Chapter Two: Tequila Sunrise
With the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling his senses and morning sunlight streaming through open windows, Draco's eyes fluttered open. Instantly, he closed them again. The brightness only intensified the dull pounding in his head. But as he slowly opened his eyes again, he saw a small steaming mug of coffee on his bedside table. He also noted that his normally closed curtains were now pulled to the side, letting warm sunlight dancing on the hardwood floor. He was used to waking up in a quiet dark room, perfect combination to heal a hangover. And because of the new surroundings, it was more than a little disconcerting.
Someone was in his house.
Rising slowly and unsteadily from his bed, he grabbed the hot mug and found its warmth a pleasing change from the constant cold. He longed to drink it, to fill his body with something hot and healthy, but he still didn't know who - what - was in his house. So he warily made his way down stairs.
Along with everything else, he noticed that his normal trail of dirty clothes did not line the hallway, and the usual stench was gone from the bathroom. In its place was a fresh floral scent and the hallway was spotless clean. Aside from the coffee, he could also smell ham and breakfast potatoes. So whoever it was couldn't possibly be an enemy.
When he was finally at the bottom of the stairs, what he saw made him stop. "What the hell?"
There was a beautiful oriental girl in the living room, sitting in a large chair by the fire. "Afternoon, sleepy head." she greeted.
Draco was stunned silent. This girl was not only beautiful, but be cause she looked strangely and oddly familiar, like a distant dream. In fact, she almost looked amazingly like-
"Cho Chang?" he asked. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too, Draco." she said nonchalantly, turning a page in the book she was reading. "I just lost my brother. Harry offered this little hut to me. Apparently he forgot you were staying here, but I don't see why we can't co-exist."
Draco suddenly started laughing as he laid on the couch. "I don't know what you're thinking, Chang, but you can't stay here with me."
Cho finally looked up and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, don't pull the 'I was here first' card. That is so childish."
"Look," Draco began, putting his hands behind his head and getting comfortable. "All I'm saying is that I came here to be alone, not to co-exist. If I have to owl Potter today, either you or I will leave, but I will be alone." Cho rolled her eyes and Draco didn't miss it. "And if you insist on being in the same room with me, keep it quiet. I'm recovering from a hangover."
Cho stood with a smirk, and turned towards the kitchen. "Very well, Your Majesty."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Now who's being childish?"
"Hey," Cho said, putting up her hands in defense and walking out of the room. "You started it."
Cho was cleaning in the kitchen after the last meal while Draco was sleeping off the alcohol in the living room, and she was doing it smugly. She had won that argument hands down. She knew exactly what Harry would tell Draco after receiving his owl. "She's mourning too," and "This will help you," "Tough it out, see what happens." And Draco would rant and rave about it, threatening to leave - but where would he go? She smirked as she placed the last of the clean dishes in the cupboard. She'd out smarted Mr. Smart-Ass Slytherin, and she was proud of it.
As she walked through the hall to go to her bedroom in the back of the house, she paused and looked at him laying on the couch. Even now, when they were no longer enemies, he still tried to act 'high and mighty,' trying to make her feel inferior. But in was all just an act. She knew that he was hurting inside, tortured and broken, trying to heal. And for a moment, this made her wonder if maybe she should leave. Maybe she should leave him alone, and let him mourn...
"He needs someone," Harry's words came suddenly came flooding back to her. "He needs someone to talk to, to comfort him, to love him. Draco never had any of that in his life. And this is a desperate time for him. He needs someone..."
But why me? Cho remembered wondering.
Suddenly, Draco shuddered and a moan escaped his mouth. Immediately, Cho's heart softened, and she moved towards him with compassion. She saw his body go rigid and his face, that was contorted in pain, was also covered with tears and sweat.
"No, father..." he groaned.
"Draco?" she whispered, scared to touch him in anyway. Not only was she afraid he would wake up in a rage, but he was also shirtless, and that unnerved Cho greatly.
"How could you?" he said in a choked sob. Cho flinched, and felt her heart almost break.
"Draco?" she said firmly, placing a hand on his arm and shaking it gently. His closed eyes squinted with tears again another tear rolling down his cheek. "No, please, no..." was his heart wrenching plea.
"Draco, please wake up," Cho said softly, wiping the wisps of blond hair that were damp from the sweat off his brow, and shaking him gently again. "You're just having a bad dream."
Suddenly, his eyes burst open in a sleepy rage. His hand snatched at her wrist and held it painfully, the other hand pointing in her face accusingly. "You," he muttered hatefully.
"Yes, it's me, Draco." she whispered in defense, trying to hide the fear in her voice. "Let go of my arm, you're hurting me."
Draco blinked again and immediately after his features softened, he let go. He sat back and ran a hand through his damp hair, letting out deep breaths.
"Damn, that was so real." he mumbled, closing his eyes and trying to steady his breath.
"Are you okay?" Cho ventured.
"What the hell do you think?" he eyed her.
Cho's poor sensitive heart was aching for this man. There were tears suddenly in her eyes and she whispered, "I'm sorry."
Draco shook his head and sighed. "No, I'm not okay," he said, answering her question. "I'm a tortured soul with a haunted mind. I've done unforgivable things and my past will forever be at my heels. No, Cho, I'm not okay. I'll never be okay." He looked bitterly at her before laying his face in his hands.
After a moment, she barely heard him whimper, "Man, it was so real."
Cho's heart hurt for him. Her sensitive woman's heart was suddenly overcome with compassion. She stood and opened her arms, then looking down at him, she said gently, "Come here."
A broken Draco stood without thinking and let her wrap her arms around his neck affectionately, not even noticing that his own arms snaked around her waist, pulling her warm body closer. He nuzzled his nose into her neck, taking in her feminine essence. Her small curved body, the soft scent of her hair, the warmth she gave - she filled him with a comfort and peace that was almost... somehow familiar, and yet, so refreshingly new. He cherished her closeness, because he wanted this new found solace to last as long as it could...
Cho simply held him, knowing that hugs were affectionate and comforting, one of the many ways to help heal the broken soul. Not to mention the heat emanating from his bare torso had began seeping through her clothes and the masculine scent from his rugged body had filled her senses and rendered her immovable. His skin was soft and smooth, so unlike what she had imagined. Maybe rough and course like his words, cold and untouchable like his attitude. But he was so warm and very touchable, and this filled Cho with a desire to let him hold her to his hearts content.
For once, I'm glad you're here. You woke me before the bitter end.
Cho blinked. "What?" she whispered.
Draco opened his eyes. Had he spoken his thoughts aloud?
"Nothing," he said, pulling away and clearing his throat. Instantly, Cho saw his defenses go up and his facial expressions go cold once more. "Forget this one moment of weakness."
"You're a human, Draco. You're prone to emotions, and it's not a weakness." Cho said.
Draco ignored her, waving her off. "And don't get to comfortable. I'll make sure Harry settles this once and for all. I was serious when I said you're not staying here."
Cho crossed her arms across her chest. "That doesn't sound like what I just heard." she said arrogantly.
Draco looked at her, and she only stared back at him. "You don't know what you're getting into, Chang." he told her, walking out of the room. "You have no idea."
"What if I did know?" she said daringly, and slowly he stopped. "What if I knew everything about you and your... past?"
He turned around and glared dangerously at her. "Then I would have to ask you what the hell you're still doing here."
"I want to help you, Draco." she said truthfully in an unwavering voice.
"Help me?" he laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "I... I don't understand you Cho! I don't understand your logic! You can't help me." But she didn't move.
"I am a killer!" he shouted. "A cold blooded murder. I am capable of using Unforgivable Curses. Unforgivable! Don't you understand that? Doesn't it scare you down to your pretty little toes that you're living willingly in a house with a man that could kill you instantly in your sleep?"
Cho shook her head. "No," she said boldly.
"No." Draco shrugged his shoulders. "And why not?"
"Because I know you."
Again Draco laughed. "You don't know me, Cho. We haven't seen each other for three years, and even then you accused me of not knowing you."
"It doesn't matter. I have proof that you're still the same boy I went to school with and you still have a heart no matter how small it may be." she said simply.
"I was heartless then too." he smirked.
"That's not what I mean, Draco. When I was at the pub last night, when you saw me... you smiled at me, you warmed me, quite warmly." Cho said, fighting the blush that was rising to her cheeks at the memory of Draco's... greeting.
"That doesn't prove anything, Cho." he sighed.
"Sure it does. You've got a heart, deep down inside you, somewhere." she smiled teasinly, poking his chest. "That's got to mean something, right?"
"No," he frowned. "It means nothing." Then he turned to walk away again.
But Cho was angry now. So she grabbed his arm and moved in front of him, stopping him in his tracks as she glared at him.
"Fine, I'll tell you what I really think. I think that you might have had a pent up anger for your father after all the years of abuse you endured, and it all escalated when you saw your mother die. Why is that? Because you loved your mother. Love, Draco. That is a good thing, a human emotion - a sign that you do have a heart. If you have love, you can't be all bad. That means there is still good left in you, I know it."
Draco could only stare deep into her ocean colored eyes, wanting to believe. He looked into her stormy blue orbs, with a regret that was so evident in his own eyes that it hurt her heart. Then he shook his head and turned away.
"No, Cho." he said quietly over his shoulder. "You know nothing."
Draco stepped into the hot shower and let the scorching water cascade down his body. He let out a long breath, relieving pressure and calming his nerves. Letting the steam infiltrate his senses and letting the extreme heat penetrate his body, he finally came to a conclusion.
Cho was wrong.
He could not stay. She could not stay. They could not co-exist. She was dangerous to his mental stability. She could heal him.
He had only realized this when he was holding her that she made him feel... different. And that was not something he needed. All he wanted, all he needed was his alcohol and the throbbing numbness that followed. Instead, she had brought a noticeable throbbing beneath his chest and he was no longer feeling the numbness. That had been replaced with a warmth and a peace. She made him feel...
Ah hell, Draco. Shut up, said the realistic side of his mind. It's ridiculous what you're thinking about. You've spent one day with this girl and already she polluted your mind.
And rightfully so, Draco fought back. Before Draco had closed his eyes to sleep, he had watched Cho leave the living room. He had let his eyes linger on her body for a moment before she disappeared and he noticed a few things. Cho may have been shorter than most, but she had long legs attached to an amazing body to make up for it. She had a smile that had already begun to melt his ice cold heart. And those eyes... those intense cerulean eyes that danced like blue flames. She could see into the depths of his soul if he let her...
Draco shook his head and turned, letting the steaming water massage his neck and back. That's what was so dangerous about her. He wanted her to see his soul, to touch him, to heal him. He needed someone - he needed her. And she was so willing to help, so eager to believe in things like goodness, forgiveness, love. And for a second, he had believed in it, too.
He had let his guard down in those few moments when they had shared the warmth of each others arms. And he felt comforted, more peaceful than he'd felt in long while. He had been enveloped in a feeling he had long since forgotten, and he welcomed it, wanting it to last as long as possible.
But then, he pulled away, when he realized it could never be. Any kind of peaceful comforting or sense of forgiveness was only temporary. Any search for it was vain. He was cold. Unfeeling. Unloved. Unforgivable. There was no sense in hoping for the impossible. No matter what this woman... girl... female polluted his mind to thinking, it was all lies, deceit - fake. He was a killer, and there was nothing Cho Chang could do to change that.
For once in her life, Cho was glad that she was stuck in a house with Draco Malfoy.
It sure as hell beat being alone.
She didn't know how he did it. The silence was almost unbearable. She couldn't take the quiet stillness much longer. After remembering a few things needed in the kitchen, considering Draco lived on liquor and didn't shop or cook, she stood and grabbed her coat.
Just so Draco wouldn't worry... well, not worry, but just so he wouldn't wonder, she walked quickly to the closed bathroom door. Her initial plan was to knock on the door and tell him she was off. But the door opened first.
There stood a drenching wet and half naked Draco Malfoy, with a towel wrapped carelessly around his hips and his blond hair clumping together on his forehead. Cho watched as a single drop of water trickled down his chest and over his well shaped abs. Cho blinked and forced herself to swallow.
Okay. Twice in her life she was glad that she was stuck in a house with Draco Malfoy.
"Like what you see?" he said in a half teasing voice. "Or did you come to join me?"
"No," Cho said firmly, forcing herself to speak. "I was going to tell you that I'm going to shop for a few things needed in the kitchen."
"Why would I care?"
Jerk. "I know you don't, but I was just letting you know incase you wondered where I had gone when you got out."
"Again, why would I care?"
"Okay, fine, you great prat! But just so you know, your water's still running." she spat, then she turned.
Draco grinned. "I know, I just came out here to ask you if you wanted to join me."
Cho stopped and slowly turned, staring at him in dis-belief. "What is with you? How do you jump between defiantly hating me and then offering your shower to me?"
Draco shrugged. "It's in my blood."
Cho rolled her eyes.
"So... you wanna?"
"Ugh!" she gasped angrily. "You are such a pig!" The she stomped around the corner, leaving Draco to chuckle to himself.
"Anything to get you out of the house."
A/N: Enjoy this chappie. It only gets better from here. -wink- Let me know what you think by reviewing! -hugs-