Harry has been in this meeting forever. It's past lunchtime when he stumbles out onto the pavement, squinting in the autumn sunlight. His stomach rumbles loudly, he's been in the building since 8am, and has only consumed terrible department coffee in-between ridiculously long meetings. Ginny, the lucky thing, is still in bed. It's her day off and she's enjoying it by taunting Harry with pictures of doughnuts and Starbucks coffee. The sun is hot but there's a chilly wind, set on stripping the multicoloured leaves from all the trees and scattering them all over the road. Harry runs a hand through his messy black curls and sets off through Hyde Park to find some real coffee.
The walk is short, but it's such a relief to get out of the offices. Harry steps through the mounds of fallen leaves on the pavement and opens the door to the tiny Italian deli that does the best sandwiches in the area. It's a frequent haunt of Harry's. Immediately, Sofya rushes over, hugs Harry and ushers him into his favourite table in the corner, all the while firing a string of rapid questions at Harry about everything under the sun. Yanking his jacket off him and draping it over the chair, she bustles back into the kitchen to get Harry his favourite. Harry sits there and relaxes, mind at rest now he's in one of his favourite places. Sofya reminds him a lot of Molly Weasley, if they met, they would definitely be a force to be reckoned with. The bell rings as more customers enter the shop. Sofya rushes out and greets each customer like an old friend, big smiles and relentless chatter. Her husband Vincenzo brings over his coffee and food, shaking Harry's hand warmly and inquiring about bella Ginny. The bell rings again, but Harry is too engrossed in his food to look up. He almost jumps out of his skin when a hand lands on his shoulder. 'Harry?'
When Harry turns round, Draco Malfoy is standing in front of him with a surprised look on his face. Draco's hair is ruffled by the wind, cheeks pink and eyes bright and Harry can't tear his eyes away. As he is watching, Draco's face breaks into a huge smile.
'I thought it was you!' He says happily, Harry, recovering from his shock, cant seem to make his mouth move. Luckily, he's saved by Sofya bustling over to the table.
'Harry, you know this boy?' she asks, one hand protectively on Harry's shoulder.
'Uh yes, he's my…friend. This is Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is Sofya, owner of the best cafe you'll ever find,' Sofya beams down at Harry, delighted. When Harry turns round, Draco still has a smile on his face. Sofya runs over and engulfs Draco in a hug and whispers something in his ear. Harry can't hear what she is saying but it made Draco blush and his smile grow even wider. Draco then plops down in the chair opposite Harry and proceeds to study the menu boards around the cafe. Sofya stoops to whisper to Harry 'A boy! You should keep this one mio caro,' Harry feels his face grow hot for the 100th time. Sofya smiles delightedly and with a ciao, she runs back into the kitchen.
The cafe is filled with noise and chatter but the only person Harry can hear is Draco. Draco seems so relaxed here, not at all shy or out of his comfort zone like he was at Hermione's and Ron's over a week ago. Conversation flows easily with Draco, it's natural and they talk like old friends. Draco talks about his job and some of the people he's found and Harry is content to just sit and listen. The time flies by and soon the light is fading steadily. Harry, looking at his phone, makes a surprised noise and jumps up. Draco follows out when he sees the time and they both start putting on their jackets. Harry, in a moment of impulse, reaches over to tuck Draco's green and silver scarf into his jacket. Draco freezes, eyes locked on Harry's in shock and Harry starts to blush, regretting what he just did. The moment is broken by the sound of the bell and Draco smiles shyly at Harry, looking up through long blonde eyelashes and Harry's rapidly beating heart is calmed. They make their way over to the counter where Sofya sweeps them into another set of huge hugs.
'Come back soon, no? I worry when you are gone for so long,' she scolds him as she hands over a bulging paper bag full of food. 'For bella Ginny. She must eat, busy girl,'
'You be good to my boy. He needs amore,' she tells Draco and Harry turns a bright shade of red and covers his face. Stepping through the door, they walk out too the empty street covered in swirling autumn leaves.
'Sorry about Sofya, she loves to play matchmaker,' Harry tells Draco sheepishly.
'Oh no, it's fine. she's kind of amazing. How did you find that place? It's brilliant!' Draco replies.
'Just by luck, I suppose. It's not too far from the offices and I'm addicted to their coffee. I love going there, it's like a home away from home. I've known Sofya and her husband, Vincenzo for about 2 years and they love to feed Ginny and me. If either one of us doesn't turn up, they send us home with a huge bag of food,' Harry says, holding up the bulging paper bag.
'Where are you going now?' Draco asks as they continue to walk down the darkening street.
'Oh, just back to the flat. I'm finished for the day and Ginny's texting me about being so hungry, she's going to start eating the furniture. It's a very short walk from here,' Harry chuckles.
'I need to head to a tube station and get back to doing admin work. Paperwork is the bane of the existence,' Draco laughs nervously, pointing to the glowing underground sign in the opposite direction. They stand awkwardly on the pavement, not quite knowing what to say next.
Harry runs his fingers through his hair and stutters 'W-well, it was really nice seeing you today…um I'm happy you could join me,'
Draco laughs. 'Thank you for introducing me to Sofya and her incredible food! Um…I had a really good time today,'
Silence falls as Draco looks at the ground. Goodbyes just don't come naturally to either of them. Darkness surrounds them as they stand, stuck in a moment they can't quite figure out. Draco, moving hesitantly, leans forward slowly. Harry can smell mint and coffee and Draco's familiar hair gel. His heart starts fluttering. Draco puts a gloved hand on the shoulder of Harry's long jacket and Harry can feel his breath tickling his skin. Draco kisses Harry's cheek slowly, gently, soft lips lingering for a second before pulling away. With one last shy smile, Draco turns and starts walking down the dimly lit street. Harry can't move. He just stands there watching Draco's figure disappear and waiting until fireworks stop going off in his head. When Draco's black clad figure vanishes from sight, Harry turns and starts walking off in the cool night air, the air around him still smelling of mint, coffee and hair gel.