Chapter Three: Drunken Confessions

Cho entered the pub a little after midnight, scanning the room through the smoke. When she had returned from shopping, the house had been empty. Then it had been almost dinner time. After noting the time and the fact that the bottle of fire whiskey that had been sitting on the table was now empty, she concluded that he must be out drinking again.

She sighed in desperation, dropping her hands. She wandered over to the bar and was greeted by a large, balding, and cheerful man.

"What can I get for you, miss?" he asked her.

"I'm looking for Draco Malfoy?"

"Pat! I need another one!" said a slurred voice at the end of the bar.

The bartender named Pat chuckled. "I think that would be your man."

Cho sighed as she walked down the bar to the stool where Draco sat, a drunken mess.

"Hey pretty lady." he said slowly, eyeing Cho greedily.

"Come on, Draco. Let's get you home." Cho said, putting a hand on his arm. "You're more trashed than yesterday."

"You know, it's a shame." Draco said to no one in particular. "I've got this great night all to myself with a whole bunch of liquor, but no one to share it with." Then he downed his shot of Fire Whiskey and laid his head down on the bar.

"Draco, are you okay?" she asked gently.

"And you want to know another thing?" he said, his head shooting up, Pat suddenly standing on the other side of the bar. "It's sad really... I never really had anyone to love. My parents didn't love me, not really. Everyone at school hated me," at this Cho cringed. "Now my parents are dead and the famous Harry Potter shoves me out of the world so he can stay in the spotlight." After a moment of staring into his empty shotglass, he mumbled, "Nobody loves me."

"Now, that's not true." Cho said, not knowing what else to say. She rubbed his back sympathetically and he sighed.

"Draco," Pat said, making Draco look up wearily, "It looks to me like this girl here cares about you very much." And Cho smiled at him gratefully.

"Aw, I know she does." Draco smiled and closed his drunken eyes, sliding an arm around Cho's waist and pulling her to his side. "She's my angel. She'll take care of me good when I'm too drunk to function." he smiled through his slurred words, and had Cho not been so aware of his hand at her waist, she could have laughed. "How about one more shot for my beautiful angel, Pat?"

"I think you've had enough for tonight, Draco." Pat said seriously.

Cho was suddenly afraid that he would lash out in anger, but he didn't. And she was even more surprised when he nodded calmly.

"You know what, Pat? You're right." Draco said, standing wobbly. "I shouldn't be in here, feeling sorry for myself, drinking my life away. I should be out there, living my life... Oh wait. I don't have one." Then he slowly sank back into his chair.

"Draco, come on. Let's get you back home." Cho said, gently pulling on his arm again.

Draco turned and looked at her with his twinkling silver eyes. "Is that an invitation, angel?" he grinned wickedly, pulling her closer.

"We live in the same house, silly." she smiled.

"Oh, so we're married."

Cho froze. "Um, well, no actually. We're barely even friends." Cho said, trying to walk him steadily to the door. But Draco stopped.

"How come we're not friends?"

Cho sighed. "I don't know, Draco. Because you don't like me very much." she said simply.

"How could I not like you?" he said, moving a strand of stray black hair from her face. "You're beautiful, sweet and caring, you watch over me and..." But the liquor and the late hour of the night was affecting his speech now.

"I... I don't know, Draco." Cho said, faltering over her own words. For some reason, his definition of her affected her greatly, though she didn't understand why.

"Kiss me," he said firmly, his wavering eyes suddenly locked with her own.

"What?" Cho gasped.

"Just kiss me. I need to understand why you andme aren't even friends." Draco begged in his slurred English.

"Draco, I can't..."

"Please," he pleaded.

Cho looked into his hurt and confused eyes, and she knew she couldn't resist him in anything. So quickly she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth. "There."

"Not like that," he whined. Then he took hold of her face gently with both hands, brushing his thumb over her bottom lip, before huskily whispering, "Like this."

He covered her lips with his and immediately Cho's resolve was gone. Deeply, passionately, and yet ever so softly, he kissed her. Even in his drunken state of mind, his skill and mastery in kissing a woman made her knees weak, her stomach flutter and her mouth ever responsive to his. She wanted to touch him, to let him feel the love he'd been deprived of for years. But due to his clouded mind, he had said things he probably never would have said otherwise.

What about that little part about you being beautiful? said a little voice in the back of her mind.

No, that has nothing to do with this, Cho argued back. I just want him to feel loved, and that is the only reason I am letting him kiss me.

And yet, selfishly, she reached out to touch him. Her hands lay flat on his chest, moving over his skin and resting at his hips. Her fingers curled around the belt loop of his pants and pulling his large warm body against hers. Her left hand crawled up around his neck, pulling his face down on hers and fingering the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

There was a painful desperation, a yearning, a searching... something in his kiss touched her heart. She could just see a broken little boy crying, tainted with a painful secret past, searching for happiness, forgiveness and love. And Cho wanted to be the one to help him find it - all of it.

Then slowly, he pulled away, leaving one final kiss on her lips. He let out an unsteady breath as Cho's eyes fluttered open and looked into his dream glazed eyes.

"You know what, angel? You're right." he murmured against her lips, as he still held her face near to his. "We're not friends." Cho's eyes narrowed at this remark, but then he spoke again in a whisper. "We're lovers."

"What!" Cho gasped incredulously.

"I don't know what I've done to make you believe that I don't like you," he said softly, and Cho unknowingly leaned her face into his hand. "But I do."

"Really?"

"I do, Cho. Very much."

Cho blinked. Don't believe him, he's just drunk.

"Remember that." Draco said, then took a step and collapsed on the floor.

Cho let out a breath and put a hand to her now flushed cheek. "Damn," she muttered.

"Are you going to swear every time he kisses you?" said a voice from the shadows.

Cho whirled around and glared. "What are you doing here, Blaise?"

He grinned and emerged. "Either he's really good at kissing, or he's really bad."

"Answer the question, Zambini." Cho tried to be serious, but she couldn't hide the blush that rose to her face.

"I asked first."

Cho sighed in frustration. "Fine. He's the most skilled kisser I've ever met in my life. Happy?"

"Yes," he chuckled. "Glad to see you're taking my advise and kissing him more." Cho's jaw dropped. "And her calls you 'angel?' Already you've some up with pet names. This is moving a lot quicker than I thought."

"Blaise Zambini, if you don't shut your mouth and get Draco off the floor, I'll give you a few names you won't be fond of." she said maliciously.

"Only joking." Blaise said, picking up Draco's limp body from the floor and heaving him over his shoulder.

"You never told me what you were doing here." Cho said, trying to get over her irritation. He was helping her, after all.

"Well, at first I came for the drinks, but Harry asked me to keep on eye on you two."

"So he doesn't trust me." Cho said bitterly. "He doesn't think I can take care of myself, get the job done right."

"No, he does. But sometimes, women can't control drunk men. I'm just watching out for you, Cho."

She nodded curtly. "Fine. Could you please just get him back to the house?"

"Get Draco back to the love nest, check."

Cho was sitting in a chair watching Draco sleep and bouncing her leg nervously.

So Harry didn't trust her, Blaise thought she was in love, drunk Draco was in love with Cho, and Cho wasn't sure what to think when it came to the cold and heartless Draco Malfoy.

The truth was, Draco was right. They didn't really know each other. Not personally. He might be lethally attractive, a licensed flirt and a talented kisser, but she had decided that what she felt for him was pity, not attraction. Here he was, mourning and regret his past by putting up a front, blocking out the world. But when he was drunk, he let his guard down. It was then that she felt most attracted to him, when he would easily let his true feelings show...

Great, I'm falling for a drunk, she thought bitterly.

She heard the clock in the living room chime once, and Cho sighed, rubbing her temples. It was indeed late and the hours were catching up with her. She stood and moved towards the door.

"Angel?" called a strained voice from the bed behind her.

"What Draco?" she said, turning around the face him in the darkness.

"What are you doing?"

She sighed again. "I'm going to bed. It's late and I'm tired."

There was a moments hesitation before he spoke apprehensively. "Can... could you stay with me tonight?"

"Draco, you're drunk, you know I can't-"

"Cho," he said gently, stopping her words completely. "Please... I, I don't want to be alone."

She closed her at the sound of his voice. It was strained and it almost brought tears to her eyes.

Cho eventually relented. "All right, Draco." She kicked off her shoes in the doorway, and peeled off her jacket and long pants, leaving her in a T-shirt. Then she blindly made her way to his bed, pulled down the covers and climbed in, turning her back to face him.

Suddenly, an arm snacked around her waist. Cho's breath caught in her throat as his grip tightened around her body and pulled her against his body.

"Thank you, Cho." he breathed on her ear, making her skin tingle all the way to her toes. "Maybe you can help to warm my ice cold heart."

Cho didn't respond, only patted the hands that were resting at her stomach and closed her eyes. She needed to at least pretend to sleep, while her heart was pounding madly in her chest, knowing for sure that if he didn't hear it, he would surely feel it.

When Draco stirred to consciousness, he felt peaceful contentment, despite the dull thudding in his head from the liquor the night before. He welcomed the darkness of the early morning. With a warm heart, he smiled.

Then he tightened his arms around a tiny waist.

Someone sighed in his face.

He felt a small set of fingers lace with his own.

When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to find Cho sleeping beside him. "What the..." was passing through his mind and he was thinking about shouting it at the top of his lungs.

But she looked so much like an angel... her eyes peacefully closed, mouth set in an easy smile, lips slightly parted and letting out small, even breaths...

Suddenly he remembered everything. The smell of the bar, seeing her for the first time in years, nicknaming her 'angel' and everything else he had revealed to her in his slurred drunken words.

But those kisses... those sweet, delicious heart-warming kisses that he had shared with Cho. And here she was, asleep and innocent, and thoughts of stealing another kiss from her perfectly set lips were crossing through his mind. It made his pulse race just thinking about it. This woman, this beautiful,caring and angelic woman took care of him and humored him, wether he was mean and heartless, or drunk and semi-endearing - she was indeed his guardian angel.

The question was had she believed any of his drunken rantings? Had she believed him when he said all he wanted was to be loved and forgiven? Or was she just humoring his intoxicated mind?

For fight is as he might, she had touched him. Her warm loving kisses had cracked the ice cold wall he'd built around his heart. She'd shown him a glimpse of both forgiveness and love, and now he only wanted more. He wanted love in it entirety and sweet forgiveness for his conscience.

But could he get that from her? Would she offer him, the hateful and heartless man that he was, such luxuries?

There was only one way to find out.

Cho came to recognition and smiled contentedly. She was undeniably warm and comfortable. With the sunlight gleaming happilly on her face, she stretched her arms and yawned. But when she brought hands back down and squeezed her pillow.

"Ow," said her pillow.

Cho's eyes flashed open. "Oh, no."

She was laying on top of Draco Malfoy. There was a mark of where she had rested her head on his bare chest, she had squeezed his shoulder in mistake for her pillow, and now her mouth was hovering over his own.

How do I get myself in these situations? Cho thought to herself. Thankfully both of them were still partially clothed. He appeared to still be asleep and she instantly decided to try to move before he woke to this predicament.

But she couldn't move. His arms were locked around her back - underneath her shirt. She tried to slip out without waking him, but as she moved, his hands began to move smoothly over her back. Her eyes momentarily rolled back and her heart jumped into her throat at the feel of his surprisingly warm, soft hands against her skin. When her eyes fluttered open and she looked down at his face, he was looking up at her with his sparkling silver eyes.

"Well, good morning, angel." he smiled, then he quickly kissed her on the lips, sending a shock throughout her body and rendering her immovable. "Did you have fun last night?"

Cho tried to swallow the lump in her throat, still shocked that he had just kissed her - and he was sober. "Draco Malfoy, we did not have sex last night, and you know it." she said, trying to be stern.

"True... you want to remedy that?" he said grinning mischievously.

Cho gasped. "Draco, stop talking like that! You know that you and I would never-" but her words were cut off by his fingers on her lips.

"You talk to much, angel." he chuckled.

Suddenly, at the sound of her new 'nickname,' realization hit her. "So you do remember." she whispered.

"Everything." he nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I did! And then I told said you talk to much." he smiled. "I want to explain something to you before you get out of this bed, so we can have an understanding. I'm still going to send an owl to Potter, but until he figures something out, we need to learn to 'co-exist.'"

Cho nodded back. "All right."

"First, just know that everything I told you is true, which you probably already know. I am a killer. I am a cold heartless man. But only because I was raised that way."

Cho nodded.

"But I am also a lonely, broken man. I have a built up a wall to keep me away from the world and the world away from me. You make we want to come out again. You make me willing to fight for the things that I want the most, like happiness, forgiveness and love."

Cho blushed at his last word, and looked away. But Draco put his hand on her cheek and turned her to face him.

"I was also serious when I said I liked you, Cho. That wasn't the alcohol talking. You are a sweet, beautiful girl. You make me want to change... you make me want to hope for those things I've been deprived of, things I'm not worthy of. Perhaps with you as my friend, you can help me find those things."

"Draco, I-"

"You don't have to say anything, Cho." he said. "I just wanted you to know that. And hopefully, you can look past all our history, and we can be friends."

Cho looked down at him in curiosity. This was not the Draco Malfoy that she knew and hated. This was someone else that she was beginning to accept. The sincerity in his voice was also evident in his eyes. She could still feel his thumbs going in lazy circles against her skin hands that were now on her hips, and the warmth of his chest through his shirt.

"Yeah, I can live with that." She smiled back at him, and for the first time, she noticed how close their faces were. She tried to move off the bed, specifically off of Draco, but he still held her tight.

"Do you mind if I..." she said slowly, nodding towards to clothes on the floor.

Draco then released her waist, allowing his hands to slide across her thighs as he did. "If you must."

Cho glared, and Draco smiled.

A/N: Okay, let this chapter last you for a while. After I finish school, I'll post more often. Let me know what you think of this one though!