Mourned

Author's Note: Thanks for all your reviews after that intense chapter – as I said, it's a game changer! Some of you have already had some ideas about what this will mean for our favourite couple. Here we continue to explore the fallout from that death. As always, JKR is continuously reborn from the ashes.

Draco had been in bed for three days straight. He had only left the comfort of the bed covers to go to the bathroom, and even then it was rather reluctantly. When he had finally woken from a deep sleep that following morning, his body had been overcome by a fit of lethargy. He hadn't wanted to move, or eat, or even take any potions to pep himself up. He had just curled up under the blankets, reliving those final moments of his mother's life, and occasionally falling into a fitful sleep. Of course, Granger had practically force fed him a few times, but all she managed to get him to swallow was very mild food and plain tea. He appreciated that she wasn't trying to get him out of bed. A part of him had expected her to push and boss him around until he got up. But she didn't. She just made sure that he was eating and drinking fluids. She would even come and sit on the bed with him for a few hours at a time reading a book. They didn't speak; just lay next to each other in blissful silence. And at night when it became too much for him, she wriggled just a little closer so that he could feel the warmth of her body near his.

During the few times when he felt lucid and his mind was temporarily back in gear, Draco wondered what she was thinking. Did she regret their kiss? Did she enjoy it? He knew that she had been affected. He remembered the way she had shuddered under him, and how she had released those little whines of pleasure. Not to mention the way she'd finally kissed him back. Granger had been innocent and tentative, but she had definitely parted her lips and caressed his in return. In his better moments, when he wasn't wallowing in self-pity, he had had to bite into his bottom lip to stifle the groan he wanted to release at the memory of her heady taste, and her soft pliable kisses. He wanted so much more. He wanted to kiss his way across her jaw and down her slim neck, and nibble on the skin near her shoulder to see if it would make her shiver. And that was just the start.

But mixed in with these thoughts, interrupting them constantly, was the reminder of his mother dying in his arms. He woke from nightmares in which he was trying to save her, but he never could. He shouted for help and no sound came out. He summoned vial after vial of potion, and all were empty. And before he could grasp onto the one idea that would cure her, he would wake up. Once when he woke in a cold sweat, panting and twisted up in the sheets, Granger had been there. As his groggy mind caught up, he became aware of a warm, soft hand stroking up his forehead and into the roots of his hair. She was murmuring comforting words into his ear as she caressed the damp blonde strands, and Draco shivered in response, allowing his body to relax again. He hadn't needed to thank her; he could see the understanding in her wide brown eyes. This close her eyes reminded him of rich dark chocolate, and he licked his sweaty upper lip as his eyes drooped lazily once more. Feeling cocooned in the warmth she was giving to him, he continued to sleep.

….

Draco watched her from his spot on the couch as she kneaded the dough for some scones. He could just see a glimpse of her every now and then working away busily in the kitchen. Granger had decided to do something special for him, she had told him, to celebrate the fact that he had finally found the balls to get out of bed. It was worth it just to see the beaming smile on her face when she saw him emerge from the shower, clean and looking a little more alert. She had immediately declared that she would bake him a batch of scones since she knew how much he loved them. There had been no use protesting, she was already donning her apron and getting to work.

Draco had found a convenient spot on the couch where he could see her, and he had enjoyed coming slowly out of his self-inflicted prison. The haze of depression seemed a little bit clearer with her around. It simply re-enforced his need to keep her with him. Maybe he could still convince her to stay with him. Even better, now that his mother was gone, as heartbreaking as that circumstance was, maybe it was safe now for him to flee. He could pull all his assets out and they could both run away to Europe together. Maybe Paris. He could really see Granger swanning around Paris, reading books at cafes and visiting galleries and museums.

The more rational side of him knew with a grim certainty that if they were going to flee, then he would essentially have to kidnap her. She had such a fierce sense of duty to her bloody friends that he was unlikely to change her mind. And of course, if he did take her against her will, she would probably never forgive him. He wasn't sure what to do. All he knew was that he didn't want to be parted from her. If she refused to come, then he wouldn't be able to run either. Not now that he knew what she was really like. His infatuation had matured into a deep love and respect that he had never thought he would be capable of. Living with her was actually dangerous, because he felt like he was burning all day every day, whenever she was near. He craved her constantly, especially now that he had had a taste of her. And she made him happy; far happier than he had ever felt in his dismal childhood or school years.

At that moment, Granger popped her head around the door and bestowed a sweet smile on him.

"Just popping them in the oven. Won't be long now. Jam and Cream?"

"Both," he said with a nod and a very small smile of his own. Granger disappeared back into the kitchen and then proceeded to make a few banging clanging sounds before she re-entered the living room.

"Twelve minutes," she said, her eyes flicking to the clock on the mantelpiece. Draco settled back into the couch with a smirk as he watched her perch herself on the edge of the coffee table. She had flour stains on her cheek and forehead, and her apron looked splotchy with dusty patches as well. She had never looked so adorable.

"Hey," she said, her eyes widening in realisation, "You smiled."

"What?"

"You just smiled," she said with a grin, "I haven't seen that signature Malfoy leer for a while."

"It's my most charming feature," he said, his mood perking up at her light banter.

"Well at least you haven't lost your arrogance."

He chuckled.

"Hey, there's a lot to love," he said with a cheeky smile and a shrug. Granger's eyes were alight with mirth as she saw his humour come out again. She had obviously been worried about him these last few days. Seeing her wide gaze, he sighed and ran his hands through his hair nervously, sobering quickly.

"Look, Granger, I want to thank you for your patience these last few days. I know I have been…indisposed, but it means a lot that you've stayed and helped without expecting anything in return."

He said all this in one breath, and didn't raise his eyes to meet hers until he reached the very end of his little speech. She was smiling sadly at him now, and had leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

"Of course," she replied emphatically, "I'm truly sorry about what happened to your mother, Draco. I wish there was more I could do."

"You've done everything," he assured her quietly.

"I may not hold the rest of your family in very high regard," she began with a little sneer of her own, "but your mother was clearly a victim of circumstance as much as you or I. It upsets me that she felt she had no other way out."

Draco wasn't sure he was ready to talk about it yet, but he nodded in acknowledgement of her words.

"I just wish there's more I could have done," he finally said, unable to avoid spilling a little bit of his heart when she was staring at him so damn dolefully.

"I know," she agreed softly, "do you…" she hesitated but Draco nodded to let her know she could continue, "Do you resent her for putting you through that?"

Draco considered her questions for a moment. Did he? Of course he didn't like having to endure that kind or pain, and the memory of it would haunt him for as long as he lived, but he was kind of glad nonetheless that he had been with her in those final moments. If he had only heard second hand that it had happened, it would have made him go mad with not knowing. And he got to see her, talk to her in a strangely lucid moment. So no, he didn't resent her.

"No," he voiced out loud to Granger, frowning pensively.

"Why?"

"She's free now. And as horrific as it was for me, she was happy. That's going to help me get through the pain."

Granger nodded in understanding, his sadness reflected in her own eyes, and he wondered if she was thinking of her parents as well.

"But I'm glad that you're safe," she said after a while, "you were gone for so long I started to worry."

He smiled a bit at her, suddenly feeling a bubble of laughter rise up inside him.

"I broke my father's nose," he said in a sudden rush, watching as her brown eyes widened in shock, and he couldn't help adding evilly, "Twice."

She was silent for a moment as she absorbed his spontaneous and gleefully violent confession. After a long pause during which her eyebrows almost reached the ceiling, she finally burst into laughter. He joined her, unable to prevent the surreal wave of humour from taking over him.

"Oh thank Merlin," she groaned, wiping her eyes, "Well done. It's about time someone clocked him."

"It did feel good," he said with a mischievous smirk, "Though I'm sure it can't be healthy celebrating about punching ones dad in the face."

Granger shook her head whimsically.

"No I daresay a muggle psychiatrist could write an entire paper on your family."

Draco wasn't sure what that meant, but he chuckled anyway as he saw the glint of mischief catch on in her eyes.

"Why are we laughing?" he asked quizzically.

Granger shook her head with a confused expression.

"I don't know. I guess when you're in the middle of a war you just lose touch with things like that. How to laugh."

Draco nodded solemnly. They had both become subdued again as they watched each other, and he was seized by the sudden impulse to kiss her again. She was close to him, and he could see the moisture on her pouty bottom lip that he craved to press himself against to heal his own dry, chapped lips.

At that moment, a dinging sound rang through from the kitchen, and Granger leapt up nervously, suddenly twitchy, which made him wonder whether she'd been thinking along the same lines.

"The scones are ready!"

He raised a brow.

"Wow, that was quick."

"They don't take long to bake," she explained as she passed into the kitchen and drew the tray out of the oven. It smelt delicious and Draco suddenly realised just how hungry he was. He really hadn't eaten very well these last couple of days. And he did love scones.

"I'm going to use the homemade raspberry jam you bought for me at the festival," she called out to him, and his mouth watered in anticipation of the treat; he was overcome by a sudden sweet tooth in anticipation.

After a little time and a few clatters and bangs from the kitchen, Granger emerged with a tray of scones with jam and cream in one hand, and another tray with a teapot and two cups in the other.

"This is very domestic, Granger," he commented with a smirk. She just tutted and placed the trays down in front of the couch, moving to sit next to him. While Draco was preparing a scone for himself, he watched her curiously as she poured tea for them both. She made his tea just how he liked it. Strong brew, with such a small dash of milk that it only slightly coloured the black liquid.

"Thank you," he said politely as she passed him the cup. The afternoon tea was perfect. They munched away at the delicious scones, which he had to admit Granger had made to perfection, and it was nice to feel full again.

Once they had made their way through half a pot of tea, he wiped the sticky jam and floury dust from his mouth to speak.

"So, when all this is over, do you think you'll sit your NEWTs?"

She looked a bit surprised at the random question, but it was something he had wanted to ask her for a while.

"When this is over? But what if we don't-"

Draco held up a hand and gave her a warning look.

"Let's just imagine for argument's sake that everything works out splendidly and you and your suicidal friends survive."

Granger thought about that for a moment, after a brief frown in his direction. She chewed slowly on a bite of scone, as she seemed to stare sightlessly at the bookshelves behind him.

"Well I suppose I would. But I haven't studied for them,"

Draco snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't be ridiculous. You could take them tomorrow and pass."

"I don't want to just pass."

Draco smiled at her uppity tone, which brought back countless memories from their school days.

"Of course," he agreed with a roll of his eyes, "So you study for a bit and achieve all Outstandings. But what then? Any career ideas?"

Granger smiled a bit sheepishly at him, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.

"Well…you're going to laugh, but I wouldn't mind getting involved in the legislative protection and conservation of magical creature rights and welfare."

Draco did laugh very slightly, before shrugging his shoulder and giving her an encouraging smile.

"Well that seems like the perfect job for you," he teased lightly, but he knew she could see his approval in his expression. He thought it was a brilliant idea. She could really take the wizarding world by storm. They were still so backward in so many ways.

"What about you?" she asked, popping another piece of scone in her mouth. Draco shook his head.

""Well that depends on how this all turns out…" he started, but her eyes widened and she swallowed her mouthful quickly.

"Wait a minute! That's not fair. You told me I had to pretend that things will go splendidly."

Draco sighed and smiled at her sadly.

"Yes, well… for you everything will work out in the end. For me, if the Dark Lord dies, and the good side wins, then I'm still fucked either way."

"What do you mean?" she asked with a deep frown.

"Come on, Granger. It's quite likely that I will be arrested and sent to Azkaban. I'll probably have all my assets stripped. There might be a lengthy trial but they could also just lock me up and throw away the bloody key."

Granger squirmed on the couch a bit, leaning in towards him as her brown eyes hooked him with an intense gaze.

"That's ridiculous. You're innocent."

Draco shook his head with a rueful laugh at her naivety. She was the brightest witch of her age, but she also had a heart of gold that couldn't grasp the corruption and brutality of the Ministry of Magic. Or his own guilt.

"No, I'm not," he said forcefully, trying to impress upon her the gravity of what he was saying, "I am a Death Eater. I have willingly partaken in Death Eater activity. I can't escape from that."

Granger was become more and more agitated.

"But you did all that so that you wouldn't be killed!"

"And how many people will argue the same? All the Death Eaters will claim that they were forced. And the ministry won't repeat its mistakes from last time. My father and his friends wont be able to buy their way out this time around."

She huffed and he could see her bite into her bottom lip so hard it turned a flushed crimson as the blood welled beneath the skin.

"You were only sixteen when your father forced you to join!"

Draco snorted.

"They don't care about that. They'll just say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

He couldn't stop the edge of bitterness seeping into his voice. He hated any thought of being compared to Lucius. If he were like his father in any way besides appearance, he would have turned his wand on himself long before now. Granger was staring at him in horror; her eyes were even turning a little milky now with unshed tears, and his gut twisted at the thought that she cared about his fate. At least someone would spare him a though when he was rotting away in prison.

"No," she said in a low, stubborn voice that he had only heard on a few occasions when she was really putting her foot down. He shivered at the heat and directness of her gaze.

"You may as well accept it, Grang-"

"No," she repeated, interrupting him more forcefully, "there's one thing that you're forgetting. Something that none of those other Death Eaters have going for them."

He raised an eyebrow, sceptical but curious nonetheless.

"And what's that?"

She shrugged one shoulder, the frown still painted darkly on her face.

"Me," she said simply.

His brow shot up even further as he looked at her in disbelief. She saw that he wasn't quite following, so she sighed and continued.

"I will vouch for you! Can any other Death Eater say that they have Hermione Granger - muggleborn best friend of Harry Potter – speaking on their behalf?"

"I guess not… but Gra…Hermione-" he released a deep breath. He was extremely touched by her gesture. It warmed him to think that she would stand up for him when everything went to shit. It made him hope that she cared enough about him to risk her friends' rejection. But that didn't mean that he would accept her help, "I can't let you do that. "

"I wasn't asking your permission," she replied coolly.

"I can't let you risk everything for me; your friends, your reputation…"

Granger scoffed and glared at him, as if daring him to keep listing such poor excuses.

"Well first of all, if my friends don't support me in something like that, then they're not really my friends. And my reputation is already in tatters. Rita Skeeter shredded it in our fourth year by proclaiming me as some kind of man-eating bitch."

Draco couldn't help chuckling at that, and her glare intensified.

"With some help from you if I remember correctly," she added.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said with mock innocence. She just shook her head and rolled her eyes in an exaggerated style in response. Then she became serious again and shuffled a bit closer to him on the couch.

"Draco, there's nothing you can say that will stop me from fighting for you at the end of this war. You're my friend, aren't you?"

His head twitched up at, and he felt his gut clench. Her gaze was piercing through him but he wasn't sure how to respond. The word friend was both a blessing and a curse. He longed to be someone she cared about, someone that she could rely on and share everything with. And aside from an inconsistent friendship with Blaise over the years, and his goon-squad of course, he had never really had any friends. But at the same time, the word felt so inadequate. He wanted so much more than that, and his heart pounded as he broke into a cold sweat thinking about the possibility that that was all she wanted. He was uncertain at this point whether he would just take anything she offered, even mere friendship, or whether it would be impossible for him to stay only friends with her. The thought of being labelled as just a friend like Potter or the Weasel while she was off dating other men made him feel ill. He swallowed his pride as he met her wide brown-eyed gaze, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Is that what we are? Friends?" he asked her. His voice held quiet meaning, and he knew she would understand his intent.

He saw her shiver a little bit and press back further into the couch cushions as she stared at him.

"You saved my life," she murmured quietly.

He just nodded slowly and waited for her to continue.

"Do you…not want to be my friend?" she asked eventually with a pained frown.

Draco's eyes widened in surprise at the question. He couldn't believe she would be so insecure. But then again, he supposed that after years of having to work really hard to gain and earn people's friendship, she was probably very wary of making any new bonds. He considered his answer carefully while she waited. He could see her biting into her bottom lip in that infuriating way, and it made him want to run his tongue over the flesh to soothe it. It was too distracting. Finding a solution somewhere in the middle, he reached up and touched his thumb to her lip, gently pulling it free and allowing his hand to linger as his fingers stroked her jaw.

"Granger,," he finally replied in a tone that was far too deep and husky, but he couldn't seem to control it, "some of the things I want do not exactly fall into the category of friendship."

Her eyes widened slightly, before flickering down very briefly to his lips. Draco heard her breath catch and he could see the moment when her skin started to flush self-consciously. He waited with his heart thumping uncomfortably.

"Was it…real then?" she whispered anxiously.

"Was what real?"

"That kiss the other night. Did you really want it? Or were you just upset?"

Draco had to forcefully stop himself from rolling his eyes, knowing that despite all her intelligence and seeming confidence, she really did find it difficult to believe that a man could desire her.

Instead of answering her, he allowed his fingers to stop their gentle roaming across her face. Instead he moved them further back to lace into her hairline and become tangled in her thick braid. Then he used the leverage to lean in towards her and cover her mouth with his for the second time.

This kiss was different to the last one. He didn't have to coax anything out of her or seduce her with his touch. She responded instantly, and he took his time enjoying her. His mouth explored her swollen bottom lip as he kissed her deeply, thoroughly, and she returned it with vigour. She was releasing little mewls in between each heady kiss that drove him wild. He turned her head with the hand he had wrapped up in her tight braid, using the angle to nibble on that bottom lip, placing soft little bites on her tender flesh, before tracing his tongue over them to soothe her. His imagination had been spot on. Against his cracked lips, he felt like he had found an oasis in the desert. She was moist and soft, and tasted like sweet raspberry jam.

When his tongue touched a little further on one passing, he heard Hermione's purr of pleasure as she arched her body towards him, and he groaned in response. Boldly, he let his lips and tongue explore deeper, and felt a thrill of desire clench in his navel when she opened her mouth in response, accepting him in. When he stroked the inside of her mouth, he wanted to collapse from the strength of her taste. He had thought he was addicted from just her lips, but this was a whole different level. She was superb. Slowly he gentled the kiss, which had unsurprisingly gotten a little out of hand, and leaned back a few centimetres away from her.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked with a wry smirk. But when he looked into her eyes, he saw how dark her irises had turned, and she was breathing quite quickly. He felt a jolt of lust shoot through him at the sheer want in her eyes. He had only before dreamed of that look, and now it was staring at him, wanting to devour him. He suddenly felt like a man dying of thirst. Luckily before he could say something stupid and sappy to ruin it, Hermione seemed to grow impatient. She leaned in quickly and sealed their lips together once more. Draco groaned as he felt her give more than just passive acceptance. She reached up and grabbed his hair, clenching it in her shaking fingers as she kissed him back passionately. His own hands had moved to hold her body closer to his, and he ran them over her hips, her sides, her thighs, driving himself crazy as he felt her soft curves. He wanted to taste more of her. Breaking away from her mouth, Draco let his lips wander over her jaw and down her neck just like he'd imagined. He gripped onto her as she arched towards him, pausing to nibble at her collarbone. As his teeth, tongue and lips wandered over the bottom of her neck, he knew the instant that he found one of her weak spots. She gave a sort of gasp of surprise that turned into a faint moan, and he felt the shiver pass through her body.

Draco was rapidly losing control. He was starting to push her back into the couch as he returned to her lips, kissing her with abandon. But she was giving back just as much. He had rapidly hardened seconds after they had started kissing, but now he felt a steady, almost painful throbbing as it escalated. Needing to come up for air, he broke the kiss for a moment and stared at her in wonder as he panted. Hermione blinked her eyes open slowly, her gaze a little unfocused at first. Her lips were red and swollen and she was trying to drag in long breaths just like him. She looked incredibly sexy, especially with her curls trying to escape that prissy braid.

He let his eyes drink her in for another moment, unable to believe that she was really here, that she was actively seeking out and returning his desire. When her eyes focused a bit more, she began to look confused at why he had stopped so suddenly. He smiled a bit, unable to prevent the excited, almost mischievous smirk from appearing.

"Hermione," he said her name in a croaky, deep voice again that he couldn't seem to be able to make sound normal, "Do you really-"

There was a little pop of magic and they both jumped in surprise. Tilly had appeared just inside the door and she immediately released a gasp of shock. Draco dropped his arms from where he was holding onto Granger, and he felt her wriggle a bit away from him so they weren't pressed together quite so intimately. He heard Tilly say something, but he was having a hard time pulling his mind out of the fog of lust to concentrate on the little elf who was peering up at him guiltily. Luckily the elf had a tendency to ramble, so he managed to get a hold of himself as his racing heart slowed down back to normal.

"Tilly is sorry, Master. She should have knocked," she was stuttering.

"It's alright, Tilly," he reassured, though his voice was still a bit shaky, trying to calm the elf who looked like she wanted to go iron her fingers. His eyes flickered to the side to look at Granger, and he saw the deep pink blush that had spread across her cheeks, which made him smirk. She was looking towards the bookshelf and avoiding the elf's eye because she was so embarrassed, and her fingers had immediately flown to her hair to try and tame the stray curls back into place.

"Master is not upset?"

"No Tilly, of course you're welcome to come and go as you need."

He managed to turn his eyes away from Granger then and really look at his elf. Tilly seemed exhausted. She was heavy on her tiny feet, and her eyes were bloodshot. In one hand she was holding a non-descript black cotton bag that seemed a bit heavy. The contents were lumpy and hastily slung over her shoulder. Draco widened his eyes in realisation, feeling his mouth go dry. It was like he had been doused with cold water, as he felt the heat of desire quickly drain from his body. He was pretty sure he knew what she had brought him.

"Is that…" he started to say, pointing at the black bag.

Tilly nodded slowly, and watched him with concern as he rose to his feet. He paced across the living room a couple of times, dragging his hands through his blonde hair. He wasn't sure he was ready for the reminder of his mother to invade his little world right now. But as he gripped his hair in his hands, he tried to summon the courage to deal with his grief without letting it consume him.

"Draco?" Granger asked in a soft, anxious voice.

He turned back to look at her, even though his eyes kept continuously glancing over at that bag.

"Don't worry," he said quietly, knowing that she was confused about his abrupt change in mood, "Tilly has just brought back some of my mother's things."

"Oh," she exclaimed in surprise, immediately looking at him with even more concern. She watched him with that fretful stare of hers as he strode over to the little elf and took the weight of the bag from her. He could practically feel Granger biting her lip from here. But he didn't feel overly curious about shifting through the contents, not wanting to bring up so many painful memories, but he did open the top quickly to peer in. Tilly had done well to gather so many of Narcissa's more precious possessions to save them from the manor. Who knows what would have happened to them otherwise?

"Thank you, Tilly," he murmured quietly with a shaky tone.

He noticed that Granger had risen from the couch to approach them, and he felt himself relax as she placed a soothing hand on his shoulder. He hadn't even realised he had become so suddenly tense all over. He leaned into her touch slightly and she pressed her body closer, her fingers rubbing soothing patterns between his shoulder blades. He heard her take a deep, slow breath and felt the tickle of air as she exhaled against his neck. It was nice. He wondered if his life would've been easier if he'd had this kind of support before.

"Tilly," Granger began in that compassionate voice that would tame any wild animal, "You look exhausted. When was the last time you slept?"

He returned his gaze to the elf as well, still soaking up Granger's soft comforting touch as he too looked down on the elf with concern.

"Um…Tilly can't remember," the elf squeaked, and Granger tutted in response.

"You need to rest. I'll make you some soup and a sandwich while you go and have a nap in your bed."

Tilly looked a bit unsure, and Draco could see her eyes flickering to his as if she wasn't sure who to listen to.

"Do as Miss Hermione says, Tilly, that's an order."

The elf looked immediately relieved, and her wrinkled lips stretched into a smile as she toddled off to her attic room. When she was gone, Draco turned around to face Granger, resting his forehead against hers.

"Thank you," he whispered. That part of him that was not coping with the grief wanted to go and bury himself beneath the covers again. But with Hermione still touching him, looking at him with those endless brown eyes, he thought maybe he could face it this time. Raising the hand that wasn't holding the bag of his mother's things, he cupped her jaw, allowing his thumb to stroke indolently over her cheek. Granger's eyes fluttered shut at the gentle sensation. Draco felt a small pulse of desire return once more, and he leaned in to kiss her. Unlike their first two kisses, this one was mostly chaste, just a small peck that lingered with the promise of more. He stepped back a little as Granger sighed into his mouth, drawing away slowly. Her eyes opened blearily, and she looked at him with a strange mixture of desire, confusion and fear. But before he could say anything to reassure her, she smiled shakily and stepped away as well.

"I'm going to make Tilly that food. I'll put some aside for you for dinner as well, so you can have time to go through your mother's things in private."

He nodded and returned her smile, watching her walk away from him at a casual pace. Her hips sashayed from side to side as she entered the kitchen, and his mouth was dry again just from that tentative kiss. A stubborn thought crossed his mind as she disappeared from view.

I'm definitely not letting her leave.

…

Thanks for reading, I'm always interested to hear what you think is going to happen. So please review!