A/N: This was written for Hermione's Haven during #HHBingo21 and for the #Roll-A-Thon21 joint event between Hermione's Haven and Draco's Den. This story filled square G3 - Paris, France. My Roll a Thon roll for Hermione's Haven was Gilmore Girls and Meet Ugly. I also used this for Cast the Dice for my Aces score with the trope - Roomates AU. Yes I'm aware it is only roommates if you squint.

Beta work was done by Grammarly.

This story was written for part of my event Birthday Bonanza, an event celebrating birthdays after the miserable year that 2020 turned out to be. This recipient of a story for Birthday Bonanza was FirewhiskySoul! I'm so sorry it's late!

Be sure to let me know what you think!

Love always,

~starr

"Flight 841 departing from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Heathrow Airport has been delayed until morning due to impending weather off the northern coast of France. All passengers should report to the concierge desk for a complimentary room at Innside Paris - Charlies de Gaulle."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she grabbed her carry-on from the floor beside her and jumped up from her seat. She needed to quickly make her way to the concierge desk to ensure that she received her complimentary room. Ginny and Luna had forced her to sit through far too many cheesy rom-coms where the main character was forced to share a room with a stranger because they only had one room left in the whole hotel. Hermione was bound and determined to make sure that didn't happen to her. With her carry-on held tight to her side, Hermione made her way through the airport quickly to discover an evergrowing line already in front of her.

"Damn," Hermione sighed, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. She took one last glance around the room, looking for a possible shortcut but knew that was a last-ditch effort. Settling into her spot in line, Hermione slipped her mobile out of her pocket and sent a quick text to Ginny and Luna. At least the two of them would find Hermione's unfortunate situation enjoyable.

HG: Guess who might be the lead role in Hallmark's next missed flight home movie?

LL: No way…

GW: Lmfao! Hopefully, they give you a cute roommate.

HG: You are not helping, and this is not funny.

GW: But it definitely is hysterical. Don't get your knickers in a twist.

LL: To be fair, most of the leading ladies end up with their knickers on the floor in this kind of situation.

HG: I hate both of you.

Shaking her head, Hermione took a few steps forward as she stared at her phone, bumping into the person standing directly in front of her in line. She jumped, startled by the collision, and dropped her phone on the ground. Hermione pinched her eyes shut tight as she accepted the fact that her screen was probably shattered.

"Watch where you're going," the man in front of her said, glaring at her as she bent down to pick her phone up.

Hermione felt his glare radiate through her entire body as she stood back up and met his eye. "I'm sorry for bumping into you. I was distracted."

"And not watching where you were going," he interjected.

"There's no need to be rude," Hermione hissed, rolling her eyes as she looked past him. 'It would appear we are the next two people in line, so you'll be rid of me soon enough."

"Whatever," he huffed, rolling his eyes as he took a step away from her. "You know that damn phone is taking away precious moments you'll never get back because you're distracted. Pick up a book and give it a read before getting lost in the digital world."

"I've got a book in my carry-on," Hermione huffed, shrugging her shoulders as she patted her bag. "I enjoy living in both worlds. There's nothing a little indulgence."

Before he could respond, the man was called up to the counter. Hermione shook her head as she gave him a once-over. His leather jacket showed wear and tear, almost as though it was part of his daily attire. The carry-on bag he was holding looked like a rucksack that had seen much better days, but the worn appearance seemed to fit him. Had they met under entirely different circumstances, Hermione might have found him attractive and taken the time to get to know him, but after that interaction, she knew she was better off without him.

Hermione smiled when she saw the man at the next available counter space motioning her to come forward. She walked up to the counter quickly, careful to avoid bumping the man with her bag as she walked past. "Hello," she chirped, offering her boarding pass to the man at the concierge desk.

"Hello," he began, pausing to look at her ticket before smiling back at her, "Ms. Granger. How can I help you this evening?"

"I'm here to claim my room at the Innside," she replied, taking the ticket back from him and slipping it down into her bag.

"Okay," he replied, nodding his head and began typing away at the computer. "It looks like we've got one room left with double occupancy. Do you mind sharing with another person for the night?"

As much as Hermione wanted to say no, she'd prefer a single room; she knew this was better than sleeping on in the loading gates. "Not at all."

"Wonderful," the man replied, offering a smile to her once again. "You'll be in room S29 with a Mr. Mariano. Your flight is scheduled to depart at 7:00 am sharp tomorrow morning."

Hermione took the room key from him with a smile. "Thank you so much."

She turned on her heels and made her way down the corridor, following the signs that pointed to the Innside. As she made her way to the elevator, she was again greeted by the man she had bumped into inline.

"Wonderful," Hermione mumbled to herself, pulling her bag closer to her chest as she waited for the elevator. She could see him looking her over out of the corner of his eyes. The realization of him watching her sent a shiver down her spine. She chastised herself for being intrigued by the possibilities of a stranger and stared at the lights above the elevator door as they dropped down to

A few moments later, the doors slid open, and a crowd of people stepped out. Hermione waited patiently for them to exit before making her way inside. Just as she was about to step forward, she noticed the man beside her stepping forward. With a sigh, Hermione motioned in front of her to let him go. "Go ahead."

"Ladies first," he offered, reaching a hand out to hold the elevator door open.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she made her way onto the elevator. She stepped in front of the buttons and pressed the door open button to allow him to step inside. "What floor do you need?"

"S," he replied, nodding his head as he watched her press the button. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said, nodding her head as she took a step back to lean against the wall.

The ride to their floor was quiet. It seemed as though they were both trapped away in their own thoughts, refusing to acknowledge the other person in the elevator with them. The only thing running through Hermione's mind was that this Mr. Mariano didn't mind sharing a room with her or letting her grab the first shower. She wanted to be completely refreshed for her flight to London in the morning.

The doors opened at their floor, and the man allowed Hermione to step out of the elevator first. She nodded her head slowly and turned down the hall toward her room. "Have a good night."

"You too," he replied, looking up and down the hall for a moment. He laughed when he realized he would be following her down the hall. He couldn't help thinking that she was going to think he was stalking her, which made him laugh. However, the humor faded quickly when he realized what room number she was looking for.

Hermione stuck her key in the door of S29 and waited for the light to flash green. She pushed the door open and looked back over her shoulder, and nodded to the kind stranger. He was staring at her with an awkward smile on his face, and it took her a moment to realize why he was smiling. "Mr. Mariano?"

He laughed as he nodded his head. "You can call me Jess."

"I'm Hermione Granger," she replied, offering a smile. "I guess we're roommates for the night."

"I guess so," Jess replied, following close behind her.

As they made their way into the bedroom of the hotel room, they both noticed that something was missing. There was a desk and a couch on the far wall. However, instead of two queen beds like the man Hermione spoke with, there was one large king-sized bed in the middle of the room.

"You've got to be kidding me," Hermione groaned, dropping her carry-on on the floor as she carded a hand through her curls. "I could have sworn he told me this was a double occupancy room."

"I mean, that bed is definitely big enough for two people to sleep on," Jess replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess people in France don't mind sharing a bed in a hotel room with a stranger for the night."

Hermione glared at him as she began pacing the floor. She barely knew this man, and now she was just expected to share a bed with him. It was bad enough when she thought she was just sharing a room with a stranger, but now it's either sleep on the couch or share the bed with a man. How could this night get any worse?

"I can sleep on the couch if that would make you more comfortable," Jess offered, watching as she paced across the floor. She reminded him a lot of Rory, especially in her reaction to the situation they were currently in. Although, Rory may have freaked out a little louder than Hermione was at the moment.

"You said it yourself, the bed is big enough for two people, and we are two grown adults who can share a bed," Hermione said, nodding her head as she looked at the bed once more.

"In the city of love, nonetheless," Jess teased, tossing his head back when he saw Hermione's eyes grow wide at his comment.

"You're not helping the situation," Hermione replied. "I still feel bad about that little altercation we got into in line waiting for this room."

"Don't worry about that," Jess said, offering her a smile. "I was just in a bad mood. We just need to make the best of the awkward situation so we can board our plane and head back home in the morning."

"Exactly," Hermione said, nodding her head with a smile on her face. "Do you mind if I grab a quick shower? I always sleep better after a nice hot shower."

"Only if you save some hot water for me unless you'd like to share," Jess said with a wink as he watched her duck into the bathroom with her cheeks flushed. He was getting under her skin, and that brought a wicked grin to his face. But he knew he had to behave himself, they were only here for the night, and tomorrow she'd be gone.