I know the last chapter was short and pants but here's an answer to that cliff hanger and the phone call between Harry and Draco

Coty Wiley – I know this is neither an answer to a question or a comment but it has to be said – you are like my best reviewer and you are constantly giving me praise for probably every chapter so big hugs and kisses to you!!!!

Yana5 – calm, resolving cliff hanger now

Italics are thoughts - Draco's in this chapter

24. I just called to say...

It had taken Draco an hour to gain the courage to just pick up te phone and call Harry. After his mother suggested he take a nap in preparation for that evening, Draco had gone to his room, but had not even considered sleep.

It was amazing that, after a week without even thinking about smoking, Draco had managed to go through half a pack of Camel's in an hour.

That was ten in sixty minutes.

That made for about one every six minutes.

'Geez, talk about your chain smoking.'

Theere were no windows open, so Draco's image was obscured by the thick grey smoke that had formed from his habit. He didn't care. In fact, he barely noticed.

He'd been sitting by the phone, periodically picking it up before slamming it back down. Once, about twenty minutes before, he'd managed to dial the first four numbers before chickening out. In his head, he'd been imagining all the ways the conversation with Harry could go, if he ever managed to make the call.

They could tak like they always did and get along fine and laugh and joke and be happy for it. This seemed unlikely.

They could talk awkwardly about things like the weather until one of them made an excuse to leave and hung up. More likely.

Harry could go mental at Draco and tell him to leave him alone for hitting him and curse his name into the ground. This was a possibility.

Or Harry could just refuse to speak to Draco and hang up. Another possibility.

'Damn sexual politics.'

Finally, after two more fags and a bit of the ole dutch courage, Draco dialled the number and waited with baited breath for someone to answer.

"Hello?" asked a childish, female voice.

Draco frowned. "Hi, is Harry there?"

"Yea, I'll just get him," replied the voice.

"Harry!" came a muffled yell, and Draco assumed the girl – 'Morgan' he remembered – had covered the mouth piece with her hand.

"Okay Morgan, you can hang up now," said an older, male voice which Draco immediately recognized as Harry's as his heart began beating faster.

There was click and silence before Harry spoke again.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's me," Draco said nervously.

'What if he doesn't know who 'me' is? Then you just look like an idiot.'

"Draco?" Harry sounded a little lost.

"Yea, hi," Draco confirmed.

"Hey. Are you there?"

"Yea, I got here about two hours ago."

"Oh, good flight?"

'Ah, the awkward pointless talk conversation,' Draco thought bitterly. 'Prepare for the lame excuse and the hanging up.'

"Was alright."

There was silence at the other end and Draco was afraid Harry had hung up. He couldn't even hear the other boy breathing.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

Draco breathed a quiet sigh of relief that the other boy was still there before answering, "I'm okay."

"No, seriously. Are you okay?"

Draco felt his resolve to be strong and nonchalant falling. "I've been better," he replied honestly. "I feel better for talking to you."

'Oh, whole new levels of lame there Malfoy,' he berated himself.

However, Harry didn't seem to view his last words as sad. "Good. It's been a while. Well, three days but it felt like longer."

"Yea. Um...how's your face?" Draco asked.

"It's fine. Really. Really fine."

"Harry, I'm so sorry about that. I don't know what happened. I didn't mean to hurt you," Draco gushed. "You know that right?"

"I know," Harry replied, but he sounded a little unsure.

'Take it for now and seriously talk face to face,' he advised himself.

"Good."

"When's your dad's..." Harry trailed off.

"Tomorrow afternoon. I have to do the eulogy or something."

"Are you okay doing that?"

Draco allowed himself a small smile at the feeling in Harry's voice. "Yea, I just don't know what to say."

"Say what you feel."

"I just don't know what I feel."

'Why must you sound so whiny?'

"Maybe not now, but come tomorrow you will."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me."

There was silence again.

"Look, Dray-"

Draco melted a little as Harry called him that. He wouldn't allow anyone else to shorten his name but when Harry did it it made him weak.

"-I know I have no idea of what you're going through. I've never lost anyone I care about. But if you need to talk or something then I'm here for you. 'Cause I care about you. I care about you a lot."

"Me too."

'Malfoy, you just said you care about yourself.'

"I mean, I care about you a lot. Not I care about me. When I said me too I meant I care about you."

Harry chuckled, a low, melodious sound. "I know what you meant."

"Oh, good. Thanks Harry."

"I mean it."

Draco heard Harry mutter something to someone.

"When are you back?"

"Thursday night."

"You going to school on Friday?"

"No, not 'til Monday."

"Oh, yea that's probably best." Harry coughed. "You wanna maybe do something at the weekend?"

Draco grinned. "Yea, I'd like that."

"Cool. Well, we can sort that out on Friday."

"Okay."

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I promised Ron and Hermione I'd let them drag me out somewhere and now they're whining."

"Okay, I should probably go too."

"So I'll talk to you soon 'kay?"

"Yea. Soon."

"Take care of yourself Dray."

"I will."

"No, I mean it." Harry's tone was serious. "You're special. Especially to me."

Draco blushed and was suddenly glad that he and Harry were only on the phone. "Thanks."

"Bye."

"Bye."

The dial tone informed Draco that Harry had hung up, but he still held the phone to his ear. It seemd Harry had forgiven him, or at least was willing to. Things were looking up.

He picked the packet of cigarettes off his bed and threw them into the bin.

"Draco, come downstairs, you have guests," trilled his mother from downstairs.

He made a low sound in his throat and gritted his teeth, standing up and brushing the creases from his trousers.

He made it to the door, but turned back and retrieved the crumpled pack from the bin.

'On second thoughts...'

Okay, so it wasn't as god as I'd hoped but even so they've spoken and both are slightly happier. And the 'damn sexual politics' is taken from a pheobe line in friends...i'm pretty sure

Review please