Chapter 12: Making It Right

Blaise had to do a double take. Rashida couldn't be in his room right now, could she? Clearly this was some sort of prank by one of the guys or something.

Rashida looked at Blaise's bewildered face and became nervous. She lost the words that she had laid on the tip of her tongue to say. They disappeared at Blaise's presence. She found her felt wishing that she could fade out.

"Shida? What are you doing here?" asked Blaise as he closed the door and started walking extremely slowly towards her. She had to be a figment of his imagination. A result of too many sips of Draco's top shelf fire whiskey.

"You...you kept these?" Rashida managed to croak out, holding out the crown and scepter.

"You kept the rose." said Blaise. "I saw it on your nightstand the other morning."

"Of course I did, that was real. This was just a gag gift."

"A gag gift from you. So it's real to me too."

"Oh." said Rashida, placing the crown and scepter on the vanity.

Blaise and Rashida continued to stare at each other. Each one was trying to find the right words to say. Finally, Blaise spoke up.

"Look, I hope you didn't come here to argue, because I'm not in the mood to do that with you anymore." said Blaise, going on the defense.

"I'm not here to argue with you, Zabini." huffed Rashida. "I had come to-"

"Good, because I have a lot I need to say and only a short time to say it." interrupted Blaise.

Rashida kept her groan inside and nodded. She wasn't in the mood to argue herself, and in a way, she wasn't in the mood to hear him much. However, she figured if she expected him to listen to her, she should at least hear him out.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about Thomas." began Blaise. "I've already told you why I didn't tell you, but that shouldn't be an excuse. I should have been upfront with you, regardless of if you believed me or not and didn't want to speak to me again."

Rashida was taken aback. She didn't expect that to come out of his mouth.

"I was being selfish, Shida, really selfish. And I guess...well no... I know I have always been selfish when it came to you. I did a lot of shit thinking about how I would benefit and not once thinking about how you would feel. That wasn't right, and I'm sorry. For all of it, love. I really am."

Rashida smiled. "I accept your apology. And I'm impressed."

"Impressed why?"

I'm impressed that you actually listened to your friends." Rashida said with a smirk. "Only they would have said some shit like that to make it click."

Blaise chuckled. "Nothing gets passed you, does it?"

"Nope. And since we are on the apologetic broom, let me apologize too for lashing out on you like that. I shouldn't have done it."

"No, you were right to-"

"I wasn't. I shouldn't think that about you. I should trust in you more so you shouldn't feel like you have to hide things from me just to stay in my good graces." said Rashida, sitting on Blaise's bed, patting the space beside her for Blaise to sit.

"Well, I accept your unneeded apology." said Blaise, sitting down beside her.

Rashida smiled as Blaise sat and stared at her. He began to chuckle again, as the feeling of butterflies fluttering inside of him began to take over.

"What's the matter?" asked Rashida.

"Nothing important. Feeling like I'm back at fucking Hogwarts again all of a sudden." said Blaise. "It's been five years and you still make me a nervous sap."

Rashida grinned. "Well, if it helps, you make me feel like I'm back there too sometimes. Back when I was afraid of you."

"Afraid of me? What do you mean?"

"Well, afraid of my feelings for you, I should say." said Rashida. "Back when we were in that in between time. Where I knew about the bet, but you didn't know I knew, and I was starting to develop feelings when I didn't want them."

"I remember not wanting feelings for you too."

"And then low and behold both of us go against our better judgment and catch feelings for each other."

"Was that a bad thing?" asked Blaise.

Rashida shook her head slowly. "No. Not at all. I just wish that things wouldn't have played out the way they did."

Blaise nodded in agreement. "That was all my fault."

"I have to take blame for that too. Blaise. I didn't allow you to make up for it, you know? I simply closed myself off and didn't want to hear what you had to say."

"I didn't say what I should have afterwards, though." admitted Blaise. "I still acted like some wounded bitch and didn't respect you. I should have- what are you doing?"

Rashida had stood up and began to take off the lightweight jacket she had on, revealing a backless shirt that she had thrown on before the girls had arrived at her flat. Blaise found himself trying to control his hands, as they wanted nothing more than to rub up her smooth back like they almost had mere hours ago.

"You had a fire roaring in the summertime. I got hot." said Rashida, throwing the jacket onto the vanity chair.

"Right..." said Blaise, putting his hands behind his back.

"So," said Rashida, sitting back down on the bed, "I guess another thing I wanted to say was-"

Rashida's words were cut off by Blaise's lips, as he couldn't contain himself anymore. As soon as his lips touched hers, he instantly regretted it, as it seemed like he was taking advantage of her. He was about to pull back, until he felt her kissing him back.

Blaise put his arms around Rashida and brought her close to him. He took his hands and ran them slowly up and down her back, moaning against Rashida's lips, causing her to giggle.

"What is it with you and my back?" she said, laughing. Her laugh was quickly cut off as Blaise moved his mouth to Rashida's neck, gently nibbling at it as if she were a rich piece of chocolate.

He undid the shirt string that was tied in the back and began to kiss her exposed collarbone and shoulder. Soon enough, clothes had came off and had been thrown in different directions. Rashida laid in the middle of Blaise's bed and sighed as she allowed Blaise to plant kisses and licks all over her body. Her fingernails scratched the top of his head as Blaise found the familiarity of her treasure and began to devour it.

And when he brought himself over her and began to enter her slowly, it felt like the sun was rising again in her world. She scratched his back and bit her lip as Blaise moved back and forth inside of her, his hands gripping her hip and shoulder.

"I missed you so much." he whispered in her ear as she arched her back to allow him to go deeper. She tried her hardest to speak back, but the only things that were coming out of her mouth were breathless incoherent words and moans.

Blaise slid out of her, earning him a dissatisfied groan. He smirked as he twirled his finger in a circle, telling Rashida to turn over. She complied and he entered her again from the back, something that the both of them loved from their earlier days of lovemaking.

Blaise kissed and nibbled at Rashida's back as he moved a little faster in and out of her. Rashida clawed at the sheets as she felt orgasm after orgasm wash over her like waves of an ocean. Blaise trusted Rashida's dreads in his hand and pulled as he felt himself reach his peak. He bit into Rashida's shoulder as his body finally released as if it had been years since the last time he had ever had sex with anyone.

Blaise laid on his side, exhausted. Rashida turned on her side to face him, blushing and laughing at the same time.

"Well damn, Zabini." she said breathlessly. "I see you haven't lost your touch."

"I haven't lost my stamina either." he said, picking up a second wind and pulling Rashida towards him, ready for round two.

"Blaise?" whispered Rashida, hours later after three more times of passion. Blaise had his arm draped over Rashida, spooning her body into his.

"I'm trying to sleep as someone just finished wearing me out." said Blaise, kissing the back of Rashida's neck.

"I'm trying to be serious, perv."

"Sorry, sorry. I'm listening, love."

"What's going to happen?" she asked, lightly rubbing her fingers against Blaise's arm.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. What's going to happen with us? Is this what it's going to be? Me sneaking into Hogwarts at night and us making live when you're supposed to be grading papers? Are you going back to Italy to stay?" asked Rashida nervously.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do, Shida, you should know that." said Blaise sincerely.

"That's the thing, I don't know what I want to do, or rather, what I should do." said Rashida. "I just broke off my engagement and ended up back in the bed of my ex-boyfriend. I still ...I still love you, Blaise."

"I love you too..."

"But I don't think we should just bounce back into a relationship with each other. Not...not yet anyways." said Rashida, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"Don't cry." said Blaise, turning Rashida's body until she faced him. "Why are you crying?"

"I...I'm just disappointing you...us...all over again. And this hurts that I feel like this is the right thing to do."

"It hurts me too, but I agree. I think there are things the both of us need to do before we just get back together, don't you think?" said Blaise, wiping away Rashida's tears. "You and your parents got some making up to do, especially now, right?"

Rashida smiled and nodded.

"And I have to do the same. Ma and I have been at it for a long time. Plus with me working at the school, I have to prepare for that. You my dear, will only distract me from my work."

Rashida smirked and swatted Blaise on the shoulder. "And you would only hinder me with my upcoming art studio. I refuse to have you hold me back from making my galleons."

Blaise laughed. "That's my girl."

Rashida grinned. "I'm glad that the both of us actually agree with each other this time. Look at us being all mature."

Blaise didn't know what to say to that. Instead, he kissed her deeply.

"I love you. And I'm yours. Whenever we can happen."

"I love you too."

And when Blaise woke up that morning, she was gone.