken her on the sofa he was now sitting across from.
Once it was over she had dressed herself again calmly. She had told him that she loved him, that she still loved him even after what he'd done, but she needed to sort out what she was going to do by herself. He had asked her if she was going to leave him and she had said yes, for a while. She couldn't trust him for a long time, but she loved him and he was still her husband.
She had left after that and that was when he had raided his liquor cabinet. He ran a hand through his hair and drained his glass. He had never wanted to hurt her, he loved her. But what he felt for Ginny had blinded him, it wasn't just the sex… they hadn't always had sex when they had met up, it was the conversations they had about things that were important to him. There was an intensity between them which was consuming. He leant his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands.
2005
"Leo? Why do we have to do this, you're an architect why do you need someone else's opinion?"
Leo huffed and shook his head.
"If I ask any of Marianne's friends or family they might tell her, they're not very discreet. Ginny has excellent taste and can be trusted with a secret."
Draco was well aware how well she could keep a secret and he grudgingly followed his friend down the hallway. Leo held a piece of parchment up to his eye and squinted at it, examining the numbers on the doors around them.
"Ah ha!"
He rang the doorbell triumphantly and they listened to the voices on the other side with amusement.
Ginny was in the kitchen clearing the dishes from their dinner when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Alex called from the living room.
"Don't you dare, you can't tell who it is."
Her warning was in vain, when she entered the living room he was standing in the open doorway staring up at two men.
"Alex, go get into your pyjamas."
He moved off into his room, shutting the door behind him. There was a silent pause before he opened the door again, grabbed up the cat meowing outside of it and shut it again.
"Well boys, how can I help you?" Ginny asked, smiling at her son's quirky behaviour.
"I am in dire need of a woman's opinion!" Leo exclaimed happily, walking straight into the apartment without being invited and staring around it curiously.
"Won't you come in?" Ginny muttered, grinning at Draco who smiled back.
Leo and Draco handed her their jackets and Ginny stowed them in the closet by the door before turning back to her guests.
"So you want my opinion?"
Leo nodded; "Indeed I do."
"Alright." Ginny studied him a moment. "That shirt doesn't go with those trousers and those shoes should be burnt. Plus your hair, who cut it? I think you should sue."
He flapped a hand at her and she grinned as Alex emerged from his room in his pyjamas.
"Silly girl, I want your opinion on how to decorate the house I just bought my wife."
Alex eyed Leo for a moment before whispering something to the cat dangling dangerously from under one arm meowing pitifully and heading over to the sofas.
"Well I think you should let your wife decorate it, that's my opinion." Ginny said, staring pointedly at his outfit again.
"Pish posh, come on… we have work to do my lady."
Ginny sighed and led him into the kitchen. He spread his designs out over the large scrubbed wooden table in the centre.
"Draco, play with the child… see if you can find something on your brain level to amuse the two of you. Although on second thoughts… he's probably smarter than you."
Draco ignored Leo's playful insult but did indeed find himself sitting on the sofa next to Alex.
"Those are very nice pyjamas."
He could have kicked himself when Alex looked at him steadily for a long time.
"My mum made them for me, I'm sure if you ask her nicely she'll make some for you."
Draco lifted his eyebrows but nodded politely, he was quite sure they were nice pyjamas but he didn't think it would do his reputation or his libido any good to be seen wearing pyjamas with miniature trucks all over them.
"Do you know my mum?"
Draco considered this for a moment. He didn't quite think yes we've had illicit sex numerous times and in fact all I want to do right now is have her against that table a few times was quite the right answer to give her five year old son.
"We went to school together."
Alex frowned before smiling wickedly; "Do you think she's pretty?"
Draco was sure he looked like he'd swallowed a lemon as he contemplated what the right answer should be.
"She's really pretty isn't she? Dad still thinks she is."
Draco felt irrational jealousy grip his gut and he was never so grateful as when Ginny cut off the conversation.
"Alex! Be nice." She called from the kitchen in a distinctly warning tone.
Alex shrugged and went back to watching the TV, the cat now settled happily in his lap and purring contentedly.
"Alright Draco, we're on the move… I have a palace to decorate on the morrow."
Draco shook his head at his love-struck newly-wed friend and got to his feet, stretching to relieve the ache in his back.
"Can I use your bathroom, Ginny?"
She nodded at Leo and he bustled off down the corridor, shoving his designs into Draco's hands as he passed him. Ginny walked Draco to the door and handed him his jacket which he slung over one arm. They stared at each other for a moment.
"You're married." She whispered and he nodded, glad the designs in his hands prevented him reaching out to her.
"And I have a son to think about. I can't have him getting attached to the idea of someone being in his life when it isn't going to happen."
They had been over this conversation many times and he sighed heavily.
"You know, in another life, under different circumstances… it would have worked."
Ginny nodded, that's the worst part she silently added.
"Well… are we ready then? Off we go." Leo clapped his hands together and took the designs from Draco and his coat from Ginny.
As they were leaving Draco saw Alex hanging over the arm of the sofa with a sly look on his face.
"Bye Draco!" He called out and Draco nodded at him, waving a little before following Leo down the corridor.
"I like him." Alex announced as soon as the door was shut.
"You barely spoke to him." Ginny muttered, wandering into the kitchen and putting the kettle on the stove.
"I like him a lot. Yes I think I shall like to see him again."
Ginny laughed at her son's words, wondering where he picked such sayings up from before remembering Hermione was his aunt. She jumped on him. She scooped him up into her arms and carried him into his room.
"Well I think it's highly unlikely you'll see him again I'm afraid."
He pouted at her and she kissed him before dropping him onto the bed, he wriggled under the covers and she dug out his dinosaur from under a pile of toys and handed him to Alex.
"Do you like him?" Alex questioned.
Ginny sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed.
"I didn't like him in school, but he seems different now."
She pushed a lock of his hair back from his forehead and kissed his nose.
"And you know you're the only man for me."
He shook his head at her and she kissed him again before wandering back into the kitchen to make her cup of tea. She hated keeping things from Alex, he had enough trouble with his father living across the world. He was smart for his age and had a pretty good understanding of how people behaved, better than hers anyway.
Present day
Draco sighed and lifted his head, well aware there were tears on his face but not caring at the moment. He pulled his wedding band from his finger and held it up before him. He was in a mess, and he didn't know how to go about clearing it up. Even though it was all out in the open now, he didn't think he could give up Ginny. But he didn't want to give up Darklis either, and he knew she wouldn't tolerate him even speaking to Ginny ever again. If she forgave him that was.
He shook his head and scrubbed his hands over his face, getting to his feet and heading over to where he'd left the open bottle of whiskey.