Fred walked into the flat only to come to a stop a few steps inside at the site before him. At the kitchen island was Hermione Granger, looking radiant in a sweeter dress that fit her sinfully well, the cream color of it making her tanned skin glow. Her righteous curls were tamed in a beautiful waterfall down her back, a small portion tied back out of her face with a bright purple ribbon that made him grin. Light makeup painted her face, just enough to accentuate her golden brown eyes without erasing the splash of freckles on her nose.
"You look stunning love."
She stole his breath away with the smile that grew as she looked up at him. "Fred, you're home."
Coming up he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in to kiss her forehead, "What are you all dressed up for?"
Hermione brow furrowed just the slightest, the space between her eye crunching together, as she looked up at him. "I thought we had plans."
It was Fred's turn to frown. "Did we?" Hermione nodded. "I'm sorry love, I must have forgotten."
"We have time," she smiled, "the reservations aren't for another hour."
Reservations, that meant they'd had this planned for a while and he'd still managed to bollocks it up. "Mi...I have something to tell you and I really don't want you to get upset."
Hermione snorted, "That means I'm definitely not going to like it. Is it something to do with the shop?"
"No," he ran a hand nervously through his hair, "It's mum. She set me up on another blind date. I'm supposed to meet the girl in a half hour in Diagon."
He grimaced as she recoiled, taking a step away from him. "Oh."
"I'm sorry, I completely forgot."
Hermione nodded looking down at her hands, "It's fine."
Nervously Fred began to ramble. He didn't like when Hermione got quiet like that or when she was upset, let alone when she was both. Moving towards their room, hoping she would follow he started to get dressed. "You know how mum is. So determined to match us all up. And ever since Charlie meet Suzie she's been a woman on a mission honing in on me because I'm the only single one left. For Merlin's sake, Charlie beat me to it."
Hermione winced, "But you're not single.." Not to mention they'd been together longer than Charlie and Suzie.
"Of course not but she doesn't know that."
Silence clouded the room as he redressed in a bright purple button up shirt and brown trouser. Hermione loved that shirt on him. She'd hoped he'd wear it tonight but with her, not on yet another blind date. It was part of why she'd worn her cream colored dress, it complimented that shirt best. The ache in her chest grew.
"Fred?"
"Yea Mi?"
"When are we going to tell everyone we're together?"
Fred, who had been tucking his shirt into his trousers, froze.
"Fred?"
Sighing he ran a hand through his hair before finishing tucking in his shirt. But he didn't speak again until he reached for his coat, "We can soon. I'm just not ready yet."
"When might you be ready?"
Turning to look at her he was momentarily disarmed by the vulnerability in her eyes. "I-I don't know."
Her eyes prickled with tears. She blinked until the sting dissipated. "Are you ashamed of me?"
"What? No!"
"Then I don't understand. You've never been shy about the girls you've dated before. You've even brought a few of them home."
That was true, he'd brought several girls home. But they were nothing serious. They weren't Hermione. "It's different with you."
"Why?"
Her whispered question was one Fred couldn't answer that. The panic that clouded his chest every time he thought of it began to make his chest tighten.
"Fred what's today?"
"Friday."
"Yes but the date."
"August twenty second."
She sighed, "Does that date have any meaning to you?" Fred frowned as he thought about it before shaking his head. Hermione's eyes started to water. "I'm going to go home."
Alarmed by her tears Fred moved to grab her hips but she stepped away from him while shaking her head making his frown deepen.
"We live together Mi."
"Yet no one but George and Angela know we're together. And they only know because George walked in on us on the couch and you swore him to secrecy right there before you could even get dressed. That's how important keeping us a secret was to you. Is," she corrected herself.
Fred grimaced, not one of his finest moments. They'd been watching a film when he let his hands began to wander into her knickers. When his twin had popped in through the floo Fred had been entranced by the way Hermione's perfect tits bounced in front of him while she rode him to completion. He'd just taken them in hand, his mouth encasing one of her rosy nipples when George started to laugh about how he knew it. In his shock Fred had launched Hermione over the couch, uncaring of his own nudity but not wanting his twin to see her. She'd had a bruise on her hip for a week after.
That had been the first time he and Hermione had argued about their relationship being kept secret.
"We still live together."
"I have my flat for nights like these or when you have guys night or the girls have a night. I may not go there often but it's still in my name, I still pay it. All to maintain the secret."
"Don't go, I'll only be an hour."
"Fred what day is it?"
"August twenty second, I already told you that."
Hermione wrapped her arms around herself and looked down, unable to keep eye contact with him as she said it. "I don't think I can do this anymore."
Fred felt his chest start to tighten again. It was getting harder to breathe. She couldn't honestly be breaking up with him because of this. This was hardly the first time he'd agreed to a date to satisfy his mum. Hermione knew nothing would ever happen. He normally came home and they watched a program together while she ate the food he'd ordered her before leaving. Why was today so different?
"What do you mean?" he asked dumbly.
"I love you Fred. I love you so much. But I can't be a secret anymore and I know you're not ready, I don't want to push you-"
He cut her off angrily, "But you're breaking up with me."
"Freddie," she whispered desperately, "What day is it?"
"Why do you keep asking me that? It's August twenty bloody second!"
Tear filled golden brown eyes suddenly pierced his own angry blue ones.
"It's been a year since we started dating."
All the air left his lungs.
No.
No.
No.
No.
He wouldn't have forgotten that. Had it been that long? It didn't feel like it. A year? A year of birthdays, holidays, and family dinners. A year of a secret relationship for no other reason then he wasn't ready to address why his chest tightened at the thought of ever being without her every night.
It all made sense now. Her dress, the makeup, her hair styled, the reservations. Their dates were usually in the muggle world to avoid the press that still followed her, all to maintain the secret, as she'd said. She'd looked so hopeful when he'd come in and now she looked so torn as she tried not to let the tears in her eyes fall. His witch had gotten dressed to go celebrate their anniversary and he'd come home to tell her he had a date he'd agreed to to appease his mum. Because his mum didn't know they were together. Had been together for a year as of today. Which he'd also forgotten about.
That's what was different.
"Hermione..."
Words failing him he gapped like a fish.
"It's okay," she swallowed the lump in her throat, "I understand and it's okay. I just...I can't do this anymore Fred. I love you but I don't want to be a secret anymore." Stepping up to him she put her hand on his cheek. He hadn't shaved yet and his scruff tickled her palm. She loved when he had scruff. He was so still. "I was never ashamed of you either. I just wanted a real chance and this isn't going to go anywhere when there's something keeping you from wanting others to know."
When he still didn't say anything a few more tears fell onto her cheeks. Leaning up she lightly kissed his cheek.
"I'll come get my stuff tomorrow while you're at the Burrow. I think I''ll skip this weekend. If anyone asks just tell them I'm working or something, they'll believe it."
Turning from their room Hermione grabbed her beaded bag off the dresser and walked, head held high, towards the floo silently hoping he would follow and stop her.
He didn't.