I Knew You Weren't
Chapter Six
Kylie watched lazily as Draco walked past her train compartment, stopped when he noticed her in there, and backtracked a little too open her door and walk in.
"You missed me too much, didn't you? Couldn't stay away. Poor boy." Kylie stretched her legs across her seat, leaving no room for Draco to sit next to her.
"Why aren't you with your friends?" Draco asked, taking the hint and sitting on the opposite bench.
"Why aren't you?" Kylie snapped. She closed her eyes for a second and sighed. "Sorry. I'm in a mood."
"Is this what happens when you self-destruct? Because if it is, it's not as obvious as when I do?" Draco kicked his feet up and leaned back.
"I'm not self-destructing. I was being self-deprecating, but it didn't have the same effect as there was no one here to enjoy it. So, now I'm just being melancholy and slightly depressed. What's your excuse?"
"Depression is a synonym of melancholy." Draco pointed out.
"Oh, look. The prince has read a thesaurus." Kylie rolled her eyes.
"You know what? I don't need this." He stood up. "Bye."
"Drake, sit your arse down. You know I don't mean it."
Draco sat, albeit with a sour look on his face.
"I apologize. Fuck."
"At the risk of worsening your mood, I came to tell you that I might not be able to visit over break. There's just a lot going on at mine. My mother-"
"It's okay. I get it." Kylie interrupted him.
"No, I want to come, but my mother is-"
"Draco, I said I get it. You don't need to make excuses."
"I'm not making excuses!"
"You are allowed to say no! I get it. It's a lot you aren't used to. A muggle house in a muggle neighborhood and town. I. Get. It."
"Well, I..." Draco trailed off.
"I wasn't trying to make you feel like you had to say yes. I just thought maybe you'd want to get away for a while. You can tell me no."
"I can say no." Draco stated.
"I'll be fine if you do." Kylie gave a small smile.
"I'll...try. I promise I will try. But don't hate me if I don't. A person can only change so much in a short amount of time." Draco breathed a sigh of relief. "What about you? What will you do?"
"I can write Ginny and go visit The Burrow. Most of my friends will be there anyways. I know I'll be welcome if I decide to go."
"You could go visit your girlfriend. That's always an option."
"Yeah, I, uh, could do that, too...I guess."
"If I don't come, promise me you won't be alone." Draco took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't mean to overstep by any means, but I don't want you to be by yourself."
"That's not overstepping. That's caring. Which, I know, is a new concept for you, so don't hurt yourself by caring too much too fast." Kylie winked.
"I'm not joking."
"I know. I understand. We've had each other to lean on these past few months and now we won't. I'll go to The Burrow if you promise me that you won't be alone either. Visit Blaise and his mum in Italy or something. Okay?" Kylie gave Draco a small smile and reached out for him to take her hand. He did and she gave it a small squeeze. "It's just a couple of weeks."
"I'll go to Italy." Draco replied, squeezing Kylie's hand in return.
"Oh! I have something for you." She let go of Draco's hand and reached for her bag. She pulled out a Polaroid and handed it to him. "This is my house. My address is on there, too. In case you change your mind." Kylie wrinkled her nose as Draco looked at the picture, confused. "It's so you have a visualization so you can apparate."
"Right. Right...I thought you lived in a muggle neighborhood."
"I do. But it's a pretty quiet one. I doubt you'll disturb anyone. Or that anyone will even notice."
"Okay." Draco gave a small nod, still looking at the picture of the quaint little brick house with a garden out front. "Did you do that? The flowers?"
"Actually, yes. I did. I'm kind of great with plants."
"You're also great at tooting your own horn." Draco smirked.
"I really am, aren't I?" Kylie laughed causing Draco to chuckle.
Draco glanced at his pocket watch and groaned. "We'll be at the station soon. I'd better go get my stuff."
"Okay. Yeah, I probably should, too."
Draco stood up to leave but paused at the compartment door.
"I'll write you every day. I don't care if you find that weird. I'm doing it."
Draco chuckled. "I'll write back to every one I get."
"I'll see you, Drake."
"Yeah, uh, see you." Draco left without another word, glancing back in time to see Kylie grin like an idiot.
When she was sure Draco couldn't see her anymore, she smacked herself in the face. "I'm a fucking idiot."
Kylie had just pulled her pizza out of the oven and sat it down on her dining room table to be cut when she thought she heard the familiar pop of apparition outside over the sound of massive gusts of wind. Picking up her wine glass to take a sip, she waited to see if she heard it again. She wasn't prepared for the obnoxious banging on her front door that caused her to almost choke on her wine.
She ran to her door and looked out of the peephole. A flash of blindingly white hair trying to hide under a hood shocked her and she flung the door open.
"Draco? What-"
"My father...my fucking father." Draco shivered, his cloak damp from the snow. His cheeks were red, but in anger. His eyes were puffy and his hands were balled into tight fists. "He's fucking dead."
Kylie pulled Draco into her house and into a hug with one arm and slammed her door with the other, wrapping both arms around him when the latch clicked.
"How long were you out in the snow? You're soaked." She asked, pulling back.
"I dunno. Half hour, maybe, before I apparated here."
"Strip."
"Really?" Draco snapped. "That's what I get? I come here because I had no where else to go and you want to get me naked?"
"Oh, gods. Not like- fuck. Your clothes are damp and you're shivering. Get undressed and get in front of the fireplace. I'll go get you something to wear."
"Oh." Draco looked embarrassed, his cheeks flushing darker.
Kylie ran back to her bedroom and pulled out a pair of grey men's sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. When she walked back into the living room, Draco was warming himself in front of the fireplace in a pair of Slytherin-green boxers.
Kylie raised an eyebrow and stifled a laugh as she handed over the clothes. When Draco reached out to take them, she noticed his hands were bloody. "What did you do?"
Draco groaned as he put the clothes on, eyeing Kylie suspiciously when they seemed to fit perfectly.
"You don't get to give me judgemental looks. They aren't an ex's or anything. I just may or may not used to have a problem with shoplifting. Mainly things I didn't need like men's clothes. And baby clothes." Kylie shrugged. "I have a knapsack in my closet full of baby stuff."
"Right." Draco replied, checking out the damage to his knuckles.
"Are you hungry? I just took dinner out of the oven."
Draco could feel himself calming down immensely just being in the presence of his roommate. "Uh, yeah. I guess so. I could eat. I stormed out before dinner."
Kylie nodded once and left Draco in front of the fireplace again. She returned with two plates and two bottles of liquid. "You're in my world now, pureblood." She said as she sat the plates and drinks down on the coffee table. "Pizza and beer. Come on. Sit."
Draco set next to her on the couch, staring at the food in front of him. "Pizza and...beer?"
"Oh, yeah. No fancy roasted chickens or oak-matured mead here. I have wine, but sadly it wasn't made by elves." Kylie winked. "So, tell me," age asked, taking a quick bite of pizza. "What happened?"
"My father, he's, uh, he's dead." Draco tentatively picked up his pizza and took a small bite, making a surprised face when he realized it wasn't half bad.
"It happened today?"
"Uh, no." Draco gave an annoyed chuckle. "Apparently, it happened late September. My mother was afraid to tell me in a letter, wanted to do it face to face. So, she had been lying about him to me when she'd write. Saying things like he was adjusting and doing well. But you know, he had already killed himself. Slit his own throat."
"What a muggle way to go." Kylie mused as she took a sip of her beer.
"Ironic, isn't it?" Draco cleared his throat. "Anyways, I got angry, yelled at my mother, smashed a few things, and left. Walked around our property for about 30 minutes before I remembered the picture of your house was in my pocket."
"I'm sorry." Kylie gave a sympathetic smile.
"About what? Him? Good fucking riddance. I'm more angry about my mother."
"Okay, then, I'm sorry about your mum."
"She's lied for him my entire life. I should have expected her to lie about something like this, to be honest."
Kylie rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then whatever is bothering you, I'm sorry about. Just take my sympathy and shut up."
"Can we talk about something else, please?" Draco took a sip of his beer and grimaced a little.
"As you wish."
"So, uh, why'd you and Arizona break up?" Draco raised a brow as he bit into his pizza.
"What? No. We, uh, we didn't break... break up."
"You were by yourself in a compartment. I saw her moping around the castle as everyone was leaving and I didn't see her on the train. Which you didn't mention when I said you could go visit her. So, you must not have known she was staying behind."
Kylie looked less than impressed. "You Slytherin's are smarter than you look, aren't you?"
"What happened?"
"Nothing. Really. It's nothing."
Draco gave a short nod. "It was about me, then?"
Kylie pursed her lips and didn't answer right away. "Yeah. Kinda." She finally replied.
Draco gave get a look telling her to get on with it and say how it was because of him.
"I- I told her I kissed you. It's no big deal." Kylie shrugged.
"No big deal? It was a month and a half ago. Why even tell her now? It's not like it mattered anyways."
"We were headed for a breakup anyways. And I felt bad for keeping it from her. I just thought that it would be a good time to get it all over with. We wouldn't see each other for three weeks and it could be a clean break." Kylie ran her fingers through her hair.
"You should have felt bad for keeping it from her. It's not really polite to kiss other people when you're dating someone."
"I felt bad because I liked it. Not because I was with her when I did it. Is that what you wanted to hear? I didn't care that I had a girlfriend. I cared because it was a nice kiss and I liked it. And I shouldn't have liked it because I had a girlfriend."
"Oh." Draco didn't know what else to say.
"'Oh.' That's what I get? 'Oh.' I tell you I liked kissing you and you say oh." Kylie sat her food down and picked up her beer, taking a long swig from the bottle. "Oh." She scoffed.
"What am I supposed to say? 'Gee, thanks'?" Draco snapped.
"I liked kissing you and if that makes you uncomfortable, I'm sorry." She nodded her head to Draco's empty plate. "You done?"
Draco nodded and Kylie picked up their plates. She walked into the kitchen to deposit them into the sink, but didn't realize she was followed.
"I... may have liked kissing you, too." Draco said from behind her causing her to drop the plates in the sink with a loud crash. "But I can't-"
Kylie turned around and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. "Can't what? Can't date me because of your reputation? I mean, what would Mummy Malfoy say about you fucking a Gryffindor half-blood? Or your little snake friends? You'd be a laughingstock, for sure."
"I didn't say anything about them! You think after all I've been through I give a fuck what they say?" Draco stepped closer to Kylie. "In my entire life, I've never been able to make my own choices. Not once!"
"Oh, yes. Poor little Malfoy, the whipping boy." Kylie rolled her eyes. "Can't do anything for himself. Everyone tells him what to do. Doesn't know how to make a choice without his hand being held. Boo fucking hoo."
"I made a choice when I decided to be your friend."
"Right. So, I'm your charity case? Because I should feel so blessed that you decided we could be friends?" Kylie interrupted him.
"Shut. Up. Woman! Let me speak!" Draco shouted, turning red. "When I met you, you were the first fucking person in months to look at me like I was a human being! You stood up for me. You were kind. You saved my life. Where were my so-called friends while you stayed by my bed all night? They certainly weren't there. But you were. You cared!"
"Of course I bloody care, you half-wit!" Kylie shouted.
Draco threw his hands in the air. "Merlin, you're irritating! Walking around the dorm in your underpants like you own the place! You're a fucking know-it-all. And your stupid rules! Gods, your stupid rules! And cheery! How can someone be so cheery ask the bloody time?! With your 'peace and love' and 'too zen for murder'! What does that even mean?!"
"You are, by far, the biggest prat I have ever met and I've hung out with Ronald bloody Weasley! But if you can find someone lying in a pool of their own blood and not care what happens, you're fucking heartless. And I know you would have done the same for me. Because deep down, under the pompous exterior, you're a good fucking person. And I see that even if no one else does." Kylie let out a deep sigh. "You're annoying and spoiled and completely ridiculous. But I fucking care about you. And I see the person you want to be."
"Shut up." Draco said, slightly amused.
"No. You're a prat and you're crazy. And a massive dick. And your fucking hair is too blond. It's unnatural." Kylie laughed a little because she was running out of insults.
"Just shut your fucking mouth." Draco grinned, closing the gap between them.
"I kind of hate you." She said as Draco pressed his lips to hers.
"I kind of hate you, too." Draco mumbled as he deepened the kiss, their lips moving in unison and their hands tangled in each others hair.
Draco moved one hand from Kylie's hair down and tugged at the hem of her tank top, but she swatted his hand away. He groaned and wrapped his arm around her waist instead, pulling her closer.
They snogged for quite a few more minutes before Kylie had to come up for air. She pressed her forehead to Draco's and let out a breathy laugh. "I think it's time for me to go to bed. Before this gets out of hand."
"That's probably a good idea." Draco chuckled.
"I'll get you a blanket and pillow. You can sleep on the couch."
Draco just nodded as Kylie pried herself away from him. He walked out to the living room in time to see Kylie leaving the blanket and pillow for him. "Um, goodnight."
"Night, Drake." Kylie winked. "We'll have an actual conversation about this tomorrow. No arguing."
"Right. Yeah." Draco laid down on the couch and wrapped himself up in the blanket before trying to get comfortable.
Kylie walked soundlessly to her room, leaving the door open just in case.
For the first time in months, she was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.
She awoke a few hours later to feel a heaviness next to her and a warm feeling on the small of her back. She opened her eyes to see Draco sound asleep next to her worth his hand resting on her back. She leaned over a little, brushed the hair out of his eyes, and pressed a kiss to his temple.
She could have sworn she saw a smile appear on his lips as her eyes shut once more.
Xxxxx