It was never a good day when I found the breakfast table set for two.

Typically my father took breakfast in his office. That was ideal. He ate alone, I ate alone and then I left for work and we didn't have to worry about talking to each other until the evening if at all.

A second place setting at breakfast meant one thing and one thing only.

"Morning, Theodore."

"Father." He walked past me and to his normal spot at the table. This was the breakfast table- not our normal dining table which meant it was much smaller. Which meant it would be more difficult to pretend he wasn't there but I was willing to do my best.

However, it seemed like he didn't have the same ideas. The moment I sat down he cleared his throat.

"Genevieve has gotten the engagement party together, it will be this weekend." My jaw clenched but I simply nodded in acknowledgment of his words. "And of course, you will need to give the girl an engagement ring."

That got my attention.

"I'm aware." I had just wanted to avoid talking about it until I absolutely had no choice but to address it.

"Here, give her this one." He pulled a box from the pocket of his jacket and dropped it on the table. I hesitated because there was no way it was what I thought it was. I reached out and picked it up, opening the top of the blue velvet box and my heart sank.

I had only ever seen this ring in one place.

On the only portrait of my mother I had managed to save. It was hidden up in my room, I'd kept it safe for nearly twenty years now, and painted in exquisite detail on my mother's finger was this ring.

"Mother's ring. You want me to give her my mother's ring?"

"Yes, Theodore. It's not as if your mother needs it now." I stood, knocking over the chair I had occupied. The heavy wood hit the stone floor with a loud cracking sound. "Don't be childish." My father snapped. I closed the box and shoved it into my pocket before storming preventing me from saying something that would start an even bigger fight.

I headed for my room, stowing the ring away in the same hiding place as the portrait and I went to my dresser for the ring I had gotten. Some part of me had kown he would try and pull something like this.

My mother's ring was a true treasure. It was dainty and classic, exactly the kind of ring a woman like my mother had deserved. The ring I had gotten myself- was actually meant for Daphne if I was being honest. I had bought it for Coco but when I had gone shopping for it, I had Daphne's specifications in mind. Things she had said to me over the past couple of years about her dream ring. The result was something- larger. Something less classic and more modern. Something that I figured Coco would either love or hate, it didn't really matter to me either way.

I pocketed that and left, knowing I'd probably stumble across her at work sometime today and if I didn't, I'd leave a little early to find her in her office.

Of course, when I had that thought I meant we'd probably cross paths in the main lobby or maybe even in the cafeteria. I didn't think she'd come strolling into my office- which is exactly what she did.

So far I'd seen Coco wearing going out attire. In that little silk dress from my birthday party, the blue dress from the club over the weekend when I had shamelessly dug my erection into her back. Yeah, that had been fun to try and deal with before I went back to sitting with my friends- anyway, I had also of course seen her in the school uniform. I had never before paid attention what she actually wore to work.

The charcoal gray pencil skirt hugged her body in a way that should have been classified as illegal. Her blue silk button-up shirt brought out the blue of her eyes and her thick dark hair was clipped up into a twist.

"Merlin," I muttered as she walked past me and towards my boss's office.

She dropped a folder on his assistant's desk and turned to go, doing a double take when she saw me.

"Oh yeah, you work at this office." She commented, placing her hands on her hips.

"What's that?" I asked, nodding over at the folder that the assistant was now taking into the boss's office.

"Requesting statements for an article my boss is working on." Coco shrugged one shoulder.

"Oh. Oh!" I reached into my pocket and pulled out the box. "here."

"Yes?" She frowned and reached out for it, she opened it up and her confusion dropped. "Oh." she kept her face mostly impassive but I saw her nose start to wrinkle.

"What?"

"Nothing." She plucked the ring out and slid it onto her finger. It fit just about perfectly. I had a feeling that Daphne and she had similar-sized fingers. "It fits." She sounded about as thrilled as I felt.

"Good."

"Miss Selwyn." Coco jumped and turned, my boss Mr. Danworth stood in the doorway of his office, "May I speak to you?"

"Just write out your statement and deliver the papers to Helene at The Prophet, thank you." Coco's eyes widened the slightest bit and she took a half step back.

"Please?" He pleaded. She started to shake her head but noticed that most of the office was now staring at them, myself included.

"Fine." she straightened and followed him into his office where the door closed with a loud click.

"What's that about?" Darcy, one of my coworkers asked out loud.

"I don't know." I didn't like admitting that. After all, she was meant to be my betrothed. Knowing she had some kind of weird connection to my boss that I didn't know the details of was mildly infuriating.

I could have just blamed it on the statements her office was requesting but the desperation in his eyes and the discomfort in hers definitely didn't seem professional in the least.

I looked at the clock, not sitting back down even as it passed the five-minute mark, as the second hand made yet another full rotation I started towards the door, only for it to slam open.

"Please just- send the signed statements back to The Prophet as promptly as possible." Coco snapped, storming past, her shoulder slamming into mine as she streamlined right out of the office.

"What was that?" I asked as Mr. Danworth stood in his doorway looking upset.

"None of your business, Nott."

"She's my betrothed."

"Yes, I read the paper. Get back to work." he snapped, slamming his door.

The urge to chase after Coco and demand she tell me what was going on was strong- but I resisted, instead going back to my desk to work, vowing to myself that I would hunt her down at lunchtime and find out what in the hell was going on.

As it turned out- I wasn't the only one who could use the size of the ministry to hide from people, as I had before. I went to the cafeteria for lunch and found that my fiancé wasn't there.

Her brother, however, was. He sat at a table, eating chips with one hand, the other was writing in a journal. A salad with grilled chicken sat untouched

It was a bit jarring to see Baz without Coco. Even in school the only time I really saw him without her was in the dorm room.

I dropped my lunch down on the table where he was sitting, the man glanced up briefly, doing a double-take as he realize who I was.

"Theodore?"

"Where is your sister?"

"She's working through lunch."

"So she's in her office?"

"At her desk, I assume, yes."

"You can't do your weird twin thing and just- sense where she's at?" Baz looked up at me like I was actually the stupidest person he'd ever met.

"That's not a thing."

"Sure."

"Why do you want to know anyway?"

"She's my fiancé. Why wouldn't I want to know?" Baz gave me that same look. "I have to ask her about something. Something between the two of us."

"You know I'll find out what it is." He pointed out. "That is the weird twin thing. We talk to each other. About everything."

I narrowed my eyes at him, if it meant I could avoid talking to Coco-

"Great, then what do you know about her and my boss?"

"I don't know who your boss is, Nott."

"Mr. Danworth," I answered. Baz frowned, looking thoughtful before shaking his head.

"No clue." I hesitated a moment, if he did know anything about them would he even tell me about it? He seemed like he was pretty accepting of this whole engagement mess, so maybe he would. But as we sat there in silence it became clear that either he wouldn't be telling me shit, or he actually didn't know anything to tell me.

"Fantastic." I sighed and started to stand up, reaching for my lunch.

"You shouldn't be such a dick to her. She didn't ask for this to happen any more than you did." Baz pointed out, closing the notebook.

"Excuse me?"

"She didn't ask for this to happen, she's not happy about it either and the two of you are just making it so much worse for yourselves."

"This never would have happened if she hadn't broken into our house-"

"And it wouldn't have happened if your dad wasn't the one making it happen. It wouldn't have happened if your friends didn't cover her in punch. It wouldn't have happened if we didn't crash your party, it wouldn't have happened if- you see how we can go on for ages and ages blaming back and forth but it changes nothing? maybe accept that both of you are equally to blame, equally unhappy about the situation, and move forward the best you can."

I stared at him, sizing the man up. He looked- so much like Coco. He was taller- he didn't have her curves, obviously, and where her eyes were deep blue, his were more of a hazel green. But I could definitely see her in his features. The shape of his nose, the full lips, but those were far more attractive on her.

"No," I answered, before grabbing my lunch and walking away. I still had quite a bit of time left on my break , I could make it to The Prophet offices, talk to Coco and make it back before I had to clock back in. Assuming Coco didn't give me a hard time anyway.

Which was never going to happen.

"Nott." I groaned, loudly, turning as Blaise came jogging up behind me.

"What?"

"Well, aren't you cheerful? My mother got the invitation to the engagement party. I wanted to make sure you knew that was happening." Blaise chuckled, I knew he was happy it was me and not him having to deal with all of this.

"Thanks," I muttered. "I was aware that it was happening in some capacity. Did your mother happen to give you the details? I was just told 'this weekend'. I assumed I'd walk into my room to find a suit and a captor ready to take me to the party."

"Cute. It's Saturday, at seven." Blaise was currently an intern at the law offices located in the Ministry, as he walked, I took in the fact that his arms were full of folders and papers and the urge to slap them out of his hands and onto the floor was strong.

I was a big fan of concept of 'Misery Loves Company'.

Before I could lift my hand to do so, he spoke, pulling me away from the intrusive thought.

"Where are you going? Isn't your office in the other direction?"

"The Prophet," I answered simply.

"Ooooh," Blaise responded. I stopped and turned to look at him.

"Oooh?" I asked.

"Yes. Oooooh." He repeated. "You must go see the missus, right?"

"How dare you," I grunted as if that wasn't exactly what I was doing.

"I'm telling you, it could be worse." Blaise insisted. I gave him an unimpressed look, unwilling to have this conversation for what felt like the millionth time.

"Go back to your office, Zabini, before I push you and the small forest worth of dead trees in your arms down the stairs."

Blaise rolled his eyes and bid me goodbye before turning to head in the direction of his own office.

The offices of The Prophet were always chaotic. There were paper airplanes flying everywhere, people dictating their notes to their quills, and piles of papers as far as the eye could see. I watched as a man with a pile of paper even larger than Blaise's tripped over his own feet. The papers flying up into the air as he let them go to catch himself, but the papers floated back down, repiling in presumably the correct order. That seemed to be a handy trick, I'd need to learn that one. Sometimes the reports we got in our department were a mile high. I shook my head, pulling myself from those thoughts, and went back to looking for the one woman I needed and eventually found her, seated at a desk that was covered in notes, she was twirling her wand between her fingers as she ate a salad with her other hand. It was oddly reminicent of her brother back in the cafeteria

"Couldn't be bothered to walk to the cafe for that?" Coco jumped, her wand falling to the floor and she just barely managed to keep the container with her salad from tipping and doing the same.

"Merlin's left nut- Nott. Someone should tie a bloody bell around your neck." She snapped, pushing the salad container further back on the desk, messing up the already messy collection of paperwork. I squatted down quickly to pick up her wand and tossed it on top of the pile.

"You're not the first person to say that," I informed her honestly.

"I'm shocked." Coco rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. "go away."

"I needed to talk to you."

"I'm on lunch."

"Selwyn I- Oh hello." the door next to Coco's desk opened up and a woman popped her head out. "Cordelia- is this him?"

Coco remained silent for several seconds before finally sighing.

"Yes, that's him. Theodore this is Helene St James, my boss. Helene, this is Theodore, my lifelong punishment."

Helene was a tall thin woman with obvious shoulder pads in her gold button-down top, tucked into finely tailored black pants. Her silver hair was cut short and stylishly, she looked chic.

"Lovely to meet you, Theodore, lifelong punishment or not. I've been trying to get Coco to bring you to the office."

"I resisted." Coco interjected

"Obviously." I looked down at Coco who finally stood up. "Lovely to meet you, Helene. Coco, Why did Mr. Danworth act so weird when you came down to bring him that paperwork?"

Helene's smile faltered a bit.

"Weird?" She asked, turning her attention to Coco who, for a split second looked like she was going to actually murder me with the black plastic fork that she had been eating the salad with, but just as quickly the murder in her eyes vanished, replaced by confusion. I was a bit taken aback by the switch

"He wasn't?" she shrugged. "He had a question about the article, but it was quickly cleared up. He actually sent a message not too long ago to let me know he'd have the statement back to us today." Helene's padded shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Very good. I'll let you two love birds talk." She grinned and turned to go back into her office.

"Okay now for real, what was it?"

"Nothing, I told you, he was just wanting to know more about the article. It's about an incident that happened last month. He wanted to make sure it wasn't some kind of hit piece." she shrugged and sat back down.

"Coco."

"Theo." she swiveled her chair around so her back was to me. I gripped the back and spun it so she was facing me again.

"This is my job," I growled, my voice low, anyone looking at us would have no idea we were in an argument- unless they knew us, then they would know if we were talking- we were arguing.

"I'm aware. It was nothing for you to worry about. It was all related to the article." She smiled sweetly, too sweetly. "Now back up before you have a puncture hole in your neck that is laced with vinaigrette dressing."

I clenched my jaw, standing upright again, still looking down at her. She looked basically the same as she had in my department, but now her hair was down, falling past her shoulders and her shirt- which had been buttoned up to her neck before, was undone to a point where from this angle I could see the edges of her black bra.

"Button your shirt." I snapped, reaching over and snagging a bit of chicken from her salad.

"Bite me."

"Gladly, Love."

"So far, Nott, all you've been is talk." she pointed out. "Until you put your money where your mouth is, I'll continue to assume you are nothing but a pansy little daddy's boy."

I saw red- much like I had the other night at the restaurant when I'd grabbed her throat. Luckily for my job, I managed to control my urge to strangle her and instead, I gripped the back of her neck, pulling her in for a kiss.

Fuck.

this was meant to disarm her- not me. The moment our lips touched, My brain went hazy. She tasted like the salad dressing- yes- but there was more than that, she parted her lips and I found so much more.

Kissing Coco Selwyn was unlike kissing anyone I'd ever kissed in my entire damn life.

It took every ounce of willpower I had to pull back and nearly died there on the spot. Coco- her hair slightly mussed- her eyes slightly glassy, her lipstick a little smeared. I reluctantly reached up to wipe around my mouth and my hand came back with a smudge of red.

"I'm far more than talk," I informed her before standing and striding out of The Prophet office, my heart pounding in my chest- my cock so hard against my slacks I was amazed I had any blood left anywhere else in my body.