Sunshine had snuck through a crack in the dark and heavy drawn curtains across the room causing a warmth to spread over Hermione's cheek. She stirred in her sleep from the rays tickling her face. Sleep slowly left her body as she opened her eyes, panic setting in when she first took in the sight of an unfamiliar location. She didn't dare move her body and used her eyes to examine her surroundings. The room was partially darkened so it was hard to see through sleep blurred eyes but she saw a familiar looking bookcase. She was lying on her side and looked down, seeing her Christmas pajamas that she had worn last night and a strong arm tightly holding her to the warm body pressed up against her back. Concentrating harder, she felt the soft breath of her companion tickling the hairs on the back of her neck. Memories of the previous night came rushing back to Hermione. She had confessed her feelings to the older woman in a song which wasn't planned and completely out of her comfort zone. The words, I love you, weren't technically shared but they were both aware that they had been desperately falling for the other woman. Somehow they ended up in bed, sharing a few kisses and snogging but the physicality didn't go any further than that. A silent agreement sat between them that when the time was right, they would take the next step. The last thing Hermione remembered was laying on Bella's chest in bed as she read her own poetry to her. She tried to lay as still as possible as to not wake her companion and thought she was doing a good job until she felt a warm hand rubbing circles on a part of her exposed stomach where her buttoned pajama shirt had ridden up during their slumber. "Good morning," came the husky, deep sleep filled voice from behind her. A soft kiss was left on the back of Hermione's neck causing a small shiver to rip through her body.
The brunette closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling of being held so intimately, "morning," she breathed out. "It appears I spent the night," she felt the pair of lips smile against her neck, humming. "How did you sleep?"
"It was one of the best night sleeps I've ever had," Bella nuzzled further into the woman in her arms. "And you? Did you find the bed well?"
"I slept amazingly," she turned around in Bella's arms so she could face the dark haired woman. Hermione gasped slightly. Wild curls were everywhere behind her, Bella looked both sleepy and happy at the same time, her eyes sparkling with an emotion Hermione hadn't seen yet. She brought her hand up and pushed some of the curls over her shoulder, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "It felt nice to wake up next to you," she bit her lip, "after I remembered where I was." That earned a deep chuckle from the other woman. "Happy Christmas," she said suddenly remembering what day it was. "Do you have to be off soon… or?"
"I have to meet my sisters eventually. They can wait." Bella brought Hermione in closer to her. "I'm not ready to let you go quite yet."
Hermione felt a little bold, she snaked her hand down Bella's side and rested it on the small of her back, pulling their bodies flush against each other. Her teeth were leaving an imprint on her bottom lip at the abuse she was delivering but it didn't stop her. She trailed her eyes from Bella's eyes to her lips and back up. "What did you want to do?" She whispered.
"Umm," Bella cleared her throat, "I can think of several things actually," using her thumb to release Hermione's battered bottom lip, her own tongue darting out to moisten her dry lips. She dragged her thumb down holding Hermione's chin between her thumb and index finger.
Bella watched as her tongue came out to wet her lips and eyes closed in anticipation. Hermione waited with bated breath for the older woman to close the small distance and make her move. The earthy, woody smell of Bella's shampoo was invading Hermione's nostrils as she felt the older woman moving closer. The gentle press upon her lips had her melting into the older woman. It was as if oxygen ceased to exist and she survived solely on this kiss. She felt Bella's hand move from her chin around to the back of her neck, playing with the baby hairs she found there. That brazen feeling came back when Bella's tongue swept across her lower lip, a silent prayer answered immediately. The gentle pressure had Hermione clinging to the older woman. Their tongues dancing in perfect harmony as languid kisses were shared as if they had all the time in the world to get to know each other. Hermione was dying for more. The familiar heat in her core was ignited when Bella's hand tightened slightly in her hair, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. A small moan escaped and neither woman was certain who it came from. With Bella nibbling on her lip, Hermione found her own way of exploring. Her hand was slowly making its way from around Bella's back, slipping slowly up the front of her shirt. Hermione felt a hitch in Bella's breath as the older woman placed a soft kiss on her lips, reaching down to stop the wandering hand.
"Did I do something wrong?" Hermione asked in a breathy tone.
"Never," Bella reassured her with a slow, gentle kiss. She moved her face so it was resting on Hermione's cheek, her lips on her ear, "make no mistake. I want you, Hermione. I want you so bad right now." She kissed the shell of her ear feeling the younger woman tremble. "I'm actually a little scared how much I want you," she whispered.
Hermione pulled back and looked at her, "I want you, too." Then she bit her lip, "but I respect waiting. I care about you too much to make you uncomfortable."
"I'm not," Bella ran her hand up Hermione's cheek, holding her face, her fingers getting lost in brunette waves. "I just need to wait." Bella rested her forehead against her own and sighed, "I need to talk to you about a few things." She cleared her throat and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. "I need to talk to you about me," she began to speak when Hermione's phone rang from the bedside table. "That's you, love."
"No," Hemrione shook her head, "continue, they can wait," but her phone kept ringing. "Shoot," she finally turned from the embrace and felt Bella chuckle. "It's papa. I should call him back." She looked almost sorry that their moment was broken.
"Call him," she kissed her forehead and shifted in bed, looking over not seeing her phone. "I'll be back," she started to move and Hermione reached out to her.
"Thank you for the perfect first date," she smiled, "I wish to have many, many more."
Bella's smile could light up the darkest room, "as you wish," she winked before sliding from the bed, exiting the room.
Hermione dialed her grandfather's number and when she heard him answer cheerfully, she felt guilty for being annoyed, "Papa, you called?"
"Merry Christmas sunshine! I'm at the Rose and you aren't here so I can only assume your date went well."
Hermione could hear the smile in his voice, "yes. It did. She was the perfect date. Very respectful and we had a lovely evening."
"She didn't pressure you into anything you didn't want to do, did she?"
"Papa, no she didn't and I'm not having that conversation with you," she relaxed when she heard him laughing. "Though she did convince me to adopt a kitten which I'm supposed to pick up tomorrow so that's new."
"Are you coming home soon?"
"I believe so, why what time is it?"
"It's almost noon sunshine. I was going to start cooking our Christmas Day breakfast but I didn't want to intrude upstairs unless I had permission."
"You always have permission if there's a promise of breakfast and I didn't realize it was so late. I'll be home soon."
"No rush," Henry assured her, "and don't forget to tell Bella she's welcome to join us for breakfast"
"I think she's going to spend the day with her sisters but I'll ask anyway," she smiled as she said goodbye hanging up as Bella walked back in hanging up from her own phone conversation.
"Do you have to go?" Bella asked, noticing Hermione had fully gotten out of bed.
"Yes," she looked almost sad at the thought, "my grandfather and I always have Christmas breakfast together and it appears it's almost noon," a sheepish smile adorned her face.
"Well, let's not keep him waiting for you," Bella smiled, going to the bathroom and collecting Hermione's clothes from last night. "I'll just get ready in the other room," she walked into her closet and grabbed some clothes.
"Papa asked if you wanted to join us."
Bella's head whipped around and a small smile played at her lips, "if there was anyway I thought I could get away with not being murdered by my sisters, I'd ditch them in a heartbeat to spend the day with you."
"Maybe next holiday," she offered a small smile.
"Definitely," Bella smirked, holding up her clothes nodding to the door before making her exit.
Ten minutes later they were both dressed and ready for the day. Hermione of course was wearing her clothes from the previous evening. She had left her pajamas folded on the bed just in case there would be another spontaneous sleepover in the future. Bella was wearing her usual skirts, blouse and corset outfit with a pair of platform boots. "You have to be pretty confident to wear shoes at that height in the snow and ice," Hermione joked with her when she saw the shoes.
"I'm a professional," Bella laughed. "Don't waste your worries on me. I've done this hundreds of times." She brought over the canvas shopping bag Hermione had carried the books in last night and filled it with a few books in exchange and her present. "Do you want to take your pajamas?"
"No," Hermione saw Bella's face fall. "No," she quickly added, "I want to leave them here for next time."
Perking up at the words slightly, "okay for next time." She smiled and grabbed the pajamas, walking them over to her dresser and putting them in the bottom drawer. "There," she said, getting up and turning back to face the younger woman, "they will be anxiously waiting for your return."
"They will be or you will be?"
Bella raised an eyebrow, her cheeks slightly coloring, "you already know that answer." She shook her head and extended her hand. "Come on, let me walk you home."
"You don't have to do that," Hermione waved off her hand but Bella walked over and laced their fingers together.
"I want to," she said with a tone of finality. "Plus I told Dora to pick me up outside of your shop in like 15 minutes so I'm walking you home."
Hermione smiled and squeezed her hand, "okay."
The pair had bundled up and walked the 10 minutes it took to get to the front of the Rose lost in comfortable conversation about the books she left for Bella. Hermione had noticed her grandfather looking out of her front window when they approached with a big smile on his face. She quickly shook her head and saw him laugh but leave the window. They stopped at the front door and turned to face each other, not letting go of each other's hand. "So, thanks for walking me home."
"It was my pleasure," Bella looked into her eyes and Hermione could've sworn that she was looking deep into her soul. "Thank you for giving me the best birthday I've had in decades. It'll be hard to top this one," she leaned in and kissed Hermione's cold cheek. "Would you still like me to accompany you to the shelter tomorrow to get Squeaks?"
"Of course," Hermione beamed, "I couldn't possibly go without you. She's practically yours as well. This parenting is going to be a joint effort," she let a little laugh out. "Plus if the introduction with Crooks goes south, Squeaks might need you to protect her."
"Got it," Bella winked, "I wouldn't miss it." Just then Dora pulled up in front of the shop but didn't honk, just gave them a big goofy smile and averted her eyes. "I should go," she nodded to the car.
Hermione nodded, "yes I suppose you should."
"I don't want to," Bella wrapped her arms around the younger woman pulling her in for an embrace. With her heels on she was finally taller than the brunette and rested her chin on top of the head that was tucked into the hug. Neither of them moved for a moment before Hermione looked up and smiled, meeting her eyes, "I know you just got out of a serious relationship but I'd very much like to call you my girlfriend," Bella whispered quietly, her breath tickling Hermione's cheeks.
"I'd like that, too." Hermione leaned up on her toes, placing the softest kiss on the older woman's lips, pulling back to see her eyes flutter open. "Text me later?"
"Of course," Bella was having a hard time letting Hermione go. They shared a few more kisses before she finally pulled away completely, "until later," she stepped back and watched as Hermione made her way into the shop, turning back to wave as she closed the door. Bella quickly made her way to the car and tried to wipe the smile off of her face, "Happy Christmas, Dora."
"Oh no," Dora laughed. "You aren't going to take five minutes to say goodbye while kissing a beautiful woman to come in here and pretend that you aren't dying of happiness on the inside." She saw her aunt offer a small smile of acknowledgement, "I want every detail." She started the car and pulled away from the shop and scrunched her face, "okay maybe not every detail."
—-
Christmas Day was a pleasant affair as always. Hermione and Henry had spent the day lost in a myriad of Christmas movies and breakfast for lunch. When he left in the early evening, Ginny had stopped by with a present for her friend and of course to get the details of the evening. Hermione was more than ready to tell her everything. Her life was quickly becoming a modern day fairy tale though her past experiences in relationships had her heart gated to an extent. Ginny reminded her, "Bella isn't the same as the other women you've been with. Granted I only met her for less than a minute but from everything you've told me, she seems different. Don't hold your gates closed too tightly, you might miss out on your forever." Hermione knew that Ginny was right and she was trying to be as open and vulnerable around Bella as possible but the fear was always in the back of her mind. The friends spent a few hours hanging out and catching up though Hermione declined the invite to the Weasley Burrow for Christmas dinner. Ginny was about to protest when Hermione got a phone call from her new girlfriend and the redhead slipped out of the house. The shop owner spent a while on the phone with Bella before hanging up and turning in for the evening.
The following morning Hermione woke up and prepared the shop for the day. It was Boxing Day of course so she wasn't expecting many customers if any at all but she still wanted to be open in case anyone had an after Christmas Day book emergency. She herself had a few of those emergencies throughout the years. She was surprised with the steady turnout of patrons that came into the Rose but she wasn't complaining. Her phone buzzed just as she was finishing up checking out a very excited looking teenager who was spending her Christmas money.
-11:46am
Hi Hermione. I called the shelter and Mary said she's going to start the paperwork for Squeaks. Are you excited?
-11:48am
Yes! Well and a little nervous. I broke the news to Crooks this morning. He didn't seem bothered. When do you want to head over?
-11:52am
I think I can make my escape from here in about an hour. I'll have Dora drop me off.
Hermione had to take a minute to check out a few customers who were excitedly talking about the newest releases of their favorite authors. She never rushed customers who were this happy to talk about books with her. She felt her pocket buzz with another message from Bella. "I know," Hermione smiled at the young woman sharing in her excitement, "I loved this book so much."
"It would be pretty cool if someone started a book club around here" the woman thought aloud, "I'm dying for more book friends."
Hermione didn't get a chance to respond as the lady thanked her for her books and left the store. She quickly pulled out her phone and read the message from Bella.
-12:08pm
Did I lose you, love?
-12:17pm
I'm so sorry. We've been swamped at the Rose today. I can't believe how many people are shopping today.
-12:24pm
No worries, love. Do you want me to call Mary and say we will come tomorrow instead?
-12:25pm
No! I'll just close the shop for a while then we can open it back up after. I'm technically not even supposed to be open today.
-12:28pm
Okay I can help with whatever you need. I'll pester Dora until she's ready to go. I'll be there in about 30 minutes? See you soon.
-12:30pm
:)
Hermione spent the half hour starting to set up her new after Christmas book displays. One of her favorite parts of the job was arranging the books because she got to highlight all of her favorites. Plus being the owner had its perks, she was privy to the newest releases before anyone else.
An hour later, Hermione was opening the front door to The English Rose being followed inside by Bella holding a wrapped up bundle. The shop owner put down a bag which had a variety of blankets, cat toys, treats, samples of food and vaccination records. "I hope she's not too cold," she said as she went over to the thermostat and turned it up a few degrees.
"No," Bella shook her head at the thought, "she seems fine." As she was moving, a little paw shot out of the blanket bundle and swatted at a strand of curly black hair that was hanging down on the blanket. "I'd say she's ready to play," she chuckled as she sat on the ground and unwrapped the baby blankets, Squeaks coming into view. She was pawing at Bella's hair with one paw and sucking on the other one. "You're home little miss." Squeaks stretched her limbs then rolled over, carefully crawling out of the blankets and out of Bella's lap. She cautiously looked around the floor of the main room of the shop while looking between the two women. It was as if she was making her final ruling before meowing happily and prancing off to check out the rest of the floor. "I'd say she seems pretty happy here."
"But she hasn't met Crooks, yet." Hermione smiled.
As if on cue, the orange ball of fur came down the stairs on edge. "Crooks," she addressed her cat, "there's someone new here like we talked about this morning."
Crooks ignored Hermione and walked straight over to Bella and flopped down in her lap. "It's lovely to see you again, sir," Bella scratched behind his ears, "but I believe your mum is trying to talk to you." He let out a disinterested meow before he snuggled in deeper into the warm lap and started purring. "Well, this is going well."
Hermione laughed, "maybe if I bring Squeaks in here and hold her we can start the interaction. Honestly they just need to not want to murder each other and I'll be satisfied." She smiled and got up from the floor, searching from room to room finally finding Squeaks in the customer bathroom where a spare litter box was. The kitten let out a little meow as she was scraping her paws on the side signaling that she had just gone to the bathroom. "You are already such a good girl," she said as the kitten came prancing over pawing at her leg. Hermione bent down and picked her up, "all right my love, there's someone else who lives here that you need to meet. He's not scary," she added when Squeaks cocked her head like she understood, "he's out there will Bella. Let's go get this over with. Please be nice," she smiled as Squeaks started purring. Hermione petted her head a few times, kissing the newest member of the family. She walked back out and saw that Crooks was still sitting on Bella and smiled at the warmth that filled her heart. "Okay," she sat down at a reasonable distance, turning Squeaks in her lap to her first born, "Crooks, this is Squeaks. She's your new sister." Squeaks' body tensed slightly when Crooks got up from Bella and slowly walked over. He looked at the kitten and sniffed. He brought his own paw up and gently pushed the baby and then walked away. Hermione looked over at Bella, "was that a good thing?"
Bella let out a deep belly laugh, "well it honestly could've gone much worse." She reached out and grabbed the little kitten, bringing her up into a hug. "You are just the sweetest little thing. Aren't you?" She snuggled into the kitten who was purring loudly. It was clear the two already had a bond. "Are you going to keep her name?"
"Of course," Hermione scooted over so she was sitting next to Bella, their thighs touching. "There is no name that suits her better than Squeaks. It's too perfect." The nervousness was kicking in again. Not the new kitten nerves but the nerves of a brand new relationship with the most romantic and gorgeous woman she's ever met. She looked up from the kitten biting her lip, seeing dark eyes staring deeply at her. She let go of her lip when Bella looked down with a raised eyebrow, "hi," she whispered out.
"Hi," the dark-haired woman breathed back.
It settled Hermione's stomach butterflies to think that Bella was just as nervous as she was though Bella always exuded a certain level of confidence that the younger woman would never dare to have. "Thanks for coming with me today," her voice still soft.
"I wouldn't have missed it," she leaned forward and brought their lips together. Bella had never experienced such a deep connection to another person through a simple kiss before. She wanted to take things further and it seemed that her body was responding appropriately. She would have to thank her psychiatrist for the new pills but she didn't feel comfortable taking the relationship to the next level without being completely forthright with her new girlfriend. Hermione deserved the full truth. She just hoped there were enough feelings to sustain the new relationship after everything came out.
"Hey," Hermione pulled back from the kiss looking confused, "where were you right then?" She tucked a strand of curls behind Bella's ear.
"Here, love." She went back in for another kiss. "There's nowhere I'd rather be." The answer seemed to pacify the younger woman and she looked down when Squeaks made a long meow demanding the attention be turned back to her, "should we take her upstairs and let her get familiar?" Hermione nodded and they went upstairs with all of the cat supplies to let the little kitten get accustomed to her new life.
Squeaks made quick work of getting adjusted to her new surroundings while they stayed upstairs letting her explore and learn. The kitten was excitedly running from room to room reminding Hermione just how much energy little kittens had. Squeaks had just turned 4 months old so she was still a baby. Crooks had come upstairs at one point and though he wasn't one to play, Hermione did catch him batting back at the kitten when she tried to engage with him. She breathed a sigh of relief upon coming to realize they wouldn't murder each other. They spent a good hour upstairs letting the kitten get her sillies out before they headed back downstairs with the kitten in tow to reopen the shop. Bella had elected to stay and help Hermione organize the January book displays. There were plenty of customers for a few hours until the usual closing time. Bella knew the closing routine by heart now and followed Hermione down to the lower level to sort through donations, carrying Squeaks down with them. Everything between them seemed so easy and natural. They were both content in each other's company without constantly having to talk or provide entertainment. While they were sorting, Hermione looked up and saw Bella reading the back of a book with Squeaks batting pieces of Bella's hair that were hanging in front of her face. "Quit that," she would say softly to the kitten before kissing her on the head. If Hermione's heart wasn't already attached, the vision of Bella being soft towards a kitten would've sent her over the edge. She put her book down and cleared her throat, "do you want to spend the night?" The nerves crept back in when she saw Bella look up at her. The older woman nodded just so that if Hermione wasn't looking she would've missed it. This would be the dark haired woman's chance to tell her everything whether she liked what she heard or not. The woman started to open her mouth to respond when her cell phone started dinging, "that's you, love," Hermione parroted the dark haired woman's words back to her.
The message was from her youngest sister requesting her presence at home. Bella sighed a little deflated. She really wanted to spend the night wrapped around her girlfriend again, especially with the new little bundle but Cissy usually only asked for her assistance if she really needed it. Though if this was about her stupid New Years Ball, she would kill Cissy herself. "I can't," she saw the deflated look of her girlfriend. "Oh love, I would if I could. My sister asked if I can help her out with something tonight. Can I take a rain check?" Hermione perked up a little. "Believe me, I would much rather big spoon you all night again but my sisterly duties are calling."
"Fair enough," Hermione stuck out her bottom lip just slightly, "I understand. Rain check for sure." She stood up and walked over attempting to grab the kitten but Bella just snuggled her closely. "I thought you were leaving."
"Well I am but that doesn't mean I can't snuggle her up to the front door." Her smile lit up the room. "Come on," she stood up, carrying the small bundle in her arms like a baby. Squeaks was happy for the extra attention. "Oh I forgot," Bella turned back once they got to the front door, kissing the kitten and placing her down on the floor. Squeaks took off the moment she was free. "My sister is having a New Years Eve Ball. I'd very much like for you to accompany me again." She reached out and grabbed Hermione's hands.
"Your sister hosts a lot of balls," Hermione smiled.
"Indeed she does," Bella looked at her expectantly, "is that a yes?"
"Yes," Hermione kissed Bella on the cheek, "I'd love to attend the ball with you." She pulled back looking slightly worried. "What's the theme? Oh no. Dress shopping with Ginny. I'm not the type of girl who is good at this stuff."
"Don't even worry about it," Bella smiled, "I'll have everything sorted and delivered for you. You'll just have to show up again and now that you know the address, you can drive if you'd like. Meet me there?"
Hermione's butterflies were back and she nodded, "yes." She closed her eyes as her girlfriend embraced her, her hands rubbing her back just gently enough to make her head spin. She cleared her throat trying not to let her body get swept up in the comforting feelings, "what's the theme?"
Bella let out a deep husky chuckle, running her fingers up the girl's arms as she pulled back, looking at the glazed over expression in her girlfriend's eyes. Bella was feeling the same feelings but couldn't act on anything until Hermione knew everything so innocent kisses and touches had to suffice for the time being. "I'm actually not sure but I have a sneaking suspicion that's why Cissy is summoning me at this hour. The preball panic has set in and needs my expertise," she laughed while tucking a brunette wave behind Hermione's ear.
"Another area of expertise to add to your ever growing list. Let's see," she pretended to think, tapping her index finger on her chin, "there's good with animals, woodworking, charcuterie boards, poetry writing and now ball preparations. I got to tell you… you seem a little too good to be true."
"I assure you," she gave her a quick kiss, "that I am not." She was bringing Hermione flush against her body to kiss her more thoroughly when she felt her phone buzz in her pockets. "I'm going to kill my sister," she whispered against Hermione's lips, leaving her with a quick peck. She dropped Hermione's arms and went to put on her coat. "I'll call you tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'll need to tell you all about Squeaks and her first night." She kissed Bella on the cheek before opening up the door, bending down to scoop up the kitten as she tried to follow the older lady out. "Goodnight, Bella."
"Goodnight, love." She inclined her head towards the kitten, "Squeaks." She smiled and left the porch, heading down the street back to her house.
Hermione shut off all the lights in the shop as she and Squeaks ascended the stairs. "Crooks come on, it's time for dinner." The chubby orange cat came bounding out of the book room and into the kitchen. "You're going to be a good big brother," she said as she put the little kitten down and grabbed his bowl along with the kitten bowl from Squeaks' bag of supplies. She fixed them both a mixture of soft food and kitten pellets and set it down for them with a shared bowl of water. They ate together without contention and Hermione smiled. "Yes, I think this arrangement is going to work out wonderfully." After having a quick bite to eat, she went and took a hot shower, relaxing her muscles. Her ribs were still tender after the time that had passed and it was a shocking reminder that she has to keep her guard up but not close her gates entirely. She trusted Bella and it scared her. She was scared that she's going to wake up and this fantasy will end before it even had a chance to begin. "No," she shook her head, water dripping from her long, wet strands of hair, "I won't write Bella off because of a couple of shitty experiences." She shut off the water and exited the shower. Dressed in a pair of sleep shorts, a tank top and a big fluffy robe, she went into her bedroom to grab her book and then went to sit down on the couch. She slipped into her fantasy world when she felt Crooks jump on the couch and snuggle up next to her right side. She went back to reading when she heard the tiniest meow coming from in front of her. She peered over the couch and saw Squeaks looking up at her with big eyes, "oh all right then. You can come up as well," she scooped up the kitten and deposited her on her left side. Squeaks explored the couch before coming to walk next to Crooks, brushing up against him before plopping herself down, snuggling up next to him. He didn't move away so Hermione took that as a sign that he would eventually come around to the kitten. She started reading again when she heard her phone ding. Assuming it was her girlfriend, she quickly put her book mark in and grabbed her phone. Her stomach jumped up into her throat when she read the name on the message. "Oh God," she turned to her cats,"I thought this was over. What does Laura want?" She slowly took a couple of deep breaths and opened the message.
-9:24pm
We need to talk.
-9:26pm
We don't have anything left to say.
-9:27pm
Cut the bullshit, Hermione. I need to talk to you.
-9:29pm
I'm not interested in anything you have to say anymore.
After a few minutes she conceded to the fact that Laura must have given up. Whatever she had to tell her, she didn't care. She was done with Laura and her drama. "I'm not getting sucked back into her abusive bullshit," she assured Crooks, who looked up at her to see if she was okay. "I'll be fine, my sweet boy." She reached down and scratched his head, stopping to scratch Squeaks' head as well. "We are happy now. Right?" Crooks meowed at her and stretched out his paw, putting it in on her arm. Her phone buzzed causing her to jump. "Funny how we aren't together anymore and she can still manage to scare the absolute piss out of me."
-9:50pm
You'll want to hear what I have to say this time?
Hermione knew she shouldn't even bother to message her back but her curious nature got the best of her once again. "Fuck," she said as she typed.
-9:53pm
Oh and what makes you think I have any interest in what you have to say to me?
She gulped when she read the incoming message.
-9:55pm
Because it's about your girlfriend, Bella.