Chapter 15: Gratitude and Attitude
There were times Ginny knew exactly why she did things. Most of the time, really. But as she walked away from Malfoy and crested the stairs, steadily growing lighter and lighter; and took a deep swig from the bottle of rum waiting at the top; and sashayed right up to Zabini; she was only about 50% sure of anything.
"Dance with me," she demanded, placing her tub of chocolate spread on the nearest end table as she sucked her last helping from her finger.
"Gladly." It didn't take much to distract Blaise from where he'd been standing, chatting with some of the other party guests, and soon they were lost in the crowd on the dance floor, pulling no more attention than any other drunken couple.
This time quite consciously aware of any implications her actions held, she caught his eyes as she pushed her finger into her mouth slowly, her other hand encircling his waist in one sinuous movement. She was being reckless, maybe, but she felt like rewarding the black-haired Adonis as she pulled herself closer to him, and he put his arms around her waist as well.
He was smirking, mouth slightly open, eyebrows raised in amazed disbelief, as though he could hardly imagine his fortune. "What's the occasion?" He murmured, as she swayed her hips against his, the look in her eyes more than enough to seduce him. Then again, Blaise was easily seduced.
She grinned, wickedly, as her delicate finger popped from her mouth. "I just wanted to thank you," she returned the murmur, her free hand roaming back to his chest and tugging at the neck of his shirt, entreating him to duck his head. Her other finger rested by the side of her face as she smirked, and she saw his eyes dart to it. He hesitated, but she didn't move away, even as she suspected what might come, and the next thing she knew she had the very odd – yet somehow incredibly erotic – sensation of his mouth closing around her finger.
I can see why guys like it, she mused, biting her lip as she held Blaise's gaze, the black-haired boy humming throatily as his tongue licked every bit of sweetness that remained. She suddenly found herself quite warm. Really, the way her pulse was throbbing through her, all she wanted was a cup of ice. Or… okay, maybe that wasn't all she wanted.
"For what?" Blaise's voice was a playful growl as he released her hand, letting go of her just long enough to magic away the sticky residue, quietly.
For not being Malfoy. "For everything." Ginny had the slight feeling in the back of her mind that she wasn't exactly sober enough to be making these decisions, so she didn't do precisely what she wanted, instead ducking and turning her head and resting it against his chest. "For asking." Her body was caught between wanting to grab hold of someone, and wanting to fall asleep, but her self-control was reminding her one was definitely less cause for regret than the other.
His chuckle was a comfortable rumble where her ear pressed to his chest, and Ginny closed her eyes, letting out a tired, satisfied "mmm…" as she clasped her hands together behind him, almost childishly.
It took Blaise a while to say anything, and he only answered her after a beleaguered sigh. "….You're practically dead on your feet, Red." He traced his hands down her arms and unclasped them, gently. "Who did you come with? We should get you back to school."
She tilted her head to look up at him, eyelids heavy as the combined intoxications of time, alcohol, chocolate, and Blaise all acted at once.
He hesitated as she held her face just inches from him. "Red…" he sounded almost apologetic, as though warning her off of something, but he couldn't seem to complete the warning, the words hanging unspoken.
"I'm… not… going… to kiss you…" she muttered, the sleepiness creeping into her voice, as she looked up at him from under heavy eyes. She added, with a tired but still teasing smile; "…tonight."
He chuckled at that. "Well, I look forward to seeing you sober, then." His voice was wry but gentle, and he held an arm around her waist to lead her out of the crowd as she began to stumble a bit, that last drink finally wreaking its havoc.
He didn't get it. Draco just… he couldn't comprehend how she could be throwing herself at his best mate and rejecting…
I don't want her, anyway. She's just a filthy blood traitor. The words he thought didn't make him feel any better as he leaned against the top of the stairs, watching the redhead getting cozy with his friend on the dance floor. He didn't really think that way. Maybe he had, at some point, but enough backtalk from people he actually respected had made him question why he held those beliefs to begin with. After realizing that it was mostly bullshit fed to him by the uptight pricks that were his father and his father's friends, Draco had started to adjust his feelings on the matter. Spending time with Blaise, who had basically indoctrinated him into his own practically hedonistic lifestyle, had further broken down his opinions on blood superiority.
Of course, pure bloods were still better, in his opinion, but blood status wasn't the be-all and end-all of someone's worth. And this whole 'traitor' business…
While the Weasley's were a detestable bunch, they weren't exactly 'traitors.' Arthur Weasley was a nutcase, and his family was a jumble of madmen and hotheads, not worth Draco's time. But if they weren't worth his time as allies, they certainly weren't worth his energy as enemies, either. His ongoing feud with Potter's mate was mostly out of habit and for entertainment.
Still…. Why was the Weasley girl's rejection so goddamn frustrating?
He couldn't look away as he saw the redhead with her arms around Blaise, looking up, her gaze so obviously on his lips as she said something. It was like he was watching a train wreck in slow motion. He could already sense the inevitability of the kiss even as…
Wait, they weren't kissing. Blaise had his arm around her, walking her off the dance floor, and they hadn't kissed. If that had been Draco, he surely would've had her-
The words couldn't form in Draco's mind, even as the concept drifted through his head: maybe she'd had a point.
A/N: I'll be driving all day today, but look forward to a chapter tomorrow - hopefully. If I'm not too busy moving in.
-Turner
