Web: DaphneDraco

Word Count: 434

The proposal comes at the most bizarre moment. They're sitting together on the couch, sharing a quilt her grandmother had given her for Christmas. Her mind is so wrapped around the book that rests in her lap that she almost doesn't hear him at first.

"I'm sorry?" Daphne blinks in confusion, and then she notices the ring, and understanding twists her insides into painful knots.

She's never fancied the idea of marriage. Though she will happily spend her whole life with someone, the moment a ring is involved, she wants to run. There's something suffocating about the idea of being legally bound to someone for an eternity. Her mind races, and she ponders a polite way to reject him.

"Will you marry me?" Draco asks.

He's a good bloke, and Daphne has come to care for him more than she can ever say. Though he's had his issues, he's worked past them, and she's so bloody proud.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

"Can't?" he echoes. "Or won't?"

Daphne's cheeks flood with heat, and she looks down, staring at the quilt squares like they're the most interesting thing in the room. She sighs, her body going slack. "I like my men the way I love my coffee," she says, still refusing to look at him. "Unable to love me back."

She hates admitting it. It feels like some sort of defect, some reminder that there is something wrong with her. So many people still think pure-blood women are meant to live with only one goal in mind: finding a good, pure-blood husband. Even if she hasn't been raised with that mindset, it's all she's ever seen.

Draco scoffs, and she finally dares to look his way. "Were we ever going to work?" he asks.

"Who says we can't?" She reaches for him, but he jerks his hand away. "Love doesn't mean marriage."

"You knew what my parents expected of me," he reminds her, pale cheeks flushing pink. "I'm a Malfoy! We don't seek meaningful relationships!"

They've been raised in two very different ways. Sometimes, it's easy for Daphne to forget that they see the world differently, that things she values may seem strange to Draco.

And she values her freedom more than anything.

"Draco…"

He climbs to his feet, Summoning his maroon cloak and pulling it on. "I don't have time for this."

She opens her mouth to protest, but she realizes it's pointless. Without so much as a goodbye, Draco turns on his heel and stalks off, slamming the door behind him.

The worst part is that Daphne knows she will never stop loving him.